“After three years of organizational contraction and less internal investment, companies are taking a hard look at their onboard talent and aren’t pleased with what they find,” reports Michael Haid, senior vice president of talent management for Right Management, on a study its talent and career management firm conducted with more than 600 organizations. “Lean times make it hard for organizations seeking to recruit, retain, or develop future leaders. And they’re keenly aware of the tough competitive environment they’re in, and the need to hold on to and build leadership.”

Marlon Cousin, managing partner of The Marquin Group, a diversity recruitment firm in Atlanta, says that companies should not be surprised by these findings. “In good times and bad times the same dynamics are going on,” he explains. “Overall, companies don’t do a good job developing talent. What happens during critical times when you need talent to step up, you find that you don’t have the talent you thought you had, and so it becomes more exploitive because you’re asking people to do more with less. You had average employees doing one job and now you’re asking them to do two. Only an exceptional employee can do two at that level and have a high level of success.”

Exceptional talent, he notes, aren’t challenged in any economy. “They never have problems finding work, and in today’s environment they will pursue companies that continue to enhance their talents: those firms that are innovative, creative, and entrepreneurial in nature.”

Cousin, however, believes these reports are motivators because they force companies to take inventory of their talent and how they conduct business. “We need to rethink who we hire, who we are going to get to coach and train these people, and how we create a culture that is creative and progressive. Do we have the right talent to take us to the next level in order for us to compete? If you don’t, you have to re-evaluate. Then you have to have a strategic plan to move and get there. There is no substitute for the right talent.”

It would take a heck of a job opportunity for me to give this business owner my Facebook password, but I wouldn't fault him for asking.

“Should business owners be allowed to ask job applicants for their Facebook passwords?” Many people who watched me on MSNBC’s Your Business on Sunday were surprised to hear that my answer is “Yes,” including the show’s host, JJ Ramberg. (For those who missed it, the show reairs on Saturday, April 7, at 5:30 a.m.) This question became a hot news topic last week, especially in business and social media circles, when Congress failed to pass legislation that would have banned the practice of employers asking employees to reveal their Facebook passwords.

Now, if I was asked the same question as a guest on a show called Your Career, I would have been hard-pressed to think of a situation where I would share my Facebook password with a potential employer. For me to consider it, I would have to want the job pretty badly, with the amount and type of compensation (including benefits, perks and even an equity stake in the company) being major considerations. But before doing so, I would see if there were other ways I could address the potential employer’s concerns without revealing my password, such as changing my privacy settings to give them the ability to view all of my Facebook content. If they persist with their request for my password, I would try to negotiate terms to strictly limit both its use of the password and the length of time the potential employer would have access to it before I could change it. I might even consider getting an employment attorney to negotiate an agreement, include terms of confidentiality, to be signed by both me and the potential employer before sharing my password.

Of course, for the vast majority of positions, neither I nor a company looking to hire would deem it worth the time and expense to jump through all of these hoops. Most companies would not care to have password access to an applicant’s social media accounts. (For what it’s worth, Facebook’s terms of rights and responsibilities forbids users from sharing their passwords.) In probably 99 percent of such cases, if a potential employer made such a request, my answer would be, “No, I will not share my password. Are there alternatives you are willing to consider to satisfy your concerns?” I accept that I’d risk not being hired as a result. On the other hand, if that was all it took for me not to be hired, I’d question how badly they really wanted me in the first place, as well as whether that was the kind of place I would have been happy working for. But for certain companies and positions, especially if I wanted the job badly enough, I’d consider a request for my Facebook password at least up for negotiation.

That said, my response on Your Business was from the perspective of the business owner. And if I’m the owner of certain types of businesses, or trying to fill certain types of positions, I believe I should be able to ask job applicants for access to their Facebook accounts. The applicant may choose not to answer, but I should be able to ask. Depending on the position, knowing everything I possibly can about an applicant is critical to not only making the best hire, but to protecting the interests of my current employees, customers, partners and as well as the financial interests of the company.

