Open Forum Discussion

Hello Everyone,
The agenda for this Friday's Hopkinton Networkers Group (HNG) meeting will be an Open Forum Discussion. The facilitator for this week will be William Lam. We will devote the first hour, from 10 to 11 AM to the following agenda: Welcome, Landings, Announcements, New Member Intros, and Needs & Leads. Important Note: We are going to start the meeting on time at 10:00 AM. In the second hour, an "Open Forum Discussion on Various Topics" will occur.

If anyone wants to bring in any "goodies" to share, since being close to Christmas, then please do so.

Open Forum Discussion

For those attending, the following topics will be prioritized to see which gets discussed first:
- Network:
On telephone
Face-to-face: buddy groups
Social media: Facebook, LinkedIn, Tweeter, etc.
- Resume and Cover letters
- Interview questions
- Cold calling
- Positive attitude:
Emotion and mindset
Getting started in the morning
- Dealing / handling rejections
- Communicating effectively:
Toastmasters
Value statement as presented by Stuart Papp
Elevator speech: 15, 30, and 60 second speech
- Money management
Health insurance cost
Unemployment checks running out
- Other income
eBay
Survival jobs: part / full time
- Recruiters: one-night-stand types versus long-term relationship ones
- Hiring managers: What do they want?

Two landings:
George Kocyan Started December 9th at SanDisk; 50 minute commute
Jeff Beauchaine Starting in January at Comnet

We had a speaker Kevin Kopec who talked about "Understanding You Training Options." Here is what he covered:
- Why is the Training so important?
- Choose Your Method of Training
- What to look for when choosing a Training Provider
- Ways to Fund Training
- New England - State Career Centers
- Self Fund
- Vendor Payment Plans
- Training Proposal – Get Started
- The Jargon working with Career Centers
- How Long Does it Take to get approved?

Schedule for HNG Meetings:

January 3, 2014 Ed Yee + Panel Tax Details

General Information

The networking group meets in Hopkinton, at St. John the Evangelist Church parish hall. The meeting occurs, from 10 to 12 noon, and will meet the first and third Friday of the month. The parish hall has a capacity for 250 people and there is plenty of parking spaces in the parking lot and on the street. Around the perimeter of the parish hall are rooms to allow us to have focused network groups or for any other purpose we need. We chose the first and third Friday to allow everyone to attend the Acton Networking Group or any other networking group, if they wanted, on the Friday we do not meet.

We will maintain our close affiliation with Acton Networkers by using the same list-server to share information between the groups. Any e-mails specific to the Hopkinton Networking Group (HNG) will be indicated in the subject line either by "Hopkinton Networking Group" or "HNG"; this way anyone attending these meetings will know the e-mail is intended for them.

We will follow the following agenda items:
* Welcome
* Landings (with doughnuts)
* Announcements
* New member introductions
* Needs and Leads
* Speaker(s), Workshop, or Focus Group
* Cleanup

For those new members who give their introductions, this is what we would like to know:
* Name
* Skills and Value Statement
* Where have you been?
* Where are you going?
* Your title
* Your target companies
* Geography of search
* Name and e-mail address

If anyone wants to join our team, please let one of us know; we could always use the extra help and input for ideas.

Directions:
Take Rt. 495 North/South and get off Exit 21A. Go through three traffic lights. Colella's Supermarket is on the right at the third traffic light. The first street after the third traffic light is Church Street, take a right turn. The church is on the right. Go around to the left of the parking lot and go into the side entrance of the parish hall.

Depending upon where you live, perhaps you may want to use Mapquest for a more direct route. The address of the church is:
St. John the Evangelist
20 Church Street
Hopkinton, MA 01748

Regards,
Hopkinton Networkers Group (HNG) Coordinators:
MaryLou Fish marylouisefish@gmail.com
Ed Haddad ehaddadjr@verizon.net
Gil Krispien g.krispien@verizon.net
William Lam wmlam508@yahoo.com
Salpi Sarafian ssarafian@rcn.com
Laura Startzenbach laura.startzenbach@gmail.com

"Understanding Your Training Options"

The agenda for this Friday's Hopkinton Networkers Group (HNG) meeting will be a talk led by Kevin Kopec. The facilitator for this week will be MaryLou Fish. We will devote the first hour, from 10 to 11 AM to the following agenda: Welcome, Landings, Announcements, New Member Intros, and Needs & Leads. Important Note: We are going to start the meeting on time at 10:00 AM. In the second hour, Kevin will give a presentation on "Understanding Your Training Options."

