Aug
20
Successfactors Wants a Blogger Too!
Talk about the ‘new economy’, before 2000 you would have never seen a job ad for a BLOGGER! Today you can find major companies looking to fill this important roll. Yesterday it was Earthlink and today it is Successfactors. What does it take to be a blogger? Well Successfactors thinks you need:
- BA in English or Journalism
- 3+ years writing consumer or b2b advertising copy
- Proven ad agency or publishing experience – 3 years.
- Experience with writing and administering a blog.
- Teamwork, flexibility, and openness to change.
- Previous HR and or Enterprise Software experience is a plus
- Basic understanding of HTML and the technology behind Web advertising, including key word and search engine optimization.
What would a blogger do all day?
- Increase visibility of SuccessFactors on the web through the creation of Blogs, Discussion Groups, Bulletin Boards, and other relevant channels.
- Plan and create a sense of enthusiasm among SuccessFactors customer community via the web.
- Track marketplace perception of SuccessFactors and competitor web presence
- Write and post Human Capital and IT related content to increase SuccessFactors web presence
- Work with multiple internal company constituents including Marketing, Product Marketing, Product Management, and Executive Management to gather the most interesting and relevant content
- Devise new tactics leveraging the growing usage of the web and other alternative channels to increase awareness of SuccessFactors
- Other Internet Marketing communications writing as needed.
If you are interested in the position just send Bridget Cooper an email at bcooper [at] successfactors.com.
This sounds like a classifed ad written by HR. Bloggers don’t necessarily fit into these ever so restrictive parameters. Whoever wrote these is obviously a white shirt and red tie type.
Can you imagine the meetings they’d want you to attend ?
” Work with multiple internal company constituents including Marketing, Product Marketing, Product Management, and Executive Management to gather the most interesting and relevant content. ” Oh My God ! Executive Management is gonna tell me about blogging ? Product Management ? You have got to be kidding.
” Devise new tactics leveraging the growing usage of the web and other alternative channels to increase awareness of SuccessFactors. ” I thought you wanted the person to blog and now you want them to ” devise ” and then try to get that ” tactic ” past ” Executive Management ” ?
” Plan and create a sense of enthusiasm among SuccessFactors customer community via the web. ”
What if your product sucks and customers can’t get help from Tech Support ? What if the Customer Service Reps that answer the phones are all idiots and the customers know more about the product than the reps do ? How can I create a sense of enthusism if the ” Executive Management ” is out of touch with the real workers, the common employee AND the customer ?
” Track marketplace perception of SuccessFactors and competitor web presence. ” Will you be able to handle the truth if I have to give you bad news ? We suck and the customers hate us. How will you starched shirts do with that bit of good news ?
” Teamwork, flexibility, and openness to change. ” All that means is we will tell you what we think we have to tell you to get you here, BUT you will eventually do it OUR way, even if it’s the wrong way.
These people need someone to sit in on one of their meetings when they’re writing something like this that has the good sense to tell them, ” This is stupid. ”
The person who fills this won’t be a blogger, they’ll be a mouthpiece. They’ll get emails from ” Executive Management ” telling them what to say, when to say it and let me see it before you say it.
Comment by Mike Sigers — August 20, 2005 @ 11:36 pm
This sounds like a classifed ad written by HR. Bloggers don’t necessarily fit into these ever so restrictive parameters. Whoever wrote these is obviously a white shirt and red tie type.
Can you imagine the meetings they’d want you to attend ?
” Work with multiple internal company constituents including Marketing, Product Marketing, Product Management, and Executive Management to gather the most interesting and relevant content. ” Oh My God ! Executive Management is gonna tell me about blogging ? Product Management ? You have got to be kidding.
” Devise new tactics leveraging the growing usage of the web and other alternative channels to increase awareness of SuccessFactors. ” I thought you wanted the person to blog and now you want them to ” devise ” and then try to get that ” tactic ” past ” Executive Management ” ?
” Plan and create a sense of enthusiasm among SuccessFactors customer community via the web. ”
What if your product sucks and customers can’t get help from Tech Support ? What if the Customer Service Reps that answer the phones are all idiots and the customers know more about the product than the reps do ? How can I create a sense of enthusism if the ” Executive Management ” is out of touch with the real workers, the common employee AND the customer ?
” Track marketplace perception of SuccessFactors and competitor web presence. ” Will you be able to handle the truth if I have to give you bad news ? We suck and the customers hate us. How will you starched shirts do with that bit of good news ?
” Teamwork, flexibility, and openness to change. ” All that means is we will tell you what we think we have to tell you to get you here, BUT you will eventually do it OUR way, even if it’s the wrong way.
These people need someone to sit in on one of their meetings when they’re writing something like this that has the good sense to tell them, ” This is stupid. ”
The person who fills this won’t be a blogger, they’ll be a mouthpiece. They’ll get emails from ” Executive Management ” telling them what to say, when to say it and let me see it before you say it.
Comment by Mike Sigers — August 20, 2005 @ 11:36 pm
Mike,
You’re so right but so cynical.
Keep in mind, this is a job — as such designed to further the interests of the employer. Sorry, but Successfactors is in the business of making our customers really happy so they keeping feeling good about paying their subscription fees.
As far as your characterization of Successfactors “Executive Management” — why such a negative perspective on the potential for the job? If we find out from the blogs that our product or services suck — what a great way of getting that feedback on a realtime basis and reacting to it.
As a Software as a Service company we rely on our customers being happy with us — otherwise they don’t reny their subscriptions. This is just another way of reaching out and getting that feedback as quickly as possible.
BTW — have a look at successfactors.com — we seem to be doing OK with our current customers — check out the customer video taken at one of our regional user group meetings at Reebok’s facilties in Boston. You’ll find some pretty positive feedback.
Finally, your characterization of successfactors management as a bunch of starched shirt, clueless automatons couldn’t be further from the truth — our 160 employees, 260 customers, 800,000 users in 65 countries find we are probably the most responsive and productive group of folks they’ve ever worked with. Our 200% growth rates speaks to that as well.
Watch us — but don’t bother applying for a job. We have some pretty specific values here, and I’m not sure your cynicism would play well.
Comment by Dave — August 25, 2005 @ 9:29 am
Mike,
You’re so right but so cynical.
Keep in mind, this is a job — as such designed to further the interests of the employer. Sorry, but Successfactors is in the business of making our customers really happy so they keeping feeling good about paying their subscription fees.
As far as your characterization of Successfactors “Executive Management” — why such a negative perspective on the potential for the job? If we find out from the blogs that our product or services suck — what a great way of getting that feedback on a realtime basis and reacting to it.
As a Software as a Service company we rely on our customers being happy with us — otherwise they don’t reny their subscriptions. This is just another way of reaching out and getting that feedback as quickly as possible.
BTW — have a look at successfactors.com — we seem to be doing OK with our current customers — check out the customer video taken at one of our regional user group meetings at Reebok’s facilties in Boston. You’ll find some pretty positive feedback.
Finally, your characterization of successfactors management as a bunch of starched shirt, clueless automatons couldn’t be further from the truth — our 160 employees, 260 customers, 800,000 users in 65 countries find we are probably the most responsive and productive group of folks they’ve ever worked with. Our 200% growth rates speaks to that as well.
Watch us — but don’t bother applying for a job. We have some pretty specific values here, and I’m not sure your cynicism would play well.
Comment by Dave — August 25, 2005 @ 9:29 am
I work at SF and will soon quit. What was once a great place to work has become a nightmare. New boss sucks, old bosses back him….fuck you SF and don’t expect any nice words from my side.
Comment by Joe — November 16, 2009 @ 1:12 am