Our blog feature is now live! This is a great opportunity to post information relative to HR topics, articles, or other related interest. It’s also a great way for members to showcase their own HR services they offer to get exposure. As mentioned, the more you participate, the more exposure you get.  As we fine tune the technology, we will be showcasing member spotlights each week in the “member section” based on the amount of people who participate.

To post, simply send an email to blog@sdrecruiters.com It will go in queue for approval.  You may also visit the SDRR homepage at www.sdrecruiters.com and post directly from there. 

Once you post or comment on a blog, it goes into queue for approval. This is to prevent spam, web spiders, and ensure it is HR related content. Most content will be posted within 48 hours. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask!

NOTE: Because blogs are NOT PRIVATE and available for non-members to see, all information will be posted as you submit it. 

IF YOU DO NOT WANT EVERYONE TO SEE YOUR COMPANY NAME OR CONTACT INFORMATION, PLEASE ENSURE IT IS ELIMINATED FROM THE TEXT OF THE BLOG!

ABOUT BRANDON MORENO

Brandon Moreno, founder of Leading Edge Thought, is a distinguished speaker, author, business advisor and the transformation strategist. Mr. Moreno is the creator of the 4-M Paradigm^TM system, a program designed to take people to the next level – guiding them to get more out of life by shattering their inner illusions. He offers transformational workshops and speaking engagements to businesses and individuals, helping them move from where they are to where they want to be.

Mr. Moreno sits on the board of directors for the San Diego Recruiters Roundtable (SDRR) and is a certified mediator for the National Conflict Resolution Center and Superior Courts.

Brandon Moreno
(858) 748-5715 x224

Greetings!

We have the opportunity to have Carey Lampel of EBS Consulting to speak to our group for free on March 9th at 8:00 a.m.!  Carey has spoken to the HR Consultants forum previously and received high praise!

With the new tax year here, if you are an HR consultant or thinking about becoming one, it’s important to know what type of business structure is best suited for you so that you can yield the best tax benefits and shelter. 

This is an opportunity to network with HR colleagues and gain some valuable tax savings and business strategy advice.  This is a must attend for “solo-preneurs” consultants, and those contemplating forming a lucrative business.

DATE:  TUESDAY, MARCH 9th

TIME: 8:00-9:30 a.m.

LOCATION:  EBS CONSULTING, 100 E SAN MARCOS BLVD. STE 400, SAN MARCOS, 92069

COST:  FREE!

RSVP TODAY: CLICK HERE

About Carey Lampel
Carey Lampel works as a tax strategist-with the goal of helping her clients optimize their tax savings with strategic tax planning. She has been working with self employed individuals, small business owners and entrepreneurs for approximately ten years. Ms. Lampel earned her Juris Doctorate from Chicago- Kent College of Law, her Masters in Taxation, (LLM) from the University of San Diego.

Ms. Lampel is a Cum Laude graduate of Northern Illinois University, where she was a member of the Golden Key National Honor Society and was nominated for Outstanding Woman Student. She was also named Outstanding Scholar of the Liberal Arts department. Ms. Lampel graduated from Chicago-Kent college of Law, where she received her Juris Doctor. While a student at Chicago-Kent, Ms. Lampel was a member of VITA, Volunteer Income Tax Assistance with the University of Chicago, as well as being a member of Chicago-Kent College of Law’s Tax Law Clinic, and a research assistant on Estate and Gift Tax. After completing her J.D. degree, Ms. Lampel then attended the University of San Diego School of Law, where she received her LL.M. in taxation. While there, Ms. Lampel was president of the University of San Diego’s Tax Society.

Sworn member of the Illinois Bar since November 1997

The National Conflict Resolution Center (NCRC) is offering SDRR members a 10% savings on The Exchange , a 1-day managing conflict program!  Learn state-of-the-art techniques for Corporate Managers & HR Professionals dealing with conflict in the workplace.  I have personally been involved with NCRC for many years and as a mediator, I can attest that their curriculum is a class act.

What is the EXCHANGE?

The Exchange is a practical, interactive training that teaches useful skills for conflict management. The primary objective of this 8-hour course is to   provide professionals with a tool-kit of strategies that can be used on a daily basis to deal with stressful office situations. Through a series of lectures,       participatory simulations, and interactive exercises you can learn the vital skills to effectively manage workplace conflicts.

Date: December 3, 2009 

Time: 8:00 am – 5:00 p.m.

Place: Rady School of Management

UCSD – Otterson Hall
9500 Gilman Drive
La Jolla, CA 92093

Fee: $350 (SDRR members save 10%)

*additional discounts available for multiple attendees from the same organization.