Understanding Your Training Options

Kevin will cover the following topics in a multi-slide presentation:
- Why is the Training so important?
- Choose Your Method of Training
- What to look for when choosing a Training Provider
- Ways to Fund Training
- New England - State Career Centers
- Self Fund
- Vendor Payment Plans
- Training Proposal – Get Started
- The Jargon working with Career Centers
- How Long Does it Take to get approved?

Kevin Kopec

Kevin Kopec is an accomplished career coach in the area of Project Management and process improvement. A career changer himself in the early 90’s he has been providing career guidance and training options with folks from all fields. In 1995 he relocated to Massachusetts and worked for Computer Science Corporation in Cambridge.

In 1998 he headed up Worcester Polytechnic adult continuing education classes and later in 2005 at New Horizons in Waltham. Since 2010, Kevin, in his capacity as Director of Consumer Training has been working with dislocated workers with the highly regarded programs at William George Associates in Burlington, MA focusing on Project Management and Process Improvement.

Recap of HNG Meeting of November 15, 2013:

Our 111th meeting of HNG had 48 people, this is 15 more than the previous meeting; 8 signed the New Member list. Ed Haddad was our facilitator. There were 7 introduction speeches.

We had a speaker Ed Yee who talked about "Tax Topics to Consider While in Transition." Here is what he covered:

- W2 vs 1099 EMPLOYMENT, benefits and implications
a. Estimated tax payments
b. Self-Employment tax
c. Benefits of Schedule C income
d. Trade-offs, employment (W2) v. project work (1099)
e. Record-keeping
f. 401K loans

- Tax things to consider while in transition
a. Not withholding from unemployment payments
b. Raiding retirement accounts
c. Job hunting expenses and education (what's deductible)

- Tax things to consider before the end of the tax year for 2013
a. Roth conversions
b. Planning capital gains
c. Timing income when possible
d. Estimate tax due to avoid penalties and interest
e. Key IRS filing dates for 2013 tax returns

- IRS penalties

Schedule for HNG Meetings:

December 20, 2013 Open Forum Discussion

General Information

The networking group meets in Hopkinton, at St. John the Evangelist Church parish hall. The meeting occurs, from 10 to 12 noon, and will meet the first and third Friday of the month. The parish hall has a capacity for 250 people and there is plenty of parking spaces in the parking lot and on the street. Around the perimeter of the parish hall are rooms to allow us to have focused network groups or for any other purpose we need. We chose the first and third Friday to allow everyone to attend the Acton Networking Group or any other networking group, if they wanted, on the Friday we do not meet.

We will maintain our close affiliation with Acton Networkers by using the same list-server to share information between the groups. Any e-mails specific to the Hopkinton Networking Group (HNG) will be indicated in the subject line either by "Hopkinton Networking Group" or "HNG"; this way anyone attending these meetings will know the e-mail is intended for them.

We will follow the following agenda items:
* Welcome
* Landings (with doughnuts)
* Announcements
* New member introductions
* Needs and Leads
* Speaker(s), Workshop, or Focus Group
* Cleanup

For those new members who give their introductions, this is what we would like to know:
* Name
* Skills and Value Statement
* Where have you been?
* Where are you going?
* Your title
* Your target companies
* Geography of search
* Name and e-mail address

If anyone wants to join our team, please let one of us know; we could always use the extra help and input for ideas.

Directions:
Take Rt. 495 North/South and get off Exit 21A. Go through three traffic lights. Colella's Supermarket is on the right at the third traffic light. The first street after the third traffic light is Church Street, take a right turn. The church is on the right. Go around to the left of the parking lot and go into the side entrance of the parish hall.

