Career News 24/7: The Cynical Girl: Job Opportunity in Public Relations with RBL Group

Friday, September 28, 2012

The Cynical Girl: Job Opportunity in Public Relations with RBL Group

Job Opportunity in Public Relations with RBL Group

Posted: 27 Sep 2012 03:45 AM PDT

I’m not in the business of publicly criticizing PR firms, but this is my new favorite.

Dear HR Blogger,

My colleagues, Wayne Brockbank, Jon Younger, Mike Ulrich and I (authors of HR Transformation, The HR Value Proposition, HR from the Outside-In and others) are delighted to announce the publication of our new book on 2 November 2012. The book, Global HR Competencies leverages data from the most comprehensive, longitudinal study in the history of the HR profession. The book's global scope and local specificity gives great insight that will have focussed impact all over the world. You can learn more about the book here; www.globalhrcompetencies.com….

We are selecting the top 40 HR blogs to review the book before its release. We will recognize the 40 winning blogs on The RBL Group's website and each of the top 40 will receive two free copies of the book, one to review, and one to give away to their readers.

Here's how you can be selected as a Top 40 Global HR Book Reviewer: Email a brief description of your blog and a link to onlinemarketing@rbl.net…. Include a description of your blog's focus and readership. A history of book reviewing is preferable but not necessary.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Dave Ulrich

Yikes. That’s sorta awful. I have to submit my name to qualify to get some free books that nobody wants to read? No thanks.

Here’s some context: Dave Ulrich is a nice guy and the grandfather of the modern day HR department. Or maybe he’s the uncle. Whatever. The new version of Dave Ulrich is my good friend Dr. Matthew Stollak.

It’s an honor to hear from Dave Ulrich, or so I’m told. I am a busy woman [really] but I responded and wrote something like — hey, your note sucks. Try again.

I heard silence.

[crickets]

Then I got this.

@lruettimann We are looking for top 40 HR blogs. Email onlinemarketing@rbl.net… to apply. Winners get free books and listing on RBL website.

— The RBL Group (@rblgroup) September 25, 2012

Sheesh. I’m finally invited to have a seat at the table and it sucks.

Blogger outreach campaigns are tricky. I know this because I create and manage these campaigns for HR technology and services companies. Without a credible voice at the helm of your social media marketing campaign, you should pray that you’ve done enough risk management to avoid the sketchy bloggers who will cause trouble.

[Honestly, I'm a respectable businesswoman and entrepreneur. I'm the blogger that Dave Ulrich should worry least about.]

What we have here is a teachable moment: HR bloggers are working professionals and practitioners who don’t have time to apply for a new job, let alone apply for the honor of giving away a book.

And here’s a note to anyone who wishes to work in public relations or social media: Dave Ulrich is now hiring. You should send him a brief description of your work history and a link to your LinkedIn profile. Believe me, he is in the market for a new PR professional to help with his social media marketing and HR blogger outreach program.

[No, I'm not being a troublemaker.]

I would love for you to get an opportunity to work with one of the world’s leading thinkers in Human Resources. He can do better. You can help him.

[And now you've also seen social recruiting at its finest.]

Everybody wins. Except me. I don’t have a free copy of his book, yet.