Blog: Monika Masciangelo, PHR

On September 30th, the Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce held the Economic Outlook 2010 event. It was a great turnout with over 750 business owners and professionals from around the valley. The event was focused on the international, national and local economy status and trends for 2010. Dr. Angel Cabrera, President of Thunderbird School of Global Management, presented on the international economy. Dr. Beckie Holmes, Director of Marketing Intelligence for Cox Communications, presented on the national economy. Elliott Pollack, CEO of Elliott D. Pollack & Company, presented on the local economy. Ken Bennett, Arizona Secretary of State, presented on the state budget.

This was an excellent event with very informative information about the Economic Outlook of 2010. For more information about the event including video and PowerPoint presentations can be viewed on the Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce website.

The 2009 Arizona SHRM State Conference was a huge success!  This four-day conference was held at the Phoenix Convention Center with over 700 people made up of attendees, exhibitors, speakers and volunteers.  With phenomenal keynote speakers, breakout sessions and great exhibitor booths, this conference is all the buzz in our HR Community.  We are looking forward to another great conference in September 2010!

Click here for conference at a glance information

Click these links for pictures from the conference

http://www.flickr.com/groups/phoenixhr
http://www.flickr.com/groups/tucsonhr
http://www.flickr.com/groups/arizonahr

Check out this video on the Judith Krebs Award Nominees!

Congratulations to Alex Wade, MBA!

                       

 

 

The 2009 Arizona SHRM State Conference has been an exciting event this week with great keynote speakers and fantastic breakout sessions.  With this year’s theme, “HR Shines in Tough Times” our community of Arizona HR Professionals are wrapping up the conference with not only new concepts and ideas to build upon but also with great solutions that can be implemented effectively in our workplaces.

The pre-conference was jam packed with HRCI credits to get the conference rolling.  We had engaging breakout sessions from the “Extreme Leadership Roundtable” with 4 strategic credits in the morning session, to “Driving HR Strategy with Human Capital Analytics” in the afternoon among many other wonderful breakout sessions.

Kicking off the general conference was Clint Swindall with his engaging question of “Tell Me Somethin’ Good,” that helps us to build positive conversations to overcome employee disengagement.  Continuing with Dan Heath showing us how to make ideas stick for maximum business impact and closing out Wednesday’s keynote speakers with Susan Brooks inspiring us to courageous and highly contagious leadership as an HR Professional.

Wednesday evening was followed up with a celebration at the “HR Community Networking Mixer” that was hosted by Jobing.com, Arizona SHRM State Conference Committee, GET and the Matador Restaurant.  Great prizes such as sporting event tickets, gift cards and many more prizes were donated by GET and the Matador Restaurant provided yummy appetizers for attendees!

Thursday was a wrap up in the Exhibitor Hall with great vendors such as Bernard Hodes Group, Clarifacts, DuffyGroup, Jobing.com, Outplacing.com, SCF Arizona and Take Charge America just to name a few of the many vendors that exhibited at this year’s conference.  The exhibit hall was a great place for HR Professionals to learn about all the current and new products and services that can help them improve their HR efforts and strategies.

With the tag team keynote speakers Bob Romano and Barb Sanfilippo, they sparked our Thursday morning with High Definition People, rocking the house with their Disco Inferno act to ignite passion and experience life!  Steve Farber closed out our afternoon with “Greater Than Yourself,” what it means to be a leader of substance and influence.

Closing out our Arizona SHRM State Conference on Friday morning will be Neil Alexander with the Employment Law Update, followed by a super keynote speaker, John Foley of High Performance Climb, who was a former Navy carrier pilot to Lead Solo of the Blue Angles Flight Demonstration Team.

If you did not get an opportunity to join us this year at the Arizona SHRM State Conference, be sure to mark your calendar to attend next year’s 2010 Arizona SHRM State Conference for another great conference!

It’s that time again! It’s hard to believe, but the Arizona SHRM State Conference is less than a month away! And, if you’re like us…you’re excited and getting ready for great professional education and networking. And, more than likely a lot of fun too with old and new friends!

