CRHRA Business Meeting and Volunteer Recognition

Join us on Thursday night June 18th at the Holiday Inn Albany on Wolf Road for a celebration of our volunteers and their continuing commitment to helping our chapter “serve the profession and advance the professional”. Our wonderful volunteers provide hours support to the various CRHRA committees. Because of their dedication CRHRA is able to maintain and continuously improve the website, provide meaningful and insightful programming for meetings and conferences, provide chapter members with information through our newsletter, facebook, linkedin and other social networking sites and keep us in the public’s eye through public relation and marketing.

Our theme this year is to celebrate our “stars”. We are going to make everyone a star with a fun evening of KARAOKE! Who doesn’t love Karaoke? After the annual business meeting and installment of the new board we will cut loose with hors d’oeuvres, drinks and fun, fun, fun.

Our volunteers are our guests for this fun-filled and what surely will turn out to be an event-filled evening. Who knows maybe we have a star in the making in our midst. Cost for non-volunteers is $25 for members, $32 for guests and students are $10. A cash bar will be available for the length of the meeting.

Registration – 5:00 – 5:30 PM
Meeting – 5:30 – 6:30 PM
The fun starts – 6:30 – 8:30 PM

CRHRA Presents: Two-Part Recruitment Program

Albany, NY - The Capital Region Human Resource Association (CRHRA) will hold a joint meeting with the Capital Region Recruiters Network for it’s next Monthly Meeting and Program on May 21, 2009.

This month’s program is a morning session offering two programs concentrating on the business of recruitment. The first program titled “Steal Willingly – Credit Openly: The Tool Kit of a Lone Recruiter” will provide you with a tool kit that guides you to essential value added items within the recruiting process, creates ease of use access to contacts and moves time to candidate facing tactics. The second program titled “Build or Buy: The Business Case for Internally Building or Outsourcing Recruitment” will escort you through the development of a business case for your situation; data gathering, analysis and stakeholder buy-in. Our speaker is Geoffrey M. Dubiski MS, CDR, CIR, Principal and Managing Director of Sumner Grace and Associates.

The event begins with registration and networking from 7:30 – 8:00am, breakfast buffet from 8:00 – 8:30am, 1st program from 8:30 – 9:30am, and 2nd program from 10:00 – 11:00am at the Holiday Inn Turf on Wolf Road in Albany.

Reservations may be made at www.CRHRA.org or by contacting CRHRA at (518) 463-8687. The event is open to the public. Breakfast and 1st program cost: CRHRA/CRRN Members $25, Non-Members $30, Students $10. 2nd program is free to CRHRA/CRRN members and $25 for non-members.

This program has been approved for 2.0 HRCI recertification hours.
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The Capital Region Human Resource Association is the Northeastern New York State Chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). CRHRA is a local organization dedicated to serving Human Resource Professionals and has been advancing the profession for over 60 years. The Chapter was founded in 1946 and is currently comprised of over 850 professionals, employed in various human resource functions in over 450 companies region wide.

For more information about CRHRA or to become a member, visit CRHRA’s website (http://www.crhra.org) or contact CRHRA by phone (518) 463-8687.

CRHRA Presents: Four-Generation Diversity Panel

Albany, NY - The Capital Region Human Resources Association (CRHRA) will hold the next Monthly Meeting and Program on April 16, 2009.

This month’s program is an evening session featuring a panel discussion about the convergence of the four generations in the workplace and the unique challenges to businesses and Human Resources professionals including how to maximize the benefits that each generation brings, while minimizing the conflicts that can often arise as a result of generational differences. At this event, learn effective communication and management skills to help you handle this challenge from a panel of four business professionals who represent the four generations found in the workplace today. Our panel speakers include from the Greatest Generation, Michael Clenahan, Assistant Director, Member and Employer Services Bureau, New York State and Local Retirement System, from the Baby Boomer Generation, Catherine Halakan, Senior Vice-President, Human Resources, Albany Medical Center, from Generation X, Ana Winans, Executive Director, 2-1-1 New York, United Way of New York State, and from Generation Y, Timothy Koppenhafer, Pension Operations Generalist, General Electric.

The event begins with registration and networking from 5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m., dinner 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m., and program from 7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. at the Holiday Inn Turf on Wolf Road in Albany.

Reservations may be made at www.CRHRA.org or by contacting CRHRA at (518) 463-8687. The event is open to the public, CRHRA Members $30, Non-Members $38, Students $10.

This program has been approved for 1.0 HRCI recertification hour.

____________________________________________________________________________________

The Capital Region Human Resource Association is the Northeastern New York State Chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). CRHRA is a local organization dedicated to serving Human Resource Professionals and has been advancing the profession for over 60 years. The Chapter was founded in 1946 and is currently comprised of over 850 professionals, employed in various human resource functions in over 450 companies region wide.

For more information about CRHRA or to become a member, visit CRHRA’s website (http://www.crhra.org) or contact CRHRA by phone (518) 463-8687.