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On Your Business, I pointed to an example where I believe a request for a Facebook password as part of the hiring process is entirely reasonable: the childcare industry. If I am running a school or a day care center, the time to find out that a teacher or other worker has a record of inappropriate social media communication with minors, or worse, a history of or predilection for sexual relationships with students, is during the hiring process—as New York City is finding out the hard way, with an epidemic of public school employees being revealed to have had such relationships with students. To me, such a request falls into the same category of checking the backgrounds of potential employees as the common (also still debated) practice of asking job applicants to agree to a credit check, especially for jobs that will require them to handle money, keep the books or carry out other fiscal duties on behalf of a company. In these and other cases, safety and security issues, and the legal liability that they create for business owners if they are not adequately addressed during the hiring process, outweigh the job applicant’s expectation of privacy when it comes to their social media activities.

Speaking of which, I can still hear people screaming (actually tweeting and retweeting), that an employer asking for your Facebook password is a horrible invasion of privacy. Well, for those of you who still believe in Santa Claus, I strongly recommend that you read The Filter Bubble: What The Internet is Hiding From You by Eli Pariser (Penguin Press). Or you can just take my advice and let go of the illusion of privacy on social media. The courts are conflicted, at best, on whether we as social media users have a right to an expectation of privacy, with many cases being decided against such expectations. The last place you want to share anything that is truly private is on your Facebook page or any other social media platform. Better to think of social media as the ultimate “Front Street.” No matter what their privacy policies are (which they can change at will without your permission) and what privacy tools and settings they offer (which they also change whenever it suits their business models), always assume that posting on Facebook is just the ticking time-bomb version of you shouting your private business from the middle of Times Square—on steroids.

To paraphrase a quote shared in The Filter Bubble, if you’re getting something for free, you’re not the customer, you’re the product. Social media is designed for the information shared on it to be searched and shared—and mined for profit. The business model is the very antithesis of the expectation of privacy. To ignore that reality is to have blind faith in Facebook, Google, Twitter, etc. operating in your best interests above all else, at all times. (I don’t.)

Whether you agree with me or not about a whether a potential employer asking you for your Facebook password is fair game, I hope you’ll take my advice: When considering what to share via social media, don’t think business vs. personal. Think public vs. private. And if something is truly private, do not share it on social media out of a misplaced faith in the expectation of privacy.

This debate is far from over, and efforts to update existing, but woefully outdated, privacy laws—not to mention the hiring practices of companies—to catch up with the realities of social media will definitely continue. I’d like to know where you stand, both as entrepreneurs and business owners, as well as potential job applicants. And I’d especially like to hear from human resources and recruiting experts. How far is too far when it comes to a potential employer investigating the social media activity of a job applicant?

Watch my appearance on MSNBC’s Your Business below:

Senior professionals bring valuable experience to the workplace. (Image: Thinkstock)

According to a recent Pew Charitable Trusts report, people over age 55 have it the worst when it comes to unemployment, with more than 43% having been out of work a year or more — the highest rate of any age group.

This suggests that employers are more likely to hire a younger job applicant than an older one. Many recruiters and hiring managers may see older candidates as less of an asset simply because of salary requirements, health issues and other perceived liabilities.

But age has it’s benefits, especially when it comes to experience and having a strong, well-developed foundation of knowledge and skills. Here are four assets senior professionals bring to the table simply because of years of experience and seniority:

Problem Solving: At age 50 or over, there are few challenges they have not faced, or solutions they have not considered or tried. They’ve learned what action steps work best for certain situations, and what don’t. Because of this experience, they are now able to solve business problems faster than many young job seekers. They oftentimes can more quickly identify the important drivers impacting underperformance and the best solutions to shorten the time required to improve sales and profit results.

People Management: Many have learned that people are a company’s most valuable asset. It is a given that companies with the best people usually perform the best. Knowing that, they have discovered over time how to quickly assess who should stay and who should go, and how to make those who stay even better. They have helped other workers to strengthen their innate abilities, make more informed decisions, and work more effectively with others on a team.

Judgment: Good judgment is a highly valued trait for all successful executives. Companies now demand it. The extensive business experience of a senior professional enables you to make better decisions across a broad array of alternative courses of action. From who to fire and who to hire, to where to cut and where to spend, they are often in a better position to make these important decisions than younger executives because they have faced and made more of them.

