I am a self-proclaimed social butterfly.  I would prefer to stay awake all night and socialize than to sleep.  I’m not sure why I was built this way, but I was.  Perhaps it was my very social parents… maybe living abroad… I’m not really sure.

I am sure that some people attend conventions to learn all the latest and greatest trends.  Some people probably go to reinforce past lessons.  Surely there are many reasons for attending career-related conventions like SHRM.  My reasons, however, revolve almost entirely around meeting new people and sharing new experiences together.

This was the first time that I had attended the SHRM conference.  I didn’t really know what to expect or what to look for – no real comparative benchmark I suppose.  So, I went in to it with a child-like curiosity.

I wasn’t interested in learning about the nitty-gritty of HR since I’m not an HR practioner, but I was interested in learning about the personalities that make up the HR world.  I was also really excited to meet the Blogger and Twitter friends that I had made over the past four months!

The Blogging/SM Crowd

The most common question I’ve received since returning home has been about the blogging group that attended the conference.  It seems that there is some real interest in who this group is and what they are like in person.  My answer has been and will continue to be simple.

The group that is involved with social media as it applies to HR and Recruiting seems to be, for the most part, very down to earth.  My quick take… in alphabetical order:

• Cheesman seemed like a pretty chilled out kind of guy
• Franny… well, you just want to give her a hug… big smiles and very nice!
• Jennifer was always very focused (she had a bunch of interviews to do)
• Kris and Jessica are both very ambitious and have a lot of vision for their site
• Lance is very easy-going and fun to chat with – very intelligent
• Laurie does not go around biting off people’s heads (in public anyway)
• Mark is about the coolest individual anyone could hope to meet – seriously
• Mary Ellen is wicked smart and easy to have a conversation with
• Mike knows his stuff and is a lot of fun to bounce ideas off of
• Sharlyn is very smart (I wish I could have chatted with her more)

I sure hope I didn’t forget anyone… hmmm.  Did I?

Anyway, the moral of this story is a pretty simple one.  There is some talk about conventions becoming virtual in the future.  A time and a place when we won’t have to meet in person, in a foreign city, thrown out of our “norm,” to sit through days of convention stuff.

I don’t want it to go there.  There is way too much value in spending time with new and old friends… reconnecting and creating new stories together.

What’s To Come

I have a bunch of things to write about from the SHRM conference… but, I know that everyone does as well.  So, beyond the 2-3 “must write” topics that I’m going to put out, is there anything that you want to know about from my experience at SHRM?  Were you left wondering about a particular aspect of the conference?  If so, drop a comment and ask.

It was great meeting everyone in person!  Thank you for adding new stories to my life experience.  Hopefully we will have more great times ahead!

Photo Credit, Kristi Jones

I wasn’t sure what to expect from Jack Welch‘s speech today at the SHRM conference.  Let’s face it… it’s Jack Welch – it wasn’t cheap for SHRM to get him here.  With that cost comes a set of pretty high expectations from an HR crowd that has undoubtedly gone through a bit of a financial rough patch of late.

The conference started out with a bunch of lights… a typical New Orleans style band… and, of course, a few speeches (one of which came from the new CEO of SHRM Lon O’Neil).

Finally, Jack Welch was introduced.  The style of delivery chosen was a Q&A session… which I found to be pretty interesting.  Instead of a “talk at you” set-up, they went the informal conversation route – a good idea I thought.

I frantically Tweeted throughout the entire speech.  Little tidbits offered by a person that is arguably one of the most influential figures in business today.

When all was said and done, I headed outside to ponder what I had just listened to.  Trying to wade through the thick list of business-appropriate messages, I was left with two that stood out above the rest.

Control

Take control of your career.  Take control of your strategic position within your organization.  Take control of the message that your company is sharing.  As an HR professional, quit laying down and taking it.  Pushing paper should not be your forte – but, you are going to have to put your foot down first.

