HNG: "Focus on Value for Robust Referrals and Better Job Interviews."

The agenda for this Friday's Hopkinton Networkers Group (HNG) meeting will be featured by a speaker, Tad Mayer. 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, Tad will talk about "Focus on Value for Robust Referrals and Better Job Interviews."

Very important: We must be out of the Parish Hall by 12:30 PM because the scouts will be entering the Parish Hall shortly after 12:30 PM to start their function.

Focus on Value for Robust Referrals and Better Job Interviews

How do you get a robust referral for a job interview when you don’t know anyone connected to the decision maker? And, what’s going to convince the hiring manager to give you the job?

To get the referral, what if you understand what’s important to that connector and can offer something of value to him or her? Instead of a rejection or a simple one-off meeting, you can create the foundation to gain valuable information, build a partnership, and gain a strong referral. And what about if in the job interview you demonstrate how you can not only do the job, but also help the decision maker achieve his or her aspirations beyond the job description? You’ll standout from other candidates.

This session will focus on understanding what’s valuable to the other person—be it an informational or job interview—and what to do about it. We will discuss how to figure out what interests connectors and decision makers have and how to bring them into the discussion. We will also look at your own interests and how to get them met. This workshop will change the frame of both informational and job interviews to how you and connectors can work together, and how you can focus on meeting the broader aspirations of decision makers.

Tad Mayer

Tad Mayer is president of Career Negotiations. As a career coach, trainer, and speaker, as well as an executive coach, he empowers professionals to move forward. As a career coach, he has co-authored the forthcoming book Own the Job Hunt. Tad uses the OJH model to create relief, hope, direction, and results in the form of fulfilling trajectories for people new to the workforce and frustrated professionals feeling stuck in their careers. As an executive coach, he helps leaders identify roadblocks and figure out how to surmount them. In addition to his work with individuals, Tad works with companies to provide employees with the skills they need to manage their careers within the organization. Tad has conducted workshops and webinars on career development for organizations such as General Assembly, MIT, Harvard University, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), Primerica, Hult International Business School, Women in Sustainability (Boston), Ocean State Business Expo, and various career centers and networking groups. As an adjunct professor, Tad has taught negotiation courses at the D’Amore-McKim School of Business at Northeastern University. He has been quoted in online venues like USNews and his writing has been featured in books such as Money Talks: 100 Strategies to Master Tricky Conversations about Money. Tad has been Manager of Domestic Pricing at Northwest Airlines, Director of Partner Marketing at Sheraton Hotels, and Director of Commercial and Corporate Programs at Mediation Works Incorporated. He has an MBA from The Tuck School at Dartmouth College, and a BS in Communication Studies from Northwestern University.

Recap of HNG Meeting of October 6, 2017

Our 198th meeting had 25 people, this is 1 less than the previous meeting; seven signed the New Member list. Ronaldo Lu was our facilitator. There were seven introduction speeches:

1. Jim Burns Sales & Operations Manager
2 . Richard Morris Product Mgr. - Energy
3. Michael Jenkins Supply Chain Management
4. Cindy Cantin IT Support
5. Adam Mintz HR; Employee Relations; Training & Development
6. Sheri Norred Higher Ed transitioning to HR
7. Dhiren Limbanee Software Development

We had one landing:
Diane Tamagno Starts Oct. 16th for QBS - Quality Behavioral Solutions in North Attleboro as Regional Sales and Marketing Account Exec.; full time position;
out 11 months

We had a speaker, Katy Tynan who talked about "The Career Jungle Gym – A New Model for Managing Your Career."
This comprised the following:
There’s no such thing as a straight line in career development anymore. Over the course of four (or more) decades in the workplace, people are now changing jobs an average of 15 times. While there are more opportunities in today’s marketplace than ever, it’s also more complicated. In this talk she described a new model for managing your career, and gave tips and tricks for successfully navigating the complexities of today’s career paths.

Schedule for HNG Meetings:

October 20, 2017 Tad Mayer Focus on Value for Robust Referrals and Better Job Interviews
November 3, 2017 Stephen Trudeau Oasis Systems

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

HNG Meeting October 21, 2016; Agenda; Speaker on Job Interview Workshop

Hello Everyone,

The agenda for this Friday's Hopkinton Networkers Group (HNG) meeting will be featured by speaker, Bill Lippincott.  The facilitator for 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, Bill will be conducting a "Job Interview Workshop."

