SHRMingham

The SHRMingham Interview - Sharon George, HR Consultant, from UAB...

SHRMingham was fortunate enoug a few weeks back to interview Sharon George from UAB.  Here's what we found out!!!

1. Name, Company and Position - Sharon George, UAB, HR Consultant

2. How long have you been a member of BSHRM? 5+ years

3. Tell us about what you do at UAB? I support 3 of our health related schools with all HR needs.

4. Complete the following sentence… "I know the day is going to be a struggle when…." I get called at home before 7 a.m.

5. What is your favorite part of your job? I love meeting new employees at orientation - they are as excited as children on the first day of school! And almost as confused - they need a lot of care and attention.

6. What is your favorite all time movie? Why? I love Shawshank Redemption - I didn't want it to end! I was amazed to find out years later that it was based on a Stephen King novel - I've never been a big fan of his.

7. Favorite event in the Olympics? Gymnastics - the muscles on those young kids are amazing.

8. What is your favorite type of music? Favorite Band? Why? Lately I'm enjoying anything on my 11 year old's I-pod, including Hannah Montana. Don't laugh-she has some catchy tunes!

9. You’ve just been granted a wish and can invite four people from any time period in history to dinner. Who would you invite and why? I'd love to invite my in-laws to let them know what a fabulous son they raised, and how great a husband and father he turned out to be. And both my grandparents - it would be interesting to know them now that I'm an adult. I'm sure I didn't appreciate their wisdom when I was young!

10. What is your favorite way to spend the weekend? Why? We have partial ownership in a condo at the beach - we go every 6th weekend, rain or shine. It's a hassle to pack and drive, but once we are there, it is all family time. When we are at home, we go our separate ways, but at the beach, we're all together.

11. Complete this thought… "Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love were…" WHO? No, I'm not that old. I know WHO they are, but just never listened to them.

12. What’s your career goal in HR? To make a positive impact on as many people as possible.

13. What is the last book you have read? James Patterson's "7th Heaven"

14. What do you do for fun away from UAB? Do you have hobbies? Ride bikes with my family, run (slowly!), drive in my new Jeep with the top off and hang out with my fun neighbors.

15. Favorite non-work related web site to hit on a regular basis and why?… My Tiny Kingdom - written by a lawyer/mom in Mtn. Brook about raising her 3 boys - fabulously funny, along with some good advice!

16. Advice you would give to the newbies trying to break into HR? Remember that just about everything we do affects people's livelihoods - take that responsibility very seriously. If you "do unto others", you'll usually do ok!

17. Preference Time – Alabama or Auburn? Auburn, thru thick and thin

18. You can take two things with you when you are stranded on a desert island. What do you take and why? My husband (cause we like to travel and love a good beach) and a boat (so we can LEAVE)

19. Weirdest question you have ever been asked by a candidate who wanted you to hire them? "Mind if I order a beer?" We were at a job fair being held at a hotel, and I guess he thought it'd be ok to drink! We were in St. Louis at the time, so at least he ordered an Anheuser-Busch product (their company headquarters is in St. Louis).

20. What else does BSHRM need to know about you? I love HR, and can't imagine doing anything else.

The SHRMingham Interview - Jennifer Sanders, HR Manager for CTS...

SHRMingham was fortunate enough, a few weeks back, to interview Jennifer Sanders from CTS.  Here's what we found out!!!

1. Name, Company and Position- Jennifer Sanders, Computer Technology Solutions, Inc. (CTS), Human Resource Manager

2. How long have you been a member of BSHRM? I think about 8 years now.

3. Tell us about what you do at CTS? Lead and manage the human resource function; I have two wonderful recruiters; one that focuses on experienced hires and one that is responsible for our university relations program (we have an awesome campus program!); also there is training, employee benefits, employee relations, the USCIS program... I think it would be easier to say I’m a Generalist HR Manager!

