SHRM HR Magazine - November/December 2018

SHRM.ORG/HRMAGAZINE NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018 HR MAGAZINE 19

FROM WE WILL TO AT WILL:
A HANDBOOK FOR VETERAN
HIRING, TRANSITIONING, AND
THRIVING IN THE WORKPLACE
By Justin Constantine
and Andrew Morton

After law student Justin Constantine decided to join the U.S. Marine Corps, he was stationed around the world—from Okinawa, Japan, to California to Iraq, where he was wounded in action. Now, the attorney is a nationally known speaker on facilitating veteran hiring. His new book contains essential advice for both military personnel transitioning to the civilian workplace and HR professionals. Here’s a sampling:

; HR needs to adopt a broader mindset. Most HR folks don’t come from a military background. As a result, they sometimes shy away from hiring veterans or don’t pay much attention to vets’ resumes because they are unfamiliar with military duties and skills.

; That goes for veterans, too. Veterans need to learn how to talk to civilian HR professionals and how to write resumes in the language private-sector employers prefer.

; Employers should focus on veterans’ strengths. These often include leadership, physical ;tness, time management and teamwork.

BOOKSHELF

NEW AND NOTABLE TITLES FROM
HR MAGAZINE’S BOOK BLOG
WISDOM AT WORK:
THE MAKING OF A
MODERN ELDER
By Chip Conley

When Chip Conley was hired by the founder of a then tiny startup called Airbnb in 2013, he became part of a company packed with 20-somethings.

He was acutely aware of the age gap
and his lack of digital skills, but he also came to realize
the value of the wisdom he acquired during his years as
a CEO in the hospitality business. He coined the term
“modern elder” to describe the role of a person who can
share insights, emotional intelligence and leadership skills
with younger colleagues while also learning from them.

Conley o;ers these tips on how HR professionals can optimize modern elders:

; Tap into their wisdom. Older workers can provide emotional intelligence, which can grow over time and involves soft skills like listening, empathy and cooperation.

; Encourage a growth mindset. Help them realize that being curious and open to learning is to their own bene;t.

; Support reverse mentoring. Many young people can teach older workers the technical skills companies need from employees today.

PREDICTING BUSINESS
SUCCESS: USING
SMARTER ANALYTICS
TO DRIVE RESULTS
By Scott Mondore,
Hannah Spell, Matt Betts
and Shane Douthitt

When used correctly, predictive analytics can drastically improve an HR department’s operations. The authors, consultants at Strategic Management Decisions, provide readers with guidelines and principles for using business-focused metrics, including these:

; There are no magic metrics that work for everyone. You may hear great things about data analytics systems that other companies are using, but plenty of di;erenti-ating factors—such as your industry or company size— may a;ect whether they will work for you.

; Every element on the score card must be directly linked to business outcomes. Don’t waste time analyzing something that has no impact on business results.

; HR e;ciency metrics are of little interest to the C-suite. Be sure to track external metrics that professionals in your company outside of HR will value. Always consider what the C-suite cares about.