Depending upon where you live, perhaps you may want to use Mapquest for a more direct route. The address of the church is:
St. John the Evangelist
20 Church Street
Hopkinton, MA 01748

Regards,
Hopkinton Networkers Group (HNG) Coordinators:
MaryLou Fish marylouisefish@gmail.com
Ed Haddad ehaddadjr@verizon.net
Gil Krispien g.krispien@verizon.net
William Lam wmlam508@yahoo.com
Salpi Sarafian ssarafian@rcn.com
Laura Startzenbach laura.startzenbach@gmail.com

"Tax Topics to Consider While in Transition"

Hello Everyone,

The agenda for this Friday's Hopkinton NetworkersGroup (HNG) meeting will be a talk led by Ed Yee. The facilitator for this week will be Ed Haddad. We will devote the first hour, from 10 to 11 AM to the following agenda: Welcome, Landings, Announcements, New Member Intros, and Needs & Leads. Important Note: We are going to start the meeting on time at 10:00 AM. In the second hour, Ed will give a presentation on "Tax Topics to Consider While in Transition."

Tax Topics to Consider While in Transition

- W2 vs 1099 EMPLOYMENT, benefits and implications

  a.  Estimated tax payments

  b.  Self-Employment tax

  c.  Benefits of Schedule C income

  d.  Trade-offs, employment (W2) v. project work (1099)

  e.  Record-keeping

  f.   401K loans

- Tax things to consider while in transition

  a.  Not withholding from unemployment payments

  b.  Raiding retirement accounts

  c.  Job hunting expenses and education (what's deductible)

- Tax things to consider before the end of the tax year for 2013

  a.  Roth conversions

  b.  Planning capital gains

  c.  Timing income when possible

  d.  Estimate tax due to avoid penalties and interest

  e.  Key IRS filing dates for 2013 tax returns

- IRS penalties

- Tax questions on your mind

Ed Yee

Ed Yee, a seasonal tax advisor for H&R Block, manages a tax office in the Boston metro west district and specializes in self employment taxes and practices.  He served in various management roles in Engineering, Marketing and Product Management roles at Digital, Compaq and HP.  He currently serves as a board member/officer on a number of local nonprofit/professional associations.  Ed has been a long time supporter of the Acton Networkers group.

Recap of HNG Meeting of November 1, 2013:

Our 110th meeting of HNG had 33 people,  this is 13 less than the previous meeting; 5 signed the New Member list. Gil Krispien was our facilitator. There were 4 introduction speeches.

We had speakers Larry Corbin and Brian Levitre who talked about "Federal Job search." They covered the following items:

   - Today's Government

   - Federal Hiring Process

   - Veteran Friendly

   - Office of Personnel Management

   - Application Process

   - Federal Application

   - Forms

   - Helpful Resources

   - Federal Resume

   - Work Experience Tips

This was an incredible talk, and it was an enlightening experience.  I hope to have both back again in about six months.

Schedule for HNG Meetings:

December 6, 2013    Kevin Kopec                                 TBD

General Information

The networking group meets in Hopkinton, at St. John the Evangelist Church parish hall. The meeting occurs, from 10 to 12 noon, and will meet the first and third Friday of the month. The parish hall has a capacity for 250 people and there is plenty of parking spaces in the parking lot and on the street. Around the perimeter of the parish hall are rooms to allow us to have focused network groups or for any other purpose we need. We chose the first and third Friday to allow everyone to attend the Acton Networking Group or any other networking group, if they wanted, on the Friday we do not meet.

We will maintain our close affiliation with Acton Networkers by using the same list-server to share information between the groups. Any e-mails specific to the Hopkinton Networking Group (HNG) will be indicated in the subject line either by "Hopkinton Networking Group" or "HNG"; this way anyone attending these meetings will know the e-mail is intended for them.

We will follow the following agenda items:

* Welcome

* Landings (with doughnuts)

* Announcements

* New member introductions

* Needs and Leads

* Speaker(s), Workshop, or Focus Group

* Cleanup

For those new members who give their introductions, this is what we would like to know:

* Name

* Skills and Value Statement

* Where have you been?

* Where are you going?

* Your title

* Your target companies

* Geography of search

* Name and e-mail address

If anyone wants to join our team, please let one of us know; we could always use the extra help and input for ideas.

Directions:

Take Rt. 495 North/South and get off Exit 21A. Go through three traffic lights. Colella's Supermarket is on the right at the third traffic light. The first street after the third traffic light is Church Street, take a right turn. The church is on the right. Go around to the left of the parking lot and go into the side entrance of the parish hall.

