Here are my top 15 things (in no particular order) I loved about it -

1. Working The Hive with Craig Fisher
2. Playing punch-em robots with Jonathan Brewer
3. The Bloggers Lounge (Big shout out to DICE for creating this space for us to re-coop, eat, relax, eat bacon, hang with friends, drink, work, learn, collaborate and watch the general sessions)
4. Walking the Exhibit Hall with Sabrina Baker
5. Watching John Jorgensen work
6. Partying like a rock star (Thanks to Glassdoor and SHRM for the Tweetup party at the House of Blues, as well as a get-together with friends from State SHRM chapters for a rock-n-roll bowling party)
7. Seeing Ryan Estes
8. Meeting with Tech Vendors and hearing all about “What’s New” in their world
9. Reuniting with my online community
10. Making new friends
11. Learning from smart folks
12. Watching HR folks dance
13. Free swag
14. Working & Collaborating with Sabrina Baker on the commute
15. Having two flat tires – So I didn’t really love this. When I returned home Monday night from a long conference day I realized I had issues with my tires. Took them in the next morning and there were nails in my tires causing them to go flat! At least we made it there and back okay with no major issues (There’s always an up side).

IMHO, SHRM conferences keep getting better and better. Here’s a look at the SHRMOffical Instagram for more goodness!

I was an HR / Admin assistant to the company Human Resources department managed by a loose cannon. I’m not exaggerating. When I first interviewed for the position I thought “Gosh, I love this gal. She is going to be the best.boss.ever!” Little did I know that was about to change and change it did.

She went from being a nice boss to wanting to get all up in my personal business, share her personal BS with me and go out and party together. Did I mention I found out she lived in the same apartment building as me? That was fun.

On good days, my boss was good. The sun was out, her love life was fantastic and all was right with the world. On days when things went to the crapper I would be called into her office to hear all about how her weekend went awry with her fella and all the details. Then she would spend hours crying in her office while listening to EVERY Kelly Clarkson song over and over and over.

I can remember saying out loud, “Gawd, I hate Kelly Clarkson!” To this day, I can’t listen to a Kelly Clarkson song for being reminded of that horrible working environment.

Unstable managers create unstable working conditions. They make folks want to look for another job, move to a foreign country and live in a shoe.

So Kelly Clarkson is the special guest concert for SHRM13 and I’mma just have to pass, although I’m very grateful for the ticket. I’m looking forward to SHRM13′s annual conference, but it ain’t got nothing to do with KC.

Here’s just a few things I’m looking forward to, if you care:

• Hanging with my online friends IRL (in real life). This happens mostly once a year (or two) for me and I love getting to catch up with friends and meeting new ones. The after hours and tweetups are always great places to do that – forget karaoke this year and grab an actual person and sit and talk – you might learn something! Oh, and you can get in on the action HERE!
• The Bloggers Lounge – since I’m an official SHRM blogger and have been for the past couple of years, I’m really looking forward again to hanging out and working in the bloggers lounge sponsored by the fabulous folks from Dice. They really make you feel like you are the shizzle. You can LIVE BLOG while watching the main sessions directly from the bloggers lounge and have a little peace and quiet as well. Oh, and Dice provides us with a CANDY BAR filled with all kinds of goodies and tons of sugar! < who wouldn’t love that?
• SHRM’s Social Media HIVE – Last year Curtis Midkiff aka @SHRMSMG and SHRM rolled out their social media HIVE which makes way for hands-on training in using social from setting up your profiles to incorporating it into your everyday work and life. Here’s a video of me introducing The Hive from SHRM12. I’m honored to be working in The Hive a few times while I’m there. Come look me up.

There’s so much more I could share but I’m running over my allotted word count! Stay tuned for more updates on SHRM and the upcoming Conference. It’s gonna be a doozie! And no, I won’t be selling you my Kelly Clarkson ticket, I’m pretty sure that’s illegal. I may be willing to trade it for a donut!

Today’s guest post comes from fellow Chicago transplant Patrick Rooney here to share with you guys about the importance of unleashing your employees as Brand Ambassadors. Make sure you check out his company QUEsocial who I’ve written about previously. 

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Let’s face it, employees are using social media in their every day work, whether it’s sanctioned by their company or not.  Recruiters use it to find candidates, sales people use it to find prospects, marketing uses it increase awareness, and even product development uses it to crowd source ideas.

Marketing has long been using tools to manage it’s social media activities and campaigns, but beyond that companies continue to struggle to harness all of that great individual effort in a way that benefits the company.  This is an important point because after marketing, recruiters are arguably the face of the company, and an extension of the brand itself.  Increasingly, they shape how prospects view the company, and with the “war for talent” only getting hotter, the employer brand is emerging as a strategic imperative rather than a “nice to have.”

