Changing of the SHRM MAC Guard

We have been a little quite over here at the ILSHRM blogging desk.  After getting our 2013 conference behinds us, many of had to put our nose to the grind stone and get back to doing those things that facilitate our volunteer efforts (our day jobs). The conference season is about wrapped up for 2013 and the folks in Alexandra on Duke Street are getting ready to close one chapter and open another.

The annual SHRM Leadership Conference is right around the corner. Traditionally, this is where year end awards are given and a figurative bow is put on the year, just as plans for the next year are announced.  Sadly, I will not be in attendance for this years event, although I have been able to attend more than my fair share of SHRM Leadership events.   The word on the street is that those who are allowed to attend may be changing.  We will have to see how this plays out.

Donna Rogers, MEd., SPHR

Another change that is taking place is some (perhaps all) of the MAC reps for SHRM will be moving on, turning in their jerseys. I am not sure about the status of all of the MAC reps, but I am aware of our own North Central Region.  Illinois' own Donna Rogers will have completed her one year term on the board.  We were proud to have her represent our region.  While we were not privy to all of their work I personally know that Donna poured her heart and soul into this effort and did all that she could to improve the process.  MAC reps are about as close as most of us SHRMies will get to the big guys.  So Kudos to Donna for a great job and making those of us from the Mid-West proud. Thus, I can safely say that Donna has set the bar high for the incoming North Central Region MAC rep.

Steve Browne (from his
twitter profile)

That person who will follow Donna is an enigma in Human Resources and here in the North Central Region. If you are active in this space you probably already know this.  Steve Browne a.k.a. @sbrownehr will be the new MAC rep from our region. I have no doubt that Steve will follow in Donna's path of challenging the powers that be and pushing for change and improvement. He's is not a bad guy, in fact he a great guy. He is just wired to push the envelope.

So from all of your friends (and there are a bunch of us) here in Illinois, we wish you the very best in your next endeavor with SHRM.  - Peace!!

- Dave Ryan Director of Social Media ISC SHRM

Dwane Lay and the ILSHRM13 Trilogy

Dwane Lay

Today we are going the share the third and final keynote address from #ILSHRM13.  Illinois SHRM BFF Dwane Lay was our closing keynote speaker on Tuesday. We were happy to move Dwane to the big stage and let him take on the entire crowd in one room. There is no doubt that he met the challenge (though you can judge for yourself).
.
Not only has Dwane become a great speaker, he is also getting noticed as a great organizer helping to raise significant amount of funds for charity both in 2013 and 2012  Dwane has spear-headed efforts for the bloggers to raise money for charity. The efforts were noticed too by SHRM President Hank Jackson in last months edition of HR Magazine.

So here it is... Dwane's presentation - wire to wire. Don't you think you better plan on joining us next year!

ILSHRM Opening Keynote Dr. Daniel Crosby

 

The 2013 Illinois SHRM Conference was opened by Dr. Daniel Crosby.  Dan was with us in 2012 but this year we brought him back and asked him to take the big stage at the Drury Lane.  Much of his talk was based on content from his recent book "You're Not That Great" - a must read (IMO).

The presentation was quite engaging and all of the remarks I heard at the conference center and at the hotel were positive.  So in case you missed the conference or were there and would like to relive the Monday morning session, just have a look see below - and once again thanks to the most excellent folks at JSTN for providing us with the video taping of the event.



Dr. Dan Crosby Keynote from Jonathan Sladek on Vimeo.



ILSHRM Day Two

Written on Tuesday...Day one of Illinois SHRM is now behind us and it is on to day two.  While the Social Media team did it’s best to send out tweets, and Facebook some of the detail of the event never rise to the surface, except to a very few of the organizers and event planners.

Monday was a really good day.  A high-energy event with lots of knowledge being shared, people interacting with one and other and an overall positive vibe to the event.  The as the end of the day came it was time for the conference attendees to relax a bit and move away from the conference venue.  It’s social time.  This year’s we gathered at The Clubhouse in Oak Brook Center.  From the Drury Lane to The Clubhouse is about a mile or so.  Some folks chose to walk while most drove.

I would estimate that 150 people or so attended the event. While that is a nice crowd it was probably about ¼ of the people at the event. The venue was nice with plenty of room.  People were mingling and chatting with one and other as they do at these events.  Often times the alcohol lowers the inhibitions and people get out of conference mode and really get to know one and other. (We all know this.) This is networking, most of us in this space love doing this.

