See What Employee Paychecks Look like at Thousands of Top Companies

See What Employee Paychecks Look like at Thousands of Top CompaniesSee What Employee Paychecks Look like at Thousands of Top CompaniesSome people start their job search by looking for their nextemployerfirst. Theyll create a list of companies theyre most interested in and then research and explore opportunities within that universe. Sometimes, you just wanna work at Facebook, or the NBA, or Disney, or

How a Social Media Recruiting Policy Can Help Protect your Business

How a Social Media Recruiting Policy Can Help Protect your BusinessHow a Social Media Recruiting Policy Can Help Protect your BusinessHow a Social Media Recruiting Policy Can Help Protect your Business ConlanThe rise of social media recruiting has made it possible for people to find out a lot about each other but that can information can become hazardous to a legal hiring process.A candidates online profile can be instructive in providing a hiring manager with insights as to a candidates work ethic, character and reputation, which are all important factors in determining whether someone is the right fit for a job, says Angela J. Reddock-Wright, an employment law attorney and mediator with Reddock Law Group in denn man to Angeles. However, determining such information based on a candidates social media profile can be a slippery slope.Heres how to keep useful information from turning into TMI (too much information) in your social media recruiting and why having a policy in place can help protect your company.The Need for a Social Recruiting PolicyEven if gathered inadvertently, information derived from a candidates social media profile can put you at risk for a lawsuit down the road. Thus employers should be aware of learning about a candidates protected class information, says Andrew Horowitz, an attorney in the Pittsburgh office of Obermayer Rebmann Maxwell Hippel. These prohibited employment policies are enforced by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC.)For example, a candidates social media presence might reveal information about religion, race, political affiliation or other protected statuses. Later, if the candidate isnt hired and claims discrimination, the employers best defense is ignorance of the candidates protected status at the time the decision was made, Horowitz says. However, if you learn of this information while looking at social media, that defense is lost.Many employment law experts recommend establishing a formal social m edia policy about how social media profiles are reviewed.Typically a social media review policy would define both what the employer is and is not looking for in reviewing social media, Horowitz says. Some examples of legitimate items to look for could include negative postings about past employers, material relating to alcohol or drug abuse, crime, dishonesty and so on.One thing to absolutely avoid asking candidates for passwords to go digging in their profiles yourself. A lot of states have started passing laws that prohibit employers from requiring applicants to disclose their passwords to social media accounts, says Shelby Skeabeck, a management-side labor and employment lawyer at Shawe Rosenthal in Baltimore.Be Sure to Back Up your PolicyOnce you have a social media policy, put it into action by developing a strong process to support it. This might include identifying which social media channels should be checked for legitimate information and which shouldnt.The value coming fr om some types of social media isnt as high as the risk of potentially finding out something you dont want to know, Skeabeck says. For example some social media sites include work history or project portfolios, while others are more geared toward sharing photos of friends and family.If you have adequate staff, consider adding a layer of independent review to help strengthen your candidate review process. This might be someone who is otherwise not involved in the hiring decision who could review social media profiles for items defined in the policy. He or she can then report back to the decision-maker in writing, Horowitz says.This report could include red flags about behavior or a lack of information that supports the resume. It should not include any information about protected statuses, including but not limited to race, color, national origin, religion, disability, including being associated with a disabled person, illness, pregnancy, family status, veteran or reserve status and s exual orientation or gender identity, where protected by local law, Horowitz says.Keep What You Learn in ContextNot everything you can learn via online profiles is relevant to someones suitability for a job opening as such, its important to keep the persons whole application in mind.Charles Rogel, vice president of products and marketing at DecisionWise, a management consulting firm in Springville, Utah, checks to make sure the person has put some time into the profile. He determines whether its well-connected and shows relevant interest in other groups.I also check other social media sites to see if their interests match the job opportunity, Rogel says.Information shared by people other than the candidate may not be the best indicator of what the candidate is like. People tag each other in silly stories and pictures they see all time, Skeabeck says. Sometimes you have to take it with a grain of salt because it might not be coming from the candidate they may have even been tagged by someone who doesnt know the candidate.None of the information provided herein constitutes legal advice on behalf of Monster.