Companies like Marriot, Pepsi, Nokia and many others, both large and small, are increasingly realizing the great opportunity they have of tapping into individual employee’s social media activity and harnessing it to the benefit of the organization.  There is a great recent white paper from LinkedIn on “Why Your Employment Brand Matters” and a very insightful presentation by TNS and LinkedIn provides some good stats on the value and urgency of employee brand ambassadors.  After all, what company wouldn’t want its employees carrying the brand message to their social networks, and effectively extending the brand reach by an exponential factor?

What makes the employee ambassador proposition so appealing is that employee networks are engaged, and can be cultivated through individual interaction.  This is a bit different than, and accretive to, social marketing in that employee networks are far more engaged on a daily basis over time than brand social properties.  Meaning there is far more opportunity to insert the brand’s message into active and organic discussions between two humans on a higher frequency basis.

Our work with the Sodexo North American recruiting team highlights the impact employee brand ambassadors can have.  In only two months after adopting the QUEsocial platform, their employee engagement doubled, content sharing increased nearly 200%, employees were trained on best practices, web traffic increased by healthy double-digit numbers, and they were able to track and measure business wins.  All of this resulted from harnessing and focusing the social media activity each individual recruiter was already doing.

Activating employees as ambassadors seems like a natural for almost any company, large or small.  The challenge becomes how to manage it, how to ensure all of that social media activity is aligned with the brand, and how to channel it into measurable benefits for the company.

Six Issues to Address for Employee Ambassador Programs: 

1. Alignment with corporate/employer brand.  Ensuring the content being shared and the messages being communicated are aligned with the corporate brand, as well as with the employer brand.
2. Consistency.  Maintaining adoption and use, and keeping employees motivated to be active and effective brand ambassadors.
3. Impact and Measurability.  Converting social activity into measurable business outcomes.Time.  Making it easy and efficient for employees to be effective ambassadors without distracting them from their every day responsibilities.
4. Risk/Compliance.  For companies that are in regulated industries (financial service, health care, etc.) or that have conservative cultures, ensuring employees maintain both corporate and regulatory policy.
5. Best practices.  Providing training to equip employees with the skills and knowledge necessary to be an effective ambassador, but also to convert their social activity into business wins.

Is every company ready to activate its employees as ambassadors?  Probably not.  But the genie is out of the bottle, and employees use social media in their jobs every day.   There’s no going back, and it only benefits the company to harness all of the social media activity that’s already happening and turn it into a powerful and measurable business tool.

What is your experience with activating employee advocates?  I’d love to hear from you!

Photo Credit: ProMerit

About the Author:

Patrick Rooney is CEO of QUEsocial, the game-changing internal platform that operationalizes social media across the organization to activate employees as brand ambassadors while converting their social activity into measurable business wins. He is a recognized thought leader and innovator in integrated marketing and social media.  He frequently speaks on trends and business applications of social media, and has been interviewed by the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, B2B Magazine, Chicago Tribune, and AdAge, among others.

Prior to creating QUEsocial, Patrick was co-founder and Executive Vice President of Zócalo Group, an award-winning word of mouth and social media marketing agency (part of Omnicom Group).  In addition to leading innovation, insights and analytics, Patrick was the architect of the agency’s Fan engagement platform, as well as ZocaloNet, an industry-leading influencer CRM solution.  Patrick holds a BA in Political Science and an MBA from San Jose State University and lives in Chicago with his beautiful wife and two incredible children. Connect with @QUEsocial on Twitter.

I’m not a huge LinkedIn fan but understand it to be a necessary evil. I suppose with everything it has its good points and bad.

I will be the first to admit I have given way to social discrimination, especially on LinkedIn. Meaning, I’ve had folks wish to connect with me on social (and LinkedIn) and because of the way they’ve branded themselves online,whether through their goofy photos or lack of social media coolness, I’ve been quick to hit the delete button or ignore them. You know you’ve done it too!

I wonder, is that the same as other kinds of discrimination? Will we one day find ourselves in a court room explaining why we did not accept Joe Blow’s friend request because he was too fat? Because he was holding a chicken and drinking an RC with a mouth full of moonpie on his LinkedIn profile?

I’m pretty sure a lot of us discriminate and exclude others because of where folks live, how they spell their name, what kind of work they do, how they dress or if they’re as pretty as the rest of our friends. I think however, we (as in me) should instead be open-minded especially when it comes to social networking and building our communities.