At our meet-up food was provided and a free drink was offered to each of the attendees. This was a nice touch as well. It may be that the enticement of one free drink is enough to get someone to attend, who might otherwise not.  So the meet up came off without a hitch, not like some dysfunctional family event that ends in a name-calling battle or fist fight – you know, like you see in the movies.

So all of this niceness took place thanks to two people.  Our after-lunch keynote speakers Laurie Reuttimann and Kris Dunn were gracious enough to sponsor the event. So what does that mean?  I was not there for the whole conversation but my understanding is it kind of went down like this.  Kris and Laurie came up with the idea to present together for the first time and to do it at ILSHRM.  ILSHRM agreed to compensate them for their efforts, just like every conference does with their keynote speakers.  Then the two of them hatched out this plan for ILSHRM to have a sponsored meet up the night of the event.  And it closes like this; why don’t you just keep half of what you were going to pay us and use that to pay for the meet-up. In my book that is pretty damn magnanimous.

   

What this means is that no one can ever accuse Laurie and Kris of being in it for the money.  They are truly giving back to their profession. From all of us at Illinois SHRM, thanks for the wonderful presentation and thanks for sponsoring the event. You two really and truly are thought leaders and are advancing the profession. We were lucky to have the two of you team up and join us for this year's event.

Please enjoy their presentation in it's entirety right here (with a special thanks to our friends at JSTN).


Kris Dunn & Lauren Ruettimann Keynote from Jonathan Sladek on Vimeo.

ILSHRM13 Is Here

Putting together a SHRM state conference takes a lot of planning and coordinating the efforts of a lot of people.  On Sunday evening we were getting our human capital assets staged.  Many of the IL State Council volunteers are assembled at the conference hotel here in Oak Brook.  Many of the speakers and presenter arrived today.  The social media team has arrived and is on-site.  We are ready.  There was a gathering of this eclectic mix of folks on Sunday evening. Lead by Doug Shaw below is a little snipet of our team building exerecise.

As I looked around I began to take notice of all of the different geographical areas that were represented for various activities at the Illinois SHRM State Conference.  We have people here from the following locations:  IL, WI, MO, MI, OH, NE, NC, SC, TX, AL and England.  This is a pretty geographically diverse group. This should provide some very differing views to our 560+ attendees at the conference.  We are not just selling what we are doing here in Illinois.  

We have brought in some of the up and coming stars in the world of HR conference speakers and presenters.  We also have assemble a great social media team for 2013.  ILSHRM has provided a platform for many presenters to launch their careers. This year will be no different.

You can follow our tweet stream of #ILSHRM13 or visit our Facebook page or simply Google us to see what is going on.  Hopefully we will be posting some video as well.  

SHRM National Checkin' us Out

Illinois SHRM is proud to welcome SHRM Representatives Nancy Conway and Martha Ramirez to the ILSHRM 2013 conference. SHRM National will have a booth where you will be able to find these ladies. Stop by and meet them both – I highly recommend doing so!

This from Martha…

Attending ILSHRM is a fantastic way to obtain professional development, make connections, and get HR help.  After every state conference, we always hear first time attendees’ comment they wished they had attended the conference before.  Others comment they wished they attended the conference more often.  “HR People Helping HR People” is very evident at the IL SHRM State Conference! Take the time to develop yourself and make connections within the state.  It will save you time in the long run – really!

During the conference, please stop by the SHRM Booth to connect with me, Martha Ramirez, SPHR and Nancy Conway, SPHR your SHRM staff representatives!  We’ll have information on ways to get the HR help that you need.  Also, we’re giving away some fabulous prizes.  Drop off your business card at the SHRM booth to be entered into the drawing. See you there!

Martha     

Martha Ramirez, SPHR

Director, Western Region & North Central Field Services Director

Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM)

Phone: 703-535-6290

Mobile: 630-267-1944

Toll Free: 800-283-7476 x 6290

www.shrm.org

Plan Ahead - My #ILSHRM13 Schedule

I have had the good fortune to attend a lot of conferences in the last five years.  Thanks to an understanding employer, supportive leadership within  SHRM organization at various levels, an understanding spouse  and a number of other factors, I have been afforded these opportunities.  I have attended in numerous capacities as well. One thing that happens when you attend a lot of events is this, somehow attending a ton of sessions and scooping up all of the HRCI credits you can get diminishes in importance.  Why - I don't know but it does.