Over the course of the 4-day conference you’ll have the opportunity to engage in fantastic educational sessions and hear from some wonderful motivational keynote speakers like Clint Swindall, Dan Heath, and Steve Farber just to name a few.  You’ll also have the opportunity to meet with conference sponsors, like Jobing.com in the Exhibit Hall – so come by and visit with us at Booth #204!

Jobing.com is proud to once again be a major sponsor of the Arizona SHRM State Conference! We’ll be in the Exhibit Hall with information on exciting new products and services to help you meet your recruitment goals and even to create some new ones! Drop by and visit with us on September 2nd and 3rd to learn why we’re much more than just a job board and why we should be your first choice for Local Talent!

If you are in the McDowell Mountain Ranch area on Thursday, July 16th in the afternoon there will be a great job seeker workshop sponsored by the UPS Store #4280. 

McDowell Mountain Ranch
Job Search Seminar

When:        Thursday, July 16th, 2:00-4:30 PM

Where:       McDowell Mountain Ranch Community Center
                   10607 E. Paradise Lane, Scottsdale, AZ 85255
                   East on Frank Lloyd Wright, left on Thompson Peak to Paradise Ln,                                 right to end of cul-de-sac                                                          
                   
Why:          To Provide Employment Resource Seminar

The UPS Store in McDowell Mountain Ranch was acquired in September, 2003.  Since that time residents in the McDowell Mountain Ranch and surrounding communities have helped the store to become profitable.  Now that times are economically challenging and a number of people have become unemployed the UPS Store #4280 is here to help.

Agenda:      2:00-2:40 PM Arizona Resume Writers Council – resume writing and interview                    process

                     2:40-3:00 PM Debt Reduction Store – credit report, repair, debt reduction

                     3:00-3:10 PM Refreshment Break

                     3:15-4:00 PM Jobing.com – effective use and navigation of Jobing.com

                     4:00-4:30 PM Free resume reviews – bring your resume

All attendees will be issued a VIP Card to the UPS Store #4280 that will entitle them to free faxing of their resume, free scan and email of their resume, free printing of their resume and resume paper.  This also includes a $5 off UPS overnight service for sending resume and job application forms.

RSVP to 480.513.8661 or email Store4280@TheUPSStore.com, reservation requested.

If you have not yet registered for the Arizona SHRM State Conference, there is still time to take advantage of the Early Bird Special pricing.  There will be great keynote speakers and breakout sessions that are a must attend this year!  The Early Bird Special ends on July 30 th, so be sure to register today at www.azshrm.org.

Did you know that for every $100 spent in Arizona roughly $43 dollars is circulated back to the Arizona economy?  Local First Arizona is a partner that seeks to promote, support, and celebrate a vibrant and sustainable Arizona economy by educating citizens about local business ownership, social equity, cultural diversity, environmental kinship, and collaboration.

In celebration of local Arizona businesses, former Governor Janet Napolitano has declared June 29th – July 5th as Independents Week in Arizona . “Small businesses are critical to Arizona ’s economy, comprising more than 90 percent of the businesses in our state. Whether they cater to neighborhoods, specialty services or other consumer needs, it is clear that these operations serve a vital role in the state’s and local communities’ success. That is why I proclaimed ‘Independents Week’ – recognizing the considerable contributions small businesses make to the state.” -- Governor Janet Napolitano

To find out more information about Independents Week and how shopping locally supports Arizona businesses and Arizona jobs, visit www.localfirstaz.com for more information.

Don’t miss this great Annual Meeting Awards Luncheon with the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Wednesday, June 24 th starting at 11:00am.  The keynote speaker will be our Arizona Governor, Jan Brewer.  For more information regarding this event, visit http://www.azchamber.com/events/view_event.cfm?ID=53.

Those of you tasked with hiring summer help know that this type of recruitment requires a special breed of candidate indeed.  We love helping you find special candidates!  Fill your seasonal jobs quickly by selecting our "summer jobs" category when you post your job.  Give your representative a call to learn more about effective employment branding techniques available to you via Jobing.com.

You don't need to spend extra money to make a good impression on potential employers. Here are some tips to make sure your preparation doesn't break your budget. 

Skip the fancy paper resumes or make fewer copies using high-cost paper. Also, collect as much information as you can and follow up after the event. A good practice is to collect as much information as you give out.

