HNG Meeting - March 20 - Tips on Networking

Hello Everyone,

We are nearing an end to the winter months, but if the Hopkinton schools are cancelled on the day of our meeting then we do not meet; however, if there is a delay, then we do meet. Even if the schools are not closed, if the weather is bad, it is best to stay home then risk an accident.

The agenda for this Friday's Hopkinton Networkers Group (HNG) meeting will be featured by speaker, Lisa Rosen. The facilitator for this week will be Gil Krispien. We will devote the first hour to the following agenda: Welcome, Landings,Announcements, New Member Intros, and Needs & Leads. Important Note: Please make a serious, concerted effort to arrive before 10:00 AM. We are going to start the meeting on time at 10:00 AM. In the second hour, Lisa will talk about "Tips on Networking."

Tips on Networking

Networking presentation The goal is to UNDERSTAND what Networking is and how it is beneficial. The benefit of attending our workshop is seeing directly how “strangers” can network amongst themselves. Presentation will address the WHO, What and Where components. Who should be networking? What is networking? And where should you network? Learn how to understand and start networking. The session will cover tips and strategies on HOW to network smarter and develop a plan in order to obtain employment in today’s challenging environment.

Lisa Rosen

Lisa Rosen, Career Advisor and Workshop Facilitator at Employment & Training Resources in Framingham has 10+ years’ experience in recruiting and human resources. An accomplished workshop facilitator, she has led classes in Managing Your Job Search, Developing Your Self Marketing Pitch and Networking Works to name a few. Additionally, she is certified as a professional résumé writer. Her guidance and support has led to many jobseekers returning to work.

Recap of HNG Meeting of March 6, 2015:

Our 141st meeting had 20 people, this is eight more than the previous meeting; two signed the New Member list. William Lam was our facilitator. There were two introduction speeches.

We had a speaker, Robert Gaughan, whose subject was: "If you have to pay for your own Health Insurance – maybe I can help."

The following was covered:
* Rules related to enrollment in Health Insurance
* How Health Insurance plans are structured
* How premiums are determined
* What to look for/think about when selecting a Health Insurance plan
* Discussion of "subsidized" Health Insurance
* Discussion of penalties for not having Health Insurance
* Dental/Supplemental/Life and Long-term Care Insurance

This was an excellent presentation, and perhaps he will come back again.

Schedule for HNG Meetings:

April 3, 2015 Shelley Cull 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:
Sheri Ablaza sheriablaza@gmail.com
Grace Carcich gracec814@gmail.com
Emilia Gordon emiliagne@gmail.com
Gil Krispien g.krispien@verizon.net
William Lam wmlam508@yahoo.com
Ronaldo Lu ronaldo.lu@comcast.net