Depending upon where you live, perhaps you may want to use Mapquest for a more direct route. The address of the church is:

St. John the Evangelist

20 Church Street

Hopkinton, MA 01748

Regards,

Hopkinton Networkers Group (HNG) Coordinators:

MaryLou Fish           marylouisefish@gmail.com   

Ed Haddad               ehaddadjr@verizon.net 

Gil Krispien              g.krispien@verizon.net 

William Lam             wmlam508@yahoo.com 

Salpi Sarafian           ssarafian@rcn.com 

Laura Startzenbach   laura.startzenbach@gmail.com 

Now hiring - Artistry Kitchen

We are looking for people who understand and appreciate the art of hospitality and recognize the

importance of being involved in our community. If you are a motivated, service-oriented team

player who is ready to be part of the pre-opening team of this property, please forward your resume

to jobs@artistryboston.com.

AVAILABLE POSITIONS
Line Cook, Prep Cook, Bartender, Server, Greeter, Busperson, Runner, Dishwasher

BENEFITS
• Competitive Compensation
• Health Insurance
• Paid Time Off

VISIT US AT OUR JOB FAIR!

When: Wednesday, November 13 from 12 PM to 8 PM

Where: Rockland Trust Bank, 58 Main St., Franklin MA

RSVP: info@artistrykitchen.com

Apply at www.artistrykitchen.com

Artistry Kitchen is part of an emerging multi-faceted hospitality company in Massachusetts called
Artistry. In addition to Artistry Kitchen, the organization is comprised of The Inn at Hastings Park,
a boutique inn and restaurant, as well as a full-service catering and event planning company.


The Artistry Kitchen flyer:




Where is Artistry Kitchen?
in downtown Franklin on the corner of Cottage and East Central

Dean College Hosts Early Childhood Education Training on Nutrition

The Dean College School of Continuing Studies will be hosting a free training for early childhood educators on the topic of nutrition. The event will be held on Wednesday November 20, 2013 from 6:30 – 8:30 PM and participants will earn two hours of nutrition training from the Department of Early Education and Care.  Seating is limited. 

Highlighting the schedule is a presentation from Pam Mele, titled "Growing up Healthy: A nutrition seminar for early childhood education providers", Pam is an adjunct faculty member and expert in the field of Early Education with over 30 years experience working with young children and educators. 

"On behalf of Dean College's School of Continuing Studies, I am pleased we are able to support the professional development of early childhood educators in our community on such a critical topic as childhood nutrition," says Veatrice Carabine, Dean of the School of Continuing Studies at Dean College. 

The training will take place in the Golder Room, located in the Dean College Campus Center. Attendees are asked to park in the Campus Center parking lot, at 109 West Central Street/Route 140. 

To register for the event, please call 508-541-1629 or email vcarabine@dean.edu. For more information, please visit www.dean.edu   

Governor Patrick proclaims November as "Hire a Veteran Month"

Patrick Administration to collaborate with regional workforce partners on series of events, career fairs, and training sessions

BOSTON – Friday, November 1, 2013 – In recognition of Massachusetts' dedicated, highly skilled and hard-working veterans, Governor Deval Patrick today proclaimed November 2013 as "Hire a Veteran Month."

"It is imperative that we honor the brave men and women who have served our country by giving them the resources to find good jobs at good wages," said Governor Patrick. "By working with employers and providing training for the jobs that are open, we will grow opportunity for our veterans and strengthen our economy."

As part of "Hire A Veteran Month," the Patrick Administration is collaborating with regional workforce partners on a series of events, career fairs, and training sessions that will take place in every region of the Commonwealth throughout November (see full list below). 

"The Patrick Administration is proud to collaborate across state agencies and with organizations throughout the Commonwealth to host and support a series of events in November and during the year to promote employment opportunities for veterans," said Labor and Workforce Development Secretary Joanne F. Goldstein. "'Hire A Veteran Month' complements the Administration's ongoing work and partnership with academia, the private sector, and workforce organizations to assist veterans during their transition to civilian life and long-term employment."

