Recruit, Inspire & Retain

May is …..
May Flowers Month
Be Kind to Animals Month
Better Hearing and Speech Month
Better Sleep Month
Bike Month
Clean Air Month
Correct Posture Month
Creative Beginnings Month
Get Caught Reading Month
Go Mingle Month
More than Just a Pretty Face Month
National Hamburger Month
National Messes Month
National Photo Month
National Physical Fitness & Sports Month
National Revise Your Work Schedule Month
National Salad Month
Older Americans Month
Recommitment Month

May 3 – 9 - Get Happy Week
May 3 – 9 Hug Holiday Week
May 3 - 9 National Pet Week
May 3 – 9 Peace of Mind Week
May 3 – 9 National Postcard Week
May 10 – 16 Coach Recognition Week
May 10 – 16 National Running and Fitness Week
May 10 – 16 National Etiquette Week

May 1 – May Day & National Loyalty Day & Mother Goose Day
May 1 – Lei Day (Got a goose on your front porch? Put a lei on its neck.)
May 2 – Kentucky Derby Day
May 2 - Brothers and Sisters Day & National Lumpy Rug Day & Robert’s Rules of Order Day
May 3 – National Two Different Colored Shoes Day
May 4 - National Weather Observer's Day
May 5 - Teacher Day
May 5 – Cinco de Mayo
May 6 – Great American Grump Out Day
May 6 - Nurses Day & No Diet Day & National Anniversary of the first Postage Stamp
May 7 - National Day of Prayer & National Teacher Day
May 10 - Mother's Day
May 12 – National Limerick Day
May 13 – Tulip Day & Frog Jumping Day & National Kite Date (see frogs jumping with tulips in
                their mouths hanging off a kite!)
May 15 - Hug Your Cat Day & International Day of Families & National Employee Health &
               Fitness (we hardly need to tell you how these things go together)
May 16 – National Bike to Work Day
May 23 - World Turtle Day
May 25 - Memorial Day (USA) & National Tap Dance Day
May 27 - National Grape Popsicle Day

April is...
Celebrate Diversity Month
Financial Literacy Month
Fresh Florida Tomatoes Month
International Customer Loyalty Month
International Twit Award Month (Who’s the twit in your life?)
National Humor Month
Prevention of Animal Cruelty Month
Straw Hat Month

April 12-18 – National Personal Training Week
April 19-25 – Administrative Professionals Week & Customer Awareness Week
April 19-25 – Cowboy Poetry Week

April 9 – National Cherish An Antique Day
April 10 – Good Friday
April 11 – Barbershop Quartet Day & International “Louie Louie” Day (Coincidence? I think not!)
April 12 – Easter Sunday
April 13 – White House Easter Egg Roll Day
April 15 – Income Tax Pay Day, Take a Wild Guess Day, & That Sucks Day
April 16 – National Wear Your Pajamas To Work Day
April 17 – Blah! Blah! Blah! Day (As in, “I see your lips move, but all I hear is...”)
April 21 – National Chocolate-Covered Cashews Day
April 22 – Earth Day & National Jelly Bean Day
April 24 – Arbor Day & National Hairball Awareness Day
April 25 – World Tai Chi & Qigong Day
April 29 – Sense of Smell Day
April 30 – National Honesty Day

Email TRAINING SYSTEMS, INC. for ideas on how to celebrate any of these days.

Benefits of Recruiting Passive Job Seekers

Identify the Bait
Passive job seekers aren’t looking for jobs. When recruiters approach them, they have to identify what will make them happier in a new position. It takes more than higher wages to lure a highly qualified employee to a competing organization.

"It’s a unique, personal decision. What might turn on one candidate might leave another cold." said Barbara Ling, CEO of Recruiters Internet Strategic Education (RISE). "If you could present a solution to an issue or problem they currently have, that would excite passive job seekers."

Talk to the candidates to identify their emotional hot buttons, Ling explained. This could include:

Gaining recognition
Securing a job title
Shortening their commute
Obtaining family benefits
Availability of on-site child care for moms looking to re-enter the workforce
Securing eldercare discounts for aging parents

Benefits packages offered by many organizations are comparable. What might prompt someone to make a job switch is the company culture and the level of engagement in their current role. Franzoni said recruiters have to offer passive candidates true career improvement.

Passive job seekers might consider several factors prior to changing jobs. They may want to join a leader in the industry; move to an organization where they trust, value and agree with leadership; or move to a position where they can make measurable progress in the most successful environment.

