Monday, August 15, 2016

Back to Business with Linda Waters

Linda Waters has been to the Hopkinton Networking Group several times and recently sat down for an interview with #shopFranklin.

"#shopFranklin - supporting small business speaks with Linda Waters of Back to Business. Back to Business has changed the dialogue around re-entering the work force after an absence and empowers job seekers to own their many talents."

This video is especially good for anyone looking for work or considering changing careers. Linda is a great resource. I have been fortunate to have her as part of a couple of the Job Search Jam Sessions I ran a several years ago and her sessions were dynamite!





Back to Business, confident career transitions
Back to Business, confident career transitions

Linda's Back to Business webpage   http://backtobusiness.org/


Linda was prepared for the session in 2010
Linda was prepared for the session in 2010
Linda has returned to the Hopkinton Networking Group since then
http://jobsearchjamsessions.blogspot.com/2014/09/hng-meeting-september-19-2014-agenda.html


Thursday, August 4, 2016

HNG Meeting August 5, 2016; Agenda: Speaker on "The Power of Your Thoughts"

Hello Everyone,

The agenda for this Friday's Hopkinton Networkers Group (HNG) meeting will be featured by speaker Bonnie Petrovich. 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, Bonnie will talk about "The Power of Your Thoughts."


The Power of Your Thoughts


  • How Thoughts Impact Your Career Efforts – Positively or Negatively – It's Your Choice!
  • Explore tips, techniques and ah-has! for bringing the supportive influence of your thoughts to your job search.
  • Ever wonder why some people get "breaks," good luck, and opportunities more easily than you?

Come join an interactive session with experienced career coach and trainer, Bonnie Petrovich, who will share insights and strategies from her own, and some of her clients', experiences. Prepare to transform how you are approaching your job-search and your life!


Bonnie Petrovich

Bonnie Petrovich, M.Ed., CPC, is a senior certified career transition consultant & executive coach with extensive professional experience in training & development, HR, and recruiting. She was voted "Career Coach of the Year 2013" by the International Coach Federation—New England. Her style of career-transition coaching focuses on what she sees as "The New Job Security"-- clarifying one's natural skills, "signature strengths" and interests and then compellingly marketing them to those looking for those skills and talents. Her passion is in partnering with individuals to help them connect with opportunities that are a right-fit for who they uniquely are. In addition to coaching clients privately, 

Bonnie does career consulting, coaching and training for Keystone Associates (one of New England's most prominent career management firms) and has consulted and coached for ExecuNet (a national career-management firm specializing in serving executives and senior-level managers). She is one of the inaugural coach volunteers in the MIT study on ameliorating long-term unemployment and also consults with Babson MBA students on their resumes and interview preparation.
http://www.linkedin.com/in/bonniepetrovich 
www.bonniepetrovich.com




Recap of HNG Meeting of July 22, 2016

Our 171st meeting had 35 people, this is 10 more than the previous meeting; nine signed the New Member list. Bill Wilson was our facilitator. There were nine introduction speeches.

One landing:
Vincent Rocheleau Started July 26th at Atlantic Importing Company as the General Warehouse Manager in Framingham and shortly moving to Holliston

We had a speaker, Patrick O'Connor, who talked about "Getting the Most Out of LinkedIn – How to Stand Out in Today's Crowded, Multi-Media World"

In this session Patrick:
* Defined LinkedIn account types and the reasons to upgrade from a basic account
* Breaked out the main functions of your LinkedIn profile
* Covered tips and tricks to get the most impact out of your LinkedIn profile
* Discussed keyword placements tips to increase your "findability"
* Reviewed the social media aspects of LinkedIn's service and how to best utilize these features
* Taught how to maintain your LinkedIn "brand" and keep its influence growing


Schedule for HNG Meetings:
Augusr 19, 2016 Hannah David 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. CVS 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:
Emilia Gordon emiliagne@gmail.com
Gil Krispien g.krispien@verizon.net
Ronaldo Lu ronaldo.lu@comcast.net
Bill Wilson bill@williamjwilson.com

Wednesday, July 20, 2016

Getting the Most Out of LinkedIn – How to Stand Out in Today’s Crowded, Multi-Media World

Hello Everyone,
The agenda for this Friday's Hopkinton Networkers Group (HNG) meeting will be featured by speaker Patrick O'Connor. The facilitator for this week will be Bill Wilson. 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, Patrick will talk about "Getting the Most Out of LinkedIn – How to Stand Out in Today’s Crowded, Multi-Media World."