Job Interview Workshop

Interviewing soup to nut form the hiring managers perspective.  Bill Lippincott a veteran hiring manager and job search coach will teach you interviewing tips to put you on the hiring manager's radar.  Bring your resumes with you as Bill will be doing some mock interviews.  Best place to learn how to interview is practice in a safe place!!

Bill Lippincott

Bill Lippincott is the principal of Lippincott Consulting specializing in private outplacement, executive transition and general management consulting.  Bill has a 30 year management background with General Electric and NSTAR Electric in the areas of operational management, including budget, P&L, organization design, project management, performance improvement and business process design, sales and marketing. His wealth of experience as a hiring manager for large organizations helps his clients prepare for an extensive job search; utilizing a strategy of understanding the dynamics of the hiring manager.  His practice is skill and value based emphasizing networking, interview role playing, resume review and job search strategy development culminating in an effective job search in today's dynamic hiring environment.

He is founder of the Employment Support Group of Norton and is very active in his community.  He is an advocate for anyone looking for work and has an extensive network of professional outlets.  He has been a featured speaker in many network groups in the area and provides thought leadership in the area of over 50 workforce opportunities.

Bill's favorite quote is from Winston Churchill – "When going through hell….keep going"

Recap of HNG Meeting of October 7, 2016

Our 176th meeting had 22 people, this is 4 less than the previous meeting; five signed the New Member list. Gil Krispien was our facilitator. There were five introduction speeches.

Two landings:

Brennan Dean    Started September 26th as a Network Administrator for a nine month contract with Tek Systems at UMass Memorial Medical Center

Zhiqiang Jia       Started Sept. 26th as a Senior Scientist at Pfizer in Cambridge; 1.5 hour drive each way; out for six months

We had speakers, Brian Hawley, Scott Hawley, and Tom Bodine, 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 and Tom will highlight 10 interesting facts about investing that may cause you to question your current approach.

Schedule for HNG Meetings:

November 4, 2016    Eric Ross

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

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

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

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

HNG: "Interviewing with Confidence"

Hello Everyone,

The agenda for this Friday's Hopkinton Networkers Group (HNG) meeting will be featured by a speaker, Linda Waters. The facilitator for this week will be Vincent Rocheleau. 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, Linda will talk about "Interviewing with Confidence."

Interviewing With Confidence

* How to make sure it's the right job for you
* How to assess the company culture
* Tips to feel less nervous in the interview
* Interview follow- up tips
* How to stay positive during the interview process

Linda Waters

Linda Waters brings over 20 years of corporate sales and client management experience to her role as President and founder of Back to Business LLC. She is a career consultant, and has a passion for helping people develop the confidence, direction and strategy they need to be successful in their professional lives.

Linda speaks regularly to academic, professional and corporate audiences on career-related topics including networking strategies and professional image. She has enjoyed presenting at the Boston College Center for Work and Family, Ameriprise Financial, Momcorps University in Boston, the Massachusetts Conference for Women, the Back to Business women's workshop event at Gillette Stadium,The Women's Success Network, Leading Women of Central MA, Northeastern University, and Babson College, among others.

Linda is the recipient of the 2009 ATHENA award, given for business excellence, making an impact on women nationally and internationally, and helping women reach their full potential.

She resides in Franklin, MA with her husband and two children.

www.backtobusiness.org

Schedule for HNG Meetings:

October 16, 2015 Lee-Ann Johnson 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
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

Interview Questions Workshop

Hello Everyone,

The agenda for this Friday's Hopkinton Networkers Group (HNG) meeting will be featured by an Interview Questions Workshop. 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, we will conduct an Interview Questions Workshop.

Interview Questions Workshop

We have had an Interview Workshop in the past and it was always a lot of fun and a learning experience. Each person is both an interviewee and interviewer. We start off by someone is selected to be interviewed and selects an interview question from the bag/can of interview questions. The person is asked the question by the interviewer and his / her response is analyzed by the group with possible suggestions for a better response. The person selected to be interviewed now becomes the interviewer and selects someone to be interviewed, and the process is continued until everyone has a chance to conduct both roles.

William Lam Photo Session

William will be conducting a photo session for those who would like their picture taken for LinkedIn or for any other purpose. Please bring a flash drive, a read-write CD, or any device where the photos can be copied onto. Dress the way you feel appropriate for the picture.

