Just Joan

Archive for March, 2010

Maybe I should have called it the “Special Unemployed” Edition, because the purpose of this special Carnival is to highlight HR professionals who are unemployed, and these people are all pretty special!

Last week President Obama signed a jobs bill called the Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment (HIRE) Act.  This bill allows companies to avoid paying the employee‘s Social Security payroll tax for the rest of the year, AND allows the company to get a tax credit for next year if they keep that person working a year.  It’s a good deal, so tell your employers to hire one of these people!

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SHAUNA MOERKE, PHR

Shauna is the ringmistress of the Carnival of HR, as well as the founder and co-host of the highly popular HR Happy Hour radio program.  She blogs as the HR Minion and can be found on Twitter using that name.  She is from the Minneapolis-St. Paul area of Minnesota.  You can read here, here,  and here why she is a valuable hire right now.

BENJAMIN McCALL

Ben hails from Cincinnatti, Ohio.  He has his MBA, and blogs at RethinkHR.  You can also find him on Twitter as @benjaminmcall.  If you want to see why he may be right for your organization, read his profile here.

ROBERT TARVER

Bob lives in Virginia, but he would like to relocate to the southwest (Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico) or northern California. He was profiled in the blog Do The Work by Franny Oxford, and you can read about Bob here as well.

KIMBERLY RODEN

Kim is brand new to the blogosphere (here), but she certainly isn’t new to the HR profession.  With 20 years of experience, she is now seeking work in the greater NYC area.  She has been profiled by Tammy Colson‘s Junkyard HR here, and you can find additional credentials on LinkedIn here.

JIM D’AMICO

Jim blogs and writes as HRPufNStuf, and goes by the name @jmdcomedy on Twitter.  He is a talented recruiting manager who lives in Minnesota, but is completely open to relocation.  Don’t hesitate!  Read more about him here and here.

SHENNEE RUTT

Shennee is from  the York, Pennsylvania area and needs to remain nearby.  She blogs at Deeply Rutted and is the co-host of Compassionate HR. Here’s her profile from her archives:

I come from a strong Recruiting/Staffing Industry background. I am passionate and compassionate about the “human” in the Human Resources. What I enjoy the most about human resources is that no day is ever the same, and the challenge of making it work.  Everyday, I strive to learn something new, network, and be inspired by others. Personal/Professional development is a priority to me. Making  a Difference in people’s livelihood is what get’s me going in the morning.  My Human Resources background includes large and small organizations.  I started a blog and I am connected through Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.  I really LOVE working , and really want to get back to it!

What I am looking for:

• I am based in Manchester, PA South Central PA Area. I am looking for a local commute. Virtual employment would be fantastic. I am married to an IT pro.
• Human Resources is my focus.  I enjoy Recruiting/Sourcing/Training/Social Media
• I am looking to collaborate with others,continue to develop my blog, and step outside of my “comfort zone”.
• I am available to discuss part-time or full-time employment opportunities.

If anyone wishes to discuss this with me. I am available at: www.twitter.com/shennee_rutt www.linkedin.com/shennee

Looking forward to connecting with you soon. Ready to hit the ground running!

AMANDA TARATUSKI, SPHR

Fluent in French, and conversant in Spanish and Mandarin Chinese, this talented woman needs a job in the greater New York City/New Jersey area.  She also blogs at Life Analyzed and can be followed as @ataratus on Twitter.  In her own words:

I am a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources with ten years of progressive experience as a human resource generalist, primarily in the field of legal HR.  I started my career working mostly on international recruiting, but over time I was promoted and given additional responsibilities in talent management, succession/workforce planning and policy development.  I am skilled at evaluating current processes and developing innovative solutions to on-going problems.  I am always looking for ways to be more efficient and effective in my work and encourage others to do the same.  As a leader, I believe that it is important to value my employees’ input and that I can motivate them by helping them to see why their efforts are important in the big picture.  I am looking for a manager or director of HR position in NJ/NYC for a mid to large size organization, focusing on talent management and strategic workforce planning.  My ideal company is one that is invested in their staff, offering training, career advancement and performance compensation, and having a commitment to work/life balance.  For more information about my background and to contact me, see my LinkedIn profile at http://www.linkedin.com/in/ataratuski.  I also maintain a blog at http://analyzedlife.blogspot.com.

