Thursday, May 15, 2014

Hopkinton Networkers Group: Panel of Recruiters


Hello Everyone,
 
The agenda for this Friday's Hopkinton Networkers Group (HNG) meeting will be featured by a Panel of Recruiters. The facilitator for this week will be Laura Startzenbach. We will devote the time as scheduled below.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.
 
 
Recruiters scheduled to attend:
 
Adecco, Jeffrey Long
Micro Tech Staffing, Paul Rojee and Luis Bedoya
The Suburban Group, Mark Carlson
 
 
Agenda schedule:
 
Welcome & Panel Introductions                                                         Start: 10:00 AM
 
Recruiting 101 - the basics                                                                Start: 10:10 AM
     a. Types of recruiters                                                                   10 - 15 minutes/recruiter
     b. How recruiters work with hiring companies and with job seekers
     c. How recruiters are compensated (high level, not details)
Market trends in hiring
Top 10 things recruiters look for in a candidate
 
Q & A from the HNG members                                                            Start: 11:00 AM
                                                                                                        45 - 60 minutes
 
Closing remarks                                                                                5 minutes
                                                                                                        End: 12 Noon
 
Recruiter 1:1 discussions with HNG members (optional)                       30 minutes+
 
 
 
Jeffrey Long - Adecco
 
Jeff, Branch Manager, Adecco Staffing Framingham MA. He has over 7 years experience in the Staffing Industry as a Recruiter, On-Site Manager and currently Branch Manager. He has experience placing candidates in the fields of: Accounting & Finance, Professional, Administrative, Customer Service / Call Center and Light Industrial. In his
current role as Branch Manager with Adecco, he works with new and existing clients throughout Metro-West and Central Massachusetts to provide top quality temporary and permanent staffing solutions.
 
 
Paul Rojee - Micro Tech Staffing
 
Paul, Managing Partner at Micro Tech Staffing Group, has more than 29 years in the Staffing Industry. For the last 12 years he’s owned and operated the Franklin branch
of Micro Tech Staffing group focused on temporary and permanent placements with in the Engineering, Manufacturing, Administrative and Distribution sectors along 495 and Metro West areas.
 
Micro Tech Staffing has been ranked for the third straight year by the Boston Business Journal as the largest Privately Owned Staffing Firm in Massachusetts and third largest overall.
 
 
Luis Bedoya - Micro Tech Staffing
 
Luis, Recruiting Manager at Micro Tech Staffing Group, has more than 16 years in the Staffing Industry and has worked for Micro Tech Staffing for the last 11 ½ years. As
the Recruiting Manager in the Franklin office, Luis leads a group of 5 Recruiters who specialize in sourcing candidates within the Engineering, Manufacturing, Administrative and Warehousing/Distribution areas of 495 and Metro West.
 
 
Mark Carlson - The Suburban Group
 
Mark is Senior Vice President and Executive Recruiter with The Suburban Group, Inc., a boutique recruiting firm located in Grafton, MA.  Mark joined Suburban in 1999 (then Suburban Staffing, Inc.) as an Outside Sales Representative where he expanded the geographic footprint of the organization and was tasked with developing and managing both the IT and Biotech divisions.  In 2000, Carlson became VP of Business Development for Data Transitions (software development division of Suburban) and worked to open new markets for an innovative software tool.  In 2003, he rejoined Suburban (now The Suburban Group) as Sales Manager and became VP in 2008.   Mark became self-educated as a recruiter/business owner through his associations and leadership involvement with MAPS, NEAPS, and NAPS.  Mark’s training has allowed Suburban’s recruiters to be very successful in their markets.
 