Massachusetts is a leading provider for veteran services, and the Patrick Administration continues to implement employment assistance and workforce training programs for members of the armed forces, veterans and their spouses. Veterans receive priority service at each of the Department of Career Services (DCS) 32 One-Stop Career Centers around the Commonwealth. Each One-Stop Career Center has at least one staff member dedicated to assisting veterans. In the last fiscal year, DCS provided services to approximately 14,000 veterans in the Commonwealth.

Last week, the Patrick Administration announced it has more than doubled cash grants available to employers hiring Massachusetts veterans regardless through the state's Hiring Incentive Training Grant program. Any for-profit company and non-profit organization that contributes to the Massachusetts Workforce Training Fund are encouraged to apply. Eligible employers may now apply for grants of $5,000 for each new hire who meets the Hiring Incentive Training Grant program requirements. Employers may receive up to $75,000 each calendar year. Upon approval, payment will be available to the employer once the new hire has retained employment for at least 120 days.

As part of the Patrick Administration's campaign to encourage companies to hire and train veterans, the Administration is also partnering with major trade associations. As part of an initiative first launched two years ago, trade associations are encouraged to hire veterans, circulate information on veterans' benefits and educate local employers about the skills service members gain the military.

"Employment is a critical component for a veteran's successful transition back into civilian life," said Secretary of Veterans Services Coleman Nee. "Massachusetts leads the nation in veterans' services and with the partnerships developed with DCS, business organizations and veteran organizations we are maximizing resources to provide our veterans with the employment opportunities they have earned."

"The Chamber supports hiring veterans for many reasons," said Timothy P. Murray, President and CEO of the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce. "The skills and discipline acquired during their service were invaluable in ensuring our nation's freedom. This passion and drive translates into productive employees who help our local businesses to thrive. The Chamber is pleased to be one of the many organizations in Central Massachusetts that is reaching out to our businesses to educate them on the benefits of hiring veterans."

Among its many partners, the Administration is collaborating with the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce on a pilot Veteran Mentoring & Networking program known as "Boots to Business. Designed to become a statewide model, this initiative provides veterans with access to many of Greater Boston's most successful businesses across a variety of industries, including financial services, technology, and others. The program connects each veteran with a mentor in the business community who can guide them through the process of securing long-term employment. To date, over 41 Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce members have become veteran mentors and 31 veterans have registered to be mentored.

"The Chamber is a proud supporter of 'Hire A Veteran Month,' and we appreciate the Patrick Administration's efforts to encourage the hiring of Massachusetts veterans," said Paul Guzzi, President & CEO of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce. "Our veterans have given much for our country, and can play a critical role in expanding our region's overall economic success.  The Chamber is honored to be working with the state to strengthen connections between veterans and the employer community through our 'Boots to Business' program."

As part of a statewide initiative, DCS and the Department of Veterans' Services (DVS) have also worked with the Massachusetts Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MassMEP) to leverage state funding used to train veterans in the manufacturing industry.  Collaboration is also underway through the Massachusetts Medical Technology Veteran Program to provide veterans with training and networking opportunities within the medical device and diagnostic industries.  Another program, Edge4Vets, is also assisting veterans seeking employment in the biotech industry.

In March of this year, Governor Patrick signed an executive order to help small businesses owned by disabled veterans gain access to contracts for public projects in the areas of construction, design and goods and services procurement and also announced the establishment of guidelines to assist members of the armed forces, veterans and their spouses with professional licenses so that they can prepare and apply for job in the Commonwealth.

Below is a list of events scheduled as part of "Hire a Veteran Month" throughout the Commonwealth. To learn more about services for Massachusetts veterans, visit www.mass.gov/veterans or about the Massachusetts Department of Career Services, visit http://www.mass.gov/dcs.

November 2013 "Hire A Veteran Month" Scheduled Events

Friday, November 1

Department of Corrections Job Opportunities Workshop

1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.

Workforce Central, 44 Front Street, Worcester

Event Description: Workshop highlighting varied job opportunities with the Massachusetts Department of Corrections with a focus on hiring Veterans.

Saturday, November 2

2nd Annual South Shore Community Veterans' Benefits Forum

9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

St. Anthony's Parish Hall, 10 Summer Street, Cohasset

Event Description: Opportunity to connect to Veteran benefits, meet and greet with local Veterans' Services Officers, and breakout sessions on education, employment, housing, healthcare and more. Veteran Employment Representatives from Career Centers will be in attendance.