Why the EXCHANGE?

• Creates internal capacity for managers and supervisors to reduce daily conflicts
• Encourages productive collaboration on team projects
• Provides tools for ongoing models of positive behavior in the workplace
• Helps reduce future litigation and turnover costs

For more information, please contact Ashley Virtue at 619.238.2400, Ext. 221 or avirtue@ncrconline.com.  Visit www.ncrconline.com to register.

Take advantage of this today!

Brandon Moreno
HR Consultant | Leadership Coach

Leading Edge Thought
www.yourthoughtsbecome.com

VP, HR Professional Membership
SDRR

San Diego Recruiters Roundtable (SDRR), a network of over 425 HR Professionals in San Diego who share information and network via www.sdrecruiters.com has published its 3rd Quarter survey of its HR members. While the full survey results are limited to SDRR members, the organization is releasing their Key Metric Trends for San Diego’s HR and Business Community that were extracted from the organization’s 3rd Quarter survey.

Members were surveyed on topics that HR professionals and Business Executives want to access on a regular basis to be ”in the know” on what is happening right now in our community. SDRR continues to track and report these key metric trends for San Diego on a Quarterly Basis.  Julie Magnuson, Founder and Chairperson of SDRR, reports “We are thrilled with this quarter’s Key Metric Trends survey results. It is exciting to see San Diego businesses reporting growth and improved employee satisfaction. We hope this is a sign of a promising 2010!”

Key Metric Trends Survey Highlights:

Employers reported that the average “time to fill” (from job requisition approval to offer accepted) was 40 days.

Cost per hire (Agency fees, Retained/Executive Search fees ,Advertising ,Job Posting fees, Job Fairs, Networking Events (for fee) Referral Bonuses, travel expenses, VISA related fees) average for Q3 was $1,500.00

75% reported that headcount remained the same or increased over Q2!

33% reported they relocated new employees to San Diego from other geographical regions; Of those employees that were relocated to San Diego, 40% were international!

25% reported they sponsored Visas for international hires.

Employers rank Referrals and their own Corporate Websites as the most effective means of sourcing candidates, while Social Networking continues to move to the front of the line as a viable recruiting tool….. 50% employers said they use Social Networking to find candidates.

Employee Satisfaction and Employee Engagement are on the rise! 86% of employers reported employee satisfaction was up and 90% reported employee engagement was up! Related to employee satisfaction & engagement, Turnover for Q3 was 7.6% which is relatively low in any industry!

San Diego Recruiters Roundtable surveys its members on a quarterly basis. For more information on SDRR or for membership details, please click on www.sdrecruiters.com and click Join SDRR Now! For questions regarding SDRR’s Quarterly Surveys, please contact Carole Trilling, SDRR VP of Programs at carole@thealliancegroup.cc. More information regarding Carole and the entire SDRR Board of Directors is located on our website.

If you have been to a networking event lately, do you notice that most people ask the same question? “Hi, I’m Brad, what do you do? “ Maybe you have been one of these people who sound like this! What is the real purpose of this question? Bottom-line, the person asking it wants to know if you are a match for what his needs and if not, they are off to the next prey!

What about in a business relationship, or any other relationship for that matter, do you hear the same questions over and over, and it begins to sound like a broken record? (I’m dating myself here). One of my specialties is that I teach businesses, their teams, and individuals to ask the right questions so they can get to their solutions, quickly and start having immediate results.

Here are 3 tips in asking the right questions:

1. Show genuine interest in the person you are interacting with. It’s not about how many people you can meet, rather the quality of the relationships you develop. The person you just met may not be able to help you directly and if she felt that she had a connection to you, most likely she can give you the name of someone who would be an ideal client for you.

2. Ask unique questions that provoke genuine thought. For example, “What are you like at your absolute best?” will evoke the feelings of the person you are talking to and really begin to develop a connection with you if you are authentic and sincere in your asking. A person will remember you by the types of questions you ask, whether at networking event, a job interview, or even a prospective date!

3. Acknowledge. The majority of the people just can’t wait until the other person stops talking so that they can put in their two-cents worth so they rarely hear what was just said. Slow down your thoughts, really engage with the person, and continue to talk about what they just said. Don’t worry, it will soon be their turn to ask you questions!

Brandon Moreno is the co-author of a forthcoming book called, Wake Up … Live the Life You Love: Bouncing Back and will be receiving his certification as a Core Energy Coach from iPEC and accreditation from the International Coaching Federation later this year. In addition, Brandon currently sits on the Board of Directors and acts as Vice President of Professional Membership for the San Diego Recruiters Roundtable (SDRR), which includes San Diego’s largest and best known HR networking communities that serve Human Resources professionals, executives, and consultants. He also serves as a mediator for the National Conflict Resolution Center.

