#6Things: Hillary Clinton Talks, Hubspotter Walk and Tommy Boy References

Let me tell you why I SUCK at sales…

From my start in a recruiting firm, to my wide-eyed days as a community manager and blogger, to a brief stint in an actual HR position, to vendor and now agency to multiple vendors, I get it. Salespeople are the worst. But I’ve also seen the other side. The side that has done their homework tries to be polite and accommodating and still gets treated like the piece of gum on a practitioner’s shoe. So it was with trepidation that I clicked on Derek Zeller’s breathless endorsement of a Jennifer Davis’ post on Recruiting Daily. She seems like the nicest person ever and also looks like a Disney princess so I was hopeful it wouldn’t be hurtful. At the same time, I get annoying sales calls all the time, so I was also looking for a great, vent-y piece. And I got one. While it starts out rant-y, it really is a primer that most salespeople (yes me) should read and she breaks down what is okay and what, frankly, isn’t. Read it. Live it. (RecruitingDaily)

If you build it, they won’t come

So I’ve been pretty vocal about respecting your users from the HR side when you’re building a new product. In fact, more than once, we’ve turned down companies here at Red Branch because they only solve for one-half of the equation. Either they are so candidate centric, they would be laughably lame for an HR pro to use, or they’ve built out something that only appeals to the CFO and ignores the daily user. Carmen Hudson recently shared an article written by Aline Lerner about how to build a product in the technical recruiting space and it talks a bit about the other side of the equation, specifically engineering solutions. And it’s grand! (Aline Lerner’s Blog)

And the hits just keep on comin’…

Last #6things was a little hard on the candidates (what with the dick pics and whatnot). This week we’re focusing on ways employers are screwing over employees. Gone are the days when you simply sucked the life and soul out of a person and fired them a couple of weeks before they were eligible for retirement. Today, employers are denying their best sales people commissions, and offering them gift cards in place of actual paychecks. (Cracked)

But I really like Hubspot!

It’s a bummer when stuff happens to make you question your choices in anything. I cried when I found out the guy who played Pa Ingalls was a jerk in real life, I was truly dejected for a long time about Bill Cosby’s treatment of women and heaven help us all if I find out that Dolly Parton or Queen Latifah are actually jerks. So when the news came that former Hubspotter had written a tell-all about how hard it sucks there, I was bummed. But I gotta be honest, this is juicy stuff. (Mashable)

I make my employees healthy

Or at least I’m working on it. Better bosses make healthier employees and create more wellness than wellness plans do, according to an HBR share by China Gorman. In fact, having a harsh boss can be linked to heart problems. Ew! (HBR)

HBR BABY!

Literally one of my favorite things on Facebook this week has GOT to be when Glassdoor’s Lisa Holden met Presidential Candidate Hillary Clinton at the Pay Equality Roundtable the company held. It was super awesome. If you didn’t have a chance to catch it, the full replay is here. Our own Kerry Pivovar explains why it’s important to chat about this every so often with the powerful people of the world. (Glassdoor)

Maren Hogan

Maren Hogan is CEO of Red Branch and general Bad@$$

Maren Hogan is a seasoned marketer and community builder in the HR and Recruiting industry. Maren started Red Branch Media and, before she hired all the smiling faces you see below, she ran it on her own. In marketing for over 15 years, she has deep experience in strategic campaigns and a long-term, results-based operational approach.