BUT I am going to resolve to be a better person and I am going to do my best to attend all three keynotes and I hope to make it to five breakout session (hopeful that my ILSHRM duties don't prevent me from doing so).

So after having spent a lot of time reviewing sessions and content I have made my pics. (This is just me and what works for me - all of the sessions will be great!)  All thee keynotes, I am in. I am gonna tweet like a fool while grabbing those HRCI credits - BAM!

Then ...

Monday at 10:15 AM 

Doug Shaw  Building Connected HR Leadership

Monday at 3:30 PM    

Maren Hogan The Next Generation of Social Recruiting Tools  (Paul Hebert gets a hardy Czar recommendation as I have seen him present several time - I have yet to see Maren present; Sorry Paul) 

Tuesday Day 2 7:30 AM
(This is where you see who stayed out too late and/or who is tough)

Lyndsay Stanton Effective use of Mobile Technology to Drive Talent Acquisition

Tuesday  10:45 AM

Crystal Miller The Digital Footprint: Leveraging your social network to attract Talent

Tuesday 1:30 PM

Susan Avello  Gaining a Competitive Advantage in a High Tech World

Now I did this the old fashioned way with paper and the highlighter.  But as my evening is winding down I went to the Iphone and looked up my Bizzabo Icon for ILSHRM.  The next thing you know I have signed up and picked all my session. They are now added to my calendar.  BAM - Susan Avello more great work on the conference app (see she really knows the tech stuff)  Do sign up because we can all see who is attending and what session you will be attending.

My secret now.. I sent off an email to one of the keynote speakers to see if  #*^$#@.  Can't say.

Size Matters

Size matters.. Bigger is Better - you have heard all of the cliches before. Well I beg to differ on these points and would toss out my own cliche ... It's Quality over Quantity! That my line and I am sticking to it!

While this is not a complaint it is simply a fact, our pre-conference registration numbers are down for 2013, and we know why.  THAT, however has not stopped or slowed all of the hard working volunteers from ILSHRM from putting together a fantastic line-up of keynote and breakout session, Along with this we have also assembled a talented team of social media folks to help us spread the news about our event, both leading up to and during the conference.

So we are getting close to go time, BUT it is still not to late for you to attend click right here to do so.

If you are sitting on the fence about attending I would like to offer some insight. Please indulge me to run down the keynote presentation line up, and give you some of my thoughts on our speakers.

Dr, Daniel Crosby - He is a real Doctor. He is a blogger.  He has done TED talks, he is an author and a father.  This guy is worth the price of admission alone (even if he won't return my phone calls.)

Laurie Ruettimann is co-presenting with Kris Dunn Mid day on Monday. In my opinion both Laurie and Kris are icons when it comes to Human Resources.  I have come to know these two through social media, while having had the opportunity to meet both of them IRL (in real life) as we say.  Laurie is an outspoken, opinionated sometimes bad girl of HR - but always entertaining and thought provoking. She is often quoted, she speaks a lot.  Kris is one of the brightest minds when it comes to HR and recruiting. He is also a prolific blogger. He is the founder of Fistful of Talent (a must read site for any HR Pro - IMO) and he has his own site The Human Capitalist. As an aside, Kris is a huge basketball fan and manages to often weave that into his thoughts and commentary about HR. If you don't believe me ask him about the eight-man rotation.

So put that Kris and Laurie formula together, stir it up, let it age a bit - and we will see how it turns outs.  If I had a grand to bet, I would go long on this presentation. I'll bet these two do a presentation that will be talked about for a year. Anyone care to bet me?

Our third Keynote presentation is from a guy that I have know for several years now. He comes from a royal humble HR background and now travels around the world country in his jet Mustang. Mr Dwane Lay is also a speaker, author, and someone who actually works in HR.  He come from a background of LEAN processes and often speaks about applying those process to HR. Dwane has also spear-headed fund-raising efforts for disadvantaged kids at SHRM 2012 in Atlanta and at SHRM 2013 in Chicago.  Dwane will no doubt bring his A+ game to Illinois SHRM.

Meanwhile, Susan Avello (ILSHRM volunteer extraordinaire) has assembled an informative collection of  videos from many of our breakout presenters as well. There are going to be some hugely memorable breakouts as well.   We will talk more about them later in the week.

So scroll back up to the top... oh never mind do it here ... to register for the conference.

I hope to see you at The Illinois SHRM 2013 Conference in Oak Brook, IL. I will be there along with many of the cool kids- you should be there too!

- Dave Ryan Director of Social Media ISC SHRM

The Conference Shouldn't End at the Conference Hall Door!

