Here's another TED video. In this one, Dan Pink discusses intrinsic motivation and its value in future workplaces.
Dan argues that intrinsic motivation is made up of "autonomy, mastery, and purpose." He also says that this form of motivation will be necessary as work moves from simple and repetitive tasks to complex and creative thinking tasks (knowledge/information economies). According to behavioral psychology research he references, traditional incentives such as bonuses are not effective for jobs of the near future.
Last month, I saw a job posting for an employment specialist that advertised $50.00 bonuses per placement as part of the compensation. According to Dan's talk, it should be better to build the bonuses into the salary and offer a higher base pay. Job placements require so many different factors to come together that it's hard to feel a direct connection between placing a job seeker and receiving an extra $50.00 weeks after the job begins. Also, placing someone already feels rewarding; the emotional experience can outshine the monetary reward.
See this post for another view on intrinsic motivation. It identifies autonomy, competence, and relatedness as factors for intrinsic motivation...2 out of 3 factors in agreement (autonomy, competence/mastery).
Showing posts with label Innovation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Innovation. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Employment specialist, unplugged
The New Yorker is emerging as my main source for ideas that can be adapted to workforce development. It's fitting since I love Malcolm Gladwell.
This article by John Colapinto (also good), "Brain Games, The Marco Polo of neuroscience," is a fun look into contemporary research on autism, atemnophilia (a compulsion to amputate healthy limbs), and other conditions. The research is described as evidence of the brilliance of Dr. Vilayanur S. Ramachandran. He is certainly smart. The details of how he works are the most interesting part:
"Ramachandran listened closely as Jamieson talked about his condition. In a specialty that today relies chiefly on the power of multimillion-dollar imaging machines to peer deep inside the brain, Ramachandran is known for his low-tech method, which often involves little more than interviews with patients and a few hands-on tests -an approach that he traces to his medical education in India, in the nineteen-seventies, when expensive diagnostic machines were scarce. 'The lack of technology actually forces you to be ingenious," he told me. 'You have to rely on your clinical acumen. You have to use your Sherlock Holmes-like deductive abilities to figure things out."
Job seekers need computers: resumes and cover letters, craigslist, indeed, employer websites, email contact, linkedin, etc.
Employment specialists need computers: tracking databases, matching job seekers to openings, skills assessments, reading blogs, etc.
But can we get by without them?
Now that I'm working in Supported Employment, I'm encouraged/required to get out of the office and work with customers in other settings: meet with employers, going out to submit applications together, onsite job coaching. It's still hard to get away from the computer, and I realize there are things that I do in my cubicle that don't have to be done there.
Employment plans, reviewing job leads, resume reviews, mock interviews, counseling... Really, if a jobseeker is computer literate (word processing and internet), all employment specialist-job seeker interaction can take place without a computer nearby. The exception would be assisting individuals who cannot edit their own resumes or submit online applications (even then there are other options for applying). The only currently essential task that requires computers is data entry for internal program reasons, not for direct services.
By interacting with the jobseeker free of the computer distractions, one of Ramachandran's techniques pops up: you can listen more closely.
Getting away from the computer also prevents one of my professional fears: that my role as an employment specialist becomes simply a middle-man for craigslist posts and support services.
Something else came to mind as I reread the piece for this post. Ramachandran frequently uses mirrors to manipulate how a subject perceives him or herself. I wonder how having mirrors present would affect discussions about the proper way to dress for job searching and interviewing. Mirrors may also have an impact in building self-awareness and hopefully self-esteem.
This article by John Colapinto (also good), "Brain Games, The Marco Polo of neuroscience," is a fun look into contemporary research on autism, atemnophilia (a compulsion to amputate healthy limbs), and other conditions. The research is described as evidence of the brilliance of Dr. Vilayanur S. Ramachandran. He is certainly smart. The details of how he works are the most interesting part:
"Ramachandran listened closely as Jamieson talked about his condition. In a specialty that today relies chiefly on the power of multimillion-dollar imaging machines to peer deep inside the brain, Ramachandran is known for his low-tech method, which often involves little more than interviews with patients and a few hands-on tests -an approach that he traces to his medical education in India, in the nineteen-seventies, when expensive diagnostic machines were scarce. 'The lack of technology actually forces you to be ingenious," he told me. 'You have to rely on your clinical acumen. You have to use your Sherlock Holmes-like deductive abilities to figure things out."
Job seekers need computers: resumes and cover letters, craigslist, indeed, employer websites, email contact, linkedin, etc.
Employment specialists need computers: tracking databases, matching job seekers to openings, skills assessments, reading blogs, etc.
But can we get by without them?
Now that I'm working in Supported Employment, I'm encouraged/required to get out of the office and work with customers in other settings: meet with employers, going out to submit applications together, onsite job coaching. It's still hard to get away from the computer, and I realize there are things that I do in my cubicle that don't have to be done there.
Employment plans, reviewing job leads, resume reviews, mock interviews, counseling... Really, if a jobseeker is computer literate (word processing and internet), all employment specialist-job seeker interaction can take place without a computer nearby. The exception would be assisting individuals who cannot edit their own resumes or submit online applications (even then there are other options for applying). The only currently essential task that requires computers is data entry for internal program reasons, not for direct services.
