The Official Blog of Benifys HR Solutions

Anyone who follows Web 2.0 with any level of interest in all probability already knows what Yammer is, if you are not one of them, here is a guide to what you need to know, why you need to know it and how to implement it for your organization.

What is Yammer?

Yammer is a micro-blogging platform made specifically for organizational use, consider it a ‘version’  of twitter that is used for work (not that it is affiliated with twitter in any way). By way of posting short status updates, one can be constantly aware about what his colleagues are up to, it is also a great tool for encouraging a team support system wherein the team can not only be updated about any problem that their co-worker is facing but also discuss it in real-time and provide a solution.

Why do I need Yammer?

Did people ask why they need email, while they were using snail mail? Quite an interesting thought that! There are other tools which can and are being used to the same effect, but none that matches the popularity and features of Yammer, you need Yammer because:

• It brings a real-time element to the conversations.
• It is more collaborative than other modes of communication because of threaded commenting system.
• You can attach files just like email.
• You will gradually build a searchable database of all conversations that occur: A knowledge bank.
• Yammer provides free applications to use the platform with Blackberry, iPhone, SMS and even IMs.

While a total replacement of email might not seem like a legitimate option, Yammer does indeed have its share of benefits over it.

Implementing Yammer

Setting up Yammer is a very straightforward process, although it might take a little co-ordination to get it up and running. We will provide you with all the links that you might need in order to setup yammer for your organization at the end of this article. But before that, let us tell you how it works – once a person signs-up at Yammer with the domain name of their organization (e.g. Allen@abc.co.uk), they are sent a confirmation link to confirm the sign-up, after which they can invite other people from their organization from within Yammer.

Every employee gets a profile on Yammer where they setup a profile picture, expertise, role and background. An organization chart is built after the relationship between the employees is entered in the database.

In our team we have a blackberry that runs Yammer by the application provided by them, and the others are a combination of a very nifty Firefox plug-in and Yammer desktop client. Irrespective of where the Yam (that’s what an update is called) originated, everyone is pinged in real-time through their respective services and then they can respond to the message or just follow the flow of conversation.

Resources

Yammer Website

Firefox Plug-in for Yammer

The job loss scenario that triggered off in the wake of a very in-your-face recession and dwindling bottom-lines is no news to anyone. There are a lot of people out there (trust us on that) who wish to find a job for themselves, or maybe, are just looking for change but really have no clue where to start. Here are some simple tips to get you up to speed with your job hunt endevor, including links to required tools and resources.

Design a good resume

This is a no brainer actually – all the recruiters are online these days, so if you ever hope to be picked up, not only do you need to have an updated resume, but it should also stand out in the midst of all the sea of resumes (like “I can haz potential”) recruiters have to deal with everyday. Microsoft provides a very nice collection of professional resume templates, cover letters et al for users of Microsoft Office Suite.

If you simply can’t make a resume yourself, request a friend or hire a design professional to make one for you – you will not regret the money spent on it. Once this is done, post this resume to all possible job search engines, like Monster, Naukri, Times Jobs, Yahoo Job Search.

Company Websites

Visit companies that require the kind of skills that you carry; you would usually find a ‘join us’ section which has a searchable database of the current openings or just a list. Reply to these openings showing your interest and competency for the job. If you feel a little daring you can even ask the operator to connect to someone in the Human Resources, even if they don’t have a suitable opening at that point of time, you will gain visibility and the next time they need a person for a matching profile, there’s a higher chance that you might get a call.

Hint: Send a follow-up mail right after you have spoken to the recruiter, this shows professionalism and increases your recall value.

Search. Search, Search!

You need the job, right? Then you have got to be proactive about it, while the traditional way of posting your resume is one of the most effective ways to get hired, it is still a passive activity, wherein, you have to sit back and wait till the time you get a call. Besides doing the usual search on job search engines mentioned above, go a step further and join HR groups on the internet, engage in conversations, try to find region specific jobs boards like Craiglist and e-classifieds. Basically do whatever it takes, Google is always a good point to start your job hunt, use keywords like jobs, find a job, job search, employment, etc.

Join professional networks

Make a good LinkedIn profile, import your contacts and add your connections to build your own network. Recently a study revealed that a person with 30 or more connections on LinkedIN is 34 times more likely to be offered a job than a person who has 5 or less connections. A lot has been said and written about the use of twitter as a recruiting tool, but frankly, it has still to gain the critical mass here in India to be of any practical use. Some other professional networks that a lot of Indians use are Silicon India and Peer Power. These networks may be in their infancy in the Indian scenario based on the usage, but things are changing fast and you wouldn’t want to miss the train.

Further Reading and Tools:

How to use the internet in your job search

Using the internet to find a job

Step by step automated resume creation and uploading on Monster