Recap of HNG Meeting of May 1, 2015:

Our 145th meeting had 20 people, this is one more than the previous meeting; three signed the New Member list. Emilia Gordon was our facilitator. There were three introduction speeches.

Landings:
Michelle Levesque Robert Half & Accountemps Salaried Professional Service Division, started April 29th

We had a speaker, Kristen Beyer, whose subject was, "Learn Ways to Preserve Your Future During a Job Transition."
This covered the following:

* How can I manage expenses and continue to pay bills without a regular salary?
* How can I continue to provide my family with medical care without my employer’s insurance coverage?
* What are the long-term consequences if I tap into my retirement savings?
* How will a job loss affect my tax situation?

Schedule for HNG Meetings:

June 5, 2015 Robert Dandrade & Panel of IT Professionals “Finding a Job That Fits When You are Older than 50”

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:
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

HNG meeting: Interview Workshop or Speaker TBD

Hello Everyone,

The agenda for this Friday's Hopkinton Networkers Group (HNG) meeting will be featured by either an Interview Workshop or a speaker. The speaker that was scheduled for this week had to cancel because she is in transition of moving to Schenectady, New York, so attempts are being made to get someone else, and if that fails then we will conduct an Interview Workshop. An update to this agenda will be sent in the next day or two if a speaker has become available. The facilitator for this week will be Ronaldo Lu. 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, we will conduct either an Interview Workshop or a speaker.

Interview Workshop

We have had an Interview Workshop in the past and it was always a lot of fun and a learning experience. Each person is both an interviewee and interviewer. We start off by someone is selected to be interviewed and selects an interview question from the bag/can of interview questions. The person is asked the question by the interviewer and his / her response is analyzed by the group with possible suggestions for a better response. The person selected to be interviewed now becomes the interviewer and selects someone to be interviewed, and the process is continued until everyone has a chance to conduct both roles.

Recap of HNG Meeting of March 20, 2015:

Our 142nd meeting had 27 people, this is seven more than the previous meeting; nine signed the New Member list. Gil Krispien was our facilitator. There were nine introduction speeches.

We had a speaker, Lisa Rosen, whose subject was, "Tips on Networking." This covered the following:
The goal is to UNDERSTAND what Networking is and how it is beneficial. The benefit is seeing directly how “strangers” can network amongst themselves. This addressed the WHO, What and Where components. Who should be networking? What is networking? And where should you network? Learned how to understand and start networking. The session covered tips and strategies on HOW to network smarter and develop a plan in order to obtain employment in today’s challenging environment.

This was an excellent presentation, and she will be coming back again for a similar subject or something different.

Schedule for HNG Meetings:

April 17, 2015 Lee-Ann Johnson 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

HNG Meeting September 19, 2014; Agenda: Speaker on "Interviewing with Confidence"

Hello Everyone,

The agenda for this Friday's Hopkinton Networkers Group (HNG) meeting will be a speaker, Linda Waters.  The facilitator for this week will be Grace Carcich. 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, Linda will talk about "Interviewing with Confidence."

Linda is an exceptional speaker; do not miss this opportunity to hear her presentation.

"Interviewing with Confidence"

* How to make sure it's the right job for you

* How to assess the company culture

* Tips to feel less nervous in the interview

* Interview follow- up tips

* How to stay positive during the interview process

Linda Waters

Linda Waters brings over 20 years of corporate sales and client management experience to her role as President and founder of Back to Business LLC. She is a career consultant, and has a passion for helping people develop the confidence, direction and strategy they need to be successful in their professional lives.

Linda speaks regularly to academic, professional and corporate audiences on career-related topics including networking strategies and professional image. She has enjoyed presenting at the Boston College Center for Work and Family, Ameriprise Financial, Momcorps University in Boston, the Massachusetts Conference for Women, the Back to Business women's workshop event at Gillette Stadium,The Women's Success Network,  Leading Women of Central MA, Northeastern University, and Babson College, among others.

Linda is the recipient of the 2009 ATHENA award, given for business excellence, making an impact on women nationally and internationally, and helping women reach their full potential.

She resides in Franklin, MA with her husband and two children.

www.backtobusiness.org

Recap of HNG Meeting of September 5, 2014:

Our 129th meeting had 32 people,  this is 9 more than the previous meeting; 5 signed the New Member list. William Lam was our facilitator. There was 3 introduction speeches.