JOAN GINSBERG, JD, SPHR

That’s me!  I’ll wrap this up by saying that I live in the Detroit area but I am open to relocation anywhere.  I have been profiled on Punk Rock HR (here) and Do the Work (here). Links to my LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter profiles are on the right column of this page.

RANTS

The Legal Environment for Business Professionals - this “pre-conference” was my first stop on the first day.  The presenter, Richard Coffinberger, JD, is an Associate Professor at George Mason University.    He teaches a similar course to undergraduate students, and he asked the class if they knew what television show “Shirley Jones was famous for”.  Most of the people in the class knew about The Partridge Family because none of us were 18 years old.  He has obviously never heard about tailoring his presentation to his target audience.  Also, the case he was referring to (Calder v Jones, 465 US 783) was decided by the US Supreme Court in 1983, regarding a National Enquirer article that was published in 1979. It’s OLD, and it’s about in personam jurisdiction.  Why does an HR professional even CARE about in personam jurisdiction?  The man was personable and engaging, but suffered from a serious case of  “needs to update his notes and presentation.”  He also misspoke about the law on one occasion and was promptly chastised by one of the attendees (he called on her before me so I didn’t have the pleasure).

I’m also going to rant a little about SHRM and this same presentation.  It cost an extra $310, and attendees were promised a Certificate of Completion and extra HRCI credits.  There were no Certificates, and they furnished no program number for HRCI.  I submitted for credit without either, but if  HRCI denies my credit I am going to be seriously pissed off.

How to Lobby Your Member of Congress - This program was presented by Lisa Horn,  who is from SHRM and works on health care, to explain the “ins and outs” of the scheduled Capitol Hill meetings with members of Congress.  I was fence sitting about going to these meetings, and went to this session to make a decision.  At one point an audience member asked about discussing something other than health care reform or Section 127 of the tax code (regarding extension of employer provided educational assistance), which were the two official topics of these meetings.  Ms. Horn made it very clear that SHRM arranged the Hill visits and attendees were there to promote the SHRM agenda.

Funny me.  I thought SHRM existed in some part to provide benefits and value to their members in exchange for dues and the fees from the conference. I didn’t realize that my conference fee was paying  them to promote their agenda. I got off the fence and didn’t go, because I am not a shill for SHRM.

Cocktails & Conversation – Networking Happy Hour - I always thought that networking meant that people came together and actually spoke to each other. That’s pretty hard to do when SHRM has people speaking from a podium.  In fact, Mary Ellen Slater, Mike VanDervort, Paul Smith and I were getting many dirty looks from others because we were actually talking during this billed-as-a-networking event.  We finally went outside.

Other rants? (1) The lack of diversity of opinion, particularly about social media.  See a great post about this from Mike VanDervort. I was there and he’s not exaggerating; (2) My inability to get breakfast at the Thursday morning session because I was 8 minutes late; (3) A total aversion to networking and conversation from the majority of the attendees. I’ve written about this before, and this conference was no different.  In fact, one presenter had no business cards, and offered no address or phone number of any kind; and (4) A program called To Tweet or Not To Tweet?  Is That the Right Question? given by a presenter who admitted to me that she doesn’t use Twitter.  When I told her that I would like to Tweet the program, she said, “You mean you are going to tell people what I SAY?”

RAVES

Washington, DC in mid-March – The weather was stunningly beautiful, mild and sunny.  I had the opportunity to see many of the monuments and buildings lit during the evening- a beautiful sight.  As I asked a companion as we were walking toward the Library of Congress, “How can anyone come to DC and not be emotionally moved?”

VIP Reception and Tweet-Up - This event, sponsored by the employment law firm of Constangy, Brooks & Smith, was nothing less than stunning.  Held in the Great Hall of the Library of Congress, it offered food, drink, photographers and an awesome view.  OK, there WERE speakers (again!), but the venue was so large that it was easy to ignore them and keep on talking and socializing networking. This was what a “networking event” should be.

Immigration Reform and the Employer – This was one of two different programs on immigration law compliance (a personal favorite topic), and it was easily the most superior (I attended both).  In fact, it was the best of all of the substantive sessions that I attended.  It was led by Stuart Brock, a lawyer out of Charlotte, NC who manages a consulting firm called HR Innovators.  Stuart used facts, not emotion, to make the audience understand the huge shift in immigration law enforcement prompted by the Obama administration.  He made it clear that some opinions could differ, and that some of his recommendations were based on the interests of his clients.  He gave us information and many resources, in an engaging and friendly manner, treating us like thinking adults and not children in need of discipline. At this conference, taught mostly by employment lawyers, that was in very short supply.