While professional growth is an incentive to lure passive candidates, Warne said passive job seekers find it advantageous to be able to customize a role rather than apply to a specific job opening. "If you can strike a chord with someone who seems truly happy but you notice the one thing that could be better, then you have a unique hook to capitalize on," Warne said.

Passive candidates will thoroughly investigate the job openings to ensure they’re well-suited. The hiring decision usually is based on the candidate’s career interests and the organization’s strategic talent needs. So, passive candidates are more likely to possess the specific skill set suited for the job opening — that’s one of the primary advantages of this recruiting techniques. They are also easier to retain and have a shorter ramp-up period to assume responsibilities in a new position.

A Great Recipe for 2009

	Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. And while you walk, smile. It is the ultimate anti-depressant.
	Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day. Talk to God about what is going on in your life. Buy a lock if you have to.
	When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement, 'My purpose is to__________ today. I am thankful for______________'
	Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.
	Drink green tea and plenty of water. Eat blueberries, wild Alaskan salmon, broccoli, almonds & walnuts.
	Try to make at least three people smile each day.
	Invest your energy in the positive present moment instead of wasting it on issues of the past, negative thoughts or things you can’t control.
	Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out charge card.
	Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
	Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
	Take yourself lightly. No one takes you as seriously as you do!
	You are not so important that you have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
	Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.
	Compare yourself only to yourself. Comparing to other gets you no where since you have no idea what their journey is all about.
	No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
	Frame every so-called disaster with these words: 'In five years, will this matter?'
	Forgive everyone for everything.
	What other people think of you is none of your business.
	GOD heals everything - but you have to ask Him.
	However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
	Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch!!!
	Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
	Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements: I am thankful for__________. Today I accomplished_________.
	Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed.
	When you are feeling down, start listing your many blessings. You'll be smiling before you know it.

Is The Ability to Communicate Constantly Really Productive?

by Robert A. Hall, MEd, CAE, Executive Director, American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons

We read so many articles on being more productive and some suggest that multi-tasking and constant communication is bad and others say it’s great!

When you picked it up, it was a cute little kitten, fun, friendly, and no trouble. Now it's grown into a tiger, devouring large chucks of your day, clawing you from time to time, and hard to control. It's the E-mail Tiger. Remember when technology was going to save us time? Add that to, "The Check's in the Mail" as one of the great lies. Yes, E-mail is a wonderful tool. So is a chainsaw. Both require careful handling. Below are twelve tips for turning e-mail from a bad master into a good servant.