Two landings:

Ken Rubin                  HarborOne Bank Corporate (out one year)

Peter Crepeault           Assistant Town Accountant, Northborough

We had a speaker, Alex Bering, who talked about  "Learn How to Communicate With Neuro-Linguistic Programming"

Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) explores the relationship between how we think (Neuro), how we communicate (Linguistic) and our patterns of behavior and emotion (Programming).  By studying and learning NLP, you will become more aware of your impact on others, how to manage and influence your own behavior for optimal results, how to improve and enhance your own interpersonal communication which will lead to building better relationships with others at work and at home.  Whether you are looking to add NLP to your professional career in Business, Education, Therapy, Practices or want to master it for personal reasons, NLP can and will effectively transform the way you think, feel and behave by adopting new, and far more successful, models of human excellence.

Schedule for HNG Meetings:

October 3, 2014          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

Grace Carcich          gracec814@gmail.com 

Emilia Gordon          emiliagne@gmail.com   

Gil Krispien              g.krispien@verizon.net    

William Lam             wmlam508@yahoo.com       

Laura Startzenbach  laura.startzenbach@gmail.com       

How to Turn Interviews from Interrogations into Conversations

Hello Everyone, 

The agenda for this Friday's Hopkinton Networkers Group (HNG) meeting will be featured by speaker Joellyn Schwerdlin. The facilitator for this week will be Gil Krispien, filling in for Laura Startzenbach who has a phone screen Friday morning. 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, Joellyn will talk about "How to Turn Interviews from Interrogations into Conversations."

This is the 5th anniversary meeting of the Hopkinton Networkers Group (HNG) and what better way to celebrate this special occasion than to have Joellyn come back for her eighth visit.

How to Turn Interviews from Interrogations into Conversations

She will deliver the information in two parts: 

1) Performance and Preparation: How to use a “four categories of interview questions” strategy to help you: a) cut down on interview prep time; b) ease nervousness and performance anxiety; c) allow your best communication and human relations skills as well as enthusiasm for the job to shine through; d) engage authentically with the interviewers instead of feeling like you're stuck under the "kleig lights" of Q & A mode. 

2) Close-out and Follow-Up: a) How to answer “Do You Have Any Questions for Me?” at the end of the interview; b) how to establish a solid foundation for following up professionally at the end of the interview and afterward.

Joellyn will also be raffling off a book: "301 Best Questions to Ask on Your Interview" by John Kador. 

Joellyn Schwerdlin

Joellyn Wittenstein Schwerdlin is a Certified Career Management Coach in private practice, serving executives, managers and professionals who need help with career redirection and productive job searching. Since 1991, Joellyn has coached countless clients in multiple industries and situations onto perfect career paths that are fun, fulfilling and financially-rewarding. Learn more about her services at www.career-success-coach.com.

Recap of HNG Meeting of April 4, 2014:

Our 119th meeting of HNG had 32 people, this is 11 more than the previous meeting; 2 signed the New Member list. William Lam was our facilitator. There were 2 introduction speeches. 

Four landings:
Chris Gruszka Started April 14, 2014 at Hitachi Data Systems in Waltham. (He was out nearly 11 months)
Gail Brodie Started April 14, 2014 at Saint-Gobati (She was out 5 years and 5 days, with short duration jobs in between)
Denise Pellegrino Started April 7, 2014 at Asend Learning in Burlington
Tom O'Connor Started Aril 7, 2014 as a Business Systems Analyst at Beacon Health Strategies in Boston (He was out 11 months)

We had speaker Randall Warniers who talked about "Networking From A to Z."
His topic included:
Networking is much more than an outreach activity you do when you are unemployed. It is an ongoing strategy for building and maintaining good relationships in the workplace and in your personal life. In this slide presentation and discussion he used the alphabet as an organizational tool to find new ways to highlight the essential components of a networking strategy. If your networking skills need to be energized, then this talk provided new insights and a new context for looking at what you can do.

Schedule for HNG Meetings:

May 2, 2014 Tom Ingrasia and Jared Chrudinsky "Motivating to Activate Your True Potential"

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 
Laura Startzenbach laura.startzenbach@gmail.com 

Hopkinton Networkers Group: Interview Workshop - Oct 4th

Hello Everyone,

The agenda for this Friday's Hopkinton Networkers Group (HNG) meeting will be an Interview Workshop. 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 and Leads.

Important Note: We are going to start the meeting on time at 10:00 AM. In the second hour, William will conduct an "Interview Workshop."

