SHRA 2009 Summary

The 21st annual SHRA conference has come and gone. Yellowstone National Park will never be the same. This was my 6th successive conference and like I said to the group, it is my favorite conference of the year. No offense to the other conferences, but SHRA has a intimate, unique vibe and I love seeing my HR buddies from the national parks. I always leave SHRA with either ideas and inspiration for my personal life or my business life. In short, SHRA = Value. My takeaways:

• HR continues to be a challenging job that attracts problem solvers and, in the case of the parks folks, those who are a bit more adventurous as evidenced by their participation in my live SHRA podcast.
• Technology is always changing and having a guide to help move you along the path is really helpful.
• Face to face networking is the best.
• The national parks offer amazing things to do in your time off.
• Cool Works Shack tours are free, but inspire enthusiasm.
• Elk roam free and the snow flies in Gardiner during the month of October.
• The physiology of bears is incredible. Hat tip: Yellowstone Association.
• Your recruiting message better match the reality of your work environment.
• Recruiting = Finding the right people at the right time for the right job.
• The questions on employment applications are there for a reason. Answer them!
• Coaching employees doesn't have to take a long time. Think 2-minute challenge and focus on what you have observed.
• If you need a great trainer, contact Dina at FUNdamental Training Solutions.
• Need guidance on "Independent Contractors?" Google or Bing "87-41"
• NEVA, the New Employee Verification Act, was introduced in 2008 and its goal is to prevent unauthorized employment. More thoughts about NEVA on the Department of Homeland Security journal.
• When dealing with employees, performance is always on the table.
• HR managers in the national parks get to use hatchets and magic wands. Making memories and changing lives.
• International agencies have also been affected by the recession. Their biggest challenge is meeting the needs of the ever changing requests of their employer clients.

To hear the HR managers talk about how they got to where they are and a bit about their parks, please take a listen to the Seasonal Human Resources Association live podcast. Sorry for the poor audio quality at the beginning, but the content should make up for it! Long live SHRA and bring on the 2010 conference! HR Rocks.

"One Hundred Things Restaurant Staffers Should Never Do (Part 1)

Bruce Buschel, writing for the New York Times, puts together a must-have list of dos and don'ts for servers. A few were unfortunately cringe inducing as I recognized my personal faux pas from my years of serving. Here's a link to his first 50. I'll keep an eye out for part 2.

Starr Tincup - Try Not To F**k This Up

...but if you do call us.

I had to laugh. Bill emails me and says that a package arrived from Starr Tincup and should he open it. FYI, the reason that he had to ask was because I work out of my house in Seattle and he works at Cool Works worldwide headquarters in Gardiner, Montana. I say sure. He opens it up and a small book written by the dudes at Starr Tincup called Try Not To F**k This Up (but if you do, call us) appears.

I then emailed William Tincup and thanked him for the gift. Conveniently, I knew that I would be able to pick it up this last week on my visit to Gardiner for the 21st annual SHRA conference, which was a HUGE success thanks to some great attendees, speakers and Patty from Cool Works.

So I pick up my f***ing book and wait to read it until I'm on my flight home from Bozeman to Seattle. And, I can say this honestly. It's a great little book. It's full of wonderful tips for anyone starting a company or even those who are wondering how to get more attention for their companies. It covers in no particular order:

• Social Media
• Blogs
• SEO
• Branding
• Marketing
• Product Launches
• Web Analytics

And so on, and so on. I am about 3/4 of the way through it and will probably finish it on my flight to Chicago tomorrow for Kennedy / OnRec. I also hope to get it autographed by the man himself. Anyhow, check out the book or at least follow Tincup on twitter. You'll soon be adding him to your entertaining list.

That is all.

CoolWorks.com Podcasts

We're always up to something new. The latestst and greatest is that we are now dabbling in podcasts using BlogTalkRadio. Our first podcast featured Tina Brudzinski, Human Resources Manager, at Crested Butte Mountain Resort. She was as gracious as ever and a perfect guest. She answered generic questions about working for a ski resort and also told us a bit about how she got her job at Crested Butte.

Interview with Tina Brudzinski from Crested Butte

Next up on our podcast will be my long time friend and former co-worker at Princess Tours, Rick Peterson, who is the Hotel Services Manager at the Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge in Trapper Creek, Alaska. Rick started his own hospitality career as a seasonal employee working for Princess at their Kenai property. On the podcast he will share some of his wisdom regarding how you not only decide if seasonal work is right for you, but also what to do once you've made that decision.

