Based on reader’s vote, predominantly comprised of members of Omaha’s business community, B2B Magazine awards the “Best Of” in several categories, including professional services, business services, financial services, building services, and travel and event planning.

B2B Magazine is Greater Omaha’s premiere business publication, featuring the latest business developments as well as features on Omaha’s most prominent business leaders.

Over the last several months, C&A has also been named among Omaha’s Best Places to Work by the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce and Baird Holm.

So, what is the difference between social and professional online networking? Great question! Easy answer is Facebook/Twitter equals “social” and LinkedIn equals “professional”. I talk to many business owners and managers who are fearful of getting involved in either for various reasons, but most simply assume that all social media is the same. Not true of course.

First off, I encourage every professional in the world who depends on a personal brand of any kind to get a LinkedIn account right away. Although the reasons to join LinkedIn are too many to start listing in total, the biggest, I feel, is the ability to connect with individuals who value professional growth and demonstrate that ideal by being active in their respective online professional space. The benefit from professional networking of any kind is connecting to individuals who are involved for the same reasons you are and online professional networking sites make it easier to connect with these individuals.

For companies and businesses there’s significant value in getting involved in social media as well. For one thing, its reach is truly remarkable. When companies invest time into learning how to create a company page on these sites, they are able to connect with their most avid customers and users in a fun and interactive way. Social media is also a great way to deliver promotional materials that are very trackable. Plus, all of these sites are totally free of charge.

The obvious dangers of social media are in making sure your business brand is protected and that your company image is not being projected in a negative light. Not surprisingly, some employees and individuals will post negative comments about their employer and fellow employees. Surely, your HR policies mandate against any negative messaging on blogs or social media sites, but to enforce this, a company must employ power users of these tools who truly understand the inner working of these sites and are able to monitor messaging about your company.

Of course, whether you choose to dive head first into social media or wade in slowly, it is something we must all acknowledge. Social media users doubled from 2007 to 2009 and in total are approaching 100 million in the United States alone. Even if you are not accessing these sites, your employees certainly are and so are your potential employees.

So don’t give up on social media. Just as the color TV, personal computer, and cell phone before it, social media is here to stay. The best strategy is to maximize its value to you and your organization.

Nate Elgert, Aureus Group Account Manager

About Nate Elgert
Nate was born and raised in Lincoln, Neb., graduated from Lincoln East High School, and went on to The University of Missouri at Kansas City (UMKC) where he was a four year letter-winner on the men’s golf team earning a bachelor’s degree in communication in 1999. Nate took a winding road back to Lincoln that led through Phoenix, Des Moines, Chicago, back to Kansas City, and then finally Lincoln once again in 2005. Before coming to Aureus Group in 2006 as an account manager in the Lincoln Accounting and Finance office, Nate was a golf professional, an advertising rep, and a mortgage lender. Currently, Nate is a senior account manager. He enjoys playing basketball, golf, and time with his wife Angie, his daughter Sofia, 2. Nate and Angie welcomed their second little girl in May.

I realized that even though there are legitimate bad recruiters out there, the negative stereotype we sometimes get is not always warranted and might actually be due to a misunderstanding of what the process is when working with a quality recruiter. For instance, earlier today someone e-mailed me a resume for a SQL database administrator position. When I called the job seeker back he seemed like a good fit so I asked him to move forward with our online application and testing. This candidate immediately asked, “Why can’t you just forward [the employer] my resume?” I did not submit him. That is not the way we qualify our candidates for recommendation to employers.

In another situation a few days ago, someone called to ask me about a search engine marketing position. I had her resume in front of me, but I didn’t know anything about her besides what was written on paper. I didn’t know what her greatest accomplishments or biggest strengths were; I didn’t know why she left her previous positions or why she had so many work gaps. At this point she was just a resume to me. Right away she started asking me how much the job paid, what the benefits were, and what company the job was with. I did not tell her.  That is not the way we maintain our clients’ confidentiality.

And in yet another example, a few weeks ago I posted an ad for a three-year Java developer contract in which I received more than 100 responses to, plus I actively recruited other talent as well. Through the screening and interviewing process I narrowed the list down to my top four candidates to submit to my client. Some of the people who did not make the top four were absolutely not qualified. Some of them didn’t even have the word “Java” on their resumes. Others however, did have Java experience, but their work history, technical scores, or personal interviews were not quite as strong as my finalists. 