Getting the Most Out of LinkedIn – How to Stand Out in Today’s Crowded, Multi-Media World


According to the latest metrics, LinkedIn has over 400 million members in over 200 countries and territories. How is anyone going to find you? You have to be creative and do more today to get noticed!

In this session we will:
* Define LinkedIn account types and the reasons to upgrade from a basic account
* Break out the main functions of your LinkedIn profile
* Cover tips and tricks to get the most impact out of your LinkedIn profile
* Discuss keyword placements tips to increase your "findability"
* Review the social media aspects of LinkedIn's service and how to best utilize these features
* Learn how to maintain your LinkedIn "brand" and keep its influence growing

Patrick O'Connor -- Social Media Strategist & PMI Central Mass Board Member

Patrick O’Connor is the Assistant Director of Marketing and Communications for PMI Central Mass and currently mobilized with the Massachusetts Air National Guard. On the civilian side, Patrick recently worked for IBM, where he led an award-winning, global marketing team for IBM Electronic Support specializing in social media campaigns & customer education programs. His high-tech and military careers span over three decades. As a trained analyst and social media strategist, Patrick brings a unique combination of technology experience, military expertise and global team leadership success to bear on his many current endeavors.

Recap of HNG Meeting of July 8, 2016

Our 170th meeting had 25 people, this is 2 less than the previous meeting; three signed the New Member list. Vincent Rocheleau was our facilitator. There were four introduction speeches.

We had a speaker, Eric Ross, who talked about "Power Networking."
The presentation will give all attendees a thorough overview of the total person-to-person networking process.

Key Benefits of Attending – Attendees:
• Gained an understanding of the true purpose and value of networking
• Became exposed to key tools to be used in the process
• Learned how to start the “power” networking practice
• Understood how to effectively leverage existing contacts
• Learned key things never to do when networking
• Understood the different kinds of potential contacts
• Learned effective ways to outreach to networking referrals
• Learned ways to truly differentiate oneself
• Understood how to conduct a meeting with a networking contact
• Learned how to optimize the results of a networking meeting
• Understood how power networking can continue to generate new contacts

Schedule for HNG Meetings:


August 5, 2016 Bonnie Petrovich 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. CVS 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:
Emilia Gordon emiliagne@gmail.com
Gil Krispien g.krispien@verizon.net
Ronaldo Lu ronaldo.lu@comcast.net
Vincent Rocheleau vrocheleau@hotmail.com
Bill Wilson bill@williamjwilson.com

Wednesday, May 4, 2016

HNG: F.A.C.T. – Financial Answers in Career Transition

Hello Everyone,
The agenda for this Friday's Hopkinton Networkers Group (HNG) meeting will be featured by a speaker, Tom Alessi. 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, Tom will talk about "F.A.C.T. – Financial Answers in Career Transition."

F.A.C.T. – Financial Answers in Career Transition

* Budget and Cash Flow Strategies – “The biggest fight is always about the money”
* Learn how to take control during a career transition
* The more prepared you are now the better off you will be later
* It’s not about your budget, it’s about where you spend your money.
* Financial Planning – “Don’t walk away…Just Run”
* Why doing a financial plan now probably isn’t in your best interest

Tom Alessi

Tom Alessi is President of Westwood Wealth Advisors a firm that is dedicated to working with our clients to help bring clarity and purpose to their financial decisions. Born and raised in Needham, MA, Tom now resides in Westwood, MA, with his wife and 2 daughters. Prior to Westwood Wealth Advisors Mr. Alessi worked at Citizen’s Bank, AXA Advisors, and has been working as an Advisor in Financial Services for more than 17 years.

Mr. Alessi works within four main areas of focus; Financial Planning, Retirement & Distribution Strategies, Education Funding, and with Small Business Owners. The economics-based approach that Tom takes with his clients helps them to understand that every decision they make is not a decision unto itself, but rather how that decision could be coordinated, integrated and organized around their specific and personal financial goals.

Tom has been a Volunteer of the Year for the Chamber of Commerce. He is currently coaching Softball and Basketball in Westwood Youth Sports. Tom’s pastimes include golf, keeping his kids amused, making his wife’s life a little easier, and occasionally watching a really bad movie.

Recap of HNG Meeting of April 15, 2016

Our 166th meeting had 33 people, this is 25 less than the previous meeting; 6 signed the New Member list. Bill Wilson was our facilitator. There were 6 introduction speeches.