My local SHRM chapter, the Human Resources Association of Greater Detroit (HRAGD), is like most other organizations – a little behind the times when it comes to social media.  So I was pleased when the communications committee suggested an article about HR blogging for an upcoming newsletter, and chose to write the article about (blush, blush) me.   I was also asked to do a little sidebar-type article called “Five to Follow”, where I suggest five HR-related blogs that the membership should read.  The plan is that each month I will submit a list of 5 new blogs.

The dilemma, as I’m sure you are aware, is limiting my blog suggestions to just 5.  Right now my Google reader has a little more than 100 blog subscriptions.  I need to pick just 5, at least to start, and I NEED YOUR HELP!

I have some thoughts, but I really want to hear yours.  Which 5 HR blogs would you choose for beginners to start following?

I hope that everyone has at least one.

They have a habit, or quirk,or idiosyncrasy that just DOESN’T MAKE SENSE.  Not necessarily a bad habit, like overeating or smoking. Those habits actually make perfect sense.  They make you feel good or fulfill a chemical dependency, even if they aren’t good for you.  I’m talking about doing something just because, even when you know, in your heart of hearts, that the doing is just plain silly.

Mine is iced tea.  Not drinking iced tea – which I do a lot of.  I mean A LOT.  I have been known to drink a whole gallon (not exaggerating!) of iced tea in one day. (Unsweetened and unflavored, thank you very much.)  This is a perfectly sensible habit, because it slakes the thirst and tastes good (to me, at least).  The quirk, though, is that I must drink it out of the same glass when I am at home. Always.

I use a give-away  (it looks like a glass, but is made of plastic or lexan. Glass? Cup? I don’t know)  from Burger King.  It is from the movie The Lion King, which appeared in theaters in – wait for it – 1994.  So I have been drinking my iced tea out of the same glass for upwards of 15 years.  I put it in the dishwasher occasionally, but I am always nervous and edgy when I do so.  I drink out of a plastic disposable cup during those frantic hours when my cup is not available.  When I take my iced tea with me in the car, the cup goes with me.  Don’t believe me?   Here’s pictorial proof:

The new glass (on EBay).

My glass today.   I know, it makes no sense.  Tell me I am not alone, though.  Tell me your silly habit.

You say you want a revolution
Well, you know
We all want to change the world
You tell me that it’s evolution
Well, you know
We all want to change the world

(From “Revolution” by John Lennon/Paul McCartney 1968)

I WAS THERE IN 1968, AND I WILL BE THERE FOR

The HRevolution2010 unconference is coming to Chicago on May 7th-8th!  HR social media thought leaders and practitioners from around the country will be converging for 24+ hours of mind-bending, trend-setting discussions, yet space is VERY limited, so… SIGN UP NOW!

3 reasons why this event will rock:

1. People. First and foremost, it’s the people – and the crew coming together for this year’s unconference is fantastic. The planning committee for 2010 has arranged for about twice the capacity of last year’s event, meaning HRevolution 2010 will blend old faces with new in an intimate setting where networking relationships can unfold naturally and meaningfully.
2. Logistics. We’ve locked up a phenomenal and highly professional space for the event that could not be more perfect for an unconference.  HRevolution will take place at Catalyst Ranch, which is one of Chicago’s premier event locations and—bonus!—is centrally located with easy access to hotels, restaurants, and nightlife. Catalyst Ranch is known for bringing a level of fun and sophistication to events that is unparalleled—we don’t recall meeting any other space providers who could so naturally blend “white boards,” “afternoon snack service,” “stereo systems,” and the “Play-Doh for 110 people” into a single conversation. Rest assured, we want you to leave the unconference loving Chicago hospitality.
3. Topics. The beauty of the unconference format is that it is designed to leave you with practical, useful knowledge. When you get back to work on Monday, and when someone asks you, “What did you get for the money?”,  the answer that flows oh-so-naturally from your lips will blow them – and you – away.   Especially given the awesome $100 ticket price!

So if you’re in HR, or are a manager who truly believes in the power of your people, or if you’re dabbling with this social media stuff and thinking “should I or shouldn’t I”,  or “how do I…” or even “why would I”, then get here on May 7th-8th. You will meet the people and learn the stuff and be in the places that make it all come together.