Iron Bowl 2023 Recap from a Non-Invested Fan!

Posted on November 29, 2023 by Tim Sackett

If you read this blog regularly, you know my best friend Kris Dunn, and he’s an Auburn University fan. I’m a Michigan State fan. And like best friends do, we support each other in our fandom and sometimes in our misery of fandom.

Thanksgiving weekend each year is a big rivalry week in college football. You’ve got a lot of big games: UofM vs. Ohio State, Washington vs. Washington State, Florida vs. Florida State, etc. Arguably, the biggest one is Auburn vs. Alabama, which they’ve titled the Iron Bowl!

So, when Kris offered me to come down for a game, I, of course, had to go see the Iron Bowl! You know what they say? Throw out the records. This is a backyard brawl, brother vs. brother. These teams know each other like family, and it’s about bragging rights for the rest of the year.

I grew up in Big Ten country and have lived through every single UofM vs. MSU game since I was old enough to remember. For years, “we” (MSU) got destroyed by UofM. For most of my life, that was the case. Then we hired the right coach, and we went on a pretty good decade run. Kris and I like to believe that MSU and Auburn are similar. We have these big rivals with national brands, Michigan and Alabama, so you’re almost always going to be the underdog. But being the underdog has some amazing celebrations when you finally win one.

I won’t bore you with details of a game that has already happened. Long story short, like every classic memorable football game, Alabama won on a miracle play when it looked like all was lost, and Auburn got their hearts broken. I was there to see the entire devastatingly amazing thing.

Thoughts from a Big Ten Guy in SEC country for the biggest rivalry in college football:

Folks in the SEC take football more seriously than up north. That’s a fact. I will not argue. I’ve seen it firsthand. They get to the games earlier. They are way more engaged throughout. They don’t leave early.

The SEC pre-game stuff made me feel like I was in a cult. They have dudes with microphones leading cheers 20 minutes before kickoff, and it’s unlike anything you see in the Big Ten or Pac12. The entire stadium is doing these old-time 1940s type Raw-Raw-We-Kick’em-In-The-Knee type cheers. It’s funny and amazing all at the same time.

The Auburn Eagle flying out at pre-game is something every single college football fan has to see. It’s America at its finest, and if terrorists saw this in person, they would understand why America can never be defeated. You pair this with three F-15 fighter jets flying overhead, and you just want to wrap yourself in the flag and stand a post!

Alabama’s band had 30 women twirling guns. GUNS! AMERICA! You can’t make this up. Thirty women wearing bathing suits, in stripper boots, and twirling guns! It made me want to go vote!

If I’m running a football stadium in the Big Ten, ACC, Pac12, etc. I am sending my stadium entertainment team to watch SEC games in person. They do it differently. They do it better. I’ve never been to a better stadium environment than the Iron Bowl at Auburn.

I love college sports because I think you have more of a chance to see amazing things happen, I.E., Upsets. The joy and pain you see in upsets can’t be replicated. I got to witness that, in a way, fans of those teams will talk about for a decade until the next amazing thing happens. Ten years ago, for the record, the Kick 6 happened, which snatched the win out of Alabama’s fans’ hands with one second, and Auburn got the big win. For a decade, Auburn has been able to warm themselves on cold nights thinking about that one memory. Now, it’s Alabama’s turn. The hard part for Auburn fans to swallow is that it seems like Alabama has an embarrassment of riches, and they don’t deserve this moment. I kind of agree! The underdog deserves this moment!

These are 18-22-year-old kids playing a game they love with hopes of going on to professional football. Less than 1% will. So, at the end of the night, when the lights go off, and crowds go home, these are still just young men playing a game and trying everything in their might to win. For themselves, their coaches, their school, and their fans. I have to remember this sometimes. For how badly I want my team to win, those kids playing the game want it a million more times than I do. They are the ones putting in the work. So, my heart breaks for the Auburn players.

Alabama coach Nick Saban said it best after the game. Basically, if you play the game long enough, you’re going to experience some amazing things and some heartbreaking things. That’s part of playing the game. That night, he got to be on the positive side of that experience, but he’s also been on the other side. The bad times make the good times all that better.

Thank you for allowing me to indulge you with something non-recruiting or HR-related. Although, there’s a lot of learning from the greatest things we experience in our lives that I’ll definitely take with me!