One landing:
Kate Davie Wood - Neglected to capture all her relevant information.

We had a speaker, Robert Gaughan, who talked about "If you have to pay for your own Health Insurance – maybe I can help……"

He is a Licensed Insurance Agent and Broker in Massachusetts, and represents all of the Health Insurance companies in Massachusetts and gets compensated by them –
so his help costs you nothing. He can assist in the enrollment process and answer questions related to the ins and outs of health insurance.
If you have lost coverage –
* had Mass Health – but recently disqualified,
* laid-off, on COBRA, or contemplating COBRA
* turning 26,
* recently moved into Massachusetts,
* divorced, widowed, etc.
Or – self-employed/small business trying to get coverage for yourself and/or employees.
Or never had Health Insurance in Massachusetts – and totally confused about how to go about it.
Also Medicare questions/concerns.
He discussed the following-
1.) Who can enroll and when
2.) How Health Insurance plans are structured
3.) How to decide which plan is best for you
4.) What we need to do to enroll.

Schedule for HNG Meetings:

1st and 3rd Friday's

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. CVS 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:
Emilia Gordon emiliagne@gmail.com
Gil Krispien g.krispien@verizon.net
Ronaldo Lu ronaldo.lu@comcast.net
Vincent Rocheleau vrocheleau@hotmail.com
Bill Wilson bill@williamjwilson.com

Thursday, April 14, 2016

HNG Meeting: "If you have to pay for your own Health Insurance – maybe I can help……."


Hello Everyone,

The agenda for this Friday's Hopkinton Networkers Group (HNG) meeting will be featured by a speaker, Robert Gaughan. The facilitator for this week will be Bill Wilson. We will devote the first hour to the following agenda: Welcome, Landings, Announcements, New Member Intros, and Needs and 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, Bob will talk about "If you have to pay for your own Health Insurance – maybe I can help……."

If you have to pay for your own Health Insurance – maybe I can help……


I am a Licensed Insurance Agent and Broker in Massachusetts, I represent all of the Health Insurance companies in Massachusetts and I get compensated by the them – so my help costs you nothing. I can assist in the enrollment process and answer questions related to the ins and outs of health insurance.

If you have lost coverage –
* had Mass Health – but recently disqualified,
* laid-off, on COBRA, or contemplating COBRA
* turning 26,
* recently moved into Massachusetts,
* divorced, widowed, etc.

Or – self-employed/small business trying to get coverage for yourself and/or employees.
Or never had Health Insurance in Massachusetts – and totally confused about how to go about it.

Also Medicare questions/concerns.
We’ll discuss the following-
1.) Who can enroll and when
2.) How Health Insurance plans are structured
3.) How to decide which plan is best for you
4.) What we need to do to enroll.


Robert Gaughan

First - I am older than dirt Have a son 45 years old, and a daughter 26 years old. I used to have a child every 20 years, but I had to stop. Grandson – 15 years old . My son is a car audio genius – been doing it for years. My daughter graduated from college and worked in fund-raising at Harvard Business School and now moving onto to be a Development Officer at the Museum of Fine Arts. Been married 34 years Sold insurance many years ago in college, before most of you were born, then led a checkered career after college. Restaurant waiter, built a bar, worked for a private detective, worked nights in a textile mill, then got involved with communications, high tech for about 35 years. Travelled around the world evangelizing the latest greatest technology. Came back to insurance in the last few years.

Hobbies – ride my bike (weather permitting), read three newspapers every day for the last 35 years, spend time with my son, grandson, daughter, big

Syracuse University basketball/football fan – that’s where I grew up.

A little tip – I solved my retirement problem. Going to work until I drop dead.

Recap of HNG Meeting of April 1, 2016


Our 165th meeting had 58 people, this is 7 more than the previous meeting; 13 signed the New Member list. Vincent Rocheleau was our facilitator. There were 13 introduction speeches.

We had a panel of IT professionals consisting of Lyn Baird, Rob Dandrade, Wende Malster, Jaemie Sibbald, and Donelle Wright. The panel discussed “Job Search for the Mature Worker”. This was very well received and many questions were asked.



Schedule for HNG Meetings:


May 6, 2016 Linda Waters "Interviewing With Confidence"


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. CVS 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:

Emilia Gordon emiliagne@gmail.com
Gil Krispien g.krispien@verizon.net
Ronaldo Lu ronaldo.lu@comcast.net
Vincent Rocheleau vrocheleau@hotmail.com
Bill Wilson bill@williamjwilson.com

Wednesday, March 16, 2016

Hopkinton Networkers Group: "Get the Offer."