HR is an extremely important function within organizations today, but the professionals that dedicate to it have been pushed to the back.  It’s time to grab the bull by the horns and make your voice heard.

Trust

Trust was a bit different and I loved it!  Selfishly, I liked it because it reinforced some of the thoughts that I have been sharing over the past few months.  I also enjoyed it because he delivered it as a warning more than as a random piece of advice.

Jack stressed that companies are changing.  The ability to attract talent in the future will be tougher because the focus is going to be heavily placed on an organization’s ability to provide something different, fun… engaging!  Our ideas on good work environments and engaging professional pursuits are going to be tossed on their heads.  We have to give employees something more than stability… we have to give them a place that they enjoy hanging out at.  A place that will open their minds and undoubtedly shoot for their hearts.  This will be the future of talent engagement.

He also stressed communication and how it ties in to trust.  Jack said to forget about creating messages for different tracks… the media, in-house, customers, etc… you are who you are.  People will see through and distrust companies that can not be open and consistent.

Ha!  Sounds an awful lot like the social media dialogue…

Trust, consistency… what makes someone stand out in social media is the very model that will make companies stand out going forward.  As HR professionals, Jack is challenging you to confront the status quo and to get interested in the message.  Step up!

So… that’s it.  That’s what I took away from Jack Welch.  As for the investment to have him at the conference, I think it was worth it.  If 5% of that room left with a better sense of the future, I think that the fee will be paid back 10 fold over the next few years.

Now I’m off to wander the streets of New Orleans for a bit.  This “Live Blogging” thing feels like a big responsibility… so, I’m taking as many pictures as possible and posting them to my Twitter page.

What did you take away from hearing Jack Welch?  Do you disagree?  Speak up… this should be a dialogue.

The annual SHRM conference is right around the corner and I’m getting pretty excited about the whole thing.  For starters, I’ve never been to a SHRM Annual Conference… sounds so official and important!  I’m sure that it’s going to be great.

SHRM has issued me a press pass for this year’s event, so I will be “live blogging” during my visit.  I’m not really sure what it means to “Live Blog,” but I’m kind of hoping to just wander around most of the time and find things that wouldn’t normally be talked about.  That’s my plan anyway…

So, I’m going to be blogging, making some videos and (OF COURSE) sending out messages via Twitter on the #SHRM09 hashtag line.

About three weeks ago, SHRM asked me to put together a training video on the basics of Twitter.  I had the privlege of providing China Gorman (COO of SHRM) some tips and hints on the topic, so it seemed natural to take it a step further.

Some of you that are reading this probably know Twitter like the back of your hand.  However, a number of you, your friends and your colleagues do not.  I’m not saying that Twitter is for everyone… but, it is pretty awesome once you learn how to use the tool!

I spent some time putting together a 20 minute crash course on how someone should get started.  By the time you are finished, you will have a complete and functioning profile on Twitter.  You will also understand the basic communication methods employed and how you can go about searching for particular topics of interest.

Here you go!

Twitter Essentials – Part I & II

Have fun, be good and I’ll see you on Twitter!

Very special thanks to Josuee Lope for his help getting these videos to function on my site!  If you aren’t already following him on Twitter… you should be!  He is an IT Wizard with a great personality!  Thank you Josuee!

Photo Credit, SashaW

With so many online creations, it’s really hard for everyone to keep up with the latest and the greatest.  Let’s face it… we would be talking about more than a full time job.  I do my best to know what’s happening in the realm that is pertinent to my business, but certain things completely miss my radar every once and a while.  I had one of those moments the other day when I read this article on Mashable about a company called Glassdoor.com.

In case you’ve missed this very interesting site, you have to start by reading their “About Us” section.  If you want to skip the link jumping, the very basic overview is that Glassdoor.com is a site for sharing information about salaries, interview processes and ratings on companies.  In essence, it’s becoming “the place” to share information and learn about your current, past and future employers.  Oh yes, and it’s free for everyone to use.

You should seriously link over to their website and read the description, as I do them no justice in giving you the full narrative of how they came to be.

