Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Silicon Valley Women in HR… & Friends Mailing and Event Announcement

Dear Friends,

The first part of this email is dedicated to updates and musings, so if you want to skip to the invitation, discounts, and other information, please scroll down.
Unfortunately, we had to cancel our October event. The next event will be held November 16 and our year-end dinner will be held December 21.  Notices will be sent about 2 weeks in advance.

I’ve got a few topics to cover in this mailing.  First up:  it’s breast cancer awareness month.  There are many factors that create risk for breast cancer, but the main reason women and men are at risk is that we have breast tissue. 

The National Cancer Institute has clearly written information about all kinds of cancers.  http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics  Information that is reliable and updated can make all the difference.  I’m speaking to you as an 11 year survivor.  I put together a page with tips for people who are undergoing treatment for breast cancer, and some of the tips are also useful for other surgeries. Several people in our group have contacted me over the years regarding their own diagnosis or the diagnosis of a loved one, and this information can be helpful. http://www.ourhrsite.com/hrw_cancertips.html

When I told others about my cancer, some reacted with kindness and compassion and others said really stupid and hurtful things. 

One of the best things I heard came from the wonderful Gail Boddy who was my manager at the time.  Bill and I had planned a vacation.  Linda Lopez, my wonderful friend and a terrific recruiter, was to sit in for me during my vacation.  The timing was such that we’d take our trip and then I’d go right into surgery and chemo.
 
Gail told me I was going to be fine, and knowing I’d be out for surgery and treatment following the trip, we secured Linda for a longer period.  Gail said she would be sure to hold a spot for me when I was ready to work, and she was true to her word.  I was a recruiter / staffing manager but it was a contract and she had no obligation to help me as she did.  It meant and still does mean the world to me that she reassured me and let me know I’d have work, too.  Thank you, Gail!

Next topic:  many people have been upset about the extra fees banks are charging or considering charging.  I am a businessperson and believe banks have the right to make money.  I also believe that when customers should evaluate business relationships and determine if they’re still working well for you.  If you don’t like the new fees, consider moving your account.  I use two credit unions: KeyPoint Credit Union  and TechCU, and have been very happy with them.  [NOTE: I saw an article after I posted that if approved, TechCU will change to a mutual savings bank next year.  Stay on top of the news as this may or may not happen.  http://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/print-edition/2011/10/07/tech-cu-ready-for-big-change.html]


And finally…I’ve written two books and sell them in person, via Amazon, Scribe and other sites, and the “Strained Relations” book is also available to order through libraries and any bookstore.  I had a surge in sales in September and don’t know why, but if you bought a book,  thank you! 

Now back to the mailing.

REMINDER ANNOUNCEMENT:  You can earn HRCI recertification points through blogging and I’ve set up a site so you can be an occasional blogger. http://ourhrsite.blogspot.com  You are responsible for adhering to their guidelines, and I cannot guarantee your points.   
  • Read the HRCI information:  www.hrci.org/Page.aspx?id=6442451796
  • If you’d like to post, write your piece to the HRCI specifications.  (My first post is opinion and does not meet their criteria.)  Email your post to mstein@ourhrsite.com and be sure to include the subject line, your bio and links to your LinkedIn page and/or website/s.  I will not edit posts but will review them quickly if I have time.  Otherwise, I’ll simply upload.
  • You can subscribe to the blog, share it on Facebook or Tweet it. 
Join us on LinkedIn. 

Discounts are on our website 

A few of our pages have a “ShareThis” buttons on the upper left side of the page. If you’d like to repost on some of the other sites, this is an easy way to do so. 

We have a resource page with links and downloads for job seekers.  