Brandon Moreno
Business Strategy & HR Mgmt Consultant
Leadership Coach

Leading Edge Thought
www.yourthoughtsbecome.com

In 2000, my employer was one of San Diego’s premier healthcare companies that included 5 acute hospitals and nearly 7,000 employees. I recall a management leadership meeting and the discussion was about a new buzz word that was being indoctrinated to the Human Resources community, “Business Partner.” The question was asked how we as HR professionals and executives could integrate this term into the robust healthcare industry. As we went around the room brainstorming, I asked, “why just a ‘business partner’, why not a Business Leader?”

In 2005 the San Diego Business Journal asked me to provide an expert’s opinion on this “new” concept called HR Business Partner. (Click here for article) Memories of this discussion 5 years ago were ignited and as I reiterated its importance not only as a business partner, but a business leader, there were a few things that were getting under my skin. First, I was impressed that my previous employer was so cutting edge that they asked the right question. As I pondered more, I realized that unfortunately, only the elite professionals and executives in the HR community had grasped this concept. However, I was still remaining optimistic that an influential and well respected journal was bringing it to the surface again, knowing the impact HR has in organizations.

Now, as we near the end the final quarter of 2009, most businesses and HR professionals have lost sight of the significant value HR has within the organizations. HR is often inundated with many hats — the counselor, the business advisor, the consultant, the employee advocate, the motivator, the bearer of good news and bad, and so forth. Too often, the people in HR lose sight of its own value, forget to be the business advisor, and therefore are not perceived by executives and leaders as key stakeholders in the business. The result — lack of clarity, mundane tasks, lost focus, and the inability to influence organizations to take them to the next level.

No matter what the position, the moment you cannot place a value on your own worth, you lose credibility and your value diminishes. Ask yourself these questions –“If I had to place a value on my time per hour, what would it be?” I’m not asking you to analyze what the market rate would be, rather what your time is worth. Is it $25? $300? What if it was $1,000 per hour? It makes no difference what the value is, however, it does make a difference what you perceive yourself to be worth; others will see that same value. Then, ask yourself this question – “What am I doing to raise the awareness of my value in my company, business, and personal life?”

Brandon Moreno is the co-author of a forthcoming book called, Wake Up … Live the Life You Love: Bouncing Back and will be receiving his certification as a Core Energy Coach from iPEC and accreditation from the International Coaching Federation later this year. In addition, Brandon currently sits on the Board of Directors and acts as Vice President of Professional Membership for the San Diego Recruiters Roundtable (SDRR), which includes San Diego’s largest and best known HR networking communities that serve Human Resources professionals, executives, and consultants. He also serves as a mediator for the National Conflict Resolution Center.

Brandon Moreno
Business Advisor | Coach | HR Mgmt Consultant | Speaker

Leading Edge Thought
www.yourthoughtsbecome.com

San Diego Recruiters Roundtable Founder and Chairperson, Julie Magnuson, was honored in San Diego Metropolitan Magazine’s 10th annual “40 under 40″ Awards, which recognizes the top 40 community and business leaders in San Diego under the age of 40. Magnuson, who was recognized in the magazine as a Resourceful Networker, will join the other honorees for an outstanding networking opportunity at the Magazine’s Award Luncheon on September 18, 2009.

“It is a thrill and an honor to be recognized among such a talented group of high-achievers!” says Magnuson. “I enjoyed reading about the accomplishments of all of the honorees and am looking forward to the opportunity to meet them in person at the San Diego Metro event on the 18th”

Click on the picture below to read the San Diego Metropolitan Magazine “40 under 40″ announcement and honorees on their website:

San Diego Metro Magazine 40 Under 40 Cover

Coaching has been around for generations and has been called by different names. Executive coaching was typically only considered to be available to top leaders in businesses because organizations recognized the benefits to be far reaching and have a myriad of positive impacts on the person receiving the coaching. In a recent survey conducted by the International Coaching Federation (ICF), some indirect core benefits that a client will experience a significant degree of improvement as a result of working with a coach are*:

Communication Skills – 72%
Interpersonal Skills – 71%
Work Performance – 70%
Work/Life Balance – 67%
Wellness – 63%
Career Opportunities – 62%
Personal Organization – 61%
Business Management – 61%
Time Management – 57%
Team Effectiveness – 51%
Corporate Culture – 38%

ROI
The vast majority (86%) of those able to provide figures to calculate company ROI indicated that their company had at least made their investment back. In fact, almost one fifth (19%) indicated an ROI of at least 50 (5000%) times the initial investment while a further 28% saw an ROI of 10 to 49 times the investment. The median company return is 700% indicating that typically a company can expect a return of 7 times the initial investment.*

What are you like at your absolute best? A coach will help you get there!