“I’m Brad and I’m an HR conference addict” - Please respond in unison “Hi Brad!"

The reality is that yes, I do enjoy state HR conferences and the reasons really do go beyond what one might ordinarily expect.  There are certainly great speakers to be heard, HRCI credits to earn (I’m not taking the SPHR exam again!) and enthusiastic vendors to meet.  I think it is my parental duty to bring back at least one souvenir to each of my children and my professional duty to have at least one new idea that can improve my workplace (or the workplaces of my clients!)

Beyond those obvious things, I cherish the opportunity to meet and talk to new people.  There are so many interesting stories to be learned and be shared.  I've been to multiple state conferences now of all sizes and times of year.  No matter where or when, I always come away knowing more about someone and getting the chance to see people who love what they do.  This satisfies one of my core beliefs in looking for the best in everybody. 

It bears remembering though that this requires some effort, and often, a little extra time.  Although sessions and time in exhibit halls can bring these moments, they are much more apt to occur after the conference’s official hours are over and attendees are gathered in more informal settings.  

I think back fondly to Louisiana SHRM and my conversation with Laurie Ruettimann and Lizzie Maldonado.  Although I know Laurie, I still learned more about her experience and life beyond HR and her cats.  Liz I hadn’t really known before and now I not only follow her on social media, but know and see firsthand the great vivacious person behind her twitter handle and her work at The Starr Conspiracy.  Moments like these happen everywhere from sitting down with John Jorgensen and Dave Ryan (both from Illinois) while in Ohio to meeting Travis Sinquefield from Michigan while at HREvolution in Chicago.  All great people who are so much more than their Twitter bio can describe!

So, if you’re attending one of the many great state HR conferences coming in the next few months, please take a little time and go out on a limb to meet some new people.  I guarantee that you will benefit from doing so!  I know I intend to meet new folks and gain insight from those I am fortunate enough to get to know during my time at Illinois SHRM from August 18-20 and at my own HR Indiana August 27-30, 2013.

About the Author:

Bradley D. Galin, SPHR,  is an executive coach and HR Leadership Consultant based in Portage, Michigan. In addition to his day job, Brad is also a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources, a 2006 graduate of Leadership Bloomington Monroe County, currently serves as the Director-at-Large for the Indiana State Council of SHRM, recently completed his MBA. Brad spent ten years as the Senior Director of Human Resources and Corporate Compliance Officer for Stone Belt Arc, Inc., a non profit organization with over 500 employees fulfilling its mission to prepare, empower, and support people with disabilities and their families throughout south central Indiana.You can usually find him talking over at RollerCoasterHR. We're happy to have him as part of our ILSHRM13 Social Press Team! 

Illinois State Council is near and I want to make the connection!

In a few weeks, about 500 HR professionals will descend upon Oakbrook, IL for the SHRM state conference. I'm

excited about ILSHRM because state conferences matter and here is why.

Yes, the national is important and it was just here in Chicago in June. Yes, it was expensive and many of you let us know about that. But, Illinois is my state. I am really interested in learning about all of the HR changes and issues going on at the local level. I want to know how we are dealing with new issues like healthcare.

Our volunteers work tirelessly to make this happen. State conference planners volunteer to make this the best for us and make it happen with very little money. They depend on our attendance and feedback to give us what we want. Countless hours are spent working on this event and they do it while balancing their regular personal and professional lives.

I attended ILSHRM12 last year. This was my first state conference and I got to meet many people in person, whom I had met via social media. The content was rich, the keynotes were fantastic and this year is no different.

Many say they don’t attend conferences because they are a waste of time. I disagree. It's a learning experience and a time to connect and share our experiences and how we do it in the trenches. I want to learn from all of you. I want to meet my peers and find different ways to do things. I want to know if I am the only one struggling with how to deal with a particular issue.

I don't get this opportunity very often. Social media is a great way to connect, but, contrary to what some may think, not everyone is on social media. I want to meet new HR pros, talk live, hear some laughter and share some experiences. Most importantly, I will not do karaoke, regardless of what you may have heard. 

About the Author:

John Hudson is currently an HR Manager with Discovery Communications and Harpo Studios in Chicago and has over 15 years of experience in the Human Resources field. He provides consultation and expertise in the areas of performance management, employee development, employee relations, compensation and recruiting. John has also worked in the insurance and consumer products environments supporting various departments including IT, Legal, Finance and Operations. John has a Bachelor’s degree in Education from Indiana University and the SPHR certification. Follow him on Twitter @johnphudson.

