1. Economic Downturn Doesn’t Slow SHRM Conference
Attendance doesn’t hit a record level, but SHRM officials and vendors are happy with the turnout of more than 13,000. During the show, SHRM also did not name a successor to its outgoing president. The effect of soaring gas prices on work was the show’s hottest topic.
2. The Challenge Ahead
As SHRM wraps up its 60th annual conference, it faces the important task of selecting a leader who can sharpen its focus and deliver on the commitment to make its members strategic assets to their organizations.
10. Tailoring SHRM to Your Needs
When it comes to HR’s biggest annual conference, one size doesn’t fit all. Newbies to human resource positions, midlevel HR professionals and senior leaders in the field will benefit from different sessions and events at the Society for Human Resource Management.
11. The Best of Chicago
Whether you’re staying for a whole week or just trying to visit a few places in between conference activities, you will want to get a taste of the best of Chicago. The third-largest city in America is also one of the country’s most popular convention spots, and Chicago always has its welcome mat out. Family-friendly attractions, distinctive neighborhoods, upscale shopping and a vibrant nightlife are sure to please your family, significant other and even your boss.
12. SHRM 101
San Diego. Washington. Las Vegas. Chicago. The cities may change and the venues may differ, but there is a comfy familiarity I always feel at the Society for Human Resource Management’s annual conference.In other words, if I’m stuck in some cavernous convention hall.
Heard in the Halls, Day 2: Big Hand for the Small Company
A marketing company wins kudos as best small employer, Monster gets philanthropic, and analytics get a serious look from recruiters.
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Heard in the Halls—Monday, June 23
The winner is: SHRM on Monday named its annual Best Small Company to Work
for in America.
Dixon Schwabl topped the annual list, which is now in its fifth year. It’s also
the fourth consecutive year that Dixon Schwabl has been named to it.
"This is a tremendous honor, and one that I am proud to share with our employees
and clients who have helped Dixon Schwabl make it happen throughout our 20-year
history," said Dixon Schwabl CEO Lauren Dixon.
Dixon Schwabl provides full-service marketing communications services to more
than 146 clients and is based in Rochester, New York.
An educational experience: Julia Santos was attending her first SHRM
conference, and like any rookie, she was in awe of the event’s size. But like a
seasoned SHRM veteran, Santos, a vice president of family-owned Lagu Sanitation
in Guam, had already amassed a huge haul of swag before lunch.
"I’m taking it back for me—and maybe some of my friends," said Santos, who also
is a student at the University of Guam. Two roller bags and a tote were loaded
with all sorts of goodies. Her favorite by far was her large stuffed Monster
doll. "I’m still waiting for them to give me my iPod," she said about a drawing
later in the day.
Her friend, Leonard Baza, also a University of Guam student, admired the haul.
"I haven’t had a chance to raid the goodies yet," he said. "There’s still time."
Attention recruiters: Yahoo HotJobs rolled out a couple new products
likely to pique the interest of recruiters at SHRM.
The company introduced SmartAds and Premium Company Profiles on Monday, and they
offer new ways to mine information on job seekers and companies, said Jeff
Kinder, senior VP of small business and recruitment advertising for Yahoo
HotJobs.
Essentially, SmartAds culls information on a consumer based on their Web usage
to target specific job postings—from Yahoo—and gives recruiters the opportunity
to tailor ads to that person, who they hope is one of those much-prized passive
job seekers.
Premium Company Profiles compiles information from across the Yahoo
channels—finance, technology and real estate, for example—that gives users a
quick glance at a company’s history and background.
"We’re giving more relevance to our clients," Kinder said. "They will pay more,
but the ROI is higher." Monster donation: Monster is donating $1 million to charity this year and
letting SHRM members decide which organizations receive the money. Visitors to
the Monster booth get a charity card with amounts ranging from $25 to $10,000.
Attendees then log on to the Web site, DoWell.monster.com, and choose from 23
organizations in eight categories. The categories include career development,
mentoring/scholarship and international development. The organizations include
Dress for Success, Habitat for Humanity, Teach for America and the GlobalGiving
Foundation.
"This is our way of pulling people together, connecting SHRM attendees to
charities," said Lew Karabatsos, senior director of philanthropy for Monster.
"It’s our opportunity to give back to the community."
Several people were using the Monster kiosks to make their charitable donations.
Lorrie Padilla, HR manager at NexFrame in Stockton, California, hadn’t made her
contributions yet—the card she drew was good for $100—but was especially moved
by Monster’s goodwill gesture.
"This is one of the best things at SHRM," Padilla said. "Monster is really doing
something to help others. I think that’s wonderful."
Donors must log on and designate their charity of choice by July 11. Unredeemed
cards will be allocated to charity by Monster.
Tchotchke, schmotchke: While glow-in-the-dark pens and stress-relieving
squeezy balls are always in vogue at SHRM, Indeed.com has taken the novel
approach to offer attendees ... metrics.
The Stamford, Connecticut-based online job aggregator debuted its Indeed Job
Analytics, which provides users a quick read of how their job ads are
performing. Listings include the top five job sites, job titles, keyword
searches and cities, as well as a column on competitive performance.
Several companies, including Northwest Mutual, Purdue University and AutoZone,
had already had their stats profiled and printed in a single sheet, said
Indeed.com marketing director Sophie Beaurpere.
Amanda Simons of Alexian Bros. Health System in Arlington Heights, Illinois,
perused her analytics and walked away impressed.
"Free stuff is nice, but this is something of value," she said. —Rick Bell Next Article: 6. Heard in the Halls: Game On
On the first day of SHRM’s annual conference, it’s all about goodies, good information and making a good impression.
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