5 Networking Conversation Topics to Avoid - The Muse

5 Networking Conversation Topics to Avoid - The Muse5 Networking Conversation Topics to AvoidIt always feels good when you actually feel comfortable at a networking event. Rather than standing around awkwardly and pretending to receive urgent emails on your phone (What? The office blew up? Sky high Well I never I have to go right now), youre mixing and youre mingling and youre handing business cards to people with the same enthusiasm you usually reserve for drop your business card here to win a free lunch buckets.And then you say something awkward. Or stupid. Or worse, straight-up offensive. Suddenly the vibe goes from fun n friendly to back away slowly. I know, because Ive been there- on both sides of a networking conversation gone wrong. Now, instead of being remembered for a project youve discussed, or insight on recent industry news, youre now known as the partie who made everyone feel uncomfortable.So, how do you avoid this in the future? A good first step is to stay far, far aw ay from these topics1. Politics and Current EventsLook, I enjoy debating politics as much as the next person who loves getting outraged on Twitter. But, you truly never know where people stand on issues, and a professional event is bedrngnis the place to find out. So many political issues and current events are so personal to people that its unlikely youll get through last nights Jon Stewart bit without offending someone. If the conversation starts to veer into that territory, and you know you often get heated over certain topics (or, like me, make exaggerated faces when disagreeing with someone), excuse yourself politely. Say you need to get a glass of water, or find an outlet to charge your phone, or use the restroom. Just remove yourself from the situation before you blurt anything out that youll regret. 2. Details About Your Personal LifeOften times, when networking conversation veers into the personal, dating, significant others, and single life does come up. Im elend suggestin g that you clam up and shuffle away if someone asks if youre in a relationship- thats (obviously) weird. But I am saying that you should be careful to keep the chit-chat on the safe-for-work side of things. That means refraining from pulling out your phone to show off a perverted Tinder message you received. Or complaining about this weird thing your significant other tried to do the other night. Basically, anything that could be filed under oversharing.There will always be those people who feel very (very) comfortable talking about these topics- and you should let them talk. If nothing else, its usually entertaining. However, you want to be remembered as the professional, upstanding person you are, and the best way to do that is to keep your personal life personal. 3. Work ComplaintsEven if you love your job, youre going to have those days when you leave the office feeling a little negative. Thats totally OK. Whats not as OK is showing up and venting about work to total strangers. While people will most definitely get where youre coming from- again, everyone has those days- no one wants to listen to it. One, its boring to hear about a strangers problems with the shared office printer. Two, youre there to extend your professional network, which means putting your best foot forward and presenting yourself as a person whos worth getting to know. And- spoiler alert- the person ranting about a conference room mix-up is not in that category. (Imagine how a future introduction would go Hey Karen, meet Jim. He, um, hates the way his office assigns conference rooms. Also I think he has a thing about printers.)So, if you find yourself in one of those moods before a networking event, take a moment for yourself after leaving the office. Inhale deeply a few times, scroll through social media, text your friend who always makes you laugh, go on a walk- basically, do whatever you need to do to enter the venue in a positive mood. 4. Things You Find StupidYou hate cats with a burning passion. In fact, you think theyve single-handedly ruined the internet. And you know what? Thats a great discussion topic for a dinner party with your friends. Or, better yet (for your poor friends), your Facebook status. Its not, however, appropriate to bring up when youre networking. Because, heres the thing What you may find stupid, someone else may love. And by putting it out there that you think somethings trivial or wrong or OMG, the worst, youre taking the risk of offending someone- even if youre only kidding. Trust me on this one Saying Cmon, it welches only a joke never works.Its better to avoid your jokes and complaints and instead bring up subjects that you can discuss positively. The more enthusiastic you are about something, the more likely you are to engage with other people and attract their attention. Even if theyre arent as obsessed as you are about the topic, theyre going to want to learn more about why it makes you so excited. 5. How Drunk You AreOften tim es, youll go to networking events where the alcohols free-flowing. And thats great- I think we can all agree that open bars make talking to strangers so much easier. But it also makes the evening a lot more dangerous, because its incredibly easy to go from Im just having one drink to Excuse me bartender, do you have anything harder than wine? While you should most definitely refrain from drinking too much, you should also refrain from ever announcing the status of your sobriety. This isnt college, and no ones impressed by the person who is soooo drunk right now. The second you find yourself even thinking this, its time to excuse yourself from the event and go home. Best way to avoid having to leave early? Dont get drunk. Only you know your limits, so only you can be the person to say no, thank you when someone asks if you want a refill.Contrary to popular belief, networking can be a lot of fun. It doesnt have to be an uptight and formal affair where youre forced to talk about how ex citing synergy is and why upcoming strategic opportunities at your company bode well. However, casual conversation can be a slippery slope, and its easiest to avoid saying the wrong thing by simply avoiding certain topics. Instead keep it positive, fun, light, and ideally, unrelated to your ex. Photo of bad networker courtesy of Shutterstock.