Meet your Social Media Team for our #ILSHRM13 Conference and Social Media Lab

We are gearing up for our upcoming #ILSHRM13 Conference in Oak Brook this year and have exciting

stuff headed your way.

If you'll remember, we had a fantastic Social Media Crew in town from all over the US and Canada to assist attendees with social media during last years ILSHRM12 conference and had great success. So, we decided to bring it again this year.

Social Media is now being used not only in Employment Branding but for Recruiting and Retention, Employee Engagement, but for HR Professionals personally to open them up to a global community of peers that can assist them with answers to questions when they need it, share their own knowledge and mentor others within their industry, and expanding their career network with like-minded individuals.

We have hand selected a few key individuals with backgrounds in HR and Community Building that really understand how to incorporate social media into the workplace, online networking, and a thousand other ways and with that we introduce you to our 2013 Social Media Team: 

Maren Hogan is a seasoned marketer and community builder in the HR and Recruiting industry. She leads Red Branch Media, an agency offering marketing strategy and content development. A consistent advocate of next generation marketing techniques, Hogan has built successful online communities, deployed brand strategies in both the B2B and B2C sectors, and been a prolific contributor of thought leadership in the global recruitment and talent space. Hogan speaks and writes on all career and workforce related subjects. Her clients include Fortune 500 companies and SMBs around the globe.

Nicole Ochenduski, PHR, is a Human Resources Professional, Speaker, 

and Trainer with a passion for using Social Media in the Workplace. She has over 10 years experience in the trenches of HR. She believes that Social Media is not a fad, but a "way of life." Making intentional connections through social is an everyday part of life. You can find her over at HR Roots.

Bradley D. Galin, SPHR,  is an executive coach and HR Leadership Consultant based in Portage, Michigan. In addition to his day job, Brad is also a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources, a 2006 graduate of Leadership Bloomington Monroe County, currently serves as the Director-at-Large for the Indiana State Council of SHRM, recently completed his MBA. Brad spent ten years as the Senior Director of Human Resources and Corporate Compliance Officer for Stone Belt Arc, Inc., a non profit organization with over 500 employees fulfilling its mission to prepare, empower, and support people with disabilities and their families throughout south central Indiana.You can usually find him talking over at RollerCoasterHR.

Matthew Stollak, Ph.D., SPHR is an Associate Professor of Business Administration at Saint Norbert College, where he teaches courses in management, human resource management, compensation, labor relations, and statistics.  He also serves as chapter advisor for the Saint Norbert College Student SHRM Chapter.  He regularly blogs at True Faith HR (truefaithhr.blogspot.com) and can be found on twitter @akaBruno.

Jonathan Brewer (aka Brew) is the Director of Awesome with BTC Revolutions, a digital and social agency that builds communities and ignites movements.  He is also the co-pilot of the LIVE Google+ hangout and tweetchat for My Community Manager. Brew is an expert in building communities that blend online and offline communications.  As a constant learner, and a self-proclaimed “geek translator” and “destroyer of silos”, his passion is connecting like-minded people from various disciplines including HR, IT, Marketing, and Sales. You can follow Brew on twitter @houseofbrew.

I'm personally looking forward to a fantastic conference this year and hope to see you there! Make sure you come up and say hello! And let us know how we can help you get Social!

About the Author:

Susan Avello  is a Social Media and Branding Strategist and Co-Founder of DiscoveringSocial.com

helping Job Seekers incorporate Social into their job search as well as HR and Recruiters develop a Social Business Strategy. She shares her knowledge of Social Media and Business, HR Technology and Employment Branding over at HR Virtual Cafe blog and SHRM WeKnowNext. She is a part of the social press team for SHRM annual conference and social media chair for Illinois SHRM State conference 2012 and 2013. Follow her on Twitter @susanavello.

#ILSHRM13 Official Monday Night Social

Annual conferences are packed with opportunities to learn, innovate and create action plans to take back to the office. At the end of the day most attendee's heads are filled with more information than they know how to process. Often, the best remedy for that is talking it out with other attendees who are going through the same thing.

ILSHRM13 keynote speakers, LaurieRuettimann and Kris Dunn want to give you a place to do that.

On Monday, August 19^th, Laurie and Kris invite you to join them for an after-hours social at The Clubhouse in Oakbrook. The social will begin right after the conference is over at 5pm and last until 7pm in order to give you time to grab some dinner and relax before day two begins.

