Making Your Career (and Your Sanity) a Priority!
 
In my client work and teaching, I frequently connect with HR professionals. In these conversations I always ask “Are you a member of GMA SHRM?” When the person says “no,” I end up talking up the great benefits of membership: the networking, the terrific programming events, our Human Capital Conference, the Compensation Survey, and the many other chapter opportunities and services. When the person says “yes” they are a member, I ask what they value most in their membership and when was the last programming event they attended. As we talk I also share some of the wonderful new directions the chapter is moving in — such as our Job Boot Camp, the exciting Race-to-Equity initiative, and our expanding Solo Practitioner HR Resource group.
 
In either case, the HR professional I am talking with is typically impressed with all we offer. They then talk about how helpful it is to connect with their peers and the value they see in sharing their successes and their struggles. And then they usually say that they would love to get more involved or attend more GMA SHRM events . . . except that they are just so busy and that they find it difficult or would likely find it difficult (if they joined) to actively participate as a member to enjoy all of these benefits.

Isn’t this the dilemma that all of us face these days? Our time is stretched so thin by our job and family/home demands that it seems like too much work to attend a GMA SHRM programming event, participate in a member networking opportunity, volunteer at our Job Boot Camp, or serve on a GMA committee. But consider the consequences when we don’t take advantage of our chapter’s benefits: we work in isolation (no one else quite understands what we do), it’s harder to problem solve without connecting with someone who’s been there/done that, we end up reinventing solutions that others have likely already discovered, and we have no one to vent to (constructively, of course).
 
That’s why, to stay sane in HR, we really do need to make connecting with our peers a top priority. By attending a programming event, joining the Solo Practitioner’s HR Resource Group, volunteering to serve on a chapter committee, reaching out to a member via our online directory, or attending our world-class Human Capital Conference (May 12th!) you can find ways to maintain your sanity. We are 825 members strong — but we only become strong when we get engaged with each other to share our joys, challenges, insights, and solutions. That’s what GMA SHRM offers.
 
As an independent consultant and GMA SHRM board president I find my life pretty hectic as well. There is always something critical calling for my attention and time. It’s easy, when a GMA SHRM event pops up on my calendar, to say I don’t have time. I also know that if I don’t take time to connect with my HR friends, to learn from the experts, or to give back to the HR community, I end up paying a price. That’s why, despite an often challenging schedule, I make participating in GMA events a priority.
 
Our Human Capital Conference is next week. I’ll see you there, sharpening the saw, connecting with other HR professionals, getting reenergized and trying to stay sane!

Do You Need to Find Just the Right Employee? LinkedIn to the Rescue.

By Wayne C. Breitbarth , LinkedIn Author/Speaker/Trainer, Power Formula LLC
 
Recently I've been helping more and more organizations use LinkedIn's massive database to find their next great employee. If you're looking to add some quality people to your organization, here are some easy steps you can take to quickly fill your seats.
 
1. Individual Status Update Box.  Post a status update to ask your network if they know of anyone who is qualified for the position you are attempting to fill. After all, this is your network, and the people in your network know you well and understand the nature of your company. If someone in your network is aware of a prospective candidate, he/she should be able to quickly introduce you to the candidate.
 
This is the easiest and most efficient way to find your next hire. That being said, I would not post this question in your Status Box every day, but try to limit this question to a couple times per week at different times of the day, maybe even once on the weekend.
 
To get additional exposure, ask a few of your most connected coworkers or friends to "like" the post. That will get the post in front of their connections as well.
 
I know a president of a local company who found a new VP for his company in just five days after using the status update to ask his network for help. Think of the time and money that saved him.
 
2. Company Status Update.  On your company page, post a similar status update. This shares the information with all followers of your company page.  [Screen Shot 2015-04-11 at 6.17.55 AM] Job seekers interested in working for your company are probably among your followers.
 
To get more viewers of this update beyond your company followers, ask all employees in the company to "like" this update so their connections may view it as well.
 
Consider “pinning” your status update to the top of the update feed.
 
3. Company Followers.  Review the list of your company followers periodically to look for good candidates. Several HR directors have told me they found people just by clicking the word "followers" on their company page (located on the top right of the page).
 
4. Jobs Discussion.  Start a jobs discussion in the groups you belong to, especially groups related to the specific industry your  [Screen Shot 2015-04-11 at 6.22.37 AM] potential candidate would work in. Consider joining new groups just for the purpose of looking for this candidate if you are not involved in groups where this person would usually hang out.
 
5. Advanced People Search.  Consider these criteria when building your Advanced People Search:
Title. Be sure to try some different words for the same job.

• Keywords. Here you can get very creative, using things like specialty software, skills, specific industries, territories or regions of the country, etc. Find interview-ready candidates by including words like "pursuing," "seeking" or "looking."
• Company field. Put your competitor's name(s) here. You can choose current, past or both based on your desire to hire someone who is still there, has left their employ, or either.This is really helpful. It's how I found the last employee I hired.

 
6. Saved Searches.  Once you have landed on a search or searches that brought you some good potential candidates, save that search by clicking the words "Save search" on the top right of the results screen. Then on an ongoing basis LinkedIn will look for more potential candidates by regularly searching your network, including new connections people in your network are making.
 
7. Alumni Feature.  Use the Alumni feature to find potential candidates who attended a specific school. Fellow alumni of the schools you attended is a good place to start. Access this by clicking the name of one of the schools on your profile or by selecting Find Alumni under the Education tab on your top toolbar and then clicking Students & Alumni when you land on the University Page. Then click the blue Change University button and select the name of the school or type the name in the Browse by Name box.
 