Unlocking Talent Gold: Embracing Hiring Veterans

Posted on November 28, 2023 by Tim Sackett

In HR and talent acquisition, we’re always on the hunt for the ultimate hiring solution. We’re willing to explore almost anything that promises better talent for our organizations. So, it perplexes me that most organizations overlook a massive talent pool – veterans. Let’s dive into why hiring veterans is a game-changer:

Teamwork – The military hones teamwork skills like no other. While a lot of companies find it hard to get their teams to work together, veterans are all about teamwork.

Following & Giving Directions – HR pros always have the best stories of employees struggling with basic instructions. Leadership training discussions are recurrent, focusing on the need for clear direction. Veterans bring an ability to both follow and give concise directives—a skill set sorely needed in organizations.

Pressure Handling and Deadline Management – When someone’s life or safety is at risk, you learn how to work under extreme pressure, which probably pales in comparison to much of the pressure we put on ourselves and our employees in normal work situations. Regardless, having individuals who can not only handle pressure but thrive under pressure, are skills our organizations need.

Planning and Organization – Military training instills impeccable planning and organizational skills, an area where many employees struggle. Hiring managers often stress the importance of being organized, and veterans are really good at it.

Flexibility and Adaptability – Change is a constant in organizations, and managing it consumes resources. However, veterans excel in adapting to change, drawing from a background where constant adaptation was the norm. Their ability to navigate change smoothly is a skill that organizations desperately need.

So, why the struggle in hiring veterans? It’s not about the veterans but about HR professionals stuck in a rigid mindset. We’ve cultivated a culture fixated on matching every single qualification in a job description, missing out on the potential of great individuals. It’s time to shift from instant gratification to investing in training and nurturing talent within our organizations.

While we are at it, let’s dispel some myths around veterans:

Misconception: Military service is for troublemakers or those not smart enough for college. Reality: For many the military is a strategic choice, not due to a lack of intelligence or options.
Misconception: Veterans are rigid and only understand top-down management. Reality: Today’s veterans are well-versed in soft skills leadership, adaptable to various management styles.
Misconception: There’s no time or resources to train veterans. Reality: Not true – plus haven’t you already had that position open for 6 months? The fact is, this is an organizational choice and you as an HR Pro have the influence to change it. There are many resources out there for organizations to train returning veterans.

We have great men and women who make a personal choice to keep this country great. As employers and American citizens, we owe these men and women a chance. At HRU Tech, 28.6% of our new hires in 2020 were Veterans. Grab this free eBook, crafted to elevate your Veteran recruitment approach to new heights. They deserve a shot, and this resource can help to make that happen.

Maximizing Employee Referrals: The Key to Hiring Success

Posted on November 27, 2023 by Tim Sackett

Referral hires often stand out as the cream of the crop in any company’s recruitment efforts. It’s a simple equation:

Good Employee + wanting to stay a good employee + employee’s reputation = usually good people they recommend to HR/Recruiting to go after and hire

I’m like Einstein when it comes to HR math! However, here’s the challenge: despite this equation, many companies struggle to receive enough referrals. We’ve analyzed our referral process, fine-tuned collateral materials, and even leveraged technology to automate referrals. Yet, the numbers remain short of our expectations and needs.

There’s a straightforward but often overlooked aspect: giving employees explicit permission to share job openings within their personal and professional networks every time a referral is needed for a specific position.

HR excels in roll-outs—we’re masters at initiating programs. However, where we often stumble is in the continuity of these programs post-roll-out. Brutal truth, but true.

So, how can you ramp up your referral game?

Establish a program (surprisingly, not all companies have one).
When in need of a referral, ask for it every single time. Assuming that employees will naturally share openings isn’t always effective.
Specifically “give permission” to employees to share job openings on their social networks—Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok you name it!

BEST PRACTICE TIP: Create departmental email groups. When a relevant position opens up, send an email to the group with standard referral language and an easily shareable hyperlink along with clear instructions.

Granting “permission” triggers action—it’s a psychological thing, and it works wonders. Think about it, like you were a 5 year old. Your parents tell you, you can’t ride your Green Machine in the street. Then, one day, Mom is out getting her nails done and your Dad sees you doing circles in the driveway on that Green Machine and he goes “Hey, why don’t you take that into the street?!” What do you do? You immediately take that bad boy for a ride in the street! Dad “gave you permission” and you ran with it!