Hello Everyone,
Now that we are in the winter months, 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, Stephen Martins. The facilitator or this week will be Emilia Gordon. We will devote the first hour to the following agenda: Welcome, Landings, Announcements, New Member Intros, and Needs and 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, Steve will talk about "Get the Offer."

Get the Offer

Part 1 – Know your approach to job searching. Is it good enough?

* Offensive
* Defensive
* Sales

Part 2 – Getting to the source with your resume. Is my resume good, too long, right wording? Common errors.

* Recruiter
* Office worker
* HR

Part 3 – **The Interview** (guaranteed success if they follow this step)

* Confidence
* Approach
* Questions
* The Close

Part 4 – Question areas

Hopefully by this point, everyone will be open with concerns and questions. Steve will have a list that usually is discussed if we are looking to fill more time. This presentation is very interactive. He will boost you up, kick you in the butt, and pat you on the back. He is a very motivated person, and he thinks you will leave that way too.

Stephen Martins

He has been in sourcing/recruiting/HR since 2001. He has worked with the Commercial, Light Industrial, Technical, and Software Development fields. His main experience has been working through Kelly Services, Johnson and Johnson, the Military and Software Quality Associates. He has been a Guest Speaker for the Career Center in Fall River MA for 8 years supporting a Bi-Weekly job club.

He has been in the military since 1987. Currently he serves as a Chief Warrant Officer, the Commander for the 215th Army Band in the Army National Guard. He has a Bachelor of Science Degree from Liberty University and lives in Somerset.

Recap of HNG Meeting of March 4, 2016

Our 163rd meeting had 44 people, this is 5 less than the previous meeting; 14 signed the New Member list. Ronaldo Lu was our facilitator. There were 13 introduction speeches.

Two landings:
Tom Shambo Senior VP Sales & Marketing at Article One Partners is HQ'd in Bonita Springs, FL. Will work from home. Start date was 2/4/16
John Mastroianni Started February 29th at Elbit Systems of America in Merrimack, NH as a contract Senior Electrical Engineer

We had a speaker, Randall Warniers, who talked about "First Impressions." He gave a great presentation of how we look, dress, talk, and greet each other.

This comprised the following:
In the old days, all a job seeker needed to make a good first impression was new clothes, shined shoes, and a nice smile. Today, in a networked social-mediated world, every detail of every candidate for a position can be searched and scrutinized before that candidate shows up for an interview. A good first impression, both in person and online, has become crucial to a candidate's success in the job market. This presentation and discussion will examine all the elements--verbal, nonverbal, conscious, unconscious, and electronic—of a good first impression, and describe how these elements can be managed successfully to your advantage.

Schedule for HNG Meetings:

April 1, 2016 Robert Dandrade & Panel Panel Discussion- “Job Search for the Mature Worker”

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
Emilia Gordon emiliagne@gmail.com
Gil Krispien g.krispien@verizon.net
Ronaldo Lu ronaldo.lu@comcast.net
Vincent Rocheleau vrocheleau@hotmail.com
Bill Wilson bill@williamjwilson.com

Wednesday, March 2, 2016

Hopkinton Networking Group Meeting March 4, 2016; Agenda: Speaker on "First Impressions"


Hello Everyone,

Now that we are in the winter months, 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 Randall Warniers. The facilitator or this week will be Ronaldo Lu. We will devote the first hour to the following agenda: Welcome, Landings, Announcements, New Member Intros, and Needs and 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, Randall will talk about "First Impressions."

This is Randall's fourth presentation to HNG and his talks have always been intuitive, enlightening, and warmly received. He is on the leadership team of Acton Networkers at St. Matthews and has been a member of Acton Networkers since September 2007.


First Impressions


first impressions
In the old days, all a job seeker needed to make a good first impression was new clothes, shined shoes, and a nice smile. Today, in a networked social-mediated world, every detail of every candidate for a position can be searched and scrutinized before that candidate shows up for an interview. A good first impression, both in person and online, has become crucial to a candidate's success in the job market. This presentation and discussion will examine all the elements--verbal, nonverbal, conscious, unconscious, and electronic—of a good first impression, and describe how these elements can be managed successfully to your advantage.