For Brandon Moreno, his work as a distinguished HR Management consultant, speaker, and coach isn’t just a job, it’s a mission. After logging nearly 2 decades in providing progressive HR leadership, he has helped Executive teams with key initiatives, drove company cultures to be more progressive and stakeholder driven, and navigates organizations through times of change.

Brandon Moreno is the co-author of a forthcoming book called, Wake Up … Live the Life You Love: Bouncing Back and will be receiving his certification as a Core Energy Coach from iPEC and accreditation from the International Coaching Federation later this year. In addition, Brandon currently sits on the Board of Directors and acts as Vice President of Professional Membership for the San Diego Recruiters Roundtable (SDRR), which includes San Diego’s largest and best known HR networking communities that serve Human Resources professionals, executives, and consultants. He also serves as a mediator for the National Conflict Resolution Center.

Brandon Moreno
Business Advisor | Coach | HR Mgmt Consultant | Speaker

Leading Edge Thought
www.yourthoughtsbecome.com

*Source: ICF Survey, April 2009

There are many reasons organizations, HR, and executives hire coaches to help them succeed. As one area of your life improves (such as career, business, or financial), it increases the others by having a ripple effect. I have assembled 7 reasons why HR and executives are hiring coaches:

1. “I have no one to support me with my goals.”
Let’s face it, sometimes, being in HR is lonely! A Business Coach can devote one hundred percent of his or her time to you and the success of your business… Think of your Business coach as some one whose only desire is to focus on the topic “All About You and the Success of your Business”. Your business coach will help you plan, come up with ideas, and encourage you to face your fears to move you in the right direction to your success.

2. “I feel like there is little I can do to take a step forward… I am stuck”

Your Business Coach can serve as an third person view of your situation and help you figure out how to get past an obstacle. Remember, it is easier to see the problem from the eyes of some one who is not stuck in it, which is why a Business Coach’s input is very valuable.

3. Many leaders in the business world find themselves working in the business, but not working on the business.

Many times you find yourself handle mundane tasks without taking the time to find out what impacts the future growth of your organization and developing strategic initiatives to propel them forward.

4. Time management is a constant struggle. Many HR professionals and executives feel that they are wasting too much time doing certain tasks and feel their time can best be utilized elsewhere. A coach can help you improve your time management skills and help you set goals to get you where you want to be.

5. Most HR professionals and top business executives, find themselves struggling to find a happy balance with their work and personal life.

This can lead to unneeded stress in the work place and make their time at home less enjoyable. A coach can assist you in uncovering these issues overcoming obstacles causing this.

6. To have your employees in alignment with the company’s vision.

Too often, organization dynamics change and yet the employees are left thinking they are geared towards a certain vision, therefore, productivity suffers. Hiring a coach assists in bringing your workforce into alignment with where you want to go.

7. Because champions, leaders, Harry Potter, and Yoda had one.

Even the greatest of leaders have a coach to help them make it to the top and beyond.

Let’s face it, organizations are constantly changing, which subject your current employees to vulnerability and become less engaged in the business and vision if left they are not cultivated. The Gallup Management Journal (GMJ) states “Engaged employees are more productive, profitable, safer, create stronger customer relationships, and stay longer with their company than less engaged employees.”

This research indicates that “workplace engagement is also a powerful factor in catalyzing ‘outside-the-box’ thinking to improve management and business processes as well as customer service.” (GMJ 10/12/2006).

For Brandon Moreno, his work as a distinguished consultant, speaker, and coach isn’t just a job, it’s a mission. After logging nearly two decades as a master facilitator in conflict resolution and human capital management coaching organizations and people, he’s developed a unique program called the 4-M Paradigm™ to take people to the next level – guiding them to get more out of life by shattering their inner illusions. Clients from Fortune 500 companies to cultural creatives are embracing his Leading Edge Thought principles and techniques.

Brandon Moreno is the co-author of a forthcoming book called, Wake Up … Live the Life You Love: Bouncing Back and will be receiving his certification as a Core Energy Coach from iPEC and accreditation from the International Coaching Federation later this year. In addition, Brandon currently sits on the Board of Directors and acts as Vice President of Professional Membership for the San Diego Recruiters Roundtable (SDRR), which includes San Diego’s largest and best known HR networking communities that serve Human Resources professionals, executives, and consultants. He also serves as a mediator for the National Conflict Resolution Center.