It’s great to mix and mingle with those of different experiences, viewpoints, cultures and diverse backgrounds as opposed to always engaging and hanging out with those who are similar. It sharpens us. It challenges us to think outside of our little world wherein we live and come outside of our little groups of mini-me’s who are just like us.  It causes us to expand and enlarge not only our communities but enlarge us, personally.

So perhaps we put aside our biases, our pre-judgments and open ourselves up to a whole new world of folks who can add immense value into our lives, both professionally and personally.

And if you’re reading this and I’ve dissed you online or off, please feel free to call me out!

Photo Credit: PrincessTweep

SHRM 2013

This also means lots of people. Really. A lot of them. Not a lot as in the backyard is going to a bit crowded for the barbecue, or can the house hold everyone coming over for the Super Bowl Party. I mean “a lot” as in countless hordes of people descending upon us hell bent to take our last crumb of bread and I have no place to hide it “a lot.”

So – if you like crowds, this will be the place for you! On the other hand, if large crowds make you a bit nervous, SHRM 2013 might be an intimidating event. But – this is a big event, and it is a great opportunity to accomplish all of the things we want to accomplish in professional networking especially meet new people and establish professional relationships.

 Here are few quick tips that might make the experience a little less intimidating for you, and help make networking at SHRM a little easier – no matter how you react to crowds.

1. Find a buddy. Sometimes it’s a lot easier to meet new people when you have a partner.
2. Have a plan and a purpose. There is a Conference Community - 
   http://community.shrm.org/2013Conference/Home/
    - which is easy to use. Also – identify some vendors you’d like to see in the EXPO – remember, they are people and potentially valuable connections, too! Find people with shared interests or questions and find places and times to meet! That’s WHY a lot of people are going, so take advantage of the chance.
3. Don’t get caught in “group think.” It’s EASY to go to events and parties with the same group at large conferences like this. The sheer size of the thing really pushes us towards finding a group and sticking with it. But – that means you are missing chances to meet a lot of really nice people who work in your field, share your concerns and probably have questions you can answer for them! S0 – while having a single buddy is a great “safety net”, running in a pack can be counterproductive to effective networking.

I am not a natural networker. Really. I do enjoy meeting people, but I prefer – strongly, I might add – more personal settings for conversations and get acquainted opportunities. But the annual SHRM event is different, so I have to get ready, make my plan and be prepared to meet new people. And – it really works!

I had the great pleasure of meeting Susan at a SHRM conference 2 years ago, and if I’d stuck with a group of people I knew before, or been afraid to “get out there”, I would have missed meeting her and building a relationship that I really value and truly treasure today. So – get out there. You have a relationship to build just waiting to be found!

About the Author:

Chris Osborn is the VP of Marketing at BizLibrary. He is a strong believer in the idea of content driven, in-bound marketing. So under his direction, his marketing team strives to answer questions HR and L&D professionals are asking by writing and publishing materials like e-books, white papers and weekly webinars on topics like leadership development, employee engagement, and best practices for effective for employee training. Oh, and he’s also a recovering lawyer, so he does know a thing or two about career changing and networking.

BizLibrary provides online training solutions to small and mid-sized companies. They work hard to make training clients’ employees easy by delivering a comprehensive library of content of 1800 streaming videos and 5000 e-learning courses on virtually every business skill topic you might need.

Photo Credit: FreshBooks

For those of you that don’t know, I’ve been privileged to be a part of the Blogging/Press team for the past two years. I’m also stoked I’m allowed to go back this year right here in my back yard (Chicag0) and look forward to sharing stuff on that in the next few weeks.

Here are 10 links to funny and informative posts, videos and pictures I found from the past couple of years.

Let’s look at SHRM 2012 -

• Twitter Stalkers and Other Happenings #SHRM12

• Can We All Just Get Along? – Generational Diversity according to Malcomb Gladwell

• @SabrinaLBaker and I Discuss SHRM12 (Video)

• A Deeper Look into SHRM12′s Social Media Space “The Hive” #WatchThis

• Fun Pins in Pictures from #SHRM12

And here are a few more goodies from SHRM11. Check em >

• Freddy Krueger, Networking and SHRM Conferences

• The Spirit of Diversity

• Generational Diversity; The Patchwork Quilt

• Sleep Lessons and Other Innovative Solutions for the Workplace

• SHRM Junkies and Tattoo Parlors

Stay tuned for more posts, videos and pictures soon to come!