Kick back, relax, and get to know Laurie, Kris and other conference attendees a little better.  Light appetizers and drinks will be provided.

The Clubhouse is located minutes from Drury Lane in the Oakbrook Mall. We will be coordinating rides for anyone without a car during the conference on Monday.

To register for the social visit: http://ilshrmafterhours.eventbrite.com/

ILSHRM Chapter by Chapter

This year we at Illinois SHRM would like to showcase each of our chapters.  That is to say talk with them and write a blog post about the group and what they are doing. Our local chapters are at the heart of SHRM so we want to let you know about your fellow SHRM members around the state.

Our first effort at this is with the Central Illinois Chapter of SHRM, also know as CIC-SHRM #223. So to find out more about the chapter I went right to the top to Chapter President Mary Curl.  Like so many of the volunteers at the local level Mary has served here local board for a long time.  She is heading into her 9th year on the board and is in the first of her two year presidency.

Mary is very proud of her 107 member chapter.  As part of SHRM's Shape Program The CIC-SHRM chapter was recognized as a Platinum Chapter for 2012.  Mary is pleased with the work of her board  for attaining this award.  Her chapter is the only one in Illinois to receive the top award from SHRM National.

Mary says one of the hardest things to do as a chapter is to retain current members, while recruiting new ones.  Membership is at the core of the chapter's on-going activities. Mary says, she has had so many people tell her that their employer will pay for a local SHRM membership, or for a National SHRM membership - but not both.  Mary says this is often an obstacle when it comes to recruiting members. Mary says she has been lucky thought, the chapter has always had top quality volunteers as the membership chairperson, which has help keep membership levels around 100 members.

Despite the challenges of recruiting members, Mary said that chapter meetings usually have 80 + members in attendance at it's bi-monthly meetings.  The chapter has lunch meetings, and meets on the campus of the University of Illinois at the Springfield Campus.  Mary says the members continue to enjoy the content that is provided and find the presentation relevant to their work and timely as to what the current HR hot buttons are.

After 9 years on the board you might think that Mary could be growing weary of her volunteerism.  But she explains that away by saying that her employer is most supportive of her volunteer work. In fact,, as part of a membership organization herself, Mary has become the go to person for her association when it comes to HR issues.

Mary looks for the Springfield chapter to continue to grow steadily and put forth new efforts. Mary says they have established a mentoring program and continue to support a local program called Dress for Success.

Asked what she gets our of her volunteer efforts, Mary says that she love the networking and getting to meet new people, people that she would not have met had she not be an active volunteer SHRM Leader.


-Dave Ryan Director of  Social Media ISC SHRM

ILSHRM Conference and SlideKlowd Partner to Help You Experience True Engagement!

The annual state conference prides itself on bringing emerging trends to its attendees. We have been a leader amongst other state conferences in ensuring that our topics and workshops are on the forefront of what is happening in the world of human resources. This year will be no different.

In an effort to allow our presenters to not only share content, but have actual conversations with attendees we are excited to announce a partnership with SlideKlowd.

SlideKlowd is an application that allows presenters and attendees to better engage with one another in real time.  Using any smartphone, tablet or laptop running the vapp, presenters can push content to a user's device. This could be the actual presentation, questions or polls or other content such as YouTube videos. At the same time, attendees can interact with the presenter by reacting to a poll, answering a question or raising their hand. It also allows for saving of a presentation to use for reference material later.

The most exciting thing about SlideKlowd for me is the measurement tool. One of the most stressful parts about putting together a conference is choosing speakers. I want to make sure that every speaker who graces our stage or concurrent sessions leaves you thinking. It is my goal that you learn and grow from every session you attend. With so many speaker submissions, it is not always easy to know who is going to be able to do this effectively. With SlideKlowd, the attendee, just by interacting (or not) is going to be able to give both the speaker and the conference committee real feedback about the session, topic and presenter. Just by using the app, the 2013 attendees of ILSHRM are going to be able to help us make the 2014 conference even better.

So bring your laptop or mobile device, download the SlideKlowd app and get ready for an extra level of engagement.

If you have not registered for the 2013 ILSHRM conference do so today! Early bird registration ends July 1, 2013. To register, click here.

Sabrina Baker, PHR  - ILSHRM Conference Chair

HR Helping HR

The theme of this year's ILSHRM conference is HR Helping HR and we have plans to do just that. In this post I highlighted the keynote speakers who will be taking the stage to impart their wisdom with us. If you haven't read it yet, go check it out. Go ahead, I will wait.