By interacting with the jobseeker free of the computer distractions, one of Ramachandran's techniques pops up: you can listen more closely.
Getting away from the computer also prevents one of my professional fears: that my role as an employment specialist becomes simply a middle-man for craigslist posts and support services.
Something else came to mind as I reread the piece for this post. Ramachandran frequently uses mirrors to manipulate how a subject perceives him or herself. I wonder how having mirrors present would affect discussions about the proper way to dress for job searching and interviewing. Mirrors may also have an impact in building self-awareness and hopefully self-esteem.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
The employment specialist world of tomorrow, expanded
Michele Martin presented a workshop on Using Free Internet Technologies to Support Customer Job Searches and Provide High Quality Services at this year's Garden State Employment and Training Association Conference (GSETA). It's a great how-to for following through with using social media and other web tools for workforce development services. Check the conference wiki for the handouts to the other workshops as well.
Here is the outstanding GSETA blog.
Here is the outstanding GSETA blog.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
The employment specialist world of tomorrow
Despite spending most of my day (work and personal time) on a computer, I'm a skeptic about the promises of world-changing web applications. I think MySpace is for kids and I figure that 99% of videos on Youtube are better off not seen. I follow people on Twitter, but don't tweet myself as I don't think my employer would approve. Of course, I do blog.
Still, I think these are all great tools for workforce development. Here's a roundup of the most hyped sites and thoughts on their potential in our field. Real life examples reveal the early adopters and some hiccups with blogs that were suspended after three posts or social networking profiles with zero friends.
Twitter
Basic:
1. Announce Events
2. Celebrate successes.
Advanced:
1. Connect to employers.
2. Advertise specific candidates.
-Workforce Solutions Heart of Texas tweets.
-Workforce Solutions Lower Rio Grande tweets.
-Wise (VA) Workforce Center tweets.
-Worksystems Inc (Portland, OR) tweets.
Youtube
Basic:
1. Recruiting/Informational Brochures
2. Event Recaps
Advanced:
1. Self-produced (targeted) training
2. Employer interviews/profiles
-Workforce Solutions (Houston-Galveston-Gulfcoast) application and interviewing videos on Youtube.
MySpace/Facebook
Basic
1. Announce events.
2. Recruit.
Advanced:
1. Maintain follow-up contact.
2. Connect participants to other resources.
-Workforce Solutions Heart of Texas Myspace.
-Columbia-Greene Workforce NY Myspace.
-Worksource Vancouver (WA) Myspace.
Other examples:
Workforce Solutions Gulf Coast blog.
Huron County (OH) employment specialist interview by the Toledo Blade on Youtube.
Cumberland County (NC) Workforce Development montage on Youtube.
WorkOne Southeast (IN) youth commercial on Youtube.
Wise (VA) Workforce Center podcasts.
Still, I think these are all great tools for workforce development. Here's a roundup of the most hyped sites and thoughts on their potential in our field. Real life examples reveal the early adopters and some hiccups with blogs that were suspended after three posts or social networking profiles with zero friends.
Basic:
1. Announce Events
2. Celebrate successes.
Advanced:
1. Connect to employers.
2. Advertise specific candidates.
-Workforce Solutions Heart of Texas tweets.
-Workforce Solutions Lower Rio Grande tweets.
-Wise (VA) Workforce Center tweets.
-Worksystems Inc (Portland, OR) tweets.
Youtube
Basic:
1. Recruiting/Informational Brochures
2. Event Recaps
Advanced:
1. Self-produced (targeted) training
2. Employer interviews/profiles
-Workforce Solutions (Houston-Galveston-Gulfcoast) application and interviewing videos on Youtube.
MySpace/Facebook
Basic
1. Announce events.
2. Recruit.
Advanced:
1. Maintain follow-up contact.
2. Connect participants to other resources.
-Workforce Solutions Heart of Texas Myspace.
-Columbia-Greene Workforce NY Myspace.
-Worksource Vancouver (WA) Myspace.
Other examples:
Workforce Solutions Gulf Coast blog.
Huron County (OH) employment specialist interview by the Toledo Blade on Youtube.
Cumberland County (NC) Workforce Development montage on Youtube.
WorkOne Southeast (IN) youth commercial on Youtube.
Wise (VA) Workforce Center podcasts.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Breaking news: Jobs!
Here's an update on the televised Rio Grande Valley Jobathon I posted about earlier in the week. KRGV Newschannel 5 has pictures and video from throughout the day's broadcast on a special job fair page.
The videos highlight employers as well as individual job seekers. Job seekers had less than a minute to make their pitch. Most were only able to give a brief description of their experience, the field they are interested in, and their Work in Texas ID number, which will allow employers to see their full resume and contact information.
Is your elevator pitch ready for primetime?
There is one video moment that made me cringe. In a story about onestop services, a staff person is identified as an UNEMPLOYMENT Specialist.