4. Complete the following sentence…“I know the day is going to be a struggle when my coffee isn’t just right; insanely huge mug, coffee (prefer Starbucks), 3 Splenda and a more than normal amount of Fat Free Original Coffee-Mate.”

5. What is your favorite part of your job?  Getting out from behind the desk – talking with people, coming up with ideas, being in the midst of everything!

6. What is your favorite all time movie?  Too many to choose from...John Hughes movies from the 80’s, Sense & Sensibility, Christmas Vacation – another John Hughes movie, Gone With The Wind, Walk the Line  

7. Favorite event in the Olympics? Gymnastics!

8. What is your favorite type of music?  I like all kinds of music.  I grew up in a suburb of Nashville, so I like Old School Country, like Cash & Waylon; Pop music – Maroon 5 and Kelly Clarkson; Contemporary Christian too – I love Mercy Me, Chris Tomlin and Barlow Girl – it’s real and warms my heart.

9. You’ve just been granted a wish and can invite four people from any time period in history to dinner.  Who would you invite and why?  Hands down, Jesus, but I think I’d have to have a separate dinner for that.  Other three?  My Grandfather, because I should have asked more questions; Dr. Glenn Weekly, my former minister, because I was always in awe of his love for God and people; Sarah Palin, no specific reason other than she inspires me, wow; but, makes me feel just a little inadequate; my husband, Jason, because we don’t get to have dinner without our kids very often. That was five wasn’t it?

10. What is your favorite way to spend the weekend? Why? With my family, with friends, at home, traveling, at the lake; I really do like being around people; it makes me comfortable.

11. Complete this thought… “Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love were…” not really on my radar in the 90’s.  I was more of a Red Hot Chili Peppers/Pearl Jam type of fan.

12. What’s your career goal in HR? I have several career goals.  Right now though?  My focus is on building an HR function that steers, supports and partners with our departments and employees.  Although policy and compliance are very important to the HR function, I am a business partner to my VPs and Managers.  They are my internal clients.  As our company continues its growth strategy, I look forward to the opportunity to serve in a greater leadership role; not sure of the actual title, maybe VP of Heart & Soul?  Also, I have my SPHR and when it makes sense for our business environment I’ll probably pursue the GPHR.

13. What is the last book you have read? Now, Discover Your Strengths by Marcus Buckingham & Donald Clifton

14. What do you do for fun away from CTS?  Do you have hobbies? My husband and I love to be with our children.  We like going to concerts, Alabama football games and snow skiing.  Does Home Depot fall into this category?

15. Favorite non-work related web site to hit on a regular basis and why?…I spend way too much time at night on Facebook!  It’s a big black hole that sucks you in with no chance of escape...don’t do it!  I love James Spann’s weather blog too.  My sister-in-law is a meteorologist at Fox 6, so I have become a weather junkie.  www.imdb.com is a lot fun.  I like watching old movies and looking up the actors or actresses to see what they are doing now.

16. Advice you would give to the newbies trying to break into HR?  Do not let anything be beneath you.  Do not get desensitized.  Don’t overuse “it’s a business decision” – HR decisions affect people personally most of the time.  Follow up with candidates every time regardless of your decision.  Continue learning about the HR profession outside of work (get familiar with trends, reputable blogs), volunteer on a committee in BSHRM, join national SHRM, and establish a network of HR professionals. Birmingham can be a small town when it comes to finding the right HR role.  Every position I’ve been hired for is due to my HR network. 

17. Preference Time – Alabama or Auburn? Alabama - it’s my alma mater.

18. You can take two things with you when you are stranded on a desert island.  What do you take and why?    A bible and a lifetime supply of sunscreen.

19. Weirdest question you have ever been asked by a candidate who wanted you to hire them? Not really a question, but we had a candidate that we really wanted to hire and he was interested in us.  He had just been accepted to the MBA program of an Ivy League school.  He actually turned the table and gave us an offer stipulating that CTS would pay for his Ivy League graduate work and in turn he’d work for us upon graduation at a reduced salary.  Pretty clever.  He works for Microsoft in Redmond now.  Great guy.  We still keep in touch.