Monday, November 4

Prepare for the Job Fair for Veterans                  

1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

North Central Career Center, 25 Main Street, Gardner

Event Description: Veteran facilitated workshop to prepare Veterans to meet with Job Fair employers most effectively, including putting their best foot forward having done employer research, written a better resume and dressing to make the best first impression.

Tuesday, November 5

Annual Fall Veterans Job Fair

9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. (Veterans Priority 9:00 – 10:00)

Greater New Bedford Career Center, 618 Acushnet Avenue, New Bedford

Event Description: Multiple employers will be available seeking to fill positions in manufacturing, healthcare, construction, warehouse, transportation and law enforcement.

Veterans' Job Fair

9:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

Franklin Hampshire Career Center Northampton, 178 Industrial Drive, Northampton

Event Description: Annual Veterans' Job Fair with 25+ Employers attending each year. All Employers attending must have at least one job order listed with our Career Center to attend. First hour is for Veterans only, last hour and a half is open for veterans and general public.

Career Directions for Veterans                  

9:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.

North Central Career Center, 100 Erdman Way, Leominster

Event Description: Veteran facilitated workshop discussing the power of effective resumes, cover letters, networking, dressing for success, interviewing and thank you/follow-up notes.

Wednesday, November 6

Workforce Training Fund: Incentives for Hiring Veterans

9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.

BerkshireWorks, 160 North Street, Pittsfield

Event Description: Presentation to local employers of potential grants available to them and the importance and advantage of hiring veterans, including an overview of the training dollars available, Veterans Tax Credit, and the latest updates including an increase of the Hiring Incentive Training Grant to $5,000 per veteran.

Roadmap to Successful Job Search

1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Cambridge Career Source, 186 Alewife Brook Parkway, Cambridge

Event Description: Two Career Centers, The Career Place and Career Source, are collaborating on this Veterans Only event which will include presenter Jayne Mattson, VP Keystone Associates.

Thursday, November 7

"Jobs at Home" Job Fair

10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. (10:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. Veterans only)

VFW, 190 Plain Street, Lowell

Event Description: Lowell Career Center Job Fair with approximately 20 + employers attending.

Prepare for the Job Fair for Veterans                  

1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.

North Central Career Center, 100 Erdman Way, Leominster

Event Description: Veteran facilitated workshop to prepare Veterans to meet with Job Fair employers most effectively, including putting their best foot forward having done employer research, written a better resume and dressing to make the best first impression.

Friday, November 8

General Dynamics Electric Boat Job Opportunities Workshop

10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Workforce Central, 44 Front Street, Worcester

Event Description: Varied job opportunities with General Dynamics Electric Boat's Westerly RI facility focused on hiring Veterans.

Monday, November 11

Veteran's Day Service Fair

3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Beacon Cinema, 125 North Street, Pittsfield

Event Description: In addition to a discussion of services, a presentation will feature "Honor Flight," a film about getting World War II veterans from home to Washington DC to see the World War II Memorial. BerkshireWorks and local Veterans Service Agencies will be available to provide information regarding programs and services.

Tuesday, November 12

Salute to Veterans Job Fair

10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Northern Essex Community College, Haverhill Campus/Tech Center, 100 Elliott Street, Haverhill

Event Description: ValleyWorks Career Center Job Fair; open to the public.

Veteran Job Fair

11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Career Point, 850 High Street, Holyoke

Event Description: This job fair will include Veteran Partners and Employers who are actively hiring.

Veterans Career Fair

3:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Holiday Inn, 700 Myles Standish Boulevard, Taunton

Event Description: Exclusive to Veterans and spouses, this event combines resources from career assistance, financial agencies for help with mortgage etc, human service agencies, and of course employers with jobs. 

Wednesday, November 13

Fall Job Fair 2013

9:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Doubletree Inn, 99 Erdman Way, Leominster

Event Description: North Central Career Centers Annual job fair.

Job Fair

1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

JobNet Career Center, 210 South Street, Boston

Event Description: Veteran job fair with a focus on Health Care.