Referrals aren’t quite the same, but it’s surprising how some employees question whether they’re allowed to share job postings with friends and family. Don’t assume—they might surprise you.

So, empower your employees. Give your employees permission to get you some referrals! Or what if you allowed anyone in your company to hire?

Pre-Thanksgiving Desk Cleanup: Master Marie Kondo’s Method for a Neat Workspace!

Posted on November 22, 2023 by Tim Sackett

As a dude, staying organized isn’t my strongest suit. But thanks to decades of heavy training from Mrs. Sackett, I’ve managed to steer clear of chaos (mostly!). Once you embrace organization, you can’t help but notice when things aren’t organized!

Lately, the buzz has been all about Marie Kondo and her knack for tidying up. Picture this: it’s the prelude to an epic Thanksgiving break, and all you want is a clutter-free workspace to dive into the holiday spirit. So, I’m sharing a video detailing the Marie Kondo method for desk organization—talk about perfect timing!

Share snaps of your revamped desk post-Kondo method—I’d love to see the transformation!

Have a great holiday extended weekend! See you all back here Monday!

Life’s Tough, But It Evens Out

Posted on November 21, 2023 by Tim Sackett

In the realm of motivational quotes, one has continually stuck with me: “It’s hard, but it’s fair.” An older football coach used it to fire up his players, but it speaks volumes about life today.

The coach’s son, Toler Jr., eloquently defines the meaning of the phrase:

“It’s about sacrifice. It means that if you work hard, at the end of the day, fairness aligns with your efforts. It’s about investing time and readiness for the opportunities.”

We all think our parents are hard on us growing up. I recall stories I tell to my own sons of my Dad waking me up on a Saturday morning at 7am, after I was out to late the night before, and ‘making’ me help him with something, like chopping wood or cleaning the garage out. He didn’t really need my help, he was trying to teach me a lesson about choices. If I chose to stay out late at night, it was going to suck getting up early to go to school. He shared with me stories of his father doing the same thing – one night my Dad had gotten home late, so late, he didn’t even go to bed, just started a pot of coffee and waited for my grandfather to get up, figuring that was easier than getting a couple of hours of sleep and then hearing it from my grandfather the rest of the day.

In my role as an HR professional, I witness this every day in the workforce. There are those who consistently dedicate themselves without expecting special treatment. Others will put in the minimum, then expect a cookie. It’s a tough life lesson for those folks. Often, they depart, perceiving unfair treatment, and move between jobs, slowly learning the importance of effort and time investment. In my three decades in HR, genuine hard workers rarely face injustice. Occasionally, undeserving individuals might receive promotions, but the hard workers usually secure the better end of the deal.

As a parent, I hope I can teach my sons this lesson: Life is inherently challenging, but commitment and hard work pave the path to fairness.

The Role of HR as Coaches

Posted on November 20, 2023 by Tim Sackett

There’s an article by Atul Gawande in The New Yorker discussing the importance of “Coaching.” Gawande, a writer and surgeon, talked about coaches as not just teachers but as observers, judges, and guides. From the article:

The concept of a coach is slippery. Coaches are not teachers, but they teach. They’re not your boss—in professional tennis, golf, and skating, the athlete hires and fires the coach—but they can be bossy. They don’t even have to be good at the sport. The famous Olympic gymnastics coach Bela Karolyi couldn’t do a split if his life depended on it. Mainly, they observe, they judge, and they guide.
Gawande, A. (2011, October 3). Personal Best. The New Yorker.

In my HR role, I’ve always believed that HR can act as coaches across our organizations. But there’s often pushback, like “You can’t coach me in Marketing, Operations, or Accounting.” Exactly—I’m not here to teach you those things; I hired you for that. Building a coaching culture starts with hiring people open to being coached.

Your Weekly Dose of HR Technology: @Workday and AI #HRTechConf

Posted on October 11, 2023 by Tim Sackett

This week on The Weekly Dose, I’m going to discuss some recent announcements from Workday around some AI functionality they’ve launched. Workday might be the biggest brand in HR. You would have had to been completely sleeping through the past twenty years not to understand the giant impact Workday has made in HR Technology. There might not be another single brand in HR Tech that has taken more overall market share in the past couple of decades than Workday.

