Category Archives: Events

Featuring HRevolution Sponsors Blogging4Jobs and Sanera

By now I’m pretty sure you’ve heard about HRevolution. It’s going to be huge. But there are some people out there who have been willing to support this thing financially despite the fact that it still has that “new conference smell.” :-) Today, I’m going to talk about two of those sponsors.

Leap of Faith

If you’ve learned anything from me, you know that I am a huge supporter of small businesses. My family owns one, I have a microbusiness, and I applaud those who go for that kind of lifestyle. They live on the tight budgets and truly understand the value of an investment. That’s why I’m thrilled by the faith that Jessica and Alicia have in this event. Alicia at Sanera and Jessica at Blogging4Jobs are the type of people who make things like HRevolution happen. Despite the planning that has been put into this, our wonderful sponsors helped us to make the leap from “cool idea” to “cool event.” 

saneraSanera

If you have a small business or an idea for one, talk with Alicia. As a business owner, I can honestly say that she knows her stuff. She has given me amazing advice time and time again, and her coaching will hit the spot if you’re struggling. Plus, you can also get free marketing and business advice through her blog, with gems like The Fight Club Guide to Selling. I’ve also had the chance to check out some of her offerings that are on the horizon, and they are going to be very helpful to the people who choose to take advantage of it. 

Fun fact about Alicia: The name is pronounced “a-lee-cee-ah;” that totally threw me off the first time I spoke with her.

blogging4jobsBlogging4Jobs

If you are looking for social media or HR consulting services, then you need to get with Jessica. It’s refreshing to see how Jessica tailors her help toward job seekers. As someone who has had a career in HR and recruiting, it’s great to have someone who can see both sides of the issue. She also has a book coming out in just a few short months called Tweet This! Twitter for Business. Her blog has helpful career advice and even some for HR professionals thinking about social media, and she also hosts a live show for job seekers on Sunday nights.

Fun fact about Jessica: She has a goal to visit a Starbucks in every country. She got seven down and a few to go.

Remember to check out the HRevolution wiki for more info!

My life in 700 words

mtndewEvery so often, I try to give some sort of mass update here, because people often ask what I\’m working on, why I\’m taking forever to reply to their emails, or what my favorite type of cookie is (probably chocolate chip brownie pillows). Anyway, here\’s the stuff that you do and don\’t want to know about my current level of insanity.

  1. The last time I posted on the goings-on, I was gently reminded by a few of my friends out there that it looks like I’m not taking enough time for family. I just don’t usually bore people with that kind of thing. I live a fairly boring life outside of my jobs. But to satisfy those familial cravings, just check out #10 and #11. :-)
  2. At the urging of a friend, I have started writing three times a week on this blog ( Monday, Wednesday, and Friday). This is a change from my normal “whenever” posting. It’s interesting to try to fit to a schedule, but it’s also a lot of fun, too.
  3. With sales doing about as well as I had hoped, I have been working to finish the second Rock the PHR bonus item. It\’s actually 99% complete, and I have started to outline the third (and probably last) bonus giveaway. For only $14.99, this thing is a steal if you\’re planning to take the HR certification exam.
  4. I\’m writing a post every Monday for the RocketHR blog. I\’m trying to make it more beginner-friendly, and I\’m hoping that it will be a stepping stone for my local HR professionals into the world of social media.
  5. In a recent post, I went over some of what I\’m doing with the local SHRM chapter\’s student group. I was one of those youngsters not too long ago, and I am looking forward to helping them with all of the wisdom I\’ve accumulated (i.e. not much).
  6. Along with my designer, I am revamping my company\’s website. It\’s going to be more user-friendly, searchable, and better aligned to our organizational goals. It\’s been a fun experience so far.
  7. My online antics never cease, because I have also started working with another local SHRM chapter to help them set up a Website. (If your local chapter doesn\’t have a Website but wants something, shoot me an email. I might be able to help.)
  8. Secret project with Stephen from HR Gumbo. I’m waaay slower than he is at times. :-)
  9. I’ve been working on a half marathon training plan with the race scheduled in November. Should be a lot of fun. Haven’t done a long race since the Dizzy Fifties 50k a few years ago.
  10. My wife is amazing, and I’ve been working with her as a coach to help her prepare for a local 5k. She is going to do amazingly well. I tried to promote it to my coworkers, but with less than 5 days to race day, my wife and I are the only ones who have signed up for our team!
  11. Not sure how many of you know about it, but we’re adopting. And this thing has been going very slow in recent weeks with lots of work and extracurricular activities. But we’ve finally finished most of the preparation work for the home study, and we’re getting ready for our adoption.
  12. HRevolution planning is going well, and we are gearing up for the big day. It’s about three weeks away, but I can remember when it was three months away, and that blows my mind. We have a few sponsor slots left (last time I checked), and if anyone’s looking to put $25o or $500 toward a good cause, you might be able to secure one of the final slots.
  13. My loads of spare time are spent building my business and helping others do the same. I’ve been talking with 4-5 people about getting their own products/services out there on the market, and it’s amazingly fun for me.

