Pulling The Cork

Is A Really Goode Job All That Goode?

Not too long ago PTC talked about the A Really Goode Job recruiting strategy from Murphy-Goode Winery.  By profession I am the Chief Recruiting Strategist and Executive Recruiter for Bearing Fruit Consulting. I liked the idea so much I commented on A Really Goode Job at my recruiting blog; raving about what a strong recruiting strategy it is. 

Well, it turns out some people think there is phylloxera all over A Really Goode Job.  A recent San Francisco Chronicle article calls the strategy and integrity of A Really Good Job into question and infers that the folks at Murphy-Goode mispresented how the hiring process was going to work.  

I am not going to re-hash it all here because you are all smart enough to read it and decide for yourselves.  However, one aspect of this controversy does need a little Pulling The Cork. 

When the recruiting strategy was announced I read through all the details and no where - I MEAN NO WHERE - did it say the top 50 or the winner would be selected by popular vote.  This isn't American Idol or So You Think You Can Dance.  The leadership at Murphy-Goode are not stupid enough to leave the recruiting and selection of talent up to the masses.  

I received at least 50 requests via Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook from people asking me to vote for their video.  The voting essentially boiled down to a popularity contest among people who have nothing better to do all day than bombard me with a PR and media campaign to get votes.  Having the most votes doesn't mean squat when it comes to using social media to drive brand awareness and business.

In the end I hope the people at Murphy-Goode get the right person for this role.  It is a cool job with a ton of perks for someone who loves wine and social media.  I also hope they have some very strong tracking, data capture, metrics and meaningful ways to determine the ROI.  I mean, if they are investing so much time and money in one position when their parent company is laying people off they are going to have to defend it.    

Erica Green over on Bottle Of Wine has some very strong and interesting thoughts on this mess.  Check her out! 

A Really Goode Job - Great Recruiting In Wine Country

I love it when you can combine several of your passions simultaneously.  This is one of those times when I get to combine my love of recruiting and my passion for wine. 

On several occasions in my recruiting life as a recruiter, recruiting leader and now consultant I have recommended the contest or competition recruiting strategy.  Essentially the idea is to have a wide open contest or competition to determine the best candidate for a particular job.  Sort of an Apprentice (though I can't stand Donald Trump) meets Survivor meets Amazing Race.  This works really well when trying to hire sales professionals or sales leaders but really it can work for ANY job.  There is no substitute for real world measurable results when evaluating talent for a position.  

The folks over at Murphy Goode Winery in Sonoma County clearly get it and are doing  just that.  Honestly this is recruiting brilliance! 

They are having a contest where they are offering "A Really Goode Job" to the winner.  They are looking for a social media whiz to tell the story of Murphy-Goode, their winesand the lifestyle of Sonoma County Wine Country. 

I have never tasted any Murphy-Goode wines so I can't speak to the quality of the product but I am thinking I need to give them a go soon.  Heck, maybe the "Goode" people at Murphy-Goode will send me some bottles to try out and review - are you listening Murphy-Goode?  Shameless I know, but wine is involved so it can't hurt to ask. 

Sorry to have gone off on that tangent.  So Murphy-Goode is asking interested prospects to submit a video that is a maximum 60 seconds in length.  You are limited only by your creativity and normal boundaries of decency so it really is a competition to find the person who can get it done for the winery.  They will then narrow down the competitive field of candidates to 50.  It seems they will be making that announcement 4 days from this writing. After that they will have an interview and selection process.

The official corporate type title is "Murphy-Goode Wine Country Lifestyle Correspondent" but after looking at what the role entails and the culture of Murphy-Goode the title is far too stuffy to be reflective of the role and the winery.  This is a really awesome gig for anyone who knows how to use web 2.0, social media (Twitter, Facebook, YouTube etc.) and loves wine.  You can read the overview and more information here (including the FAQ'S) but here are some of the "Goodes" (get it, Goodes? - Ha!) taken directly from the website: