FRIDAY FUN: Visual Effects: 100 Years of Inspiration

Watching this made for a good way to end the work week. It's awesome how visual effects have evolved through the years. Enjoy and have a great weekend!

RECRUITMENT - Countercyclical Hiring: The Greatest Recruiting Opportunity in the Last 25 Years

Although budgets may be tight and hiring freezes are taking place, this may be an optimal time for companies to take advantage of recruiting top talent. While your competitors are laying low and waiting for things to turn around, experienced individuals in management positions are being let go and now within your reach to build your dream team. The upside of taking this approach is that demand is rising for job seekers, and supply is down on the employer's end-meaning companies have a broader spectrum to recruit the top experienced candidates. Ere.net makes a good point when saying this is not only a time to recruit the unemployed, but employees at your competitors company are probably overworked, stressed out, and are likely open to looking at other employment options. Those hired to take their place, may feel like you have "saved" them from the current economy situation and be quite loyal. Dr. John Sullivan at ere.net wrote a good article that goes into further detail: Countercyclical Hiring

SOCIAL NETWORKING - Social Media Revolution

Social networking is becoming a primary source for entertainment on a series of levels when keeping in touch, sharing information, doing business, enhancing a company's brand or even your personal brand. I especially enjoy the part in the video when it says, "we no longer search for the news, the news finds us." Information is easily accessible in one place, which is very important to most of us who expect information Right Here, Right Now. With the power of targeting your specific audience through social networking and online advertising, information that meets an individual's interest will find them. As mentioned-80% employers are searching for candidates on LinkedIn. There are several ways to track down ideal candidates online. Is your company providing on-site videos or have a way for job seekers to ask questions or take quizzes to see if a certain career fits their wants and needs?

PRINT - (Update) CBS embeds 40-minute video ad inside 'Entertainment Weekly'

Here is a snippet of the bite-sized video ad in the September 18th issue of Entertainment Weekly. I want one! AdFreak made an interesting point about the effectiveness of the ad, stating, "As a stunt, it's extremely effective. As a new form of media, it's dead out of the water without some more interactivity. It's too bad it can't respond to its environment and work together with an out-of-home campaign." Hmm... an interactive ad...smellivision for perfume brands with menu selection, personality tests in celebrity magazines with results immediately updated, promotional ad campaign where user can customize whatever it is representing the promotion to their likings and show off to others, recruitment interactive tests for potential candidates to see how a company would suit them. Oh what the future can bring. Have a great weekend!

PRINT - CBS, Pepsi Create Video Ad to Run in Print

This is a form of advertising that always seemed like a space age dream to me for first decade of the millennium. Sure I have seen it in the movies and thought it to be an awesome way to flip through a magazine; but the day is finally here-well almost, September 18th. CBS and Pepsi are teaming up to promote Pepsi Max men's diet cola and sponsoring CBS's Monday-night line-up in Time's Inc.'s Entertainment Weekly that distributes to Los Angeles and New York area subscribers. Read further for more information at Advertising Age - CBS, Pepsi Create Video Ad to Run in Print

RECRUITMENT - Cheezhead's The Slice

BRAND IDENTITY - What's in a New Logo?

See more logos before and after. What's in a New Logo?

BRAND IDENTITY - Top 20 Logos with Hidden Meanings

Does your company's logo have a hidden message? Here is a fun list of the the top 20 logos that have hidden messages. Enjoy!

Internet - Your Facebook Photos, Used In Ads

A friend shared this link on her Facebook profile. Fully public set profiles accessible for use of advertising. Your Facebook Photos, Used In Ads!

Job Seekers - Radio Resumes Begin Airing on LA Radio Station

A couple weeks ago I was talking about radio resumes in Austin & Denver and the importance of job seekers branding themselves to stand out in today's crowded candidate pool. Los Angeles' KHHT-FM began their own radio resume program giving individuals a 30 second spot to pitch their elevator speech. Started in early July- and off to a slow start-people became more familiar with the concept, now catching on with a steady flow of participants. Although the KHHT-FM isn't tracking the program's success, two job seekers have reported to the station to have received interviews. If you're curious as how this works, listen to one HERE. Read the full story on ere.net - Radio Resumes Begin Airing on LA Radio Station

Job Seekers - Deceptive Targets in the Job Hunt

This is an interesting article that touches on the don'ts for job seekers. Jobs are tougher to come by each day, due to the high volume of unemployed searching alongside you. It's important to avoid taking desperate approaches-making blind attempts, rather than having well planned methods-especially networking-to land your next job.

Check out the 5 don'ts from YAHOO! hotjobs:

1. Spray and pray.

Don't blindly send your resume unsolicited, electronically or otherwise, to any company without first making verbal contact. Says Ryan, founder of AskLizRyan.com, "Tossing out un-customized cover letters and undifferentiated resumes in huge volumes and crossing your fingers is a job-search non-starter. That doesn't work, and it hasn't worked in 10 years, or more." Establish a connection before sending a customized cover letter and, adds Ryan, "You can even customize your resume if a job opening calls for it."

2. Stand in line for a job fair.

Admits Ryan, "Sad to say, but most job fairs are a waste of time. Avoid the huge cattle call-type job fairs where zillions of employers have booths, yet no one is taking resumes." There are some job fairs that have value. Ryan, a former human resources executive, points to company-specific open hours and college placement job fairs. Tap your network to learn if anyone can recommend worthwhile fairs. "Ask around before you head off to a job fair or risk having your time wasted and your ego dashed."

3. Earn certifications nobody wants.

It's common to feel less-than-confident in your skills if you're having a hard time finding work, but don't rush out to spend money on any additional training unless you're certain it will yield improved results. Ryan reveals, "Before you sign up for a certification training program, check the job boards to make sure that employers are asking for it. There's no sense investing time and money in a certification no one wants."

If you're getting the hard-sell from an educational institution, Ryan says, "Ask the people at the school that's doing the certifying, 'Which local employers have hired your graduates in the past year?' If they can't tell you, run away."

4. Pay a headhunter.

Don't dole out money to any kind of recruiter or sign a contract agreeing to do so. "Real headhunters, also known as search consultants or third-party recruiters, won't take your money. They get paid by employers to fill open jobs." She warns, "If a recruiter calls or emails you to say s/he's got jobs open, and then invites you to his or her office for a counseling session and presents you with a range of career-coaching services, bolt for the exit. Real search professionals won't take a dime from their candidates."

5. Sign up with a resume fax-blast service.

This old-school -- and desperate -- tactic is a total turn-off to potential employers and smacks of spam. Ryan says, "Services that send out hundreds or thousands of your resumes might have been worthwhile 20 years ago. Today, they're worse than pointless, because it irks employers to get unsolicited resumes. Forget the fax-blast services and do your own careful research to reach decision-makers with messages they actually want to hear."