Customer Service: Similar Hats in a Different Environment

by Personal Interest

This year, I was honored to be selected to serve as a Poll Worker/Election Official in November’s general election.

Being a poll worker allowed me to put my customer service skills as an Advertising Account Manager to good use when assisting voters coming in and out of the precinct. It was challenging work that took many hours of in-person and on-line training, but so worth the effort to use my current skill sets in a different environment.

In my current position at SCG, I need to have strong multi-tasking and communication skills in order to work with team members, clients and vendors.  Since a poll worker handles all aspects of the voting process from precinct set-up, voter check-in, record updates, ballot distribution, and even passing out those little “thank you for voting” stickers, my skills at SCG helped considerably.

It was great to see individuals from every generation casting their votes. We had a first-time voter that got our applause when his dad brought him to vote for the first time. The son was a bit embarrassed, but our team was impressed! We also had several individuals who required assistance; they were determined to get through the check-in process and cast their ballot! Many new citizens were excited to be voting for the very first time! Even a few quick rainstorms didn’t stop people from lining up at our door.

It was a very long 14+ hour day. But when you finally clock-out and you tear down tables and pack-up bins, you feel like you’ve accomplished something very important. I enjoyed doing my part while using old skills and learning new ones. I hope to do it again for the next election(s).

(Although I’m employed full-time with SCG, I’m glad they give me the ability to take a day off in order to use my skills in a different environment. Thanks, SCG!)

Celebrating Irish Heritage Month

by Personal InterestSCG News

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My husband is Irish. His grandparents were both born and raised in Ireland; his father born in Ireland before immigrating to America at a very young age.  So, of course, he has always been interested in his Irish roots.

To celebrate our wedding anniversary, we planned a 2-week trip to Ireland to dig deeper into my husband’s ancestry.  We finally decided on a bus coach tour to see all the sites starting in Dublin before traveling south along the east coast. We continued southwest along the south coast, north along the west coast and then inland to Ennis, where we spent our remaining days on our own tour of discovery.

Dublin was …. well, Dublin.  A fast-moving, busy city that was very similar to other large cities in the world — traffic, construction, crime and tourists!  But then traveling through the small villages of Ireland is where it all changed.  The scenery, the homes, the agriculture…simply beautiful.  I was slowly beginning to relax.

No ringing cell phones, no one with their nose to a tablet or laptop.  People were actually talking to each other at restaurants, shops and pubs – even on the streets! Television at the hotels was very basic and mostly limited to politics in the U.S.!

We didn’t bring a cell phone, tablet or laptop.  There wasn’t even a public computer in the hotels.  We had to talk and listen to people and we absolutely loved it!  I had forgotten what it was to like to really talk to people; to hear a voice instead of receiving a text, etc.  We found information we needed by talking to local residents, not by a Google search or Mapquest app!

 

 

By hiring a driver for the day, we were able to explore very small towns in the middle of nowhere.  Churches, cemeteries, castles, all just waiting to be enjoyed.  My husband was able to see and set foot on property owned by long- gone relatives.  Although I was just “along for the ride”, I found myself intrigued by Ireland’s history, food, people and scenery.

We’ve always celebrated St. Patrick’s Day with corned beef and cabbage (and of course, a Guinness and soda bread with Kerrygold butter!)  But knowing we were actually IN Ireland makes the meal so much more enjoyable each and every year.  This was definitely a once in a lifetime vacation and one I’ll never forget.  Hope to get back there ASAP.

 

Recruitment Advertising

Some Things Old Are New Again in Recruitment Advertising

by Human ResourcesRecruitment Advertising

Recruitment Advertising

Recruitment advertising continues to change.  Just a few decades ago, the main way of recruiting was an ad in the local newspaper, maybe a few radio spots or a billboard.  Flyers on car windshields or a small ad in the town’s church bulletin worked well.

 

Then, new technology entered the world of recruitment advertising.  The newspaper was now online, radio spots were almost non-existent and billboards were priced out of the market.  And flyers?  Hmmm … just not the way to go.  Social media job postings became the new kids on the block … a way to get candidates to apply NOW … not with a mailed resume … but by email or apply online.  Email blasts to a candidate database were a good way to reach that special demographic.

 

And now, recruitment advertising seems to be changing again.  While newspapers still don’t have the huge recruitment section they had before, more and more ads are being placed.  Radio is working well and billboards, now much more reasonable in price, are back again.  And those car windshield flyers or church bulletin ads?  They’re working!  Email blasts are still out there, but direct mail is growing in demand (yes, it seems people still like to get mail).

 

I handle clients who love print advertisements and receive great results.  Others swear by radio spots and/or billboards.  It’s up to me to know the old school way of thinking, as well as the new school of thinking, and what works best for my clients.

 

And one thing I do know … don’t always sell clients on the new way of thinking when the old way of thinking just might be the way to go.  Mix them together … see what works for each client.  Each of my clients is different and diverse; like their media plan should be.

 

Old just might be new again.

recruiting baby boomers

Recruiting the “Baby Boomers” in the Digital Age

by AdvertisingHuman ResourcesRecruitment Advertising

recruiting baby boomersYes, I admit to being a member of AARP. And as a member of their organization, I try to keep involved with the issues that affect us “mature workers”. Volunteer work, tech classes, social security updates, employment decisions, healthcare changes, financial strategies, etc. are important to me now and will be even more important to me in the future.

 

A few weeks ago, I attended a presentation on “Job Searching in the Digital Age”. Since several of my clients use digital, I was curious to see what AARP had to say about job sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Glassdoor, etc., as well as putting your resume out there, interviewing skills, follow-up, etc. Was the mature audience still working? Were they still being recruited?

Skills

I’ve been very fortunate in my career to keep up-to-date on digital changes and was happy to see that many of the attendees were also. As the majority of the presentation was done on an IPad mini, most individuals understood the use of it … the same with a provided stylus. Everyone owned and used laptops or PCs, and all, of course, had smart phones. Screen swipes, search engines, tapping, keywords, etc. were known by all. Computer skills were excellent, including Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Outlook, etc. There may be legitimate concerns about older workers when it comes to technology, but those skills are being used by us older workers in today’s workplace.

Experience

Customer service is one area in which mature workers tend to shine. You can count on them … you can find a maturity in decision-making you don’t generally find with younger people. In 2014, SHRM asked HR professionals what they considered the top advantages of older workers. Experience was No. 1, followed closely by maturity/professionalism and a stronger work ethic.   Mature workers also play a vital role in providing skills to younger people … people with experience can share what has been tried in the past and hot it can be improved.

Loyalty

Workers older than age 50 may be more loyal. Younger workers may feel conflicted about how to split their time between work and family. For example, their commitment to finish a big project may be at odds with their commitment to take the kids to sports practice in the evening. By age 50, many workers no longer have to worry about those divided loyalties. Children are grown, or at least older, which means less time and energy needs to be devoted to home life. You may have more of a work focus when you’re not worried about the kids.

 

A few points of this blog have been sent to me by colleagues and/or re-emphasized from other sources. But what I’ve found is that all of us — young or old — need to keep the mind challenged and skills updated, especially in today’s changing world. And the older generation has years of experience and life lessons to be a valuable part of today’s workforce. So, let’s keep recruiting these “oldies but goodies” for today’s workforce … you’ll be glad you did!