Now that you are pumped about that I wanted to share another exciting event happening just before the actual conference begins. On Sunday, August 18, 2013 from 2-6pm at the Hilton Suites (located right next door to the Drury Lane), we will be hosting an event targeted at both social recruiters and social job seekers. Before I explain the event, let me give you a little background.

Over the past few years, ILSHRM has been a leader in highlighting emerging trends in HR. One of those emerging trends has and continues to be, social media. We have offered workshops, concurrent sessions and a cool Social Media Lab (which will make its appearance again this year) all focused on helping attendees gain a better understanding of social media usage in the workplace. Over and over we hear how attendees want more information targeted towards social recruiting.

At the same time we realize that as a profession, HR has been hit hard by the economy. Many human resource professionals have found themselves on the other side of the unemployment line for the first time in many years. Going from hiring manager to job seeker is no easy task, especially when the rules have completely changed. At last year's conference I was approached specifically by several individuals who asked if there was anything ILSHRM could do to help them in their job search.

In thinking about those two requests, this Sunday event is what I have come up with. We want to take social recruiting and pick it apart. We will talk about where, how and why. We will give you tools and resources to use and actionable items you can implement immediately. THEN we are going to reverse engineer that for the job search process.  We will highlight how job seekers can use a similar social media strategy on their side of the employment line. Oh and sometimes when recruiters and job seekers get into a room together, jobs happen. I'm just saying.

This event is for any HR pro currently looking for work and any HR pro looking to learn how to incorporate social recruiting into your current or future candidate strategy. The event will be led by both HR practitioners and social media aficionados so attendees get the best balance of information.

The cost of the event is $50 and is considered separate from the actual conference.  To register for the event or overall conference, click here.

We are very excited to be able to offer this special event and hope you will join us for this and the rest of the conference in August.

Sabrina Baker, PHR  - ILSHRM Conference Chair

ILSHRM News

Today post is from  Cathy S. Plouzek, PHR ILSHRM Directors– Spring 2013

Hey ya’ll!  Happy Spring …

In my last update, I outlined the direction and vision for ILSHRM for the next couple of years.   Our theme is simple -- ILSHRM is HR people helping HR people.  During our Annual Leadership conference last January, we used this theme to help refine the ILSHRM Purpose, Mission, and Vision –

Purpose
We promote and support the interests, success and needs of our members and the Illinois HR community
Mission:
Lead and serve our members as well as the entire Illinois HR community by providing timely and relevant information, ongoing professional development opportunities, and intra-state communication on issues of interest in the field of human resources.
Vision:
Be the “HR HUB” and unifying voice in Illinois, supporting HR professionals, business leaders, legislators and our communities.

One of the many ways we promote and support the interests, success and needs of our members and the Illinois HR community is to offer and/or support five major conferences throughout the year:

ILSHRM Leadership Conference – January

ILSHRM and CIC-SHRM Legislative Conference – April

SHRM Annual Conference and Exposition – June 16-29, 2013

ILSHRM State Conference – August 18-20, 2013

SHRM Leadership Conference – November 21-23, 2013

The ILSHRM Leadership Conference is our annual conference targeted at the volunteer board members of our ILSHRM Chapters. The focus of this conference is to offer volunteer leaders a chance to network and learn best practices that will help them strengthen the work of their local SHRM Chapter. Each year this conference offers a deeper understanding of how SHRM, the Illinois State Council of SHRM and Chapters support the HR Professional.  

We had over 130 chapter leaders attend ILSHRMLead13 – our largest Leadership Conference to date!  Plans are underway for ILSHRMLead14 and I am very excited to announce that Pamela J. Green, MBA, SPHR – President and Founder at Power Project Institute LLC and Former Vice President/Chief Membership Officer at SHRM will be our keynote speaker.  Check out her promo video and stay tuned for more exciting details.

In the past several years, ILSHRM and CIC-SHRM has teamed up to host an Annual Legislative

Conference in Springfield.  Our focus at this conference is to introduce the importance of advocacy and to educate the attendees on the latest trends and changes in employment law.   As an advocate for the HR community, it is important that we keep our elected officials informed on how public policy issues can affect employees, employers, and the HR profession as a whole.  ILSHRM has a group of dedicated volunteers that work with paid lobbyists to stay abreast of the latest issues that affect HR.  This year about 20 HR Pros traveled to the Illinois State Capitol and dropped off ILSHRM fact sheets to our elected Representatives and their Staff.  