I think it’s important to have a productive conversation around Workday because of how many users use Workday in HR, Learning, and TA on a daily basis. Large HCM technology runs most HR shops across the globe, and while they might be as nimble as HR startups, they do the vast majority of blocking and tackling in HR.

In January, when ChatGPT and Generative AI became the most talked about topic of the year, my feeling then, and now, was that we would really have to wait and see how companies like Workday build out this new AI technology within the systems and processes we use every day. This is truly how most of us will experience AI, so I’m excited to see Workday’s recent announcements because this will really be the future of HR Technology for most of us.

What are the big Workday AI announcements?

“Ask Workday” – one of the major announcements that will feel most familiar to many of us is the Ask Workday feature built on Generative AI. In an everyday sense of how most users use HR Technology, this feature, to me, is how I imagined AI would impact us! Having a hiring manager ask something like, “What is the activity on my open jobs?” Instead of waiting to get a response from a recruiter, the hiring manager can get a real-time data-driven narrative, which is truly a game changer. But it’s more than that because this is also something employees can use to shape their career path, etc.
“Manager Insights Hub” – This is a new feature that truly uses the power of AI and Workday’s data insights. This is a completely integrated Manager portal that lets any manager of people look at employee goals, development plans, feedback, and other information in a single integrated page. This is a feature completely designed to solve one of the major deficits we see in so many organizations – making our leaders better! This feature also helps the manager and employee create a growth plan.
Automatically create Job Descriptions from Workday’s LLM, create policies, how-to guides, etc. This is what so many of us expected from GPT-like AI built into our HR systems, so this wasn’t unexpected, but it’s nice to see how quickly some of this tech has been rolled out and able to be used in real-world everyday HR use cases.

While just a start, it shows how serious Workday is at moving as fast as they can to leverage this new technology and help HR teams become more productive. I’m excited to see the direction they continue to evolve this technology around things like skills measuring, matching of skills to jobs, and the potential for screening both candidates and internal candidates to jobs.

It’s clear from these recent announcements that we should be prepared to see ongoing announcements coming from the large HCM players in our space. AI is transforming all of our functional systems and technology, and Workday is moving fast to take advantage of the productivity gains that can be made, but also how AI can transform your HR practice across the enterprise.

Your Weekly Dose of HR Technology: This week is @JobSync

Posted on October 5, 2023 by Tim Sackett

Okay, it’s been a minute since I’ve been sharing my HR/TA Technology reviews. I’ve been busy finishing Volume 2 of the Talent Fix. Honestly, I’ve missed looking at a lot of tech, so get ready, I’ll probably be talking about more than you want! I’m excited to be writing tech reviews again.

If you’re new to my reviews, let me give you a little insight. None of these reviews are paid for. I just like this stuff, and I find the audience doesn’t know a lot about it, so I share what I know. I also try and focus on what is useful and what I like. Someone might think a piece of technology is junk, and the next person thinks it’s brilliant. If I share it on this page, I think it’s worth you doing a demo and finding out more about it, and you decide if it can work for you. Most likely, I would not be talking about a certain technology if someone hadn’t told me it was working for them!

This week, I revisit a technology that I’ve talked about before, but like most technology in our space, it evolves. Some change completely, some just become more feature-rich (marketing speak for adding more bells and whistles), and some pivot but stay in the space. JobSync didn’t add features or change or pivot, but they did become a little more laser-focused on their messaging, and as their client base will tell you, it just works.

What is JobSync?

JobSync solves a problem that most TA Teams have: getting more candidates to apply for your jobs. Specifically, it works well for enterprise, high-volume hiring. At this low-skill, no-skill candidate level, most candidates are coming from sites like Indeed, ZipRecruiter, etc. They find your open job on one of these sites, and then they get pushed to your site and your mostly vanilla, painful, large recruiting HCM module that asks them to register and jump through hoops.

Most candidates drop off at this moment. Seriously! 95%+ drop off. The conversion is awful.

The solution then becomes how do we get candidates to apply to our job when and where they are at the moment they find your job? This is where JobSync steps in and builds the workflow that gets all the information you need and makes it less painful for the candidate without the candidate even knowing anything is different.