Workforce Solutions and Workforce Solutions Cameron organized the event.
The videos highlight employers as well as individual job seekers. Job seekers had less than a minute to make their pitch. Most were only able to give a brief description of their experience, the field they are interested in, and their Work in Texas ID number, which will allow employers to see their full resume and contact information.
Is your elevator pitch ready for primetime?
There is one video moment that made me cringe. In a story about onestop services, a staff person is identified as an UNEMPLOYMENT Specialist.
Workforce Solutions and Workforce Solutions Cameron organized the event.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Mystery shopping, emphasis on "mystery"
In a real world follow-up to this post on job search scams, a job seeker reported today that he has received two money orders (totalling $1500) from a mystery shopping job offer he replied to on craigslist.
Though he was suspicious of the checks' legitimacy, he had a small hope that it was a real opportunity. The job seeker gave me copies of the emails, and it appears to be a check-cashing scheme operating under the cover of mystery shopping. It was even being done under the name of a legitimate mystery/secret shopping company. The instructions were to cash the money orders, spend some of the money on shopping assignments, keep $150 per assignment, and wire the remainder back to an individual in another state while emailing scanned copies of the receipts and a report on the shopping assignment.
Suspicious elements that I pointed out to the job seeker:
1. He had never been interviewed or screened for the job. His only communication with the company was his email response via craigslist. Legitimate companies don't send $1500 to a stranger.
2. Reputable mystery shopper organizations frequently offer reimbursements on expenses as opposed to paying those costs upfront.
3. The "employer" was doing business through a free gmail account.
4. The company address was in Washington state, but instructions were to wire money to an individual in North Carolina
4. There was unusual pressure being applied as the "employer" stressed that the assignment needed to be completed within 24 hours.
5. The "employer" was asking for funds to be transferred to a name other than his own.
Basic safeguards I warn job seekers of:
1. Stay away from offers that charge a fee.
2. Stay away from offers that involve transferring money.
The prevalence of scams in the current job market is an opportunity for a onestop workshop topic: protecting oneself from identity theft and employment scams during a job search. Jobseekers who are new to the internet need to know what information should not be divulged and how to spot legitimate recruiters.
Mystery shopping resources:
Federal Trade Commission mystery shopping page
National Shopping Services Network (includes a section for scam alerts)
Though he was suspicious of the checks' legitimacy, he had a small hope that it was a real opportunity. The job seeker gave me copies of the emails, and it appears to be a check-cashing scheme operating under the cover of mystery shopping. It was even being done under the name of a legitimate mystery/secret shopping company. The instructions were to cash the money orders, spend some of the money on shopping assignments, keep $150 per assignment, and wire the remainder back to an individual in another state while emailing scanned copies of the receipts and a report on the shopping assignment.
Suspicious elements that I pointed out to the job seeker:
1. He had never been interviewed or screened for the job. His only communication with the company was his email response via craigslist. Legitimate companies don't send $1500 to a stranger.
2. Reputable mystery shopper organizations frequently offer reimbursements on expenses as opposed to paying those costs upfront.
3. The "employer" was doing business through a free gmail account.
4. The company address was in Washington state, but instructions were to wire money to an individual in North Carolina
4. There was unusual pressure being applied as the "employer" stressed that the assignment needed to be completed within 24 hours.
5. The "employer" was asking for funds to be transferred to a name other than his own.
Basic safeguards I warn job seekers of:
1. Stay away from offers that charge a fee.
2. Stay away from offers that involve transferring money.
The prevalence of scams in the current job market is an opportunity for a onestop workshop topic: protecting oneself from identity theft and employment scams during a job search. Jobseekers who are new to the internet need to know what information should not be divulged and how to spot legitimate recruiters.
Mystery shopping resources:
Federal Trade Commission mystery shopping page
National Shopping Services Network (includes a section for scam alerts)
Thursday, March 26, 2009
After these messages: Jobs!
Workforce Solutions (Lower Rio Grande Workforce Development Board) and Workforce Solutions Cameron (Cameron County WDB) will be participating in a televised job-a-thon on April 1st.
The job-a-thon will air on KRGV Newschannel 5 (Rio Grande Valley's ABC affiliate) throughout next Wednesday. Live segments will air from various onestop centers showcasing both employers and jobseekers. Traditional job fairs will be held the same day at the local onestops, which will allow jobseekers to reach employers without having to go on television.
While it's easy to imagine most employers are interested in the free advertising while announcing job openings, this may be quite a challenge for jobseekers. I would certainly be impressed by a candidate who is able to go on live tv and make a good pitch to employers.
The job-a-thon will air on KRGV Newschannel 5 (Rio Grande Valley's ABC affiliate) throughout next Wednesday. Live segments will air from various onestop centers showcasing both employers and jobseekers. Traditional job fairs will be held the same day at the local onestops, which will allow jobseekers to reach employers without having to go on television.
While it's easy to imagine most employers are interested in the free advertising while announcing job openings, this may be quite a challenge for jobseekers. I would certainly be impressed by a candidate who is able to go on live tv and make a good pitch to employers.
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