Illinois is excited to host the SHRM Annual Conference and Exposition, June 16-19, in Chicago.  This year’s conference will feature keynote presentations from Fareed Zakaria, Blake Mycoskie, Dan Pink, and Mark Kelly, plus over 200 concurrent sessions and the world's largest HR exposition.  A special thank you goes out to Chicago SHRM … All volunteer positions are filled!

The Illinois HR Conference & Exposition is the annual conference of ILSHRM. Each year the event attracts over 600 human resource professionals and vendors throughout the state of Illinois and across the nation. Programs presented at the conference cover all aspects of the SHRM Body of Knowledge. In addition to multiple educational opportunities, attendees will also be able to network with fellow human resource professionals, check out the latest and greatest services offered by the top human resource vendors and have some fun at our social events.   Check out this video and watch keynote speaker Jason Lauritsen leads us in our first ILSHRM Flashmob.  Join in on the fun – August 18-20, at Drury Lane Dinner Theatre in  Oakbrook Terrace.  Registration is now open. 

HR ROCKS! HR ROCKS! HR ROCKS!

The SHRM Leadership Conference is an event designed to give key SHRM volunteers the opportunity to gain information about their volunteer role, network with peers, share effective practices and challenges across regions, and engage with SHRM staff.  This conference also features Capitol Hill Visits where we have an opportunity to join fellow SHRM volunteer leaders and the SHRM Government Affairs staff for a trip to the US Capitol. 

I hope I’ve given you the information you need to consider joining us at any or all of these conferences.  If

not, please connect with me using the media listed below.  A conference is a great place to learn and meet people.  This is networking in its truest form!  You communicate with people daily on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.  Conferences are where you can actually meet people in real life, put a face to the name, and build your ILSHRM Network.  

ILSHRM Capitol Visit 2013… a Great Success

Today's post is from Brian Spencer. He is our intern this semester at ILSHRM as well as RogersHR Consulting.  He will be graduating this May from UIS with a degree in Management and focused on beginning a new career in HR.  He has been a tremendous asset to us in promoting the Advocacy Program here in the state and help coordinate projects for the upcoming Legislative Conference this April.  Connect with him on Linkedin

We had a fantastic group of HR folks travel down to the State Capitol Building this year!  This is the fourth year that we have had our spring conference and capitol visit and the first year that it has rained so I guess we should count our blessings.  Everyone took the weather in stride.  Some car pooled over the few blocks and some of us walked with umbrellas as the rain started to lighten up; falling gently but steadily down rather than sideways.  We met in the rotunda for a few group pictures before descending on our individual local official’s offices.  Many of us even used the tunnel, connecting the Capitol building to the Stratton building next door, for the very first time!

Those who visited the Illinois Statehouse as part of the Legislative Conference

We had our plan of attack ready before we left the conference.  For those of us who knew our official’s names we looked up their office numbers for those that did not we were able to look up our district and get the information we needed.  Then we had a quick debriefing on how to get around the facilities and to best introduce ourselves.  Then we set out wielding our fact sheets and business cards in hopes of meeting with our elected officials.  (Appointments are rather difficult to get more than a few days in advance when the legislators are in session here in Springfield.  Their schedules are much more flexible while at the local offices, but then you don’t have the opportunity to see the legal process in action!)  For some, it was our first time to see the state legislature in session, since our fourth-grade field trip to the Capitol - or ever.  Others were able to help direct traffic because of their familiarity with the facility.  It was fascinating to sit in the gallery and observe the bills being debated and voted upon.  I can’t promise that every bill is exciting as the scenes in the recent movie Lincoln, but it is a tremendous learning experience nonetheless. 

I loved hearing so many great stories coming from those that participated in the experience.  It is great to have so many of us to share in the excitement of the day together.  Overwhelmingly, the experiences were quite positive in dealings with the staff as well as some who were able to meet with their legislators that day!  We hope to be sharing some of those success stories in the weeks ahead.  I expect that several of us will have the opportunity to continue these new relationships in the local offices in the months ahead.  As those relationships begin to flourish, we will have more capacity to help educate our legislators in the world of HR and offer our unique perspectives into how potential legislation can impact our businesses and our workforce.  My hope is that by this time next year we will have even more of us to help lead the way for the others who are joining the wave of Advocacy for the first time.  If you have an interest in getting involved

with your local legislators click here and we will get some basic information to you to help equip you to make an impact where you live and work.