Prior to joining Suburban, Mark worked in both the mutual fund and craft beer industry.Mark believes in giving back to his profession.  He is part of and serves with:
 
•    Massachusetts Association of Personnel Services, Past President and Gov’t Affairs Chair
•    National Association of Personnel Services, Executive Board Member and 2014 Conference Chair
•    New England Association of Personnel Services, Co-Chair for the 2014 Annual Conference
 
Mark also dedicates his time to non-industry organizations including:
•    Former Special Olympics swim coach with Greater Marlboro Programs (20 years)
•    Den Leader, Cub Scout Pack 107, Grafton
•    Committee Member, Boy Scout Troop 107, Grafton
•    Committee Member, Grafton Town House Oversight Committee
•    Past member, Grafton Historic District
 
Mark was recognized in 2007 by the Worcester Business Journal ’40 Under 40’ award and received the Life Time Achievement Award from the New England Association of Personnel Services in 2014.
 
 
 
Recap of HNG Meeting of May 2, 2014:
 
Our 121st meeting had 26 people,  this is 1 more than the previous meeting; 12 signed the New Member list. Sheri Ablaza was our facilitator. There were 9 introduction speeches.
 
We had speakers Tom Ingrasia and Jared Chrudinsky who talked about "Mental Massage: Strategies to Achieve Your Goals and Reduce Stress."
 
Developed by Tom and Jared, Mental Massage is an innovative fusion of guided visualization and re-energizing neck/shoulder massage in a transformational group workshop. Mental Massage was designed to help you:
 
* clarify and set your professional and personal goals
* leverage self-assessment tools and self-motivational techniques
* manage stress and enhance you mind/body balance
* develop the skills to take 100% responsibility for your life
* recognize and seize the opportunities that are right in front of you every day--and make them your own
* use the power you already have within to achieve your goals
 
You left the workshop with a road map to get from where you are now to where you want to be in life.
 
 
 
Schedule for HNG Meetings:
 
May 16, 2014    Panel of Recruiters
June 6, 2014     Jaclyn Jarmulowicz    From the Framingham Workforce Central Career Center
 
 
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@...
Grace Carcich          gracec814@...  
Emilia Gordon          emiliagne@...   
Gil Krispien              g.krispien@...    
William Lam             wmlam508@...       
Laura Startzenbach  laura.startzenbach@...     

Friday, April 18, 2014

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 screeFriday 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 


Thursday, April 3, 2014

HNG Agenda April 4, 2014; Speaker on "Networking From A to Z"


Hello Everyone,  

The agenda for this Friday's Hopkinton Networkers Group (HNG) meeting will be featured by speaker Randall Warniers. The facilitator for this week will be William Lam. We will devote the first hour, from 10 to 11 AM to the following agenda: Welcome, Landings, Announcements, New Member Intros, and Needs & Leads. Important Note: We are going to start the meeting on time at 10:00 AM. In the second hour, Randall will talk about "Networking From A to Z."

We had Susan Buckey scheduled for this Friday's meeting; however, she had to cancel because of an important meeting that was set up at the same time. Fortunately, when I spoke with Randall, he indicated that he had Friday available, so he was kind enough to bail us out at the last moment.  The presentation Randall will give is an excellent one, and I saw it a few weeks ago at St. Matthews, so for those that might have missed it or perhaps want to see it again, then come to Hopkinton.


Networking From A to Z

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 we will use 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 will provide new insights and a new context for looking at what you can do.



Randall Warniers

Randall Warniers spent nearly two decades in the world of publishing as managing editor of a research journal at MIT Lincoln Laboratory. Currently he is a freelance editor, book designer, and publisher. He is also an instructor in photography at the Cambridge Center for Adult Education. In 2009 and 2010 he was a facilitator and member of the leadership team at Acton Networkers.



Recap of HNG Meeting of March 21, 2014:

Our 118th meeting of HNG had 21 people,  this is 22 less than the previous meeting; 3 signed the New Member list. Gil Krispien was our facilitator. There were 5 introduction speeches.

Two landings:
Kathleen Hendrick     Project Manager at Blackduck Software starting March 31, 2014
Tadas Petronis         Started March 14, 2014 at Hipower Energy in Acton heading up their logistics efforts


We had speaker Mario Tardif who talked about "Filling in the Gap- Getting in Shape and Volunteer- All at the same place."
His topic included:
Through `Membership for All the Y is open to everyone regardless of ability to pay. Start your day with a great work out that leaves you energized and ready for a productive job search. Especially for those of us over 50 - we need to show that we can still do the job. We can also help you fill in the time gaps with wonderful opportunities to volunteer and help your community at the same
time.