You can sort the individuals by:

• Where they live
• Where they work
• What they do
• What they studied
• What they are skilled at
• How you are connected 

8. Field of Study Explorer.  This feature sorts users by the major they have listed in their profile. Access this by clicking Field of Study Explorer under the Education tab on your top toolbar. Then select one of the majors listed when you click the Explore More button or type a major in the Browse by Name box.
 
You can sort by:

• Where they work
• What they do
• Where they went to university
• Where they live
• How you are connected?  

Armed with these steps, you or your HR department (be sure to share this information with them) should be able to fill those vacant seats in a hurry. 

Community Events

Volunteer Opportunity

 

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Grand Slam for Kids! Benefitting REACH-A-Child.

 

 

 

 2015 Human Capital Conference - Register Now!

GMA SHRM is excited to announce our 10th Annual Human Capital Conference will be held Tuesday, May 12, 2015 at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, WI!  Our 2015 conference theme A DECADE OF DIFFERENCE celebrates our 10th year of the Human Capital Conference and features an outstanding lineup of keynote and breakout presenters.

Author Ross Bernstein will deliver an engaging, provocative, and visually entertaining keynote titled The Champion’s Code: Life Lessons of Ethics and Accountability from the Sports World to the Business World. 

Leading Edge Coaching and Development founders Carol Grannis and Cindy Maher will educate and entertain with their keynote Reaching Resonance: Leading with Emotional Intelligence  and a bonus breakout presentation titled A Reputation of Kindness: Building a Kindness Culture.

Breakout topics include:

• Legal Updates
• Employee Retention/Recruitment
• Ethical Decision Making
• Servant Leadership

More information...

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June 3, 2015 - GMA SHRM Roundtable

Topic:  HR Ethics
Location: M3

Facilitated by:  Jennifer Mirus, Partner, Boardman & Clark LLP  

Presentation Description

As an HR professional you may have been faced with some very hard decisions, ones that challenge your ethics.  Come to this HR Roundtable to have a lively discussion with your peers on confidentiality and how to balance being a representative for the company vs. being an advocate for the employees and more. Your facilitator, Jennifer Mirus, will be able to share some words of wisdom from the legal perspective.

More information...

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June 5, 2015 - GMA SHRM Golf Outing

Location: The Legend at Bergamont - Oregon, WI

 

The Most Non-Competitive Golf Outing Ever!! 

Join us as we host our ninth Annual Golf Outing at The Legend at Bergamont on Friday, June 5th. Proceeds will benefit REACH-A-Child.

You can sign up to play with a specific foursome or as an individual and we will pair you up with a group!

The event is a 4-person scramble, so all golfers at all skill levels are encouraged to participate. We are playing for fun! 

The early registration rate for the event is only $125 for both Members and Non-Members and includes 18 holes of golf with a cart and GPS, continental breakfast, practice facilities, and a cookout reception after golf. 

More information...

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GMA SHRM Announcements

 

GMA SHRM Member Spotlight

GMA SHRM Volunteer Spotlight

Name: Susan Pschorr, Director of Human Resources, Suttle-Straus
 
How long have you been volunteering with GMA SHRM?  Since 2013.
 
What committee are you volunteering with? Have you volunteered on other committees? If yes, which one? Programming Committee
 
What do you enjoy about volunteering?  Helping GMA SHRM continue to provide outstanding programming to its members.
 
What would you say to others who are considering volunteering with GMA SHRM?  It takes lots of volunteers to keep our chapter strong and successful, and there are volunteer opportunities to meet practically any interest. GMA SHRM needs your talents, and its fun to be involved!
 
What have you gotten back from volunteering with GMA SHRM? Input into the programming that is offered, and the opportunity to meet a lot of the other volunteers, and people who attend the programming events.

 

If you’d like to be published in an issue of HR InTouch, please complete this profile and submit (along with a photo) to Tia Gibson @ tia.gibson@covance.com.

 

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Welcome New Members!

GMA SHRM welcomes the following members who joined our chapter in March 2015!

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Movin' Up

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In Transition

If you are a member who is in between jobs, or who is currently employed but seeking new positions or career paths, write us a brief description of your skill set, areas of expertise, what you’re looking for, etc. Send us an e-mail. We’ll publish your information in the next HR InTouch.

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HR InTouch Guidelines

Article Writing:

Do you have an interest in writing for the HR InTouch? We have an interest in learning more about your area of expertise!

Why should you volunteer? Top three reasons: 1) to share your knowledge and experiences to educate others; 2) to become more connected in the HR and Dane County communities; and 3) to contribute towards the advancement of GMA SHRM and the HR profession.

The first step is for you to choose a submission option: you can pre-submit an article to GMA SHRM at any time for us to use in any of the upcoming newsletters, you can sign up to write for a particular month, or we can put you on a list of people to contact in future months whenever we need articles.

Article length:

Because the HR InTouch is now in an online format, the size is flexible. The article should be engaging and hold readers’ attention. Include the core information in your article, and we will advise if it is too lengthy.

Solicitation:

GMA SHRM is conscious not to allow solicitation through the articles, in an effort to protect the interests of our partners and members. The nature of the article should be educational (i.e., what are the business advantages of having a product like yours) or informational. Otherwise, if you truly are interested in advertising through the HR InTouch, you can work with our Marketing Committee. As a rule of thumb for article writing, if the submission relates to a for-profit event, or specifically markets your company (vs. your industry), it is an advertisement, and should be purchased. If it is a not-for-profit event that your company is hosting, or an announcement (i.e., a SHRM member recently joined your company), it is an acceptable addition to the HR InTouch content. If you have any questions related to the appropriateness of your submission, please contact us.

If you have questions, or to submit an article, contact GMA SHRM at chapteradmin@gmashrm.org .