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.