Filed under: HR, advertising | Tags: advertising, benefits, employees, google, HR, management
So, a really good friend of mine who interned with me at a Houston ad firm just accepted a position with Crispin Porter out in Miami for the Sprite account. But what she told me next surprised me even more. I asked her if she had a place lined up, and she said that the agency will be taking care of her housing for her first few weeks, as well as relocation expenses, which is pretty unheard of in advertising for entry-level positions. So, that made me think about the true role of HR and how so many companies don’t even come close to hitting the mark.
A lot of HR departments are just paper pushers: insurance benefits, checks, pink slips, etc. They are far from an actual resource and probably are eagerly avoided at all costs by employees who know and understand this deficit. What will it take for these major and minor corporate behemoths to realize that HR can actually be of help? Why not boost employee morale through crazy customs and traditions specific to the company? We all know that Google has probably become the best example of a large post-modern organization with a truly unique list of benefits provided to their employees. From free cafeteria meals to “free time” to do what you want on their time, Google has created a culture that every college grad wants to work for and every web company wants to imitate (though many fall short).
So, the Carrie Bradshaw moment: if HR has always stood for Human Resources and was meant for employee betterment, why does it seem like humans are an afterthought in its practice?
Resumes are such necessary evils. It’s never a true summary of one’s career, objectives, or skills. They have become a game of masking the red flags and touting some rather lackluster, or insignificant, accomplishments during a menial position that you’ve fled or are fleeing. Do you honestly ever get a true account of someone’s knowledge, skills, and abilities on one or two pages?
Let’s think about it. If you can’t judge a book by its cover (a one-page document) or tell what a movie’s about from it’s 30-second trailer, how can a resume accurately reflect someone’s strengths, weaknesses, capabilities, ambitions, motivators, commitment, dedication, passion, intelligence, social skills, or home training? Yes, home training. You’d be surprised as to how many Americans don’t know how to act when they left their parents’ home.
I know that everyone wants a synopsis, straight-to-the-point and no beating-around-the-bush. We, by “we” I mean corporate executives, don’t have the time to review or assess the skills of the right person, let alone create a decent overview of the position we are looking to fill. So, it’s more of a matching game. Match up the vague needs of the company with the exaggerated skills and “experience” of a candidate. That’s one role of HR in a nutshell.
Yes, I’m in the process of redoing my resume, but it’s so hard to fit yourself, aspirations, and goals in life on to a page. How do I put all of my multifaceted goodness into several short précis? And yes, I am chock full of multifaceted goodness. I guess my next employer will have to be a great judge of character and an even better discerner of aptitude. I guess that means that my next employer will have to be a graduate of The George Washington University. <wink> Just joking.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: advertising, brand management, branding, marketing, revelations
There comes a time in every man’s life where things are revealed to him that change the way he thinks, behaves, and lives. Sadly for me, I can’t claim this profundity as my own brainchild. As a matter of fact, there’s a whole book of the Bible dedicated to the veil being lifted from men’s eyes. Yet, with so many self-help gurus, religious officials, and even Oprah preaching the benefits of positive life changes through a series of revelations, why haven’t brands adopted this line of thought?
Why can’t this be applied to brands? Think about it. The last time someone told you about a brand that they use, they gave you the key benefit, or revelation, that persuaded you and made you change your consumption habits. From food to clothing to web technology, we’ve all had things “revealed” to us that subconsciously have forced us to change the way think, behave, and possibly live, depending on the revelation. If brands treated their communications as revelations, not only would their advertising creative be effective, entertaining, and worth remembering, it would improve the bottom line.
So, on that note, I’ll leave the rest in my upcoming book: Revelations: The Chosen Brands.