	Remember that e-mail creates a trail and a record. It can be traced back to you. It can be forwarded by the recipient, accidentally or maliciously. Because of the ease of copying and forwarding, it's much more likely than a letter to be seen by eyes it was not intended for. If you wouldn't put a thought into a letter, don't put it in e-mail. Think, "Would I be comfortable if this e-mail message was passed around my next board or staff meeting?" If the answer is no, think twice. "E-slander" is as actionable as any other kind.
		In one of our listservs, Robert Hall says: I don't text and I'm not a twit. I think it's chewing gum for the brain. My board doesn't want me to have a blackberry, as I communicate too much     already. My rule is that just because you CAN do something, doesn't mean it's worth doing. I did put up a page on Face Book & Linked In, just to accommodate those who     wanted to connect–but I don't use them. I have a stack of books and magazine at home I can't get to. As of last Friday, I had    166 hours in at work in the last three weeks. Twitting and texting may be productive. But is it as productive as whatever else you     could be doing with that time? I just saw an e-mail with photos of a baby who was critically injured when an 18 year     old girl plowed into their van, doing 70 MPH, while she was allegedly texting while     driving. I hope the message was important. I suppose the next thing will be ear phones and a constant stream of chatter from     voice feeds from friends telling you about the apple they are eating at the moment. Right now, e-mail is enough to keep up with. Maybe we need less
	Establish separate business and personal e-mail addresses. Especially, try to keep your business address from your joke-sending friends. It's too easy for that off-color or ethnic joke, which you didn't originate and maybe didn't even like, to slip into the business system if it's on your work computer. Almost all jokes offend someone, or can be used by folks who want to appear to have been offended. Keep the personal at home. You may also wish to create different screen names for web surfing, as "spammers" harvest e-mail addresses from visited websites.
	Remember that e-mail can be edited. The e-mail you send saying, "My boss is a great guy" can be changed to "My boss is a fat Twinkie" and forwarded. There's not much you can do about a sociopath who totally changes your message or creates a new one over your name, except to try to catch up with the lie. But much more common is the taking of key remarks out of context and responding to them. The recipient may not think that this is wrong, and often it's not. But quoting only part of an e-mail message, especially in a dispute, can't help but put a "spin" on the context. Is there something in the message that, if quoted out of context and responded to, would do harm? Think a third time.
	Use the "Reply" and "Reply all" buttons carefully. Is your response something that everyone on the list should see? Hit "Reply All," as this will save the recipient the trouble of forwarding it, and eliminate the danger of selective forwarding. Conversely, is this a reply just to the sender, which will only be clutter to the other recipients? Hit "Reply." More importantly, is your reply confidential? Hit "Reply." Or, worse, is it insulting to someone on the list? See tip number one! Always check the "To" list on the message before you hit "Send." Someday that habit will save you embarrassment-or perhaps your job.
	Make a hard copy, when needed. E-mail on your computer will eventually be deleted, and will certainly become hard to find in the clutter. I once had a staff member who printed and filed every e-mail message. She was a hard worker in many other unproductive ways as well. But paper copies of some e-mail messages should be in your files. Copy messages such as instructions to do something that might be controversial, your response to hot political issues, or notes of praise for your personnel file. Almost every week I find myself searching for, and often not finding, an e-mail message from a few weeks or months back. Save paper copies of those that really matter.
	Create folders. Don't let your incoming messages pile up in your in-box. Create perhaps one folder for board members' messages, one for items to be permanently saved, one for staff messages, one for each of a few special topics or programs (such as a political issue), and one for general mail. Also create a "personal" box, for those personal message that slip through, despite your compartmentalized social and professional addresses. Clean this file out regularly. Leave only current messages still requiring answers or action in your in-box. Delete those immediately that you know you'll not need, and drag the rest to the proper folder. You wouldn't leave every piece of paper that came in for a year piled on your desk, would you?
	Clean out the folders. Except for the "Save Permanently" file, I try to clean out all messages over six months old once a month. Yes, I've wished I had messages I deleted. But it also means I can find the more current ones a lot faster. (Thank goodness for the "Find" feature in Outlook, or I'd never locate older messages.)
	Respond promptly. People expect faster replies to e-mail messages than to letters or even phone calls. If you can't get them the info or take the action they want right away, let then know you are working on it. Use the "auto-reply" feature when you are going to be out of the office for more than a day. And check your business e-mail more than once a day, but don't drive yourself nuts interrupting your other work every time "you've got mail" dings.
	Put an automatic signature on every e-mail message you send. It's a mark of courtesy and courage to sign your correspondence. It also helps people who get a forwarded message to know from whom it came. If I signed my messages "Bob," someone down the line might, just possibly, know another "Bob." A signature also lets you put your mission statement, conference dates or other note on the bottom of your messages. At home, I've created several signatures with pithy quotes after my contact info.
	Create a letterhead in your word processing program. That allows you to send professional-looking letters as attachments, with your scanned-in signature as well. It's a great convenience.
	Think about the subject line. For something not very important, I add "FYI" before the subject. I also use "PLEASE RESPOND" and "CONFIDENTIAL" after typing in the subjects, to alert my recipients to what I need from them.
	Those guys in Nigeria? They don't really have THIRTY TWO MILLION US DOLLARS in TRAPPED FUNDS they want to share with you.

**TOOL BOX**       ● The Hamster Revolution: How to Manage Your Email Before It Manages You, by Mike Song, Vicki Halsey & Tim Burress     ● Send: Why People Email So Badly and How to Do It Better, Revised Edition, by David Shipley & Will Schwalbe       Order by calling 800-469-3560 or emailing books@trainingsys.com and get your 10% discount by mentioning RIR Tools: Recruit Inspire Train Retain

April 29-May 1, 2009
95th Annual Multicultural Business Conference, Orlando, FL, http://www.diversitybusiness.com 

May 3-6, 2009
Training Magazine’s 25th Annual Gathering: Training Leadership Summit, San Diego, CA, http://www.TrainingSummit.com 

May 5, 2009
Thiagi Workshop, 200 S. Wacker in Chicago, (773) 330-9228

May 14-15, 2009
Illinois Conference on Volunteer Administration (ICOVA), Drury Lane Conference Center, Oak Brook Terrace, IL, http://www.icova.info 

May 19-23, 2009
American Counseling Association Annual Conference, Charlotte, NC, http://www.counseling.org 

June 1-2, 2009
ASTD Conference, Washington, DC

June 28-July 1, 2009
SHRM 61st Annual Conference & Exposition, New Orleans, LA, http://www.shrm.org 