Leadership: As few executives are born leaders, this ability takes time to develop. At an older age, senior professionals will most likely have more proven leadership experience than those younger. They’ve had the opportunity to lead teams, initiate new programs and projects, spearhead a company’s shift to a new direction, or motivate peers to aggressive goals.

Tucker Mays and Bob Sloane are principals of OptiMarket L.L.C., an executive job search coaching firm they co-founded in 2001 to help executives over 50 find their next job in the shortest time possible. Tucker and Bob have also co-authored the book Fired at 50: How to Overcome the Greatest Executive Job Search Challenge (OptiMarket; $14.95).

Image: Thinkstock

Job seekers are often intimidated by having to address previous terminations, significant periods of unemployment, or unfavorable reputation with potential employers.  Many professionals feel like they’ll never be able to recover from the effects of their past mistakes or misfortunes, especially if accusations or convictions or criminal activity were involved, which can cause even greater anxiety when having to discuss them. While your past can pose some challenges, the good news is that past professional and personal mistakes don’t have to be detrimental to your future successes. Consider these tips when dealing with any of these common difficulties.

Terminations: This subject doesn’t always come up right away, but when it does, it’s best to be forthright about the circumstances. While terminations are sometimes taken into consideration by employers when making a decision, being fired does not necessarily wave the red flag that many people think it does. Hiring managers understand that people change over time and that every company is not a good fit. What matters most is the job seeker’s ability to communicate the grounds of the termination and what they learned from the situation. If you feel like you were wrongfully terminated, share that with the employer without bad-mouthing your old boss or company. Always remain diplomatic and professional when speaking about the situation. Employers will respect your honesty and ability to communicate the termination effectively.

Long periods of unemployment: Since the height of the economic decline in 2009, many professionals have been out-of-work for 2 or more years. If you’ve been out of work for a significant amount of time, it’s best to become engaged in some other activity that will show employers your commitment to learning and professional growth. Consider taking a continuing education course or volunteering with a local non-profit organization. Another approach is to begin consulting in your area of expertise or turning your hobby into a freelance project. Though you’re not working a traditional job, these are all activities that can be included on your resume to show employers that you haven’t been losing your skills for the past few years. It’s also a good idea to address periods of unemployment in your cover letter and when first meeting with a potential employer. Hiring professionals want to know that although you’ve been out of work, you’ve been honing the skills they need the most.

Criminal history: While the law prevents employers from discriminating against persons with criminal histories, there are still many who always seem to find someone “more qualified” after finding out about a candidate’s criminal past. Similar to terminations and long periods of unemployment, it’s best to be honest when asked about any past arrests or pending cases. However, you shouldn’t feel the need to bring it up first. There are some industries where this issue will come up early on in the hiring process (i.e., law enforcement, childcare, education and government), but many jobs won’t ask about criminal history until you’re being strongly considered for employment.

Always be prepared with legal documentation or written statements that will prove the grounds for your arrest or the status of your case. Oftentimes, cases were closed but criminal records will only show the arrest, so it’s best to be prepared.  In addition, job seekers with criminal records should always have reputable recommendations from previous employers, community leaders, and others who can attest to the candidate’s work ethic.  Be sure to express that your encounter with the law happened during a different time in your life when you were less mature, made a bad choice, or were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Employers want to know that you’ve learned from your mistake and have moved on.

The worst thing a job seeker can do is to lose hope or give up because of their past mistakes. Your decision to move forward despite your past is the best choice you can make.  For more tips on how to forge ahead, check out No One Is Unemployable: Creative Solutions for Overcoming Barriers to Employment by Debra L. Angel & Elisabeth Harney (Worknet Training Services; $29.95).

Always remember the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy.  In other words, don’t feel obligated to divulge negative information about your past, but if asked, be prepared to give an honest and professional response about the particular issue. As a result, you’ll be able to face these issues with integrity and hope.  The past really is in the past, and the best is yet to come in your career!

Do you have any career advancement or job seeking issues you’d like addressed? E-mail questions to careerquestions@blackenterprise.com.