Schedule for HNG Meetings:

April 18, 2014    Joellyn Schwerdlin      "How to Turn Interviews From Interrogations Into Conversations"


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        

Daren Canfield          (HNG Coordinator Emeritus; she is employed now)
Patricia Centola        (HNG Coordinator Emeritus; she is employed now)
Marjorie Cernigliaro   (HNG Coordinator Emeritus; she is employed now)
Sandra Cipriani         (HNG Coordinator Emeritus; she is employed now)
MaryLou Fish           (HNG Coordinator Emeritus; she is employed now)
Andrea Haber           (HNG Coordinator Emeritus; she is employed now)
Ed Haddad              (HNG Coordinator Emeritus; he is employed now)
Christine Hurley        (HNG Coordinator Emeritus; she is employed now)
Marilyn Johnson       (HNG Coordinator Emeritus; she is employed now)
Kathy McKenna        (HNG Coordinator Emeritus; she is employed now)
Madeliene Moore      (HNGCoordinator Emeritus; she is employed now)
Laura Nelson            (HNG Coordinator Emeritus; she is employed now)
Del Richmond           (HNG Coordinator Emeritus; he is employed now)
Vincent Rocheleau    (HNG Coordinator Emeritus; he is employed now)
Ralph Sabatino         (HNG Coordinator Emeritus; he is employed now)
Diane Shelley           (HNG Coordinator Emeritus; she is employed now)
Steve Sherlock         (HNG Coordinator Emeritus; he is employed now)
Nancy Spadorcia      (HNG Coordinator Emeritus; she is employed now)
Jack Speranza         (HNG Coordinator Emeritus; he is employed now)
Mark Sullivan           (HNG Coordinator Emeritus; he is employed now)
Mario Tardif              (HNG Coordinator Emeritus; he is employed now)
Qing Ye                   (HNG Coordinator Emeritus; she is employed now)
Denise Zazzera        (HNG Coordinator Emeritus; she is employed now)

Friday, February 7, 2014

"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 for this week will be Laura Startzenbach. 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, Brian and Tom will talk about "10 Things you Should Know About Long Term Investing."

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, CFA, FSA

Brian is a principal in Sterling Financial Partners. 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.

Thomas Bodine, CLU, ChFC

Thomas Bodine is an advisor at 3D Asset Management. Tom has 30 years experience in sales and senior management positions in the securities and insurance industries.

Tom has held senior executive positions with Paul Revere, Allmerica Financial, and Conseco Insurance Group His roles included responsibility for sales channel performance and product line financial performance.

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 Society of Financial Service Professionals in Central Massachusetts and the Dartmouth Alumni Club of Central MA.

Recap of HNG Meeting of January 17, 2014:

Our 114th meeting of HNG had 37 people, this is 16 more than the previous meeting; 6 signed the New Member list. Gil Krispien was our facilitator. There were 6 introduction speeches.

Three landings:
Eileen Coughlin Disch Part-time project manager at a software company started January 7, 2014; full-time in fall
Henry Taillacq Rexel Holdings in Mansfield
MaryLou Fish Three-month contract at National Grid as a HR Analyst started January 21, 2014

We had speakers Ed Yee and Elinor Kerr who talked about "Everything you Wanted to Know About Contracting but Were Afraid to Ask."
The topics included:

- What is a W2 employee? What is a 1099 Contractor? And what is the difference?
- What are the Benefits and Draw-Backs of each?
- What are the pros and cons from the Hiring Company’s perspective?
- What various permutations for contracting exist -- Direct; through a contracting house, as a W2; or Independent Contractor?
- How does working to a 'contract' or statement of work compare to being a statuary employee?
- What should new contractors expect in the hiring process? [Signing a contract, Negotiation of rates, Payments, Personal liability, Expectations, etc.]
- What should contractors do to prepare for starting work? [Record keeping, Equipment, Setting-Up the business, Health insurance, Liability insurance, Invoicing, etc.]
- What is expected of you on the job as a contractor?
- What to do when the contract is about to end?