After a number of months with speakers, it is time for a break. We have had an Interview Workshop a few times in the past, and it was always enlightening, rewarding and fun.


Interview Workshop

Each person will be both an interviewee and interviewer. We start off by someone is selected to be interviewed and selects an interview question from the jar/can of interview questions. The person is asked the question by the interviewer and his / her response is analyzed by the group with possible suggestions for a better response. The person selected to be interviewed now becomes the interviewer and selects someone to be interviewed, and the process is continued until everyone has had a chance to conduct both roles.



Recap of HNG Meeting of September 20, 2013:

Our 107th meeting of HNG had 39 people, this is 7 more than the previous meeting; 12 signed the New Member list. Gil Krispien was our facilitator. There were 6 introduction speeches.

We had a speaker, David Lashua,who talked about "LinkedIn Search Optimization." He gave an exceptional talk which many enjoyed. I invited him to come back during the January - February timeframe.



Schedule for HNG Meetings:

October 18, 2013 Panel Discussion
"Finding a Job That Fits When You are Older Than 50"


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:
Gil Krispien g.krispien@verizon.net

William Lam wmlam508@yahoo.com

Salpi Sarafian ssarafian@rcn.com

Laura Startzenbach laura.startzenbach@gmail.com

"How to Identify and Address What the Hiring Manager is REALLY Looking for"

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 speaker, Mick Verran.  The facilitator for this week will be Vincent Rocheleau. We will devote the first hour, from 10 to 11 AM to the following agenda: Welcome, Landings, Announcements, New Member Intros, and Needs & Leads. Please arrive early, so we can make every effort to start on time. In the second hour, Mick will talk about "How to Identify and Address What the Hiring Manager is REALLY Looking for."

 

 

To get the most benefit from this session;
Please bring along;
* A job advertisement you’re interested in, to dissect during our session, and
* A couple of copies of your résumé, to see how you do in the 6 Second Résumé Test.

 

 

"How to Identify and Address What the Hiring Manager is REALLY Looking for."

 

Overview

Although the position you’re interested in may look like many others, the hiring manager will have a unique picture of the ideal candidate in mind. In this session, we’ll review practical tips on how to:

* Pick out the key requirements of a particular position

* Identify how the hiring manager will differentiate between candidates

* Understand what each person involved in the recruitment process is looking for, and

* Present our candidacy in a way that makes us stand out from the crowd.

Topics

* What HR is telling the hiring manager

* What Monster.com is telling the recruiter

* Uncovering the hiring manager's tie-breaker

* Deciding which 'you' to bring to THIS table

* Passing the 6 Second Resume Test

* Acing each step in the recruitment process

* Getting everyone involved on your side

About Mick Verran

At Digital Equipment Corporation and Avery Dennison, and as a consultant in many industries, he helped leaders improve their organizations and their personal effectiveness, management and leadership skills. He aligns organizations; improves talent management processes; coaches executives; and runs leadership development programs.
Of particular relevance to this session, he has considerable experience …
•       Identifying the skills, knowledge and experience required for success in a particular job,
•       Teaching managers how to assess candidates, and
•       Evaluating the ‘fit’ of individual executives with specific jobs and organizations.
And then there’s what he is learning from his own job search!

You can check out his résumé at www.MickVerran.com, from where you’ll also be able to download Friday’s handout – he will give you the password at the session. 

   

•  •  

Recap of HNG Meeting of March 1, 2013:

Our 95th meeting of HNG had 45 people, this is 20 more than the previous meeting and three signed the New Member list. Diane Elhilow was our facilitator. There were no introduction speeches to allow more time for the panel discussion.

 

We had a panel of diverse recruiters whose topic was "How Working with Agencies/Recruiters Can Help you Find a Job."  They represented the following companies:

The Davis Companies (www.daviscos.com):       Matt Lyons, Ashley Wright, and Cailin Fitzpatrick

SaleStart   (www.salestartnow.com):                 Michelle Cataldo

Suburban Group  (www.suburbangroup.com):    Mark Carlson

 

Schedule for HNG Meetings:

March 15, 2013         Mick Verran    "How to Identify and Address What the Hiring Manager is REALLY Looking for."

 

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:
Elinor Kerr              elinorkerr@...

Gil Krispien             g.krispien@...
William Lam            wmlam508@...
Barbara McKee        barb6635@...
Vincent Rocheleau   vrocheleau@...
Salpi Sarafian          ssarafian@...