July 1-3, 2009
National Career Development Association, St. Louis, MO, 866-FOR-NCDA

August 15-18, 2009
Excite: ASAE’s Annual Meeting & Exposition, Toronto, CAN, http://www.asaecenter.org/AnnualMeeting 

November 6-8, 2009
American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons (AAHKS) 19th Annual Meeting, Hyatt Regency DFW, Dallas, TX, http://www.aahks.org    

January 14-17, 2010
35th Annual International Conference: New Frontiers in Learning and Innovation, Houston, TX, http://www.ialearn.org 

Dick Knowdell’s Career Development Training
Creator of the wonderful Motivated Skills, Career Values, and other Card Sort tools for managers & career counselors has the following training dates set up. Email him @ rknowdell@mac.com to get more information.

• April 28-29-30 San Antonio, Texas Conference
• May 25-26-27-28 Atlanta, Georgia Coach Workshop
• May 31-June 1-2-3 Minneapolis, MN Conference
• June 29-30-July 1-2-3-4-5 St. Louis, MO Conference
• July 19-20-21-22-23-24-25-26 Detroit, Michigan Coach Workshop

K www.eartheasy.com has great tips on green cleaning.
K www.greendimes.com & www.41pounds.org will help you get off junk mail lists.
K www.thegreenguide.com has tips on every facet of green living.
K www.energystar.gov gives advice on replacing old light bulbs w/energy efficient bulbs.
K www.eere.energy.gov/greenpower provides comprehensive "green power" info.
K www.globalwarming.org urges the use of recycled paper.
K www.arborday.org helps you plant trees to save the environment.

Going Green At Work
Find ecofriendly building materials and services at http://www.rateitgreen.com
Buy ecofriendly office supplies at http://www.thegreenoffice.comcom
Work from home ideas at http://www.treehugger.com 
Find jobs and volunteer opportunities with socially responsible organizations at
         http://www.idealist.org 
Reduce paperwork by invoicing, & paying employees & bills electronically
         (TRAINING SYSTEMS, INC.  now invoices exclusively by email and is close to paying everyone
         by credit card, PayPal, or automatic debit from checking account)
Encourage employees to use public transportation
Use ceiling fans to reduce air-conditioning costs
Reduce your hot water heater temperature by 2 degrees and insulate the tank
Use energy-saving light bulbs

B.I.G. ON BOOKS is an organization that promotes literacy in underprivileged countries, primarily Africa, Eastern Europe, and Southeast Asia. You can donate books through most Rotary Clubs. B.I.G. also accepts cash donations. Send email to Steve Frantzich at frantzic@usna.edu for more information.

Kicking World Hunger is the biggest soccer juggle-a-thon in the world (uh, that we know of), much like a walk-a-thon, but more fun! Participants sign up to juggle a soccer ball thousands of times while raising money to provide hope for children and communities that desperately need it. http://www.firstgiving.com/kickingworldhunger

Charity Navigator (http://charitynavigator.org) is an in-depth, searchable guide to more than 5,000 charities worldwide that aims to encourage "intelligent giving". They rate charities based on their total expenses, revenues, and organizational capacity. If you want to give, but the recent slew of charity scandals has you feeling skeptical about where your money would go.

Take Pride T-Shirts (http://www.takepride.com) was founded by a group of friends who all share the belief that the more difficult the mission facing our military, the more deserving they are of our thanks and support. Each unique shirt design provides a glimpse into the life of a different US Service member who served in Iraq or Afghanistan and is hand silk-screened. The message of the shirts isn’t political, it's about acknowledging, celebrating, and taking pride in the spirit of young Americans who despite facing an extremely difficult job and unpleasant conditions, nonetheless strive to do their job well. Take Pride gives at least 20% of profits to charities and causes that assist combat veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan.

Set a reminder to visit http://www.thebreastcancersite.com daily and click this button to help underprivileged women get mammograms.

volunteermatch.org helps you find organizations in your area that spark your interest in volunteering.
momsrising.org fights for family-friendly programs and policies at work.
mygooddeed.org honors the heroes and victims of 9/11, by giving ideas for good deeds to perform.
kiva.org helps entrepreneurs by connecting them with backers for short term loans
guidestar.org and charitablechoices.org both make sure the organizations you’re supporting are legit and give the bulk of their money to their mission

Global Volunteers (http://www.globalvolunteers.org)
You can:
select by type of work project
select by country and date
select by service program conditions
select by cost

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