Taxes:
- How to prepare your 1040 and 1099 Schedule C tax filing?
- How to make Quarterly Estimated Tax Payments including Self Employment Tax (SE)?
- What are appropriate Expenses and Deductions - commuting, home office, insurance, professional fees, dues, equipment (depreciation or 179), other expenses (handout some
Schedule C forms)?
- What are the IRS/State red flags (likely causes of audits)?
- Comparison of pay rate as a 1099 vs. annual salary.
- Resources for those considering 1099 work - IRS website, ' Contracting for Dummies', Tax Pub 17, other.

Schedule for HNG Meetings:

February 7, 2014 Brian Hawley & Tom Bodine "Ten Things you Should Know About Long Term Investing"

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:
Grace Carcich grace814@gmail.com
Ed Haddad ehaddadjr@verizon.net
Gil Krispien g.krispien@verizon.net
William Lam wmlam508@yahoo.com
Salpi Sarafian ssarafian@rcn.com
Laura Startzenbach laura.startzenbach@gmail.com

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

CNC Machine operator Info session


Hello Folks:  Here is a golden opportunity (for the right persons – 12 of them) to get the training to become  a CNC Machine operator which is one of the hot career paths.  People who are mechanically inclined and good with their hands and wants to get into the machine operator field, don't miss out his opportunity to be there in Milford Career center on Friday the 31st from 10 – 12 to put in your application for the training.

See you all those mechanics Friday.  Call to register for the orientation. You will be glad you did!!!

CNC SKILLS TRAINING

MassMEP's Green Manufacturing Skills Training,
WPI's Haas Technical Education Center &
Worcester Technical High School
Milford Orientation Meeting
January 31st 10:00am- 12:00 pm
Workforce Central, 425 Fortune Blvd., Milford
Training Dates: Starts "End of March 2014"
9 week, 340 hour class
Learn CNC, Milling, Turning, Blueprint Reading, Metrology, MasterCAM

REQUIREMENTS:
● Complete an application ● Complete a reading and math skills assessment
● Have some mechanical aptitude
● Pass drug screen ● Pass background check ● Show evidence of employability



With warm regards,
 
Hari Narayanan
Business Service Representative

Workforce Central Career Center
425 Fortune Blvd. - Suite 201
Milford MA 01757
P Please consider the environment before printing this email P
This e-mail message, including any attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure, or distribution is strictly prohibited and may be the subject of legal action. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply e-mail and destroy all copies of the original message. Thank you.

Thursday, January 16, 2014

"Everything you Wanted to Know About Contracting but Were Afraid to Ask"


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 Ed Yee and Elinor Kerr. The facilitator for this week will be Laura Startzenbach. We will devote the first hour, from 10 to 11 AM to the following agenda: Welcome, Landings, Announcements, New Member Intros, and Needs & Leads. Important Note: We are going to start the meeting on time at 10:00 AM. In the second hour, Ed and Elinor will talk about "Everything you Wanted to Know About Contracting but Were Afraid to Ask."

Everything you Wanted to Know About Contracting but Were Afraid to Ask

Ed Yee, an independent consultant and Elinor Kerr, an HR professional, will help you navigate your way between W2 work and independent 1099 contracting work. Explore the Pro's and Con's to these two different work engagements and learn the benefits each provide. Come and bring your questions.

Topics to be covered include:

- What is a W2 employee? What is a 1099 Contractor? And what is the difference?
- What are the Benefits and Draw-Backs of each?
- What are the pros and cons from the Hiring Company’s perspective?
- What various permutations for contracting exist -- Direct; through a contracting house, as a W2; or Independent Contractor?
- How does working to a 'contract' or statement of work compare to being a statuary employee?
- What should new contractors expect in the hiring process? [Signing a contract, Negotiation of rates, Payments, Personal liability, Expectations, etc.]
- What should contractors do to prepare for starting work? [Record keeping, Equipment, Setting-Up the business, Health insurance, Liability insurance, Invoicing, etc.]
- What is expected of you on the job as a contractor?
- What to do when the contract is about to end?