Sometimes folks simply want to share funny pictures and stories, sometimes they share their blogs and work related info and sometimes just random stuff. It all works together. It merges our personal and professional lives. Often people look at that as a bad thing and pull the reins in and say “Whoa! Wait a minute – I’m not sure if I want folks hearing all about my weekend.” It can be good, it can be not-so-good. I do think, however, it can work.

I’ve shared personal things that I wish I hadn’t shared but that doesn’t keep me off of social. You live and learn (hopefully).

What I’ve found is that most of the stuff we come across on Social Media Facebook and/or Twitter is to be taken with a grain of salt. We should chill out and not take things so personal (me included).

Most folks on Facebook want to share their funny happenings in words and or pictures and it works. I share bizarre updates all the time and there are those who respond as if I’m actually serious as a heart attack. But it’s mostly those who don’t know me well, my style or my sense of humor.

They tend to pass out advise of why I shouldn’t say those types of things online (in public) or correct me when in fact I’m simply being random and trying to be funny and keep it light.

I always feel like I need a disclaimer on my page saying “Intents not always how they appear” or something to that fact so folks will know I’m usually joshing. In fact, about 80% of my updates on Facebook are funny pics, silly updates, comments made about my crazy world and are simply an exaggeration.

We need to understand that no one is out to get us. We need to be able to be ourselves online and off. Those that know me  understand that I’m WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) – online or off. I usually don’t have a good filter on this mouth. Sure, this can occasionally come back and bite us but can also lead to a whole lotta fun and create engaging conversations.

Not long ago I posted a status update about a family member that lives with me currently – trying to be funny. My facebook friends tell me when they see me in person or online that they love my family updates and stories. It’s all in good fun. But someone who had just connected with me and not knowing my personality thought to take it upon themselves to point out how I could make the situation better and by giving me their idiotic advice. If I want advice I’d ask you for it or go see a shrink.

There are times I ask for advice from my friends online and they are always willing to help. But mostly, I’m trying to create funny and engaging connections and interactions. I want to keep it light and fun.

The moral to this story is try not to be a douchebag and offer your advice if not asked for it. Try not being a shrink on social media sites and fixing all the world’s problems (including your friends) unless they want that from you. Lighten up, chill out – it’s not all about you and getting your point across.

Now, go have fun. And make sure to share how folks are acting like douchebags and asshats on social in the comment section HERE>

Photo credit: obscureathon

It actually is great if you’re a little on the shy side because though networking online or off may be similar, you can sort of hide behind the computer and talk to folks through the keyboard as opposed to a little face-to-face action (unless you’re Skying or hanging out on Google+).

In fact, I prefer it. I always feel so uncomfortable networking IRL (in real life) because I tend to be a little on the timid side when first meeting and blow that outta the water after we’ve conversed awhile. I know, you find that hard to believe but it’s the gosh dang truth. However, both networking IRL and online are needed to build your community, further your business and get the word out or to help others do the same. It takes interacting with others and it makes the world go round as apposed to playing jacks in a corner somewhere by yourself.

When working your way through the online world and connecting with others it’s a good rule of thumb to follow others and especially influencers in your space who have been plowing ground and making headway. And sometimes following those influencers, connecting with them on Facebook and across different social platforms can be a little intimidating to say the least. Sometimes it takes bawls of steel to hit the “friend button” on Facebook for fear of rejection or whatever.

Here’s how I developed my strategy.

1. Follow the experts – I researched who the influencers were in my space. I studied where were they writing, who were they connected with, how were they connecting, what were they talking about? If there are folks doing it right, figure out what they’re doing that’s working. Now, apply that to your strategy – and I don’t necessarily mean copy them. But you can learn from them, follow some of the same folks they follow and who follow them and go from there to find your own voice.
2. Find one platform, do that well! – I started with Twitter. I read every book I could find on Twitter, figured out the ins and outs and then began to start practicing what I learned. I searched hashtags and sat in on Twitter chats and watched what was going on. Then I connected with those folks who were “experts” for lack of a better word, and followed them, following their followers etc, etc. I started reading their blogs, commenting on them, showing my face in their world while sharing my own blog and my area of expertise.
3. Cross-pollinate – I love the word cross-pollinate because to me that represents the best way to take your connections on one platform over to another platform. I began with my connections on Twitter that I was following, engaging with and learning from and finding them on Linked In and sending a short intro like “I’m bringing this on over from Twitter and would love to link up!” And most of them accepted my request.  I built my Linked In with several these same folks from Twitter. Then I started doing the same with Facebook. All of these platforms have their own feel and what I found was Facebook was very laid back where Linked In was more business chatter. I started learning about their kids, families, what they loved doing through Facebook and it created a great way to connect on a more personal basis. Twitter was a land all it’s own but very short, sweet and to the point and definitely serves a purpose. (NOTE: if you don’t want to mix personal and professional you don’t have to, but it can be a great way to dive deeper into these relationships you’re trying to build).