So, back to stumbling across the Mashable article and why I was interested.  At first glance, I was a little bit shocked with the idea that interview processes and salary information were going to be openly shared… as this isn’t something that I’ve seen many companies willingly disclose to the public at large.  If they had, it usually involved some sort of legal action.  So here we have a site that is rapidly becoming a free exchange platform for all of this “secret” information… talk about pushing the transparency envelope!

SHRM Staffing Management Panel

So, while sitting on the panel in Las Vegas, Stephanie Lloyd brought up Glassdoor.com to the audience as the discussion sided towards the question of transparency.  It seemed very obvious that there were some mixed emotions in the room about the open disclosure of this type of information to the world.  On one side, you are going to have employers that are absolutely against this sort of disclosure… on the other, you will have companies that invite the inspection and realize how positive it can be for their brands.

In the long run, the talent market will judge secretive companies in a much different way.  Society has a tendency to equate secrecy with that which is bad… like it or not, that’s the reality.  So, if you want to be a true “employer of choice” going forward, I might recommend a budget allotment for glass cleaner.  Let the detailing begin!

Interview with Tim Besse

Since leaving the conference, I’ve been really curious to learn more about Glassdoor.com.  I was kindly offered the opportunity to interview the Co-Founder of the organization, Tim Besse.

Going in to the interview, I did my best to leave preconceptions about the product elsewhere.  What I found, after speaking with Tim, was a company that has a true sense of what transparency, open accountability and community is all about.

Get familiar with their website – play around with it a bit.  In “Part 2″ I will go over the very interesting conversation that I had with Tim.  I think that you will be pleasantly surprised by both his vision and the inspiration for starting this organization.

How do people feel about your organization? Are you sure? Really?

Photo Credit to Enggul for the funny picture of the man kissing glass!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFdb-OMsa-M

I made it back home to San Antonio in one piece.  The trip to Las Vegas was great!  Over the course of three days I was able to meet face-to-face with a number of people that I’ve communicated with for some time and even make some new friends.

Whoever said that people don’t read Twitter bios was crazy!  I found this out very quickly when I was asked on three occasions if I brought my guitar.  If you haven’t read my bio on Twitter, the last sentence says “Official campfire guitarist by night…”  Now, I’ve been known to travel with her before, but I didn’t think there would be an opportunity on this SHRM excursion.

So, I made a few promises since I had a lapse in judgment and I agreed to film this.  I must admit, it’s a little bit awkward to see myself on a video… even more so when I’m playing guitar.  But, a promise is a promise… so, here you go!

On a somewhat related note, we’ve all heard about this concept of “transparency” in social media.  In fact, I’ve gone so far as to teach people what it means.  Taking the next step of sharing something previously reserved to the confines of my home was/is a stretch.  The great news is that I should be able to connect on a whole new level with all of those functional campfire guitarists in the world!  And with the singers of the world, this should make you feel really great about your progress!

How far have you stretched yourself?  Has it resulted in connecting with people you previously would not have?

Day 2 at the SHRM Staffing Management conference here in Las Vegas was a lot of fun!  From the mingling around with the guests to the presentation to the dinner with the SHRM team… all in all, it’s been a very worthwhile adventure!

Yesterday was mainly spent working on the presentation and then meeting with attendees afterward to discuss social media.  There were a bunch of great questions from the audience, but the one that stuck out in my mind the most was about the legality issues that may accompany social media in HR.

More than a few people asked about the risks of reviewing a person’s social media presence as it relates to discovering information that they legally should not have prior to making a hiring decision.  They raise a great question.  Unfortunately, I’m not in a position to communicate the legal ramifications of using this platform… so, I’ll leave it up to you.

Does your company have a policy about reviewing social media?  If so, is it driven from the legal risks?  What are they?