Aisha Taylor (@realTAYLORmade) is co-owner and chief consultant at TAYLORmade Professional Career Consulting, a Web-based, full-service career consulting company committed to “equipping, preparing, and empowering today’s professional” globally. Check out her weekly insights on job-seeking and interviewing success every Friday on BlackEnterprise.com.

President Barack Obama warns against stopgap solution (Image: File)

Obama Presses Ahead with Debt Talks, Warns Against Stopgap Solution

President Obama, facing a bitter partisan stalemate over how to raise the federal borrowing limit, summoned congressional leaders to a new round of White House talks Monday and warned that he would not accept a temporary, stopgap measures.

“That is just not an acceptable approach,” he told a news conference ahead of the scheduled talks. “So we might as well do it now. Pull off the Band-Aid. Eat our peas. Now is the time to do it. If not now, when?”

Read more at The Washington Post…

Little Hiring Seen by Small Business

The U.S. labor market could stay sluggish for a while, with small-business executives reluctant to hire amid the murky economic outlook.

Almost two-thirds—64%—of small-business executives surveyed said they weren’t expecting to add to their payrolls in the next year and another 12% planned to cut jobs, according to a U.S. Chamber of Commerce report to be released Monday. Just 19% said they would expand their work forces.

Read more at the Wall Street Journal…

Report: Gadgets Tied to 25 Percent of Car Crashes

Driving distractions, primarily by cellphones and other electronic devices, are associated with up to 25 percent of U.S. car crashes, according to a report released on Thursday.

The study by the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA), a nonprofit group that works to improve traffic safety, assessed research from more than 350 scientific papers published since 2000.

Read more at MSNBC….

(Image: Thinkstock)

There’s an old saying: “A job ain’t nothin’ but work.” For many people, the typical 9 to 5 (or 6) is unbearably boring. But there are some professions that feed employees’ passions as well as supply them with paychecks. We couldn’t cover all these marvelous cool jobs but we did select a few to highlight the wonderful options out there. Here are some that made our top 10 list:

1. In the world of film-making, the digital imaging technician is the person that  helps make sure the motion picture is well, pretty. They oversee set quality control, image manipulation and color correction, production continuity, troubleshooting and consultation. All this to help ensure the requirements of the cinematographer are met when it comes to the film style and digital production.

Read more at The Atlanta Post …

Like Smith-Rogers, 44% of small business owners plan to hire more staff this year, according to a survey by financial solution provider Intuit. But that still leaves more than half of small business owners putting expansion plans on hold, a move that could prove to be a mistake, experts say.

“Historically, more than half of the top 500 U.S. companies were started in a recession or depression,” says Rhonda Abrams, author of Hire Your First Employee: The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Finding, Choosing and Leading Great People (The Planning Shop; $24.95). “You have a better chance of growing a company in bad times than in good times.”

Here’s why it makes more sense to hire now than to wait for a full economic recovery.

1 Customers are more receptive. When times are good, customers tend to be happy with the status quo. But when times are tough, “they are looking for new alternatives,” Abrams says. By adding employees that can solve customer problems or free you up to do so, you can introduce new products and services as customers look for added value and more efficient ways to spend their dollars.

2 Marketing messages will stand out. One of the first things large companies cut during tough times is marketing. William R. Patterson, chief executive officer of The Baron Solution Group, a business consulting firm in Washington, D.C., says that by ramping up on employees that can better communicate your brand’s relevance, your products and services will be more likely to resonate once other companies feel comfortable spending marketing dollars again.

3 The labor market is flexible. With the unemployment rate at 10%, people are willing to work not only for less money, but they may be willing to work part time or as an independent contractor if your business is unable to handle the cost of full-time employees. Abrams adds, “You can have great people who’d be willing to work for you for 10 hours a week who would have only looked for a full-time job with full benefits before.”

4 There’s more work to do. In tough economic times, it often takes longer to make a sale or close a deal. Additional staff can help, says Patterson. “You want to focus on hiring people where they’ll be in a position to generate revenue as opposed to more overhead positions where they don’t directly contribute to the bottom line.”