Your conversions of applicants go from 3-5% to 20-50%. You can see your applicant flow 8-10X overnight!

Honestly, it seems too good to be true, and you have to be thinking to yourself, it probably costs an arm and leg. It actually very cost-effective and has a large ROI; when you factor in, you will be reducing a lot of your job ad spend because of your higher conversion. I hate to even say this because it’s just a tech marketing pitch, but it’s one of the few techs in our space that pays for itself almost immediately.

So, why isn’t everyone using JobSync?

Our space is very noisy. It’s hard to get heard, even when you’re good at what you do. Also, they’re selling an invisible solution, so it seems a bit like you’re buying magic! Your CFO and CIO can’t see it, so you have to actually know what you’re talking about to get it through all the decision-makers.

It’s way easier to show them other solutions to fill your top of the funnel that they can see and might be easier for them to comprehend. That’s also another major problem. Most executives have no idea that only 3-5% percent of potential candidates turn into an applicant. Hell, most TA leaders don’t know this! When I ask for a room of C-Suites, they’ll usually land on 60-75%. So, it’s hard for them to comprehend it’s so low and that connecting with candidates where they are can make such a huge difference.

JobSync has a couple of things going for them and their clients. They have one of the smartest teams in our space. I mean people that I listen to and ask questions. Don’t underestimate hiring smart people to solve your problems. They’ve figured out the psychology of high-volume hiring applicants and what it takes to get them to apply, and the data shows it’s really working.

Give them a demo and take a look. They are a technology that is recommended to many of the recruiting consulting clients I work with at the enterprise level.

The Biggest Trends in Recruiting Technology in 2023! #HRTechConf

Posted on October 3, 2023 by Tim Sackett

Next week, my good friend and super smart lady, Madeline Laurano, and I will be leading a session at The HR Technology Conference and Expo in Vegas. We did a short video to give you a sneak preview of what to expect:

The Great Duo in TA Tech History

Also, I’ll be introducing “Tim Sackett’s TA Technology Product of the Year!” sponsored by Aptitude Research! I’m dropping this on Madeline right now – she didn’t even know I was going to do this! You have to come to see who and what it will be!

If you can’t be in Vegas, I’ll announce it right here on the morning of Friday,hr t October 13th! Stay Tuned!

ChatGPT can now see pictures and understand your voice commands!

Posted on September 29, 2023 by Tim Sackett

For those who still believe Generative AI won’t change your job, take a looksie down below!

Use your voice to engage in a back-and-forth conversation with ChatGPT. Speak with it on the go, request a bedtime story, or settle a dinner table debate.

Sound on 🔊 pic.twitter.com/3tuWzX0wtS
— OpenAI (@OpenAI) September 25, 2023

So, the AI can now see pictures and understand what we ask it!

This means no matter what your job is. You will soon be able to speak to your technology and interact with technology as we have never done before. I’m not just talking about HR or Recruiting. I’m talking about every single function and job that is available.

From highly skilled jobs to no-skill jobs. It’s truly an amazing time to be alive.

This changes the game for learning and development, how we onboard new hires, and how we develop skills for our employees. This changes the game in how we get our everyday work completed.

You no longer need to sit down with a hiring manager and do an intake meeting for the role they want to hire for. Your hiring manager will now speak to your recruiting AI assistant and tell the AI what they would like and the AI will respond with really great questions and challenges based on data and insights that it will have immediately at your disposal. “So, you are telling me you would like X, Y, and Z, but if you couple that with the salary range, you would also like to offer, you will be asking us to pull from the bottom 4% of the available candidates in our market. Do you feel that is acceptable to have a candidate from the bottom 4%?! Or if we change X, Y, and Z, to H, B, and Z, and also adjust the range up one level, we can now get candidates who are in the top 25% of our market. What would you like to do?”

Game. Changer.

Of course, this won’t happen immediately. It will take some time. But I actually demoed some new recruiting tech in Beta this week that has already added in the voice element for intake of job descriptions that will make fairly decent job postings!

Buckle up, kids! We are about to go on a wild ride!

The Tim Sackett Project

TA & HR Expert, Dad, Backup Point Guard on my over 40 men's team