Comments on: Telling it to the mountain http://corpblawg.ynada.com/2006/10/19/telling-it-to-the-mountain Cornelius Puschmann on corporate and institutional blogging, linguistics, open access and other things that interest him. Sat, 22 Nov 2008 06:47:59 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 By: Six Degrees From Dave - Recruitment Blog Networking for Passive Candidates - Dave Mendoza http://corpblawg.ynada.com/2006/10/19/telling-it-to-the-mountain#comment-13707 Six Degrees From Dave - Recruitment Blog Networking for Passive Candidates - Dave Mendoza Thu, 08 Feb 2007 13:43:52 +0000 http://corpblawg.ynada.com/2006/10/19/telling-it-to-the-mountain#comment-13707 [...] CorpBlawg [...] [...] CorpBlawg [...]

]]> By: What Would Dad Say » Blog Archive » CorpBlawg Takes on Honeywell (Not me) http://corpblawg.ynada.com/2006/10/19/telling-it-to-the-mountain#comment-4688 What Would Dad Say » Blog Archive » CorpBlawg Takes on Honeywell (Not me) Mon, 30 Oct 2006 21:15:46 +0000 http://corpblawg.ynada.com/2006/10/19/telling-it-to-the-mountain#comment-4688 [...] Telling it to the mountain Filed under: Corporate Blogging — Cornelius @ 9:59 pm The mountain, in the following example, being a corporation.I’ve been meaning to write a quick review of Honeywell’s corporate blog for quite a while now. The manufacturing giant’s bloggy side is represented by a trio: Tamara N. (HR), Kara R. (Marketing) and Jon K. (Integrated Supply Chain). Strangely, the three aren’t confident enough to share their last names with us, though on the plus side they have been blogging for well over a year.Tamara, Kara and Jon obviously have other duties apart from blogging, and I’m sure they do their best to keep it up, but it shows that they (or, more precisely, Honeywell) consider the blog a peripheral activity. Jon hasn’t posted in a month and the other two often leave comments unanswered for many days. Comments questions are left without any follow-up relatively often. [...] [...] Telling it to the mountain Filed under: Corporate Blogging — Cornelius @ 9:59 pm The mountain, in the following example, being a corporation.I’ve been meaning to write a quick review of Honeywell’s corporate blog for quite a while now. The manufacturing giant’s bloggy side is represented by a trio: Tamara N. (HR), Kara R. (Marketing) and Jon K. (Integrated Supply Chain). Strangely, the three aren’t confident enough to share their last names with us, though on the plus side they have been blogging for well over a year.Tamara, Kara and Jon obviously have other duties apart from blogging, and I’m sure they do their best to keep it up, but it shows that they (or, more precisely, Honeywell) consider the blog a peripheral activity. Jon hasn’t posted in a month and the other two often leave comments unanswered for many days. Comments questions are left without any follow-up relatively often. [...]

]]> By: Cornelius http://corpblawg.ynada.com/2006/10/19/telling-it-to-the-mountain#comment-4040 Cornelius Sat, 21 Oct 2006 11:07:26 +0000 http://corpblawg.ynada.com/2006/10/19/telling-it-to-the-mountain#comment-4040 "let’s be clear…looking for a job is not fun" Exactly. Plus, you can assume excellent applicants to be especially critical of unempathic behavior on the part of the company. They know they have other options. “let’s be clear…looking for a job is not fun”

Exactly. Plus, you can assume excellent applicants to be especially critical of unempathic behavior on the part of the company. They know they have other options.

]]> By: Heather http://corpblawg.ynada.com/2006/10/19/telling-it-to-the-mountain#comment-4000 Heather Fri, 20 Oct 2006 20:53:10 +0000 http://corpblawg.ynada.com/2006/10/19/telling-it-to-the-mountain#comment-4000 Haha! I'm an expert? We are all in trouble then! You said it right. They can actually do more harm than good. I think companies like the idea of blogging and all the pats on the back that happen when they start blogging without any understanding of what it means to blog effectively. It means stepping out of your recruiting bubble and being a human being. You HAVE TO respond to comments. I try to respond to each one, EACH ONE! Some of those exchanges, if I viewed them on a blog, would keep me from applying there. Also, don't you kind of feel like the reader is having a conversation with the HR department, not a real person? Where's the empathy (let's be clear...looking for a job is not fun). I think some of the responses you posted reaffirm the "recruiting is a black whole" phenomenon. I totally agree with Shannon about the person that asked if they should follow up on their application. I absolutely would have offered to get that person's resume into the right hands...I do that all the time. Not just for the benefit of the individual but everyone that is watching the conversation. I don't want to be too hard on them because I don't know any of those people (with or without last names), but if you can't blog well, then don't do it because everyone is watching. The whole point is to have conversations that people can feel good about. Haha! I’m an expert? We are all in trouble then!