I’m sure I’m missing a lot of other things that are going on. The Diet Mountain Dew is flowing cold and fast these days, and I’m hoping to keep up the amazing work that I’m allowed to do on a daily basis. Look for another “real” post on Friday, assuming I can keep up with the schedule I just committed to.

Why You Need HRevolution

Check out the quotes below. All of them have come from conversations I’ve had recently with HR professionals in my local area.

  • I’d love to learn more about social media and technology, but I’m just too swamped at work.
  • We’ve wanted to start a blog for some time now, but we just weren’t sure how to get started.
  • There is so much communication lacking in our organization. Nobody knows what the heck is going on.

Technology is changing our lives. It can make you more productive, effective, and intelligent–if you are willing and able to use it.

Want to learn how? Sign up to attend the HRevolution event now!

Having trouble communicating across a far-flung organization? There’s something for that. Difficulties with people sending mass emails to those who really don’t even need to see them? There’s something for that. Want to get out of your little box and actually interact with the employees under you? Yes, there’s something for that, too. But if you spend all of your time just trying to stay afloat in the paperwork and policy manuals, you’ll never be able to break the cycle. I guess you’re just stuck, right?

Not really. That’s why you (and so many others in your exact same situation) need HRevolution. It’s going to be fun. It’s going to be a learning experience. It’s going to be a networking event on steroids.

You need an HRevolution.

You need an HRevolution.

Squeeze the Network

When I have a tough question that can’t be answered by someone nearby, I turn to my network, and it’s come through for me so many times. Technology increases the size of that network tenfold.

Thrive on Challenge

If you start delving into technology and social media, the rest of your HR department might think you’re a bit crazy. Don’t try to convert them all at once. Pick one person who is most favorable to technology use and help him/her with a problem by using technology or social media. Focus on turning that one person into a champion for your cause, and they will go out and promote the idea for you!

In that vein, I’ve been working closely with a coworker on a few projects. When he learned of the pending HRevolution, he was ecstatic. Want the input of someone from outside the organizing committee? Here’s what he had to say:

I am looking forward to attending the HRevolution conference. There is great benefit to exploring social media, blogging and the value it can add to our organizations. I believe that HRevolution will help bring focus to like-minded HR professionals that are looking to modernize their organizations and potentially revolutionize their HR departments.

Ditto.

Reignite that Spark

I talk to a lot of HR professionals. Many are burned out and tired of the “same old thing.” While not all have turned into curmudgeons yet, there are quite a few who need a spark of creativity. They need someone to push them to grow continually. Maybe it’s you? If so, there’s no better cure than learning new and exciting ways to accomplish your goals.

What if your company had a tool that let it communicate with its employees? And what if they got to communicate back? What if you want to get your own voice out there, but you don’t know how to start your own website or don’t have time to figure out how to set up a blog? Sound interesting? Want to know more?

Then take a stand. Let your voice be heard. Join the HRevolution.

HRevolution logo (and the flattering quote) courtesy of Allen Robinson (@logicwriter), as cool of an HR cat as they come.

2009 Alabama State SHRM Conference

Me!

Proof that I'm really me!

With all of the talk in recent weeks about SHRM09, I have been trying my best to put together a post to talk about my own very first HR conference. In case you didn\’t realize it from the title, that would be the 2009 Alabama State SHRM Conference.