The Seasonal Employee Journey with Rick Peterson
Tuesday, October 20 at 3pm Pacific / 6pm Eastern

We'll cover the following topics on the call:

• Where to work
• When to apply
• How to get your application noticed
• What to expect once you're hired

If you or your organization would like to join me on one of our podcasts, please email me. We don't have a set schedule yet, but plan on doing a few of them each month, and they will be featured on the following sites.

• CoolWorks on BlogTalk Radio
• My CoolWorks

Also, if you ever want to interview one of us at Cool Works for your podcast or blog, please let us know. We're happy to share our knowledge about the seasonal jobs.

Twitter, oh how I love thee

I have said before, and I'll say it again, Twitter is my favorite social network.  I love how I can just pop in, see what's happening, comment here and there and then get out.  I recently was gone for a trip to San Francisco and missed a lot of the goings on - as tends to happen when you don't have a really cool mobile device - but as soon as I came back, my twitter friends greeted me with open arms.  On the trip a photo of me was taken that I really liked so I decided to update my profile pic.  I contacted Animal, my official profile pic consultant, and recruiting friend who lives in Toronto, and once posted, I got lots of praise from the crew.  Mind you, many of these people who commented I have never met in person.  It's amazing.

 

As someone who works virtually for CoolWorks.com, a niche job website featuring jobs in great places like national parks and resorts, etc., I tend to be alone a lot except for the company of my darling kittens, so I really appreciate having a bunch of like-minded individuals I can tap when I need a boost of people power.  Since I joined twitter in early 2008, I've discovered that it is great platform for connecting via common interests, and being social by nature, it gives me the lift I need when I work solo from home.

Earlier this year, I was fortunate to participate as a speaker at the Seattle Cool Twitter Conference and met some great people including Bob Fine, the founder and idea guy.  Like most of my Twitter followers/followees, I had never met anyone at this conference prior to my arrival.  When we got there though, we discovered that all of us had many things in common.  We were ahead of the curve, willing to take risks, and hopeful for a more connected and futurstic world.  Each had their own reason for twittering, but we all agreed that at least we were doing it.

In two weeks on Friday, October 23, I will speak at the Vancouver Cool Twitter Conference where I'll share how you can connect with other people on Twitter.  My presentation focuses on how to get your foot in the door, ease your fears about breaking into the conversation, and get you connected properly.  It's easier than you think.

I am happy that Bob wants me back.  Plus, I hope that we'll get more of a chance to chat since he quickly skedaddled after the one in Seattle.  His world tour schedule is amazing!  And since it seems that I am always (ha!) at the conferences that include the number three (3), it looks like I'll be joining the show next in Melbourne, Australia.  Bob, feel free to add me to the exotic location stand by list. : )

I hope to see you in Vancouver home of the 2010 Olympic Games.  I can't believe that they're almost here!

Mobile Recruiting

If you're not familiar with Chris Hoyt, check out his blog The Recruiter Guy.

And, if you doubt the power of mobile recruiting, check out this less than a minute reality check about what is important to us these days.

Do you use mobile in your recruiting campaign?

SHRA 2009 is coming to Gardiner

Check your travel budget and book your tickets, SHRA is coming to Gardiner, Montana. SHRA, the Seasonal Human Resources Assocation, will be gathering for the 21st time in the land of CoolWorks.com. Two of our team members make Gardiner their home and I'll be flying in for the festivities. The conference will take place from Sunday, October 25, to Thursday, October 29. By virtue of being on our home turf, Patty, aka SHRA Queen, has scored some great deals on the conference center and hotel. Fun should be had by all.

You can learn more and register for SHRA 2009 on the SHRA website.

Anticipated topics will include:

• Legal Update and Workshop ~ Employment Law presentation - Mark Berry, partner with Davis, Wright and Tremaine, LLC
• HR in the ObamEconomy - How our worlds have changed
• Social Networks - The fine line between maintaining a presence, being informed, being resourceful and lurking
• Employee Communication
• HR record keeping - updates, options and practices
• International Employee Session - J1 student market update, with additional H2B information
• A Christian Ministry in the National Parks ~ 2009 in review
• CoolWorks User Group - optional - chance to scheme/inquire

Human Resources is truly a career where having other HR folks in your virtual rolodex is key. Come meet colleagues, and in some cases, lifelong friends. Your office will appreciate your good mood once you return. Join us in Gardiner!

The group at the 2008 conference at Edgefield in Portland, Oregon.

Register TODAY!