Neatness counts! You don't necessarily need a new suit to dress to impress. Just make sure that your clothes are neatly pressed and free from lint and stains. Take extra care to be neatly groomed, rested and organized - these efforts will help you give a great impression without costing you more money.

Take advantage of free services at the Job Fair. Get your resume reviewed. Network with employers as well as other job seekers. Attend workshops and take notes. Best of luck to you at the next job fair you attend!

As a job seeker in today’s economy you should be looking for every opportunity to stand out among the competition.  Job fairs are a great way to meet face-to-face with hiring managers and get an edge over candidates who only apply online.  This is a unique opportunity to ask valuable questions of hiring managers who represent the companies you are interested in working for. 

With the recent spike in unemployment, the dynamics of attending job fairs has dramatically changed.  Your success at these events depend on creating a structured job fair strategy and treating this opportunity as your first interview with the company.  So how do you create a strategy to ensure you are using your time at a job fair most efficiently?

Start by researching the companies that will be attending the job fair and make a list of the employers that you are interested in talking with.  Then visit the company website to find out more information about the employers and open positions.  Prepare a list with one or two questions to ask each employer about the company and/or the positions you are interested in that cannot be answered with the information that is listed on the company website.

When you arrive at the job fair to talk with the companies on your list, start with a 30 second commercial about yourself as an introduction to the recruiter or hiring manager.  Let the recruiter know who you are, what skills you possess and what positions you are interested in.  Then ask your questions you prepared ahead of time for that specific company.

This will demonstrate to the recruiter your knowledge of the company and the positions you are interested in to have a great conversation about your potential future with that company.  Be sure to take notes during your conversations and most importantly ask about the follow up process to scheduling an interview.  Thank the recruiter for their time in speaking with you and ask for their business card or contact information.

After leaving the job fair, follow up with a simple thank you note to each employer on your list that you visited at the job fair and be sure to reference the conversation you had with the recruiter.  Also add in your thank you note when you applied online making it easy to locate resume.

By asking great questions from your research and following up with a thank you note to each employer, will give you the best efficient job fair strategy for employment success!

With so many people attending the job fair, what’s the benefit of pre-registering if there is a line to get in anyway? 

There will be two seperate lines to enter the event, one for onsite registration and another for pre-registration.  By pre-registering and bringing your printed pass, you will save time by not having to register onsite at the event.  Of course, this does not guarantee a shorter line for pre-registration, but a time saving process that will hopefully speed up your entrance into the event!

Please remember that with pre-registration, you will need to print out and bring your online registration form with you.  Without this form you will need to register onsite at the event.

Jobing.com invests a great deal of time in our community by creating and maintaining partnerships within the HR industry - providing a voice for organizations who promote the profession and posting the best HR jobs in the Valley through association and chapter websites.  With each partnership, Jobing.com’s commitment to the HR industry grows, strategically fulfilling the original vision of Aaron Matos – helping the industry achieve a prominent presence on the internet, in our communities, and at every boardroom table.  If you would like more information about our Human Resource partnerships and how they can benefit you, please contact Monika Masciangelo, PHR at 602-200-6741.

FedEx Office (formerly FedEx Kinko's) is hosting a "Free Resume Printing Day" at all locations!  If you are currently searching for a job and need copies of your resume, stop by any FedEx Office location on Tuesday, March 10th to print up to 25 copies of your resume for free.  To find the location closest to you, visit their website at www.fedex.com. 

Save the Date!

Are you interested in learning more about the possible careers in the air conditioning contracting industry?

Do you currently work in the HVACR and/or Plumbing Contracting business and want to find out about the latest trends and products? 

Then don’t miss out on the Air Conditioning Contractors of America-Arizona Chapter Tradeshow and Career Fair coming to the Mesa Convention Center on April 9, 2009.

This is a great opportunity to find out about the possible careers in the air conditioning industry while learning about the new products and services available to licensed HVACR & Plumbing Contractors in Arizona.

The Tradeshow and Career Fair will include:

Exhibiting Vendor Companies
Seminars on Products & Services
Career Fair Showcasing Industry Education & Career Paths
Career Fair Seminars & Resume Review

And more to come…
 

For more information regarding the Tradeshow and Career Fair, visit www.acca-az.org.