Tim Sackett - The Most Powerful Man in HR

Kyle Lagunas

Today's guest post is from Kyle Lagunas. He is  the HR Analyst at Software Advice – a company that does human resources software reviews. On the surface, it's his job to contribute to the ongoing conversation on all things HR. Beyond that, he makes sure his audience is keeping up with important trends and hot topics in the industry. Focused on offering a fresh take on points of interest in his market, he's not your typical HR guy.

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Tim Sackett
(Presenter at ILSHRM11)

Though my inbox and Twitter feed are flooded daily, rare is the article that catches my eye quite like a recent piece published by Fistful of Talent. It posed a simple question: “Is Tim Sackett the Most Powerful Man in HR?” The answer (“Yes.”) was news to me. After reading Sackett’s piece, I was left with another, more pressing question: Who exactly is this guy?

Having determined that his was a brain worth picking, I scheduled a Q&A with Sackett and quickly found out he’s an HR veteran with a big personality. When I asked him how he got into HR, Sackett said that, like a lot of college kids, “You just fall into something. You either like it and do well, or you don't and you start looking for something else.” 

Fresh out of college, his mother – the CEO at HRU Technical Services – offered him a sourcing position as a research assistant. From there, he launched into a 10-year career in corporate HR before returning to take the reins at HRU. Now the Executive VP, Sackett seems to have found his place in the HR world and, thankfully, was willing to share his lessons learned.

Q: HOW CAN RANK-AND-FILE HR PROS BRING THEIR HR DEPARTMENT UP TO SPEED WITH LIMITED RESOURCES?

Sackett: If you have limited resources, the only thing that is going to help you become more efficient is technology.

The only way you are going to do more with less is to utilize the technology that you have available to you, and to educate yourself.

Everyone should be using Google Reader. There are organizations out there that drive a community of HR professionals that share resources and information, and all you have to do is subscribe to them to get their updates in your inbox. I also use Twitter, and at any minute I could go out there and say, “I'm looking for a total comp statement to use.” I have roughly 3,500 Twitter followers, and within five minutes I will have five people send me a link or an email of a total comp statement that they put together.

At that point, I'm not just one single HR professional in northern Wisconsin working on my own. I have all these people who are saying, "Let's use this community to really go out and drive better HR in our organizations individually.” But you’ve go to plug in first.

Q: BEYOND YOUR PHONE, EMAIL, AND THE INTERWEBS, WHAT’S ONE PIECE OF TECHNOLOGY EVERY HR PROFESSIONAL SHOULD HAVE?

Sackett: There's some basic automation in HR that you need to be effective. For me, an applicant tracking system is invaluable. You have to find a way not only to process incoming talent, but also to go back and find that talent that has found you already. When I first started at HRU as a research assistant, I worked with file cabinets full of resumes. A recruiter would say, "I need a Process Engineer.” That's file 63, and the file would literally be five inches thick of resumes. You would start calling and looking at notes people wrote on them six months ago. Really from that experience, I can tell you that an applicant tracking system is worth its weight in gold. You're always going to get your return on investment from that standpoint.

For further reading, check out the full Q&A on Kyle's blog:

-Thanks To Kyle and Tim for a wonderful post - Dave Ryan Director of Social Media ISC SHRM.

Ohio SHRM 2011 - Thought About Attending?

The Final Countdown is here. The Ohio 2011 SHRM Conference is soon.  It promises to be great event starting Sept. 21 and running through Sept. 23. Here are some details from Conference Chair Steve Brown

I was running over the program details and compiled this list of people (in no particular order) who will be speaking at OHSHRM11.

| Mark Stelzner | Mike VanDerort | Benjamin Mc Call | Paul Hebert | William Tincup| China Gorman |Stephanie Thomas | Bill Boorman | Jennifer McClure |

And that list is just the people that I know.  There are a number of other presenters as well. And just because I am not familiar with their work means nothing. They may, in fact be the best presenters of the conference.

This conference, just like the Illinois conference is put on by ALL volunteers.  Steve tells me that I am going to meet a fabulous group of volunteers in Ohio.  He should know. The event currently has over 700 people from five states and Canada registered.

Ok, so why are we trumpeting what is going on in Ohio here on the ILSHRM Blog Site? There are two reasons.  First, I was born in Ohio – Toledo/Lucas County to be exact so I am forever connected to Ohio.  Secondly and probably more importantly, at least two of us from Illinois SHRM will be attending to learn, observe and share at the event.  John Jorgensen and I (Dave Ryan) will be attending.

As the Director of Social Media for ILSHRM, I had certain obligations at the Illinois Conference, albeit far less than my fellow traveler John.  I know I speak for both of us when I say I am excited to be attending as a participant, a blogger, a tweeter – someone who gets to attend and take in the conference, learn from the sessions, see some old friends and make some new ones.

Watch for out tweets from the event and we will see you at the Kalahari Resort in Sandusky, OH.