Randall Warniers

Randall Warniers is a freelance editor, book designer, and book publisher who spent nearly two decades in the world of publishing as managing editor of a research journal at MIT Lincoln Laboratory. He is also a photographer and a photography instructor at the Cambridge Center for Adult Education, an instructor in 19th-century British literature at Acton-Boxborough Community Education, and a facilitator and member of the leadership team at Acton Networkers.

Recap of HNG Meeting of February 19, 2016


Our 162nd meeting had 49 people, this is 33 more than the previous meeting; 21 signed the New Member list. Gil Krispien was our facilitator. There were 13 introduction speeches.

We had a speaker, Susan P. Joyce, who talked about "To Be Hired, You MUST Be Found." She gave an excellent presentation.

This comprised the following:
Recruiters relentlessly search both Google and LinkedIn for job candidates with the right qualifications. So being found is critical to the success of a job search. In this session, we'll focus on how to be find-able. Learn how to identify and place the keywords that recruiters use in their searching. With the right keywords in the right places, especially on LinkedIn, you will be more easily found -- hopefully resulting in a shorter job search and
more visibility for your future career.


Schedule for HNG Meetings:


March 18, 2016 Stephen Martins "Get The Offer"


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
Emilia Gordon emiliagne@gmail.com
Gil Krispien g.krispien@verizon.net
William Lam wmlam508@yahoo.com
Ronaldo Lu ronaldo.lu@comcast.net
Vincent Rocheleau vrocheleau@hotmail.com

Thursday, February 18, 2016

HNG Meeting February 19, 2016; Agenda: Speaker on "To Be Hired, You MUST Be Found"


Hello Everyone,

Now that we are in the winter months, 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 Susan P. Joyce.  The facilitator or this week will be Sheri Ablaza.  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, Susan will talk about "To Be Hired, You MUST Be Found."


To Be Hired, You MUST Be Found

Recruiters relentlessly search both Google and LinkedIn for job candidates with the right qualifications. So being found is critical to the success of a job search. In this session, we'll focus on how to be find-able. Learn how to identify and place the keywords that recruiters use in their searching.  With the right keywords in the right places, especially on LinkedIn, you will be more easily found -- hopefully resulting in a shorter job search and
more visibility for your future career.


Susan P. Joyce

Susan P. Joyce was laid off by Digital Equipment Corporation in 1994 and has been studying, writing, and speaking about online job search since 1995 based on her experience in IT, HR, web development,and information analysis.  A  veteran of the USMC and two layoffs, Susan was a Research Affiliate and Visiting Scholar at the MIT Sloan School of Management until January, 2016, studying long-term unemployment. She owns and manages Job-Hunt.org and WorkCoachCafe.com, both on the Forbes 100 Best Websites for Your Career list


Recap of HNG Meeting of February 5, 2016

Cancelled because of snow storm.


Recap of HNG Meeting of January 22, 2015

Our 161st meeting had 16 people, this is 2 more than the previous meeting; 6 signed the New Member list. Vincent Rocheleau was our facilitator. There were 5 introduction speeches.

We had a speaker, Brian Hawley, who talked about "10 Things you Should Know About Long Term Investing."

This comprised the following:
Whether they do it themselves or have someone do it for them most people have some level of retirement savings to invest. For many people there is a marked difference
between what the textbooks would say and what they actually do. In this presentation Brian highlighted 10 interesting facts about investing that may cause you to question your current approach.


Schedule for HNG Meetings:

March 4, 2016             Randall Warniers    "First Impressions"


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 
Emilia Gordon             emiliagne@gmail.com   
Gil Krispien                 g.krispien@verizon.net    
William Lam                wmlam508@yahoo.com  
Ronaldo Lu                 ronaldo.lu@comcast.net       
Vincent Rocheleau      vrocheleau@hotmail.com  
     

Wednesday, January 20, 2016

"10 Things you Should Know About Long Term Investing"


Hello Everyone,
Now that we are in the winter months, 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 speakers Brian Hawley and Tom Bodine. The facilitator or this week will be Vincent Rocheleau. We will devote the first hour to the following agenda: Welcome, Landings, Announcements, New Member Intros, and Needs and 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, Brian and Tom will talk about "10 Things you Should Know About Long Term Investing."

This is the sixth visit by Brian and Tom on this topic, and each time it is a little different, enlightening, and much is learned where and how to place your money.

10 Things you Should Know About Long Term Investing


Whether they do it themselves or have someone do it for them most people have some level of retirement savings to invest. For many people there is a marked difference
between what the textbooks would say and what they actually do. In this presentation Brian and Tom will highlight 10 interesting facts about investing that may cause you
to question your current approach.