Below you will find a few selections (twenty five out of forty five, to be exact!) from my Twitter stream during the Alabama State SHRM Conference. Note that the day started amazingly well with the 1st tweet letting everyone know I took a wrong turn.

25.  Our brave but incompetent hero takes a wrong turn. Crap.7:50 AM May 20th from txt

24.  What keeps your CEO awake at night? What does he/she worry about most? #HR #ALSHRM9:08 AM May 20th from txt

23.  Table discussion shows virtually no strategic HR being done in people’s companies. Mortified by that fact. #ALSHRM #HR9:30 AM May 20th from txt

22.  Financial literacy in the workplace session is beginning. Should be good. #ALSHRM rocks so far!9:56 AM May 20th from txt

21.  Financial struggles cost employers an avg of $15k per struggling employee #ALSHRM10:16 AM May 20th from txt

20.  Stomach and watch telling me it’s lunchtime. Almost too excited to eat. (almost) :-) #ALSHRM10:50 AM May 20th from txt

19.  Picked out of the crowd and shook hands with event organizer. Is my face THAT recognizable? #ALSHRM11:20 AM May 20th from txt

18.  @hrbartender abandoned me and @adowling for more lively drinking companions. Must have been my staring. :-) #ALSHRM11:28 AM May 20th from txt

17.  Lunch was fast and delicious. Listened to EEOC talk. Unappetizing. #ALSHRM11:41 AM May 20th from txt

16.  Morning speaker was Dorothy Hill, SPHR. Forgot to mention! Presented on HR competencies. Thought-provoking & wonderful. #ALSHRM11:53 AM May 20th from txt

15.  Heard a story about a company using female mud wrestlers as an employee selection method. How do you think that went? #ALSHRM11:56 AM May 20th from txt

14.  Hmmm. Didn’t realize TitleVII applied to noncitizens. EEOC speaker is pretty interesting. Needs pictures to keep my attention. #ALSHRM12:12 PM May 20th from txt

13.  Next up-integrating business intelligence into HR by Erin Watkins SPHR. #ALSHRM12:36 PM May 20th from txt

12.  With a group of statistics-loving dorks. Nerds of #HR unite! #ALSHRM1:00 PM May 20th from txt

11.  This is the coolest session ever. Exactly what I have been trying to do at work. Statistics rock. #ALSHRM1:05 PM May 20th from txt

10.  Does your company use inferential statistics? If so, what for? If not, why not? It’s a huge way to drive #HR & business strategy. #ALSHRM1:16 PM May 20th from txt

9.      Conference goal for me-get ideas to take back and make my company better. Idea part accomplished. Implementation? We’ll see. #ALSHRM1:45 PM May 20th from txt

8.      FOOD! Pecan pie and a cheesecake-like substance. Awesome. #ALSHRM1:50 PM May 20th from txt

7.      Talking with @adowling and @hrbartender about #SHRM and its fantastic twitter people. And about @lruettimann. What a hoot. #ALSHRM2:15 PM May 20th from txt

6.      Time for more ‘learning’. HR and Washington-legislative outlook for the Obama administration. Final session of a great conference. #ALSHRM2:17 PM May 20th from txt

5.      I shall die of dessert poisoning. Tally-2 pcs pecan pie & 1 of cheesecake. My epitaph will prob be ‘died fat and happy’. ;-) #ALSHRM2:32 PM May 20th from txt

4.      Listening to presentation warning of congressional shenanigans. (isn’t that redundant?) #ALSHRM2:54 PM May 20th from txt

3.      Healthy families act gives me chills. It’s overbearing. And dumb. Blah. #ALSHRM3:00 PM May 20th from txt

2.      #SHRM is promoting voluntary flexible workplace policies as a proactive measure against government actions. 2 thumbs up on that! #ALSHRM3:05 PM May 20th from txt

1.      Fantastic day. Will post on it soon. #ALSHRM3:41 PM May 20th

Also, I learned that I really need Internet access on my phone. I\’m sporting a sweet BlackBerry Pearl, but I was doing my tweeting via SMS, and that meant that I couldn\’t see any responses from anyone! The HRBartender and ‘lil miss PseudoHR had a leg up on me with their connections. I can only hope that I was entertaining enough to make up for that!