Brandon Moreno
Business Advisor | Coach | HR Mgmt Consultant | Speaker

Leading Edge Thought
www.yourthoughtsbecome.com

San Diego Recruiters Roundtable (SDRR), a network of over 425 HR Professionals in San Diego who share information and network via www.sdrecruiters.com has published its 2nd Quarter survey of its HR members. While the survey results are limited to SDRR members, the organization is releasing some trends for San Diego’s HR and Business Community that were extracted from the surveys from the first 2 quarters of 2009.

• The largest demographic of company size who responded to both surveys was over 250 employees
• 50% of respondents worked in either the High Tech or Biotech/Pharma industry
• Where is San Diego HR Community finding new talent for Recruiting? Top Recruiting sources, Q1 vs Q2
Q1 (out of 13 choices)                        Q2 (out of 17 choices)
#1  Employee Referrals                           #1  Employee Referrals
#2  Monster                                                  #2  Craig’s List
#3  Craig’s List                                             #3  Company Website*
#4  SDRR Job Board                                  #4  Monster
#5  LinkedIn                                                 #5  Staffing Agencies*
#6  Careerbuilder                                       #6  LinkedIn
#7  Dice                                                           #7  SDRR Job Board
#8 BioSpace                                                    #8 Dice
                                                               *Newly added category for Q2

• 2nd Quarter saw an decrease of 4% in Lay Offs reported by members (32% reported RIF in Q1 vs. 28% in Q2)
• Those companies who had a Lay Off, the trend in severance is 1 week per year of service. In Q1, 16.6% of companies reimbursed affected employees for up to 3 months of COBRA, while that dropped to 9.6% of companies in Q2
• 35% of respondents reported salary freezes in both Q1 & Q2 surveys. No change
• Merit pools are trending at 3-4% in both Q1 & Q2 surveys. No change
• Overall, companies reported a 10% reduction in giving employee salary increases in Q2
• Q2 saw an increase companies that delayed or skipped Performance Reviews as a cost savings measure
• While outsourced training is down significantly in both quarters, in-house training increased 15% in Q2
• 10 companies in Q2 eliminated their 401k match
• Top 5 perks cut to save money? Q1 vs. Q2:
Q1                                                                                               Q2
#1 Company Parties                                                       #1 Company Parties
#2 Magazine Subscriptions for staff                        #2 Team Building events
#3 Team Building events                                             #3 Employee Lunches
#4 Employee Lunches                                                  #4 Company Picnics
#5 Company Picnics                                                      #5 Magazine Subscriptions for staff

San Diego Recruiters Roundtable surveys its members on a quarterly basis. For more information on SDRR or for membership details, please click on www.sdrecruiters.com and click Join SDRR Now! For questions regarding SDRR’s Quarterly Surveys, please contact Carole Trilling, SDRR VP of Programs at carole@thealliancegroup.cc. More information regarding Carole and the entire SDRR Board of Directors is located on our website.

For those of you that use and understand Social Media, and especially to those of you who attended our recent SDRR event, HR Meets Social Media, you know that social media is changing the face of news, business, recruiting and networking! Here is a great opportunity for you to jump in and participate in a very cool and novel Twitter Campaign.

Today, Wednesday August 19, 2009, our SDRR member company Geary Interactive is participating in an exciting social media campaign called “Tweet your Chest Contest”! If you visit www.iwearyourshirt.com you’ll see that TODAY ONLY Geary Interactive’s shirt is being featured. The shirt has a velcroed iPhone attached to it with @gearyi’s Twitter stream running all day. If you Tweet @gearyi or use the hashtag #gearyi all day today, your tweets will appear on the shirt and you will have a chance to win the iPhone! Geary Interactive is looking to win the Guinness Book of World Records for numbers of tweets using the #gearyi hashtag in one day. This is a great way to increase your own twitter following, and participate in this exciting campaign. And….you may even win an iPhone out of it, what a great deal! Let’s harness the power of social media! Mark all your tweets today with #gearyi, or follow San Diego Recruiters Roundtable at @sdrecruiters and follow Geary Interactive at @gearyi and watch for our updates on this campaign. All you have to do is ReTweet us, and you are participating. Let’s go everyone!

Geary Interactive is the online marketing company full of over-achievers who live for advertising ROI. Since 2000, we’ve combined innovative marketing solutions and a performance driven model that keeps our clients smiling. Bottom-line…measurable, award-winning marketing that drives Real Results. Geary Interactive’s HR Manager, Caitlin Kemp, is an active member of the San Diego Recruiters Roundtable.