FINDING A JOB DURING THE RECESSION

by Tom McKenna

Few people relish the idea of looking for a job. It can be a humiliating and humbling experience, especially in a poor economy like the one we are now going through. Even within difficult times such as these, some people are finding jobs. They don’t have secrets; they are just using tried and true methods that have proved successful in good times and in bad.

You can find your next job with professional tips. Follow these techniques to shorten your current search.

1. Your Health: First, and this is important, keep yourself healthy. That means eating the right foods, setting up a regular exercise program and feeding the mind daily with upbeat music, perhaps a motivational movie or reading positive material - just doing something daily to maintain your spirits. Keeping yourself healthy will also reap positive interviews and improve your ability to network.

2. Top Notch Resume: Of course you will need a top notch resume. The resume should identify not only job responsibilities, but should stress your accomplishments – those areas that have shown how you have made the company better because of how well you did your former job.

3. Review the Classifieds: Although advertising revenues continue to go down in newspapers, don’t forget to review the classifieds in your daily and Sunday newspaper. In addition to sending your resume, make sure your cover letter or email explains why you want that particular job. Each correspondence should be specifically written to address that particular job and that company.

4. Utilize Recruiters: Don’t forget the recruiters. Most people call 2 or 3 recruiters and wait for the phone to ring. In the Capital Region there are over 50 employment agencies. Why not increase your chances by contacting 10, 20 or more?

5. Internet Job Boards: Of course everyone knows that the internet lists hundreds of thousands of jobs. But how many do you visit, or are you just using the two or three that your are familiar with? Like recruiters, you increase your chances by searching multiple website each day. Using the internet also means visiting specific companys’ websites because an organization may first list its openings to attract people who are motivated to work in their company.

6. Networking: Make sure to ration your time. Don’t spend all your time on the internet. Research has shown that over 50% of the job seekers found their job through networking. Some books estimate that the real number may be closer to 75%. Networking is not calling a company to see if they have a job opening. Networking is making a list of everyone you know and calling to ask them for 2 or 3 other people to call. There will be individuals on your network tree that will be aware of openings.

Our research shows that the typical unemployed worker takes 121 days to find a new job – in good times. The average job seeker spends 3-5 hours per week looking for a new position. We teach our job seekers that if you are not putting in 3-5 hours per day at a minimum, you’re not doing an adequate job.

Your job search may still be frustrating but by following these guidelines you will shorten your unemployed days.

The writer, Tom McKenna, an Officer, Past President, and Member of the Capital Region Human Resource Association is President of McKenna & Associates an Outplacement and Career Counseling firm in Albany. Over the past 20 years he has coached thousands of people into new and better jobs. He has written articles, appeared on TV and radio, and has spoken to groups around the world from Paris to London and across the United States. Tom started his career teaching (he taught at Columbia Greene Community College), moved to the corporate world with Xerox Corporation and then opened his own business. He is licensed as a Social Worker with a specialty in career counseling. He frequently takes calls for advice from job seekers and welcomes questions about this article and the successful steps to a job. He can be reached at his office at 867-3500.

The Capital Region Human Resources Association Presents: 2009 Annual Conference

Sustainable Human Resources:
Supporting Our Organizations and Our World

Albany, NY - The Capital Region Human Resources Association (CRHRA) will hold it’s annual one-day conference on March 19, 2009.

The conference includes a full day with HR vendors and HR subject matter experts presenting on various Human Resource related topics and issues. The morning keynote speakers are New York State’s Comptroller, Mr. Thomas Dinapoli and Susan Post, Eastern Regional SHRM Director. Mr. Dinapoli will discuss views of how the New York State economy is affecting businesses throughout the state, both short and long term and Ms. Post will discuss ethical issues in HR. Our lunch keynote will be John M. Bagyi, Esq., SPHR, Deputy Managing Attorney of Bond, Schoeneck & King who will present “Two Truths and a Lie” introducing real scenarios surrounding Screening and interviewing nightmares, bizarre policies, harassment scenarios, “accommodation” requests, and problematic terminations.

Other topics and programs include future trends in HR, protecting information, communicating to staff in a down economy, unionization, training, ethics, and going-green.

The conference will be held at the Holiday Inn on Wolf Road in Albany beginning with registration and breakfast at 7:30am continuing with programs and lunch through 5:30pm ending with a networking and cocktail hour.

Reservations may be made at www.CRHRA.org or by contacting CRHRA at (518) 463-8687. The event is open to the public, CRHRA Members $180, Non-Members $200, Students $35. Registration for the morning keynote and breakfast are also available.

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The Capital Region Human Resource Association is the Northeastern New York State Chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). CRHRA is a local organization dedicated to serving Human Resource Professionals and has been advancing the profession for over 60 years. The Chapter was founded in 1946 and is currently comprised of over 850 professionals, employed in various human resource functions in over 450 companies region wide.

For more information about CRHRA or to become a member, visit CRHRA’s website (http://www.crhra.org) or contact CRHRA by phone (518) 463-8687.