Category Archives: ILSHRM12

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.

HR and your Social Strategy – Do you even have One?

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???????????????????I always love to go to my extra-smart friends for guest posts to mix it up a bit. I’m quite boring, in reality, and don’t wanna bore you to tears. Jeff Waldman is one of my go-to-guys in that respect. Check out this outstanding post and make sure to connect with Jeff and his team. You can find them all over the place. 

Photo Credit: en.blog.zyncro.

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SocialHRCamp business partner Salima Nathoo and I recently co-authored a 2 blog post series for SmartRecruiters and Blogging4Jobs on “Why HR Needs to Speed Up Social Media Adoption” and “Why HR is Slow to Adopt Social Media”.  The former post focuses on the business case and the latter on barriers to adoption.  It was a tough exercise to go through because there are so many reasons why HR needs to adopt and why HR has not already done so.  The focus of this post is on a simple question that can be applied across all business functions.  The question is… “What does social media adoption have to do with strategy”?

Oh Right… Strategy…
Does it not make sense that the activities that you perform during the course of your work day support some strategic aspect of the business you work for?  Sure there are tasks that one would describe as mundane, repetitive, pointless, etc… but if you ask yourself “why” you are doing those tasks you probably could, or should come up with some strategic reason for why you do them.  The same holds true for social media.

Ah Ha Moment…
Before you dive into the social media maze you need to clearly understand what your core HR business challenges are that you are trying to solve.  Forget about social media for a second; every organization has challenges and strategic objectives that are being tackled.  If they did not exist there would be no organization to work for.

Ask Yourself…
Pull out the dusty HR strategy and the business strategy and identify the top 3-5 priorities.  Are you trying to attract higher quality talent to “hard-to-recruit” jobs?  Are you trying to solve a growing retention issue?  Are you trying to support the business expand and enter new markets?  Will you be tasked with organizational restructuring or acquisition initiatives?  You get the point but it’s critical for you as an HR professional to figure this out first.

2nd Ah Ha Moment…
For all you non-HR people reading this blog post this also applies to you too.  It does not matter what area of business you work in, the fact remains that you need to understand the core business challenges you are trying solve before you dive into social media.

Now You’re Ready to Think About Social Media…
You now have a crystal clear idea of why you want to use social media; now it’s a matter of identifying the social media platforms that will enable you to achieve the best results.  The task of figuring this out will be so much easier if you have a clear idea of why you want to use them in the first place.  Sorry, just slapping up a Facebook page because “everyone else” has one is a complete waste of time, and will ultimately make you look foolish.

So, think strategy first, then social media second.

This blog post was originally published in the Social Media Camp blog.

About the Author:

jeffSocial media enthusiast, entrepreneur, social HR strategist and educator, Jeff is the Founder of Stratify, a social HR solutions consultancy and SocialHRCamp, the first-ever global HR unconference. With a background in business, HR and marketing, and a diverse career spanning all facets of HR Jeff has been carving out and leading the way in a growing niche that brings together HR, social media and business. Founded in 2012 SocialHRCamp helps the global HR community adopt social media into HR business practices and will be running events in Canada, United States, Singapore, Philippines and India.

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.

Share the love – New HR Blogger – HR Roots

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I always love helping other fellow bloggers and especially those within the HR sphere.

I recently connected with a fairly new HR blogger on Twitter and found out she is actually part of our Illinois SHRM and fellow Midwesterner. I’m referring to Nicole Och (of HR Roots) and I’m looking forward to meeting up with her at ILSHRM12 in a couple of weeks.

I love that Nicole writes about social business and how to incorporate from a newly Human Resource point of view, and she really gives great advice on getting started in social media and how to connect to others online. In fact, her Twitter Bio reads:

HR Professional with a passion for the use of Social Media in Business. It’s not a fad, it’s a way of life! 

And her tagline on HR Roots says “Cultivating and Nourishing the Garden of HR” - and she truly does. She gets social and is not only writing great content but engaging with her connections. That’s what I love about her. She gets what it’s like to be a social newbie and she targets her message to those are just getting started. So many of us have forgotten those folks and I give her kudos for keeping it simple and for having a passion to help those who are experiencing the same things we’ve all experienced in our social media beginnings.

Make sure to connect with Nicole and show her some love online and off. Have her guest post for you and make sure you get a chance to meet her IRL at the upcoming ILSHRM12 conference. In fact, make a point to do so. Oh, and she’s always welcome to guest post here at the Cafe.

About Nicole:

Nicole Ochenduski, PHR, is a Human Resources Professional, Speaker, and Trainer with a passion for the use of social media in the workplace.  The sole purpose of this blog is to help folks make intentional connections both online and IRL (in real life!).  Everyone was a newbie at one time in our lives, now it’s time to pay it forward!

You can connect with her on:
LinkedIn : www.LinkedIn.com/in/nicoleoch
Twitter: www.twitter.com/nicoleoch

Cool story Brew! @HouseOfBrew discusses his Meet Meme Event Trading Cards story! #WatchThis

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I was so lucky to have my friend Jonathan Brewer and a few of my other friends on a Google+ Hangout today. I have known of Jonathan through his Meet Meme Trading Cards for around a year or so through #SHRM11 in Las Vegas.

I actually had the fabulous opportunity of meeting him IRL at this years #SHRM12 in Atlanta a few weeks back where he and I sat around a table in the Bloggers Lounge and talked shop.

His story is too cool and I wanted you all to hear it, so I asked him if he would be up for a video interview – there you have it. Take a look. You may see a few of your online friends like Dwane Lay, Paul Hebert, Tracy Tran, Robing Schooling, John Jorgensen, Joan Ginsberg and Matthew Stollak.

I love these kinds of stories about great ideas and how they come about. I also see in this story the value of connections.

Thanks Jonathan and all of you who participated.

Later!