In addition to this volunteer work, I have to earn a living.  Unfortunately, I can’t mentor you, and please don’t send me unsolicited resumes.  I wish I had the time to individually mentor you, but I don’t.  With the time I take for this group, my work and my books, I don’t have time left over.  Come to an event and meet someone who can help.  I receive a lot of unsolicited resumes (from our group and strangers) and if I’m recruiting for a position or I’m paid to work on the resume, that’s one thing, but other than that, I’ve got other things on my plate.  I refer people to the forum at www.ourhrsite.com/forum.   See the blog: http://marciastein.blogspot.com/2009/02/setting-boundaries-and-professionalism.html 

A list of speakers and their downloads is on our site.  www.ourhrsite.com/hrw_past_speakers.html

Thanks to Jenny Vonderwerth for planning last month’s event with Raymond Hixson a partner and co-founder of the law firm Hixson Nagatani LLP,  who presented "Getting Ready for the Prospect of Mandatory Audits: Wage & Hour Law Compliance."   His download is available on the past speakers’ page.   

1. HR Women & Friends Event:  Wednesday, November 16, 2011, 6:30-9:00 p.m. 
2. Discounts
3. Using our Bulletin Board (Forum)
4. Spam Filter Alert
5. To change you email address
6. Unsubscribe
7. Additional Links and Information

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1. HR Women & Friends Event:  Wednesday, November 16, 2011, 6:30-9:00 p.m. 
Details will be provided about two weeks in advance.

2. Discounts and Offers – view them at www.ourhrsite.com/hrw_discounts.html.

Please note: any discounts for health related products or services are solely used at your own discretion.  The group and I have no responsibility for these services or products.  Thanks for extending the discounts to our group!
 
3. Using our Bulletin Board (Forum)

When you contact me regarding jobs, events, and other issues, I refer to our Forum at www.ourhrsite.com/forum. 

You can view all messages without registering, but you must register to reply or post a message. You are not automatically registered because you receive this email – it is separate software. Please review the Terms and Conditions available under any topic on the forum.  It’s your responsibility to keep track of your user name and password, and if you change email addresses, please log in and update your profile.  If privacy is an issue, please be careful when you post anything: use a separate email if necessary and you can skip your street address if you’d like.

4. SPAM Filter Alert:  please add mstein@ourhrsite.com to your address book. 

5. To change your email address, send your old and new addresses to me at mstein@ourhrsite.com.  

6. Unsubscribe

To discontinue mailings please respond with "UNSUBSCRIBE" in the subject line. If you receive mail at more than one email address, please note all addresses to delete.
 
7. Additional Links and Information: 

Randy Pausch was dying of pancreatic cancer, and as is the tradition at many universities, he gave a “last lecture.”  His lecture was created for his young children but delivered to his class.  www.cs.cmu.edu/~pausch/   

Don’t have insurance?  Breast Cancer Connections in Palo Alto WILL HELP YOU!  www.bcconnections.org  They’re also great if you’ve been diagnosed with breast cancer, have questions and need support.

Click daily on The Breast Cancer Site at www.thebreastcancersite.com and help support people who don’t have insurance or money for mammograms.   You can send free postcards to a person serving our country.  www.letssaythanks.com  Build your vocabulary and send rice to hungry people through the United Nations!  http://freerice.com  If you want to donate to the community, many people need your help.  You can evaluate many organizations at Charity Navigator www.charitynavigator.org.  
 
Potential speakers/topics.  Our volunteers select speakers and topics in January.  You can still send ideas for speakers or topics with the understanding that this will be considered at the planning meeting next year.  If you want to publicize an event you can do so for free on our bulletin board. 

Notifying us of upcoming events and discounts.  If you email me right after I’ve sent a mailing, I can update the website, but I can’t send a separate mailing to the group.  It will be in the next mailing.  Please keep this in mind and plan ahead. 

I hope to see you at an upcoming event.


All the best,
 
Marcia
 

Author: Strained Relations: Help for Struggling Parents of Troubled Teens
Blog: http://strainedrelations.wordpress.com
Recruiters on Recruiting
www.tellmeaboutyourself.info
www.scribd.com/Marcia_Stein

Silicon Valley Women in Human Resources...and Friends
www.ourhrsite.com

Stein Consulting
www.stein-consulting.com