Since it’s Friday, I want to talk about the word authenticity. There was a discussion on RBC that I missed, so I would like to hear what you think. I want to know —

• What does it mean to be an authentic human being?
• Can you have multiple facets of your personality and still be a genuine & trustworthy person?
• How does authenticity relate to consistency?
• Do you have to be totally transparent in order to be considered authentic?

Many of us spend the first half of our lives in an attempt to cultivate a point-of-view and specific preferences only to realize that we need to be in therapy because we really don’t know much about ourselves. Think about all those crazy goth kids who wear oppressively insane clothes in the summertime. They believe they are authentic, but you might feel otherwise. Is authenticity an either/or proposition?

I think being authentic means being well-intentioned and sincere, but even the most authentic person exists in a state of dissonance. No one is perfect. Everyone is flawed. We all wear masks.

What do you think about the concept of authenticity? Are you authentic? Does it matter? Would you rather talk about Michael Jackson’s upcoming funeral arrangements? [I would!]

I’d love to hear what you have to say about this topic.

Just a couple of things.

• You can check out pictures of New Orleans and the SHRM Conference here.
• Were you inspired to blog by my conference session? Are you a Human Resources blogger? If you would like to be listed as one of the sites I love, let me know via email.
• I wonder what you think about this: the HR Bloggers panel at SHRM09 had a spirited debate about whether or not bloggers are journalists. I think writers can use blogs, videos, or traditional media sources to disseminate a story or a message; however, authentic journalism is a craft. Journalists attempt to achieve different goals than bloggers. I write and communicate using social media tools, but I’m not a journalist. I don’t play one on TV.

What do you think? Do you get “news” about workforce issues from any HR bloggers? Do you think bloggers are journalists?

I’m traveling home on Thursday and will have a new post on Friday!

I had a great night on Tuesday. I attended a tweet up.

I can’t tell you how many friends of mine have asked me, “What the hell is a Human Resources tweet up?”

A tweet up is a modified word that combines Twitter and meet-up. Anyone can use Twitter as a tool to announce an event, such as a party at a bar, and ask people to attend. It’s a very casual way to bring a group of like-minded people together.

In our case, a friend of mine [FrannyO] planned a party and put out the word using Twitter. She sent out a tweet, which is a message on Twitter, and told the universe that a bunch of HR people wanted to get together. Franny picked a time and a place and told us to meet her there if we were interested.

We were.

Franny didn’t advertise the event beyond Twitter. She relied upon the viral nature of the internet and she talked a bunch of sponsors into paying for appetizers and defraying the costs of our drinks. She used a tool called twtvite to track attendees, but she knew that some people wouldn’t show up and others would just appear.

And you know what? The event rocked.

Franny brought together a group of HR generalists, benefits professionals, recruiters, and compensation experts—along with members of SHRM’s leadership team—without much time or effort.  The truth of the matter is that HR professionals are on Twitter, and Franny knew that we would spread the word about her party.

We did.

The party was awesome and it’s a testament to how technology + tools + a vibrant community = a fun time. Thank you, Franny, for being so great and embodying the spirit of social media. You are an example of what social media and networking are all about!

I roamed the SHRM expo floor, today, and grabbed some swag for you — the most awesomest readers. I have a ton of stuff including shirts and books and trinkets. Monster was nice enough to give me a USB hub and I’m totally keeping it. Sorry, suckers, but it’s one of the best conference swag items I’ve received.

Highlights:

• I finally met Tim Stanton from LinkedIn and he is super awesome. We are tweet-buddies and it was really good to meet him in person.
• I stopped by the Halogen booth because they are big supporters of the HR blogging community.
• I stumbled across the Dart Properties booth. They provide temporary executive housing in the Detroit area. One of the employees lived in Kalamazoo for nine years. When I told her that I couldn’t sell my house for cigarettes or a six pack of beer, she sympathized.

My favorite booth was the Totally Chocolate booth. I went there on accident because the Ghirardelli booth was out of chocolate. In fact, the vendor was eating lunch and didn’t look thrilled to talk to a girl who writes a blog called Punk Rock HR. I can’t blame her. These vendors need to talk to real HR Professionals and not just bloggers who want to steal some freebies and blog about it to their readership. Thankfully, I walked over to TC and they loaded me up. I’ll raffle away all this awesome chocolate when I get home. Thanks, Totally Chocolate, for being so generous.

More things I observed at SHRM.