Brian Hawley

Brian is a an advisor at 3D Asset Management. He began his career as an actuary. He became involved in investing, getting his CFA designation in 1986. His presentation is designed to help investors by providing them with basic information available in investing textbooks.

Tom Bodine

Thomas Bodine is an advisor at 3D Asset Management. Tom has held senior executive positions with Paul Revere, Allmerica Financial, and Conseco Insurance Group. Tom earned a BA in economics from Dartmouth College, as well as Chartered Financial Consultant and Chartered Life Underwriter designations from the American College. He has served as president of the Dartmouth Alumni Club of Central MA.


Recap of HNG Meeting of January 8, 2015


Our 160th meeting had 14 people, this is 1 more than the previous meeting; 1 signed the New Member list. Emilia Gordon was our facilitator. There were 2 introduction speeches.

Gil gave a slide show summarizing the significant statistics occurred during the 2015 year of the group. This included attendance, total money collected, expenses, gifts to St. John's church, landings, HNG fund, and proposed gifts to St. John's for 2016.

We then held an Open Forum Discussion with the following topics:
* Buddy groups
How often to meet: weekly/monthly
Commitment: following through with goals/plans for next meeting
Exchange business leads/referrals
* Networking groups
* Trade shows
* Seminars: Mitre monthly meetings
* Open houses/Job fairs: Working the floor
* Toastmasters
* Information interviews
* Volunteer for positions in Non-profit ventures
* Networking using the internet: Social networking websites can serve as great resources for finding other people who share your interests
and career goals, and starting conversations with them in a low-pressure way. Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Schedule for HNG Meetings:


February 5, 2016 Katy Tynan “The Evolution of Work”

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
Emilia Gordon emiliagne@gmail.com
Gil Krispien g.krispien@verizon.net
William Lam wmlam508@yahoo.com
Ronaldo Lu ronaldo.lu@comcast.net
Vincent Rocheleau vrocheleau@hotmail.com

Wednesday, January 6, 2016

HNG Meeting January 8, 2016; Agenda: HNG 2015 Summary & Open Forum Discussion


Hello Everyone, 

Now that we are in the winter months, 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 a slide presentation and a networking exercise.    The facilitator or this week will be Emilia Gordon.  We will devote the first hour to the following agenda: Welcome, Landings, Announcements, New Member Intros, and Needs and 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, Gil will show a number of slides showing the Hopkinton Networkers Group 2015 Summary, and this will be followed by an "Open Forum Discussion on Networking."

Hopkinton Networkers Group 2015 Summary

This will be a brief slide show summarizing the significant statistics occurred during the 2015 year of the group. This will include attendance, total money collected, expenses, gifts to St. John's church, landings, HNG fund, and proposed gifts to St. John's for 2016.

Open Forum Discussion on Networking
Quotes from the internet:
"Networking is a socioeconomic business activity by which groups of like-minded businesspeople recognize, create, or act upon business opportunities."
"....networking is the linking together of individuals who, through trust and relationship building, become walking, talking advertisements for one another."
"....networking is about being genuine and authentic, building trust and relationships, and seeing how you can help others."

*  Buddy groups
         How often to meet:  weekly/monthly
         Commitment: following through with goals/plans for next meeting
         Exchange business leads/referrals
*  Networking groups: attend as many as possible
        Ask questions that cause who, what, where, when, and how as opposed to those that can be answered with a simple yes or no. This form of questioning opens up the discussion and shows listeners that you are
        interested in them.
*  Trade shows
*  Seminars: Mitre monthly meetings
*  Open houses/Job fairs: Working the floor
*  Toastmasters
*  Information interviews
*  Volunteer for positions in Non-profit ventures
*  Articulate what you are looking for and how others may help you
*  Call those you meet who may benefit from what you do and vice versa
*  Have a clear understanding of what you do and why, and what makes your doing it special or different from others doing the same thing
*  Networking using the internet:  Social networking websites can serve as great resources for finding other people who share your interests and career goals, and starting conversations with them in a low-pressure way. 
Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
*  Discussion boards
      

Schedule for HNG Meetings:

January 22, 2016          Brian Hawley and Tom Bodine

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
Emilia Gordon            emiliagne@gmail.com  
Gil Krispien                g.krispien@verizon.net   
William Lam              wmlam508@yahoo.com 
Ronaldo Lu                 ronaldo.lu@comcast.net      
Vincent Rocheleau     vrocheleau@hotmail.com