Veterans Clothing Collaborative

2:00PM – 4:30PM

Boston Career Link, 1010 Harrison Avenue, Boston

Event Description: The event will provide Veterans with appropriate dress clothes for interviews.

Thursday, November 14

Hiring Our Veterans: Veterans & Community Job Fair

10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Peabody Institute Library, 15 Sylvan Street, Danvers

Event Description: North Shore Career Centers Job Fair.

BerkshireWorks Veterans Resource Room Dedication

3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

BerkshireWorks, 160 North Street, Pittsfield

Event Description: BerkshireWorks in conjunction with Berkshire Community College has established a resource room for Veterans to provide a place to do research, job search or meet with someone.

Veterans Benefits and Resources Workshop

9:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. (Registration begins at 9:00 a.m.)

CareerWorks Career Center, 34 School Street, Brockton

Event Description: Information on benefits for Veterans, including educational, medical, and monetary benefits.

Friday, November 15

Veterans Jobs Fair

10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Auburn/Webster Elks, 754 Southbridge Street, Auburn

Event Description: Workforce Central Annual Job Fair Event.

National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Veteran Expo

8:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Crowne Plaza Hotel, 1 West Street, Pittsfield

Event Description: The community has organized this event to express support and gratitude by the community to Veterans and their families, identifying resources and services including Veteran Education, Chapter 115 benefits, health and wellness and job search.

LinkedIn Workshop for Veterans

2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
The Career Place, 100 Sylvan Road, Woburn, MA

Event Description: This workshop will focus on LinkedIn and how to use it for a job search. 

Wednesday, November 20

Job Fair

9:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (First ½ Hour Veterans Only)

Council on Aging, Adams Visitors Center 5 Hoosac Street, Adams, MA

Event Description: This event includes multiple recruiting employers.

GI Bill Information Session

1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

North Shore Career Center, 181 Union Street, Lynn

Event Description: This event will include an informational session and technical assistance on obtaining GI Bill Benefits. Lunch will be provided.

Job Fair

1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

JobNet Career Center, 210 South Street, Boston

Event Description: Veteran job fair with a focus on Government.

Thursday, November 21

Veterans Career Fair

10:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. (1st hour Veterans Only)

Quincy Career Center, 152 Parkingway, Quincy

Event Description: This event will invite approximately 14 to 18 employers and five to eight veteran agencies, spacing permitted.

Friday, November 22

Behind the Walls of HR for Veterans                

1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

North Central Career Center, 100 Erdman Way, Leominster

Event Description: The event will feature a panel of employers, and Veterans will have the opportunity to ask panelists questions pertaining to job interviews and what HR/hiring managers look for in ideal employees. Questions are solicited from Veterans and will be provided to the panelists the day of the event.

Sunday, November 24

How to work a career fair 

10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Quincy Career Center, 152 Parkingway, Quincy 

Event Description: The event includes a workshop for Veterans on how to work a career fair.

Monday, November 25

Veterans' Networking Event

9:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

The Work Place, 29 Winter Street, Boston

Event Description: The event is an opportunity for Veterans to meet and support fellow Veterans through their job search.

Friday, November 29 

           

Recruitment for Securitas Security Agency

1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Workforce Central, 5 Optical Drive, Southbridge

Event Description: Securitas Security will be recruiting qualified candidates to fill the position of Security Guard. The first hour of the recruitment will be only open to qualified Veteran candidates.

Thursday, December 5

Career Fair

Time TBD

Plymouth Career Center, 36 Cordage Park, Plymouth

Event Description: Veteran Career Fair.

Federal Job Search

Hello Everyone,

The agenda for this Friday's Hopkinton NetworkersGroup (HNG) meeting will be a talk led by Larry Corbin and Brian Levitre. The facilitator for this week will be Gil Krispien. We will devote the first hour, from 10 to 11 AM to the following agenda: Welcome, Landings, Announcements, New Member Intros, and Needs & Leads. Important Note: We are going to start the meeting on time at 10:00 AM. In the second hour, Larry and Brian will give a presentation on "Federal Job Search ."

