Attract Top Talent and Help Your Community at the Same Time

What if you had an easy way to explain what your company does and how awesome it is to work for you? Not with dry, technical job descriptions, but with real people explaining what it is like to work for a Microsoft partner.  

A new e-book, specifically written to help Microsoft partners' recruiting efforts, profiles young women, each working in a different role for a Microsoft partner. Titled "12 Amazing Tech Jobs and the Women Who Rock Them: Imagine What You Can Do," this e-book aims to educate and inspire the young people you want to recruit. The e-book and supporting promotional materials are located here on Microsoft's Ready-to-Go marketing site.

Written To Help Partners Fill the Talent Gap
Across the board, partners cite recruitment of qualified candidates as a top challenge to business growth. The e-book was written to help you educate and excite young people about the broad range of opportunities available with technology services providers. Though aimed at young women, the 36-page e-book is as relevant for boys as it is for girls -- and even for adults who have always been curious about technology companies. Glossaries throughout the text explain common business terms and acronyms.

Resources To Help You Promote the E-Book
An infographic, Web banners and sample content are available to promote the e-book on your Web site and in your community. Recommendations and the content to support promotion of the e-book include:             

• Post the e-book and infographic to your Web site using the provided Web banners.
• Post the blog about the e-book on your Web site.
• Send the press release to local papers and your Chamber of Commerce.
• Send the e-mail to local educational leaders, including high schools, colleges and private institutions.
• Use social media to further promote the e-book in your community.

An excellent resource for students, teachers, guidance counselors and parents, "12 Amazing Tech Jobs and the Women Who Rock Them" also provides a concise, easy-to-understand overview of the technology services sector. Explanations of the channel, different types of partners and how the cloud has changed the industry help young people understand our industry.

The Women Who Rock
While the women featured in the e-book are most definitely amazing, they are not unusual. They were chosen to represent the diversity and character of all the women in the partner channel.

To help young readers imagine what it is like to work in the channel, each woman describes what she does, how she came to be in her role and her job's impact on her life. Roles include Project Coordinator, Product Evangelist, Customer Sales Manager, Channel Manager, Solution Architect, Remote Support Manager, SharePoint Consultant, Business Analyst, Recruiting Specialist, Sales/Marketing Manager, Developer and CEO. An introduction from Jenni Flinders, Microsoft's vice president of partner strategy and programs, and a close from Jacky Wright, Microsoft's vice president of strategic enterprise IT services, provide additional advice and insight.

An interesting aspect of the profiles is that nine of the 12 women had no intention of going into a technical field. One way or another, they discovered an opportunity to challenge themselves and work in a field that was a bit intimidating. Quotes from each reflect the insecurities that most young women face when considering a male-dominated industry.

Help Your Community, Help Your Business
The e-book is a great opportunity for you to share a resource that will help your community, as well as your business. You can demonstrate thought leadership on the timely topic of women in technology by promoting this educational resource in your community. Download the e-book today and share.

How will you use the e-book? Add a comment below or send me a note and let's share the knowledge.

Posted by Barb Levisay on July 16, 2014