You said it right. They can actually do more harm than good. I think companies like the idea of blogging and all the pats on the back that happen when they start blogging without any understanding of what it means to blog effectively.

It means stepping out of your recruiting bubble and being a human being. You HAVE TO respond to comments. I try to respond to each one, EACH ONE!

Some of those exchanges, if I viewed them on a blog, would keep me from applying there. Also, don’t you kind of feel like the reader is having a conversation with the HR department, not a real person? Where’s the empathy (let’s be clear…looking for a job is not fun).

I think some of the responses you posted reaffirm the “recruiting is a black whole” phenomenon. I totally agree with Shannon about the person that asked if they should follow up on their application. I absolutely would have offered to get that person’s resume into the right hands…I do that all the time. Not just for the benefit of the individual but everyone that is watching the conversation.

I don’t want to be too hard on them because I don’t know any of those people (with or without last names), but if you can’t blog well, then don’t do it because everyone is watching. The whole point is to have conversations that people can feel good about.

]]> By: Cornelius http://corpblawg.ynada.com/2006/10/19/telling-it-to-the-mountain#comment-3910 Cornelius Thu, 19 Oct 2006 22:49:24 +0000 http://corpblawg.ynada.com/2006/10/19/telling-it-to-the-mountain#comment-3910 Thanks for dropping by Shannon! I think they sometimes forget about the "silent audience" out there, all those people who read a blog and form an opinion about it but don't comment. This audience watches how the blogger interacts with the comment-writers and forms an opinion about him - and about the company - on the basis of how well he does. He or she should consider how his remarks come across and how they make him look in the eyes of the audience. But you're dead on - "just be nice" translates into exactly the same thing. Thanks for dropping by Shannon! I think they sometimes forget about the “silent audience” out there, all those people who read a blog and form an opinion about it but don’t comment. This audience watches how the blogger interacts with the comment-writers and forms an opinion about him - and about the company - on the basis of how well he does. He or she should consider how his remarks come across and how they make him look in the eyes of the audience.
But you’re dead on - “just be nice” translates into exactly the same thing.

]]> By: Shannon Seery, EXCELER8ion.com http://corpblawg.ynada.com/2006/10/19/telling-it-to-the-mountain#comment-3908 Shannon Seery, EXCELER8ion.com Thu, 19 Oct 2006 22:17:09 +0000 http://corpblawg.ynada.com/2006/10/19/telling-it-to-the-mountain#comment-3908 Cornelius - terrific post and you are 100% correct. What a wasted opportunity for Honeywell. They had candidates interested enough in getting their information to the company that they took the time to interact with an employee on the company blog. But the blogger, rather than getting a real answer, providing real help, customer service, or direction - they just squandered the opportunity...and hurt the Honeywell employer brand in the process. Corporate blogs have an effect on the company as an employer which has an effect on their brand as a whole. I hope that more companies learn from examples such as the one above and begin to foster a culture where every employee (and especially their bloggers) help seek out the best people to work with them. And really - come one - can't they just be nice people? If someone says "hey - I sent in my resume and never heard back"...apologize - see what you can to do help. Don't give some detached - "well in these types of companies - answer"! Don't you work there? Just help out! Cornelius - terrific post and you are 100% correct. What a wasted opportunity for Honeywell. They had candidates interested enough in getting their information to the company that they took the time to interact with an employee on the company blog. But the blogger, rather than getting a real answer, providing real help, customer service, or direction - they just squandered the opportunity…and hurt the Honeywell employer brand in the process.

Corporate blogs have an effect on the company as an employer which has an effect on their brand as a whole. I hope that more companies learn from examples such as the one above and begin to foster a culture where every employee (and especially their bloggers) help seek out the best people to work with them.

And really - come one - can’t they just be nice people? If someone says “hey - I sent in my resume and never heard back”…apologize - see what you can to do help. Don’t give some detached - “well in these types of companies - answer”! Don’t you work there? Just help out!

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