Taxes:
- How to prepare your 1040 and 1099 Schedule C tax filing?
- How to make Quarterly Estimated Tax Payments including Self Employment Tax (SE)?
- What are appropriate Expenses and Deductions - commuting, home office, insurance, professional fees, dues, equipment (depreciation or 179), other expenses (handout some
Schedule C forms)?
- What are the IRS/State red flags (likely causes of audits)?
- Comparison of pay rate as a 1099 vs. annual salary.
- Resources for those considering 1099 work - IRS website, ' Contracting for Dummies', Tax Pub 17, other.

Open Discussion – questions from the audience

Ed Yee

Ed Yee is a Tax Advisor for H&R Block specializing in self employment and small business practices. He has also worked as an independent consultant and as part of the management team of a contracting house. In addition, he served in various management roles in Engineering, Marketing and Product Management at Digital, Compaq, and HP. He currently serves as a board member/officer for a number of local nonprofit/professional associations. Ed has been a long time supporter of Acton
Networkers.

Elinor Kerr

Elinor Kerr is a Human Resources professional with over 20 years of experience, primarily in the manufacturing environment. Elinor is bilingual in Spanish, and finds this to be an exceptional skill in her field. Her history runs the gamut from a small, start-up, high-tech company in which she developed HR, Payroll, and Safety to working at the Corporate Director level with multi-site responsibilities at mid-size companies. Elinor has been a long-time supporter of Acton Networkers.

Summary of Hopkinton Networkers Group (HNG) for 2013

The average attendance for the 23 meetings in 2013 was 32.

The average attendance for the 24 meetings in 2012 was 31.
The average attendance for the 22 meetings in 2011 was 27.
The average attendance for the 25 meetings in 2010 was 54.
The average attendance for the 19 meetings in 2009 was 63.

The number of new members: 123.

Landings: 16 Nancy Murphy, Martha Groves, Bryna Davidow, Jim Loch, David Ethier, Jill Mann, Vicki Viana, Jim Lekas, Vincent Rocheleau, Maria Marucci, Sandra Cipriani, Gail Arnold, Lisa Craycraft, George Kocyan, Jeff Beauchaine, and Max Lambardo

Money collected: $694.00
Expenses: $268.08
Significant event: Presentation of new lectern to the pastor of St. John's, Ft. Cannon, on March 1, 2013.
Cost of lectern: $946.46

Recap of HNG Meeting of January 3, 2014

The meeting was cancelled because of the snow storm.

Recap of HNG Meeting of December 20, 2013:

Our 113th meeting of HNG had 21 people, this is 8 less than the previous meeting; 4 signed the New Member list. William Lam was our facilitator. There were 4 introduction speeches.

One landing:
Max Lombardo Starting January 13, 2014 at Perkin Elmer

We conducted an Open Forum on a few topics. The following list was posted on the whiteboard:
- Network:
On telephone
Face-to-face: buddy groups
Social media: Facebook, LinkedIn, Tweeter, etc.
- Resume and Cover letters
- Interview questions
- Cold calling
- Positive attitude:
Emotion and mindset
Getting started in the morning
- Dealing / handling rejections
- Communicating effectively:
Toastmasters
Value statement as presented by Stuart Papp
Elevator speech: 15, 30, and 60 second speech
- Money management
Health insurance cost
Unemployment checks running out
- Other income
eBay
Survival jobs: part / full time
- Recruiters: one-night-stand types versus long-term relationship ones
- Hiring managers: What do they want?
- Age concerns

The discussion mainly focused on dates on the resume, questions asked at an interview, rejections, and hiring managers. This is the first time we did something like this, and it was enjoyed by everyone. Gail Brodie suggested we do this once each quarter, so we will give it a try, and schedule it again on March 21, 2014.

Schedule for HNG Meetings:

January 17, 2014 Ed Yee and Elinor Kerr

General Information

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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