Federal Job Search

The following points will be covered:
- Today's Government
- Federal Hiring Process
- Veteran Friendly
- Office of Personnel Management
- Application Process
- Federal Application
- Forms
- Helpful Resources
- Federal Resume
- Work Experience Tips 

Larry Corbin
Retired active duty USAF veteran 1972-1992. Currently, he is the Disabled Veterans Outreach Program coordinator (DVOP) for the Workforce Central Career Center in
Milford Massachusetts He also deals with all issues for veterans to include re-employment and job searching. He has been doing this for 15 years.


Brian Levitre U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Boston, MA29 year federal employee
Department of Defense- 1984-1988
Treasury Department- 1988-2003
Department of Homeland Security- 2003-Present
Currently a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Program Manager for Recruiting. His terrritory is the 6 New England States. CBP is one of the Department of Homeland Security’s largest and most complex components, with a priority mission of keeping terrorists and their weapons out of the U.S. It also has a responsibility for securing the border and facilitating lawful international trade and travel while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws and regulations, including immigration and drug laws.


Recap of HNG Meeting of October 18, 2013:

Our 109th meeting of HNG had 46 people, this is 20 more than the previous meeting; 11 signed the New Member list. Laura Startzenbach was our facilitator. There were 7 introduction speeches. We had a panel comprised of professionals who have a wide range of diverse experiences and knowledge in the job search and hiring.


The panel consisted of a Career Advisor, Recruitment Vice President, Human Resources Director, and a former Sales and Marketing Executive. 

The panelists were:
Bob Dandrade 42 years in many roles in multiple industries, hiring hundreds of people
Donelle Wright Director of Human Resources at EMC 
Rick Frazier Experienced job turmoil with corporate downsizing, mergers, acquisitions and restructuring at Digital Equipment Corporation, Compaq and Hewlett-Packard.
Wende Maister Vice President at Gatti & associates 

Schedule for HNG Meetings:

November 1, 2013 Larry Corbin and Brian Levitre "Federal
Job Search"

November 15, 2013 Ed Yee 
"Tax Talk"


General Information

The networking group meets in Hopkinton, at St. John the
Evangelist Church parish hall. The meeting occurs, from 10 to 12
noon, and will meet the first and third Friday of the month. The
parish hall has a capacity for 250 people and there is plenty of
parking spaces in the parking lot and on the street. Around the
perimeter of the parish hall are rooms to allow us to have
focused network groups or for any other purpose we need. We chose
the first and third Friday to allow everyone to attend the Acton
Networking Group or any other networking group, if they wanted,
on the Friday we do not meet.

We will maintain our close affiliation with Acton Networkers by
using the same list-server to share information between the
groups. Any e-mails specific to the Hopkinton Networking Group
(HNG) will be indicated in the subject line either by "Hopkinton
Networking Group" or "HNG"; this way anyone attending these
meetings will know the e-mail is intended for them.


We will follow the following agenda items:
* Welcome
* Landings (with doughnuts)
* Announcements
* New member introductions
* Needs and Leads
* Speaker(s), Workshop, or Focus Group
* Cleanup


For those new members who give their introductions, this is what
we would like to know:
* Name
* Skills and Value Statement
* Where have you been?
* Where are you going?
* Your title
* Your target companies
* Geography of search
* Name and e-mail address


If anyone wants to join our team, please let one of us know; we
could always use the extra help and input for ideas.


Directions:
Take Rt. 495 North/South and get off Exit 21A. Go through three
traffic lights. Colella's Supermarket is on the right at the
third traffic light. The first street after the third traffic
light is Church Street, take a right turn. The church is on the
right. Go around to the left of the parking lot and go into the
side entrance of the parish hall.


Depending upon where you live, perhaps you may want to use
Mapquest for a more direct route. The address of the church is:
St. John the Evangelist
20 Church Street
Hopkinton, MA 01748


Regards,
Hopkinton Networkers Group (HNG) Coordinators:
MaryLou Fish marylouisefish@gmail.com
marylouisefish@gmail.com>

Ed Haddad ehaddadjr@verizon.net
ehaddadjr@verizon.net>

Gil Krispien g.krispien@verizon.net
g.krispien@verizon.net>
William Lam wmlam508@yahoo.com
wmlam508@yahoo.com>
Salpi Sarafian ssarafian@rcn.com
ssarafian@rcn.com>
Laura Startzenbach laura.startzenbach@gmail.com
laura.startzenbach@gmail.com>