Category Archives: Illinois SHRM

Networking is a bunch of malarkey!

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network meetingToday’s guest post comes from my friend in the HR/Recruiting world Bonnie Ungaro who is in my neighborhood, ya’ll! Bonnie know’s what she’s talking about when she writes about networking and I wanted to share with you to spur you into networking – online and off! Enjoy, and make sure to connect to Bonnie and subscribe to her blog where this post was originally aired. She’s also on the Twitters.

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How to make a real connection with other professionals? 

Ah-ha, gotcha! I don’t really believe networking is BS, however earlier in my career I honestly did not see the value and here’s why – I was meeting the wrong people.

In the beginning of my career I attended several conferences, seminars and networking events and had a decent amount of exposure to HR folks. However, a majority of the time I had the luck of running into one of two kinds of people “The burnt out HR person” and “The blah blah me, me, me person“. Of all the many HR folks I met I only made two valuable HR connections (connections that I am still in contact with today!).

Here’s one super awkward example from my experiences. A couple of years back (before my professional social media days) at ILSHRM, I attempted to “network” during the lunch break. I approached three different tables with people and asked if I could join them for lunch. The first two tables told me they were full, the last table had one woman and she was the “classic burnt out HR person“. It was terrible! I felt like I was in high school, and that I was a huge LOOSER:(

But it’s not just me! Recently, in speaking with some of the younger folks at work about networking I’ve learned they too don’t see the value. Additionally the networking events I do attend in my community (from an eyeball perspective) the average age is 45+, not to mention many of these seasoned professionals have well established relationships so when they are at these event they are talking with each other. This situation is highly intimidating to “younger”/ “foreign” people. (Stay tuned for my post about seasoned professionals and being inclusive.)

Here’s how YOU can network more efficiently:

1:) Use social media to make connections. Using Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and/or G+ or one of the many other social media sites out there will help you find “the good ones”, the people worth connecting to!! It’s kind of like how Match.com changed the dating world. Yeah, you’ll still meet weirdos but you’ll also have a greater chance at connecting with really amazing people in your industry!

2:) Once you’ve established the “superficial” social media connection, schedule a phone chat, G+ hangout or Skype call with the people you see potential value in. This will further your relationship and open the door to a real professional connection.

3:) Ask your new contacts if they will be attending any of the upcoming conferences, seminars, etc. If they are arrange a time to meet.

So that’s you’re 1,2,3 to making valuable connections and networking more efficiently.

On another note, if you’re like me and kind of shy, don’t be afraid to say hi to someone you’ve met through social in person or AKA “IRL”. Some will be receptive and some may not, but at least you can walk away saying you tried.

Meet the Author:

bonnieMy name is Bonnie and I am certified human resources professional, and certified social sourcing recruiter. I have great passion for all HR topics that I share over at TheHRLife. I’d love for you to come visit! Feel free to connect.

#FF @CarolynMWalsh – Outstanding HR Leader in Transition

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Hello friends. Hope this Friday is being good to you. I’ve wanted to share this special #Follow Friday edition for a few weeks now and have finally gotten around to it.

I always love highlighting fellow Human Resource professionals whether they are TrenchHR folk, Consultants, or in transition and looking for that next opportunity to share their fabulous skills and knowledge. Today is no exception with one of favorites who not only lives 20 minutes from me, has a fabulous pedigree (I mean that with all due respect) but is also a friend.

Who is this famous person? I’m glad you asked.

Carolyn not only is a vital member of our local HR Roundtable but has become a part of our Discovering Social team helping Job Seekers in their job search strategy. She brings so many things to the table that make for such a complement to our team.

She tells us in her own words that she’s a strategic, versatile Human Resources Professional who has taken the road less traveled to HR and has acquired early management trainee rotations and management experience in Accounting and Operations.

She has a background in organization effectiveness and responsibilities for HR strategy, performance management, employee relations, compensation and benefits, recruiting and training. She has key insight into  integrating talent management processes to move business strategy forward, and on a tactical level consulting with leaders to bring those processes to life on a daily basis. She makes it happen, ya’ll.

When she steps away from the HR highway, you’ll find her conducting one on one coaching sessions at a local career center, consulting with nonprofits, or delivering job search training for Illinois Worknet clients.

Carolyn was also a key volunteer for Illinois SHRM this last year in that she helped me create the first ever mobile conference app, sharing countless hours of her time assisting me with not only the app, but anything else I needed her to do. She is always willing to help when asked. I appreciate that about her and she always does what she says she will do. Very thorough.

Her Specialties include:

HR Strategy & Planning, Talent Management, Organization Effectiveness, Change Management, Project Management, Employee Relations, Performance Management

Check out her certifications (I bow down)

Certified in MBTI, DISC, Strong, Firo-B and Rowe Career Assement Inventories; Course work toward Six Sigma Greenbelt and CCP

I don’t even know what some of those mean and yet I’m totally impressed :)

The bottom line

So here’s the thing. Carolyn is not only in transition at the present, but is expanding her brand on social media and YOU need to connect with her. Not only cause she’s one.smart.cookie. and a great person, but to see how you can help her with a possible career fit within your network for her next career move. I know you can do it – you are all so well connected and always willing to help a brother (sister) out.

