Parallel HR » Mary Lorenz

Avoid Culture Shock at Your Growing Organization

Mary Lorenz — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:00:44 +0000

As your company grows, make sure it doesn’t leave behind the culture that makes it so great.

Organizational culture is one of those things that you don’t really notice – or appreciate – until it’s gone. Unfortunately, losing sight of one’s organizational culture is a common side effect of growth: You get so busy growing your business, you tend to forget about working to maintain the unique workplace culture you established as a smaller business. Continue reading

Employee Feedback: Are You Really Listening?

Mary Lorenz — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:10:20 +0000

Unless you’re Angela Martin from “The Office”, opening yourself up to criticism about your shortcomings probably falls somewhere between picking up your dry cleaning and getting a colonoscopy on your list of favorite things to do.

While administering employee feedback surveys can feel like you’re putting both your company and your performance as a leader and manager in front of the firing squad, it also happens to be one of the most efficient and effective ways to understand the internal workings of your organization. Continue reading

Better Employee Benefits Generate Perks for Business, Too

Mary Lorenz — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:00:30 +0000

Creating a better benefits package isn’t just good for employees. It’s good for business, too.

Growing Pains: it’s not just a classic TV series desperately in need of a reunion show. While growth is a blessing for many companies, it also brings with it many challenges. Continue reading

The Surprising Reason You’re Not Getting the Candidates You Need

Mary Lorenz — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 15:00:45 +0000

You don’t get it. You’re doing everything right: You’re offering a great job with a great company, you’ve ensured your job advertising placement is targeting the right group of candidates, and you’re positive you’re offering the most competitive salary. Even your job posting is flawless. Continue reading

What Skills Gap? 5 Ways to Get the Qualified Workers You Need

Mary Lorenz — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 15:19:27 +0000

Finding workers with the right skills can be a skill in itself.

If you find yourself complaining that you can’t find the qualified candidates you need for certain positions at your organization, the good news is you’re not alone – by a long shot. Continue reading

Forget Social Media | Recruit Employees With Word-of-Mouth Marketing

Mary Lorenz — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 15:01:54 +0000

They may love their Facebooks, their Twitters and their YouTubes, but the members of Gen Y may not be nearly as swayed by social media as you might think. New research around social media’s influence on consumer behavior indicates that, while millennials might be “digital natives”, they are actually more influenced by word-of-mouth marketing than social media when it comes to making purchasing decisions. Continue reading

Turn Potential Candidates Into Your Number One Fans

Mary Lorenz — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 22:28:18 +0000

If you’ve ever known the pain of waiting for a certain phone call, email, text message or Tweet that just…never…comes (sad face emoticon), then you know the pain job candidates go through every time you go M.I.A. after the initial contact or interview. Continue reading

5 Things Every Recruiter Should Know

Mary Lorenz — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 15:22:12 +0000

If any of you recruiters out there, like me, obsessively watch have ever seen an episode of Bravo’s Millionaire Matchmaker, you may have noted the similarity between recruiting and matchmaking. Both jobs entail trying to deliver the best candidates possible to a customer in hopes to make the perfect match (and end up happily ever after). Continue reading

Four Ways to More Effective Employee Coaching

Mary Lorenz — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 17:45:00 +0000

Should companies invest in executive coaching? If a recent survey on executive coaching by AMA Enterprise, a division of the American Management Association, is any indication, the answer is no. Dig a little deeper, however, and coaching might just be worth reconsidering. Continue reading

The Rumors are True: Updates in Store for CareerBuilder’s Resume Database

Mary Lorenz — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 21:00:36 +0000

What’s the old adage? “A new year, a new resume database update”…? (Yeah, no, I’m pretty sure that’s a thing.) Anyway, it’s true: On Monday, January 9, CareerBuilder introduces a whole new resume database (RDB) experience.

Why the change? Trust us, we’re not trying to pull a Qwikster on you. Read more