20. What else does BSHRM need to know about you? Well, let’s see...I thought I wanted to be a hospital administrator after graduating from UA with a BS in Health Care Management.  I went to work for HealthSouth as a financial intern and then found my way into corporate human resources because of my degree and I had a minor in psychology.  I worked in a lot of different roles at HealthSouth and I loved HR the most.  I left the healthcare arena to work at large public accounting firm.  This is where I really honed my face to face skills with employees.  And now I lead the HR function for CTS, an IT professional services firm.  I understand professional services; it’s about providing services that exceed your client’s expectations.  I have the opportunity to do that every day with my employees.

VIDEO - Alan Sconiers Says Thanks, Gets Ready to Deploy to Iraq...

If you missed Wednesday's meeting at the Wynfrey, you missed the news that Alan Sconiers, our 2008 Chapter President, expects to deploy to Iraq in January. 

We've been lucky to have Alan's leadership in our chapter, and you know what?  Our country is lucky to have high quality people like Alan protecting our interests here and abroad.  We're proud of his commitment to serve, as I'm sure his family and friends are as well.

Since Alan likely won't make our December meeting due to training commitments necessary as a part of the deployment schedule, I cornered him at the Wynfrey and asked him to give those of you who couldn't make the November meeting a few words.  Take a look at the video; his thoughts about the commitment he made, as a soldier many years ago, are well worth the time.

Alan - from everyone at BSHRM, thanks for the leadership, and as you say in the video - we'll see you soon...

(Click here for the video if this was delivered to you via email)

No Hanging Chads - Vote Now for the 2009 BSHRM Board...

What else can I say?  Vote now or forever hold your peace.  First person to write in "Dog, the Bounty Hunter" gets video interviewed at the next meeting...

Voting closes on 11/21 - vote here - http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=i9Ykbb6dGP74niezN7wHUg_3d_3d

SHRMingham? What is that?

By now, you know what BSHRM stands for.  The Birmingham Society for Human Resource Management (BSHRM) is the local chapter of the national Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). We've been around since 1943 and we're one of the biggest local chapters of SHRM in the nation.

In addition to all the things you expect out of a chapter like ours (Programs, Certification, Networking Opportunities, etc.), we're interested in connecting our members and sharing ideas and opinions about all aspects of managing HR and talent in your organization.

That's what the blog behind this newsletter is about. I'm the editor of the blog/newsletter, so I'll be writing as much as necessary in an effort to stir things up. I'll also be asking our board members and other talented HR pros I know to write for this space as well. But that's not enough. Having a conversation takes at least two people.

That's where you come in. How can you get involved in the conversation? First, we are always looking for voices from our chapter to share their thoughts and opinions on anything related to HR and Talent that moves you. Email me at kris.dunn@sourcemed.net to let me know what you want to talk about. We'll provide space on this interactive format for you to share your thoughts, experience and opinion.

Writing a short column for this space seem too heavy for you? No problem, you can still be involved. Simply click on any title in this newsletter, and you'll be taken to the BSHRM blog (SHRMingham). Go to the bottom on any story (including those included in this newsletter, which will be at the top) and click on the "comments" link at the bottom of each post. When you do that, you'll be taken to an area where you can give your thoughts on the topic without feeling the formal pressures of being an author.

You don't even have to provide your name if that concerns you. That's how much we want to interact with you and get access to your expertise.

Once you click any of the titles on this newsletter, see the right hand column of the blog for options to subscribe to this blog in a reader (examples - Google Reader, MyYahoo) or via email. That way you don't have to remember to go out and see what's going on - it will be delivered to you automatically...

We'll send you this newsletter via email the first 3 or 4 times it's published.  After that, you'll have to subscribe via one of the options listed above to get it delivered via Google or email.  We're looking to engage you on a more frequent basis, so click through to the blog or click here to subscribe today.

Kris Dunn - Communications Guy, BSHRM