I will say I had some major kahuna’s to connect with the folks I’ve connected with – but I’ve always had those (not literally). But you never know until you try and reach out and touch someone, right?

What happens when you do this? You become part of some really amazing communities. You have the chance to perhaps even be considered a thought leader yourself and have the opportunity to advance your business, find a new career and help others do the same.

So grow some bawls, reach and connect with others. Learn from them and give back by liking their posts, commenting on their blogs, and simply engaging with them. There are some fantastic folks out there just waiting to show you the ropes!

Photo Credit: BevNet

Have you asked employees their opinion of your company’s business outlook? If not, you may want to take a look at your company reviews on Glassdoor where you can find candid employee feedback.  As part of Glassdoor’s ongoing online company review survey, employees voluntarily and anonymously share their perspective about the work environment, the culture, their satisfaction with key factors like compensation and benefits, and they share their opinion on the following question: Do you believe your company’s business outlook will get better, stay the same or get worse in the next six months? 

Just think about the signals this sends your candidates that are deciding to come work for you.

To see what employees at your company think, you’ll need a free employer account. This will allow you to read all of your company’s reviews and be able to see their take on the company’s future business outlook. Below is a  recent company review from a Google Sales Executive that shows where, if provided, in each company review you can find sentiment on business outlook.

Curious to see what companies do stand out in terms of business outlook in the eyes of employees? Glassdoor recently released a new report that looks at Top 10 Companies with the Best Business Outlook based on company reviews shared in April. At the top of the list is Google – 86% of employees believe the company’s business outlook will improve in the next six months. See the complete list and how employee satisfaction stacks up at the top-rated companies:

Top 10 Companies with the Best Business Outlook

This report is a good reminder that employment brand isn’t just a reflection of what a company has done, but it’s also a promise of what the company can do.

Photo Credit: Noozmag

About the Author:

Today’s guest post comes from my pal Samantha Zupan who is Glassdoor’s Corporate Communications Director. Glassdoor is a jobs and career community that is changing the way people find jobs and companies recruit top talent. Follow Samantha on Twitter @SamanthaZupan.

80% of companies are using archaic software and processes from the dinosaur age – here’s what that looks like:

• We waste 45 minutes having applicants fill out a cumbersome, 1999-vintage online application form.
• They’re asked to remember and write down every hiring date (year AND month) and departure date (ditto) for every job they have ever held; AND remember every salary and every supervisor’s name plus their phone number (gross).
• We want them to agree upfront to a background check, drug test, credit check, and reference check before they have even received so much as the courtesy of a return email message.
• They’re required to send all their personal information into the abyss, on the off chance that the employer might stop to respond with a phone call, an email message or an off-handed auto-responder that says “Don’t call us; we’ll call you – or else we won’t.”

What self-respecting person is willing to put up with this demeaning routine? We’re treating potential candidates like  two-year-olds. If employers can’t show more respect to the talented people applying for work in their companies, why would any job seeker with other options sign up for this kind of treatment?

My suggestion would be that every recruiter or hiring manager take one day, put themselves in the shoes of the applicant and go through their own company’s application process to get a feel of what their applicants are experiencing.

So, what should the current hiring process look like? I don’t have that down pat but I do have a few suggestions. Here we go:

1. Keep it simple, stupid. Stop asking dumb questions like “What is your greatest weakness?” or “How do you feel about working in a team environment?” Instead, allow the applicant to either upload their resume, answer a few questions related to the position and be done with it. Better yet, develop a mobile app that quickly allows candidates to find and apply from their mobile devices. Ain’t nobody got time for that other stuff.
2. Stop requiring double work. If you ask for an attached resume and then have me type in the same information throughout the remainder of the online application process – you’re wasting my time. I’m gonna say “forget it – it’s not worth it” and hit the escape key. Don’t be redundant.
3. Make it interesting. Get creative. Have your intern build a short game where your applicant can hit a green frog or a yellow umbrella in answer to a question. Okay, I kid (kinda) – but think outside the norm in ways you can get creative with your ATS. Is that possible? I think so. If this isn’t an option, how about incorporating social media into the mix? How cool would your company look if you were to do that?

Let’s review: Short, sweet, to the point, interesting, social, creative and non-redundant. How hard could that be?

For a few great tips on tools that could replace the interview check this post!

This post originally aired over at DiscoveringSocial.