At the end of the day, I had the opportunity to break bread with a number of the executive leadership team members from SHRM.  We had a great discussion about social media and what’s going on in the future with the organization.  I knew it the first time I spoke with China Gorman (COO of SHRM) and it was only reinforced again – SHRM is very interested in learning about their community.  While this process of discovery will not happen over night, I think that everyone will be pleasantly surprised with the future of the organization.  Regardless of the final form, it will be defined by and driven by the overall SHRM community.

One other individual that I had the opportunity to speak with was Ryan Estis.  Ryan was one of the speakers at the convention in Las Vegas.  He specializes in teaching corporate recruiting departments to implement sales into their recruiting process.  Great guy with a solid message for everyone.

So… the time has come, the end is near.  I’m packing my bags and leaving on a jet plane back to San Antonio, TX.  Thanks for staying up with the happenings at the conference!  Hopefully I won’t catch Swine Flu on the trip back home.

Given one option, what would you change about SHRM?

First and foremost, let’s start by recapping on what SHRM is and what they do…

Per the official SHRM website:

“The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) is the world’s largest association devoted to human resource management. Representing more than 250,000 members in over 140 countries, the Society serves the needs of HR professionals and advances the interests of the HR profession. Founded in 1948, SHRM has more than 575 affiliated chapters within the United States and subsidiary offices in China and India.”

So, now that you have a recap, let’s dig in to my interview with China Miner Gorman, the COO of SHRM.

Q&A from HR Professionals

Last week I sent out a request to the HR professionals in Texas and around the country that I have worked with in the past.  The response with questions was overwhelming.  I narrowed them down a bit and chose a few to use in the interview with China.  It was evident after the first few email responses from my contacts that HR Professionals are very interested in social media and how it will impact their roles in the future!

Social Media – Questions

Q: How will SHRM prepare me as a professional to leverage social networking technologies?

A: Part of it is engaging with SHRM on our new website and with our new platform now and in the future as we design new applications. These communities will be geared towards the community itself. Users will be able to establish any sort of community they like. Not only will you be able to connect and engage with other HR users, you will have instant access to valuable information to share with others. You will be able to find, link to and share content from the site. As we continue to learn about the tools we will be adding them to our community.

Q: Has technology expanded to a point where it should be a separate specialized area taught for certification such as compensation and benefits?

A: That’s a great question! SHRM is in the process of researching the need within the HR world. It would not surprise me if this starts to show up over the next couple of years as a major need across the global HR community. SHRM is dedicated to keeping the members and all HR professionals current with the times.

Q: What is SHRM doing to educate HR professionals about the risks and rewards associated with the various social media venues?

A: You will see content at our annual conference in New Orleans. You will also find content on our website. We are currently getting expert advice from our special expertise panel.  We will share these stories and conclusions via HR Magazine and reporting on SHRM.org. We have launched The Daily Digest, which will surely contain timely topics on social media along with many other pressing issues. Social Media is all the buzz in the recruiting world and we see it becoming a larger issue for the non-recruiting HR professionals.

Social Media & SHRM

I attempted to look through Daily Digest, but I could not find a way in.  Apparently it requires membership.  Instead I took a screen shot so that you will recognize the link on the next occasion you visit the SHRM website.

If Daily Digest proves to be what China outlines above, I can see some definite value for HR professionals that are still members of SHRM.  On the other hand, in playing around with the SHRM website, I tend to get lost and pretty overwhelmed with information.  Considering how much I use the internet, this is a concern.  I just hope that this doesn’t scare away the people who need the timely information that SHRM has to offer.  Simple is better when you need something fast!

Risk and the Future

In part two of this interview, I’m going to cover the topics of non-HR certifications and SHRM’s take on what’s currently going on with unions.  Additionally, I will highlight a very interesting part of my conversation with China about how SHRM is planning to adjust their focus in the future.  You might be surprised to find out how they plan to serve you.

What’s your take on it?  How much have you learned about social media from SHRM in the past 3 months, 6 months… year?  Should they play a role in your future education on the topic?

Came across this recent post by HR Bartender from an interview with China Gorman last month.  It’s very well done!