Create a great first impression ... even in cyberspace
You only get one chance to make a first impression. How many times have you heard this sentence? Too many to count, I am sure. Good business etiquette ensures that the first impression you create is the very best that it can be. However, let's be realistic. How many times do you get to demonstrate your etiquette by making that first impression in person? As many multinational organisations expand to increasingly dispersed locations, the frequency of old fashioned face-to-face interaction is diminishing. To illustrate this, just think about the emails you sent today. How many went to people you have actually met? For most of us, around50% of our online communication is with people we have never seen in person. Often, our first interaction with a new contact is via an email, a profile on a webpage or even an instant message. Sadly, this takes away your chance to dazzle with your new suit, firm handshake and winning smile.
By the time you read this article the Beijing Olympics will be just days away. I am sure many of you will be tremendously excited to see the world's top athletes competing right here in China on the ultimate stage. Thanks to their exploits on the sports field, many of these performers will leave us all with lasting memories. The organisers also hope that a successful event will boost China's image on the world scene. However, Beijing 2008 will leave China with another far more ‘concrete' legacy, although that is certainly not the most apt word. Many of the venues created for the Olympics point China in a new architectural direction and offer fantastic examples of ‘green building' and sustainable development.
Blogging is a popular pastime in China … and it is growing fast. Reports from China Internet Network Information Centre (CNNIC) estimate that there are over 70 million blogs written by almost 50 million bloggers in China at present. These impressive statistics are despite the first Chinese blog appearing as late as 2002. However, currently, most of us think of blogging in a personal context. Few organisations seem to have realised the potential blogs can have for HR.
How social networking websites can unite your team
In the Nov/Dec issue of Network HR, I discussed the intricacies of globally dispersed teams. In that article, I examined the ins and outs of different forms of communication, from simple emails right through to video-conferencing. One tool I overlooked, however, was social networking websites. I was quite remiss in this regard because not only are they one of the world's fastest growing forms of media, but I am a huge fan myself.
Taking your interview process into the 21st century
Here at Network HR, we always try to keep up with the rapid developments in technology. In each issue, we detail another shiny new advancement to help you keep up to speed with an ever-changing world. However, I noticed recently that there is one area in which we rarely see many great technological leaps, the interview process. Therefore, in this issue, I aim to do something a little different. I want to introduce a technological advancement that has not actually taken place yet, using biometric analysis in the interview process.
There will be thousands of people involved in
next month's Olympics in Beijing. The vast majority of these will have a strong
overriding objective in mind. These objectives will all differ tremendously.
For instance, the organisers will be hoping for a smoothly organised event that
will showcase China to the world.Read More
Legal
Recruitment Transparency
In the last issue of Network HR, Allan Nee of Baode Law in Tianjin wrote a detailed and insightful article about the ways in which your organisation needs to adapt to China's new Labour Laws. Allan offered a myriad of fantastic advice. However, there was one factor he mentioned that really captured my attention - transparency.Read More
Benefits
The Power of Acknowledgement
he seeds of this article were sewn as I put together the last edition of Network HR. First, as I edited the Training & Development section, I read the following prophetic words from Jennifer Peterson, "If you want your customers to feel cared for, you must care for the employees that serve them." This started me musing about the way organisations across China treat employees.Read More
Training
Synchronicity for Success
A single droplet of sweat trickled down my neck as the glowing amber sun beat down on us. I glanced out of the corner of my eye and saw our competitors lined up alongside us. It was the moment we had been preparing for over the last 5 years. Our goal was crystal clear and I had visualised this very occasion countless times.Read More
Recuitment
War, what is it good for?
I believe I can bring the War for Talent to a peaceful end. I came to this realisation two
months ago after I was invited to present at the ‘Corporate Travel and Technology
World' conference in Shanghai. The topic, "Selecting Potential Leaders and Turning a Company from Good to Great", was
provided some months earlier, giving me time to source opinions from
around China. Read More
There will be thousands of people involved in
next month's Olympics in Beijing. The vast majority of these will have a strong
overriding objective in mind. These objectives will all differ tremendously.
For instance, the organisers will be hoping for a smoothly organised event that
will showcase China to the world.Read More
In the last issue of Network HR, Allan Nee of Baode Law in Tianjin wrote a detailed and insightful article about the ways in which your organisation needs to adapt to China's new Labour Laws. Allan offered a myriad of fantastic advice. However, there was one factor he mentioned that really captured my attention - transparency.Read More
he seeds of this article were sewn as I put together the last edition of Network HR. First, as I edited the Training & Development section, I read the following prophetic words from Jennifer Peterson, "If you want your customers to feel cared for, you must care for the employees that serve them." This started me musing about the way organisations across China treat employees.Read More
A single droplet of sweat trickled down my neck as the glowing amber sun beat down on us. I glanced out of the corner of my eye and saw our competitors lined up alongside us. It was the moment we had been preparing for over the last 5 years. Our goal was crystal clear and I had visualised this very occasion countless times.Read More
I believe I can bring the War for Talent to a peaceful end. I came to this realisation two
months ago after I was invited to present at the ‘Corporate Travel and Technology
World' conference in Shanghai. The topic, "Selecting Potential Leaders and Turning a Company from Good to Great", was
provided some months earlier, giving me time to source opinions from
around China. Read More