So connect with her HERE > @CarolynMWalsh (the Twitters), LinkedIn.

Let’s give her a warm, online welcome. Shall we?

Photo Credit: BusinessBraggerBlog

My take-aways from #ILSHRM12 – It’s a wrap!

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I’ve not been putting this post off because I didn’t get anything out of ILSHRM12, I simply have been exhausted, feeling ill, and trying to gather my thoughts so I make sense.

My social media friends were so gracious to hurry up and share their thoughts on the conference and I truly appreciate all they did to make it such a spectacular event. You can find a conglomeration of those here and here!

I enjoyed hearing Simon T. Bailey for the first time who encouraged us to “Be Brilliant” and of course told us all we “Were Dancers.” I swear I laughed every time he laughed. It was contagious. I always enjoy sitting in on my friends Joe Gerstandt and Jason Lauritsen with their fabuloso TalentAnarchy keynote as they always drive me to tears and regain the passion for what I do. They are experts in that, in fact. Oh, and thanks for your new book “Social Gravity.” I encourage you all to GET IT and read.

It was my first time hearing Cy Wakeman speak and let me tell you, I was impressed. I totally wish I could do a presentation like she pulled off, no notes, no crowded powerpoint presentations – simple and effective. Here’s a little video I took of her keynote discussing Drama -

This year was the first year ILSHRM set up a Social Media Lab for attendees to drop in and learn more about utilizing social media in their everyday work and personal lives. Our friends from Canadian Geoff Webb and Jeff Waldman and crew were so great to come and set up shop. They are the experts over at SocialHR.biz. Check em -

One of the sessions “The Billion Dollar Employee Crisis” by my friend and former business partner, Sue Salach, was great. I’m passionate about this topic of Caregivers in the Workplace, and unfortunately, folks didn’t flock to it. I think it’s something we don’t want to think about, yet it is costing companies billions in lost productivity. She wrote a wrap-up post on the session over on her blog The Working Caregiver. You need to check it.

Our awesome State Conference Director John Jorgensen, was so great to allow me to interview him for a few moments at the conference -

And finally, our friends at Dovetail Software sponsored the after hours Tweet up where I caught this great footage of a few HR pros getting down. I love this video :)

If you’d like to see more videos pre and post conference, hang out a little on my Youtube Channel. There’s lots more on this years fabulous conference.

That’s a wrap, folks!

Special Props:

Special thanks to Charlie Judy (@HRFishbowl) our host and emcee for the conference, our sponsors BC/BS of Illinois, Dovetail Software and cfactorWorks – who sponsored our mobile app. Also, a personal thank you to Carolyn Walsh, who was so great in helping me get that mobile app together. Thank you all.

I’m a SHRMinator – Up next, #ILSHRM12

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So this weekend, my friends and I head out to Oak Brook, IL to attend the annual Illinois State Conference of the Society of Human Resource Management . It just so happens, I was given the title “Social Media Chair” for the conference and was able to bring a lot of my online blogging and social media HR friends to be a part of my Social Media Press Team. Check out the team, if you aren’t connected with them, you should be.

We’ll be sharing the conference sessions on our blogs (including this one), on The Twitters, Facebook and wherever else we can find space to share. So, if you’re not into that kind of thing, tune out for a few days starting Sunday.

I hope you’ll stay with us as we run with it. It’s sure to be a grand conference, it always is. They do it up with a BANG! This year, we even have a first ever Mobile App, which I was glad to have been a part of the creation process. (Thank you @DonnaRogers – ILSHRM State Director, @JohnJorgensen – State Conference Director, and @DaveRyan – ILSHRM Director of Social Media)

Last year was my first time attending ILSHRM, and I was blown away by the caliber of folks speaking and those with whom I was able to meet in person. Taking that online experience into the real world, if you will. Although some of us would rather live in a cave and never come out except to eat, it’s good every now and again to meet up in person and have a beer together. Just don’t overdo the alcohol or you get stupid.

So, for more of an in-depth look into the conference go to the conference website, follow along on the Twitters with the hashtag #ILSHRM12, and stay tuned for some good stuff soon to come your way.

Oh, I almost forgot. I’ve got some good news next week after the conference on a new venture.So stay tuned and have a fabulous weekend friends.

Susan and Sabrina chat up #ILSHRM12 Conference (with out takes)

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Hey folks, a Happy Tuesday to you all. Here’s a video clip of me and Sabrina Baker discussing what to expect at the upcoming ILSHRM State Conference. We’ve added a few out takes, so be sure and stick with it to the end. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: There were no individuals harmed in the making of this video (we hope).