-Dave Ryan Director of Social Media ISC SHRM

Guest Post From Charlie Judy - a.k.a. HRFishbowl

Charlie working his magic at ILSHRM11

It was my pleasure playing Master of Ceremonies at this year's Illinois SHRM Conference in Oak Brook. What an amazing community showing! We left feeling smarter, invigorated, and maybe even optimistic about our profession, its future, and the tremendous value we might bring our organizations. And then maybe some of us fell back into our routines and fell prey to the competing priorities, multiple commitments, and the myriad distractions that pepper our lives. And it suddenly got harder to keep that energy flowing. The batteries started to drain and the lights dim. That’s cool…it happens…and it’s not really your fault.

The beauty of this year’s conference was that many of the presenters and speakers share their goodness each and every day through their blogs. You don’t have to wait until the next conference for them to impart their wisdom. Subscribe to their blogs (all it takes is a ‘click’ and zero dollars) and their knowledge, expertise, perspective will automatically flow to your Readers (or your Email box if you prefer) with tender loving care. Here’s a beginners guide to who you might strongly consider subscribing to. All of these Talent Management Bloggers were at the 2011 Illinois SHRM Conference.

In no particular order…

The Blog of Ryan Estis, Passion on Purpose: “[His] premise is passion at work occurs most often when the right person, in the right job is supported through very intentional and strategic action by an organization. Where leadership is aligned with the mission, vision and values and employees are the ultimate extension of the brand.”

The Joe Gerstandt Blog, Illuminating the Value of Difference: “…helping people and groups of people truly understand diversity, inclusion, and culture so they can deliver better on their promises. His work is not about tolerance, sensitivity, or compliance; it’s about letting the dog off the leash.”

The Jason Lauritsen Blog, Transforming Business through Talent: “… [helping] transform human resources teams into business leaders who help the organization succeed by unleashing the talent of its people.”

HR Fishbowl, Charlie Judy: "HR Simply-Engineered...it's about humans for goodness sake. Getting back to the basics of strong connections, good relationships, personal attention, customization, and simplified processes are what he believes to be more important than anything the broader HR community is currently focused on."

The China Gorman Blog: ”Leading organizations that support HR professionals all over the world in making their organizations more competitive and more profitable with highly engaged and productive employees.”

Lean HR Blog, Dwane Lay: “…a firm believer that everyone should spend some of their formative years in a function other than the one they choose as their career path.”

Unbridled Talent, Jennifer McClure: “recruiting/social recruiting, employment branding and leadership/career development”

HR Schoolhouse, Robin Schooling: “there’s a need for folks in HR to keep learning and growing and [she] encourages curiosity, conversation and change.”

The Working Caregiver, Susan Avello: “walking you through work / life issues while sharing [her] own.”

The Human Racehorses, Mike Vandervort: “[shares his] thoughts, rants, advice, training and consulting in human resources, labor relations, and social media.”

The Tim Sackett Project, Tim Sackett: “open dialogue with other HR/Talent Pros…to help in [his] development as a professional and to throw out ideas that challenge our daily perception of how HR should be done.”

Marenated, Maren Hogan: “travel…technology…recruiting/HR…parenting/marriage…boots/cereal”

HR Tailgate, John Jorgensen: “discussing all things HR and then some…”

Rogers HR Warrior, Donna Rogers: “much “to do” about the Illinois State Council of SHRM”

Radical Recruit, Geoff Webb: recruiting, talent, social media, and lots of video.

The Jason Seiden Blog, Jason Seiden: “[his] blog is profersonal™. It blurs the line between professional and personal”

Blogging 4 Jobs, Jessica Miller-Merrell: “intended to be honest, creative, and offer an unconventional POV for the HR, Business, & Human Capital Management industries.”

HR Chatterbox, Sabrina Baker: “All things HR…with special attention given to leadership, communication and building relationships.”

H.R. Official, Dave Ryan: “making light of both of his passions of hockey and human resources.”

HR Soot, William Gould: “learning through the incomplete combustion of people matters.”

Just Joan, Joan Ginsberg: “Where business meets personal, because you can’t separate work and life.”

Lunch Conversations with Drive Thru HR, William Tincup and Bryan Wempen: hear from real HR peeps (#TrenchHR) about the great things they are doing in the world of talent…on live radio…every day.

The greatest thing about blogs is that everyone has their voice…you just have to find the ones that speak to you most. Pick a few from this list of great HR speakers, experts, pundits and subscribe to their blogs: click through and read their posts every now and then. You’ll laugh a bunch, scratch your head, and probably get angry and grind your teeth here and there; your perspective will broaden and you’ll challenge yourself maybe more than anyone else can. But more importantly, you’ll stay well connected to the Illinois SHRM community and the HR profession…in perpetuity.

Looking forward to seeing you in 2012!

Charlie Judy

ILSHRM Master of Ceremonies