Dallas HR

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Innovation and Creativity are the BUZZ at DallasHR!!  Expanding Membership - from Celena Baldwin and the Member Engagement Team: Our members are helping to grow and strengthen the organization to enhance the value of the HR profession! Through the new Member Referral Campaign that began in July and runs until December, members are recruiting their colleagues, business associates and friends and getting entered in super prize drawings that include an iPad, $150 gift card and a $75 prize pack! The drawing will take place at the December membership luncheon. Referring members will continue to receive a Starbucks gift card for each referral and will be entered in monthly drawings for prizes such as restaurant gift cards. The Member Engagement Team created this campaign because a vibrant and growing DallasHR means greater recognition of the Association and a wider base for networking opportunities. Great idea!

Nurturing Talent for Future Generations - from Jackie Eason and the College Relations Team:
Even seasoned HR professionals with years of practical experience must actively embrace the need for continuous learning in order to stay current in the ever changing business climate and rapidly evolving HR professional environment we must face on a daily basis. Imagine how difficult it can be for students with limited work experiences to transition from an academic focus on theory and possible applications to a new role of entry level practitioner. One exciting way that DallasHR will help bridge this gap is through a highly participative mentorship program to be launched in the 2011 fall semester. Five mentor volunteers will each be partnered with an HR student from the University of North Texas. The pilot program will be conducted from August through November with the intent to expand the program in 2012 to include college HR students throughout the entire Dallas-Ft. Worth area. This highly individualized plan involves matching specific student interest levels with specific mentor strengths related to work experiences, professional certifications and volunteer activities in the HR community. The program helps facilitate the professional development of the future HR workforce by investing quality time through valuable coaching activities with students representing the next generation of HR practitioners. It was developed by a sub-committee of the College Relations Committee including Chrissie Giles, Mariya Gavrilova and Jackie Eason. Nurturing talent for future generations!

Making a Difference for Those in Transition - Fiona Hunter's Team Shares:
DallasHR supports HR professionals in transition in a number of ways, primarily by providing forums for increased connectivity, collaboration and advice. Networking groups are held twice a month to promote increased sharing of information, contacts and building job search skills. Each meeting features a job search aspect that is tailored to HR, and facilitators are senior HR professionals who bring their expertise, talent and passion to support the group. During the last few months, topics have focused on strategy -- job search strategy as well as strategic HR -- aligning verbal and written collateral with the employer's challenges in a dynamic workplace such as top talent retention, and employee engagement. A LinkedIn group provides job leads, but also links to articles on the latest issues facing HR professionals so that they are well prepared to articulate their point of view and potential solutions in their interviews. For those in transition, we ask only a commitment to "pay it forward" when they land.

Thanks for the reminder, Fiona....pay it forward resonates with all of us!

Making a Difference in the Community with a Destiny for Change - Charlotte Leo tells us: The DallasHR Community Relations Committee has had a busy year!  The group's aim is to coordinate one event each month to provide assistance to one of the four charities it supports. These are Attitudes and Attire; the North Texas Food Bank; The Salvation Army; and The Senior Source. Support has included monetary and other donations, visits to nursing homes in the community, participation in dressing days for women who are trying to re-enter the workforce, work in the food bank's warehouses, and involvement with children's events. None of this would be possible without the generosity of the members of DallasHR. Their giving spirits have made it possible to truly make an impact on the community around all of us! WOW! Touching lives in powerful ways with definite possibilities and hope! Way to go TEAM!