I remember one candidate who became very angry with me saying he has never had a recruiter refuse to submit him to a position. What he didn’t understand was that I don’t forward every resume I receive to my clients. Our clients take our candidate submissions very seriously because they know we have carefully screened and selected them. If I sent my top 20 instead of my top four, how much confidence would my client have in my screening?

Reflecting on these three scenarios, I understand where these people were coming from. There are recruiters out there who will assume candidates are as good as they look on paper, forward their resumes to tons of companies, and keep their fingers crossed that something sticks. There are recruiters out there who will reveal their clients’ names to anyone who asks, regardless of whether the person asking is qualified for the position, thus forfeiting the company’s confidentiality. There are recruiters out there who will submit as many candidates as they can to a position, just to increase their probability of making a placement.  These recruiters are pinning their hopes on chance, rather than their recruiting, screening, and matching skills. Are those really the kinds of recruiters you want to work with? 

When I first joined the staffing world, I didn’t know what to expect. I had heard both good and bad things about recruiters and staffing companies. Now I understand that both sides of the fence have good points. There are some pretty bad recruiters out there who cut corners and try their luck, but I am happy to say I don’t have to be that kind of recruiter to make it in this business. If you take the time to get to know your candidates, and understand their goals and accomplishments, your reputation will pave the way for successful partnerships.  I am proud of some of the relationships my team has established with our clients, becoming their trusted advisor in identifying and hiring the best people. I am proud of the quality job matches my team has made since we entered the Kansas City market only a short time ago and of the relationships we continue to foster with employers in the Omaha metro area. The more people and companies we find good long-term matches for, the more credibility we will hold. I hope to see more recruiters embrace this business plan, so we can help people see what the word “Recruiter” can really mean.

Julie Pentis, CPC, Aureus Group IT Recruiter

About Julie Pentis, CPC – IT Recruiter
Julie has been with Aureus Group since 2006 after graduating from Creighton University with a BSBA in Human Resources and Spanish. In 2010 Julie received her MBA from Bellevue University.  As a technical recruiter for the Information Systems team, she is responsible for sourcing, qualifying, and matching candidates with job opportunities in the Kansas City area. In 2007 Julie earned the designation of Certified Personnel Consultant and currently serves as Vice President of Membership for a local Toastmaster’s group and Co-Chair for HRAM’s Workforce Readiness Committee. In her free time Julie enjoys spending time with her dog Jack at the dog park and singing in her church choir.

Have you ever gotten frustrated because you weren’t able to communicate your ideas as effectively as you wanted and people just weren’t getting it? Maybe you’ve walked away from a discussion with a different perspective than your co-worker, boss, or employee? Or worse, have you ever written or received an email that was taken way out of context?

Don’t worry. You’re not the only one. I answered yes to all three questions!

Connecting is the ability to identify with people and relate to them in such a way that it increases our ability to influence them. This is a skill that can be continually developed. Recognizing the importance of doing this, Aureus Group’s management team recently read Everyone Communicates, Few Connect: What the Most Effective People Do Differently by leadership and communication expert John Maxwell. The goal was to help us develop a communication advantage by learning to connect with every kind of person in any kind of situation.

If you are facing communication or connecting challenges, as many of us do, you can overcome them with a little practice. Interaction with others could possibly be the most demanded skill in our marketplace. Everything we become, and all that we accomplish in life, happens as a result of our relationships. If you also believe that the ability to connect with others is one of the most important skills a person can learn, read Everyone Communicates, Few Connect right away.

Chris Carlson, CPC, Aureus Group Regional Manager

About Chris Carlson, CPC
Chris is an experienced executive in the staffing industry. She has extensive experience in developing and implementing operational analyses and programs and has assisted hundreds of firms streamline processes and upgrade the competencies of its workforce. Finding innovative ways to generate new business and build teams is her passion. She has developed and executed many successful strategic marketing plans. Chris began her career at Aureus Group, a full-service professional recruiting firm, in 1994 and currently serves as the regional manager of Aureus Group specializing in the Finance & Accounting, Systems and Executive search areas.

In addition, Chris is a Certified Professional Consultant, and has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and a Master’s of Business Administration from the University of Nebraska at Omaha.