Graham

Small business owners often find themselves wearing many different hats. But when it comes time to hire executive and managerial talent, human resources experts say owners should seek professional help.

“It makes good sense for small businesses to hire an executive search firm to work with especially if they are in a growth mode,” says Eral Burks, president and CEO of Minority Executive Search, a human resources recruitment firm in business since 1985. “It takes human capital to build a business and you want the best individuals in those positions to help you grow.”

Executive search firms, also known as headhunters, are paid a percentage of the new hire’s salary, and standard industry fees range from 25% to 33.5%. “While you will spend a little bit more using a headhunter, you will get quality candidates and quality hires that will add to your bottom line,” says Adrienne Graham, CEO and owner of Hues Consulting and Management Inc., an executive search firm.

Recruiters are usually contracted by larger businesses, universities, and non-profit organizations to hire employees for positions that are management level or above. For small businesses, these search firms can reduce the HR workload so that owners can pay more attention to running the day-to day aspect of their businesses.

Oftentimes, small business owners don’t have the time to put in the necessary work to find suitable employees, says Graham, author of her self-published book, “Go Ahead Talk to Strangers: The Modern Girls Guide To Fearless Networking (Empower Me! Corp.; $19.99). They look in the wrong places and search on generalist job boards like Jobster.com or CareerBuilder.com because they are unfamiliar with niche job boards. “Those are good for what they provide, but job boards period are not something business owners need to [solely] rely on,” Graham says. A headhunter can do what the small business owner doesn’t have time to do—network over the phone and face to face by cultivating relationships at trade association events.

One main advantage of hiring a recruiter is the anonymity that they provide, Graham says. Anonymity protects the recruiting company from being inundated with inquiries from unqualified applicants. A professional recruiter won’t tell the candidate what company they are recruiting for until the day of the interview. Also, a headhunter can search for candidates within a competitor’s company for talent, something that the business owner himself cannot do.

If your company is searching for a recruiter or headhunter, ask these questions to find out if he can has what it takes to get the job done:

What are your areas of expertise?

Recruiters should have training in a variety of industries. Find out if the companies they’ve worked with are comparable to your own. Ask if anyone in the company is licensed or has experience working in your industry. You don’t want a finance recruiter searching for a marine scientist position, says Graham.

Are you a retained search or contingency search firm?

Contingency recruiters work on a commission basis. If they find a candidate for your position, they get paid. Otherwise they don’t. On the other hand, a retained search firm is paid a predetermined fee for a specified amount of time to fill a specific position. They are paid whether the position is filled or not. Retained search firms have more specialized expertise, but “you have to really do your homework when engaging a retained search firm,” Graham says. If the firm is unscrupulous they will require you to pay a fee even if they are not exhausting their resources to fill the position.

How long will it take you to fill the position?

If a recruiter says they can fill positions immediately, that should be a red flag. If they tell you it will take 60 to 90 days, that is a bad sign, too. Unless it is a complicated, high level, top secret position, such as the CFO at NASA, the average position should be filled in 30 to 60 days, Graham says. “You want someone who will work the contract and not drag it on.”

What is the retention rate for the candidates you’ve placed? What is your placement rate?

Find out a recruiter’s track record. Burks says that a company’s retention rate will let you know if the placements they’ve made are good matches. “You don’t want to hire someone today and then 10 months from now the company needs to fill the position again,” he says. The placement rate will warn you about recruiters who are hired to do 90 searches a year, but only fill 20 positions in that year.

What is your guarantee period and refund policy?

Some retained search firms offer a 90-day guarantee. Ask the recruiter within what time period will they replace a candidate for free if the candidate quits or is fired under extenuating circumstances. Alternatively, will they provide a full or partial refund or credit towards that position or another position in the future?

To learn more about the skills a recruiter should have or to find a recruiter for your small business check the following Websites below:

Resources

Ere.net – A social networking community for recruiters.
Recruitinglife.com — National Association of Personnel Services
NRCSIP.com — National Registry of Certified Staffing Industry Professionals
NAAAHR.org — The National Association of African Americans in Human Resources.