• HR professionals don’t talk politics. There is a debate on public health care debate in America; there are ongoing problems in Iran; and we are waging two wars that result in combat veterans returning into the labor pool. Here in HR? We’re talking about mandatory workplace harassment policies.
• HR people are broke. I’ve never seen so many financially-strapped people in my life—and no, I’m not talking about homeless people in New Orleans. Attendees can be seen clamoring for free food, cheap hotel rooms, and buffet dinners because they came to the conference on their own dime. The economy has hit our profession hard. It’s really tough to see my colleagues and peers decline a proper dinner invitation because they would prefer to eat at Popeyes Chicken. No one prefers crappy chicken.
• HR people are passive-aggressive. We suffer from a weird form of Queen Bee syndrome where we attack one another instead of coming together. We don’t burn down the motherf@#$ing house that keeps us broke and eating fast food in New Orleans. Instead, we criticize other HR professionals and many of us forget to celebrate success. I believe that a rising tide lifts all boats. Your success means that my job just got a little easier.

Here are some pictures. I haven’t done any video blogging because I’m sweaty. No one wants to see that mess on camera.

SHRM 2009 Day 2

Hello from my schwetty, schwetty hotel room in NOLA. I decided to leave the SHRM convention after I walked the floor and realized two things. I’m no good at talking about Punk Rock HR to vendors who want to sell me something, and I annoyed a young man at Dave Ramsey’s booth when I told this person that Dave Ramsey—as authentic as his roots may be—is full of shit, thinks about money is an overly moralistic way, and benefits from his status as a white male in our society.

::thud::

I’m really making friends and influencing people. I will never eat alone. On the bright side, here are some highlights.

• I went to Laura’s Candies, Oonkas Boonkas, and Lost & Found. Great shops if you’re looking for something fun to take home from NOLA.
• I met Cari Tuna, a reporter for the WSJ, who has the best surname in media. Tuna? So much better than Ruettimann.
• I met Jason Dorsey, who wasn’t really interested in talking to me after I called him Jack Dorsey. He is a cute guy, though, and is a bestselling author & shit.
• I talked to Rosalyn Chavez, a director for The Pride Insitute—LGBT Mental Health & Chemical Dependency Care. She was awesome and engaging.
• I chatted with the associates at PSYBAR and talked about my skepticism of employment-related personality tests and assessments. One of the psychologists started talking to me about writing a book. He offered some techniques that I can use to keep myself on track. I’m like oh, snap, I’ll shut up for a second and learn something. Very helpful.
• I sought out the Medical Tourism Association because the concept freaks me out. Does your CEO need a colonoscopy? Do your associates need heart surgery? Send ‘em to China! (No thanks.) They invited me to cover their next conference but it’s in Los Angeles. When it’s in Fiji, I’ll go.

I’m off to find a store called Trashy Diva. Wish me luck!

PS—Zapps Potato Chips are better than Utz and Meijer kettle cooked chips. Confirmed.

Hello from hot and steamy New Orleans. Many great bloggers have written about the first day of HR festivities, and you can follow the Twitter stream here, so I want to write about what I heard and saw at SHRM.

• HR people are old. There’s no two ways about it. FrannyO and I attended a fancy reception for HR people, last night, and there weren’t many people younger than me in the room—and I’m not all that young, anymore. (Believe me, that’s true.) Furthermore, SHRM’s leadership team represents an older (ahem) demographic. Who is out there beating the drums and recruiting young and talented people into Human Resources? If MBA graduates have Jack Welch to emulate, who is the face of Human Resources? Do we need a face?
• Networking is changing. You can’t tell me that trade shows, expos, and industry conventions [in any field] will last another 50 years. The expense of sending your employees to these conferences—along with the lack of sleep, decreased productivity, and general distractions that come from being drunk for more than 16 hours out of the day—isn’t worth it. Sure, it’s important to network. Sure, it’s important to meet people and learn from your peers. You can do the same thing in flash mobs and cheaper ‘unconference’ formats.

Don’t get me wrong. I love to see my friends (old & young) at SHRM and learn about new products and services from vendors. I also like to go have a drink at 2AM in my pajamas at a bar in New Orleans. (What? Did I really do that?)

I’m just not sure if these behaviors or ours are sustainable.

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SHRM 2009 Day One

I’m here at SHRM with Libby Sartain, who is known for her work at Southwest Airlines. I’m also here with Mark Stelzner, who is a Human Resources Consultant and serves as the voice who reminds you that you’re now free to move about the country.

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The video is timely!

I’m on my way to NOLA. You can follow me on Twitter or YouTube, and stay tuned to Punk Rock HR for stories about Human Resources, recruiting, and sweaty women in New Orleans.

The city will be sick with varicose veins and flip flops—including mine!

I’m fascinated by this article about depression in The Economist (via Gawker). The authors talk about the evolutionary origin of depression and how it may be healthy to give up inappropriate goals.

I think there’s something to be said for giving up unattainable goals in your job search. America puts so much emphasis on our jobs & careers as extensions of our personalities and lives. What if you started to think about your job search differently? What if a job is just a means to other things? What if it’s less important for you to find a job that pays what you earned in 2007 and more important for you to enough to achieve more thoughtful and meaningful goals in your life?

Check your expectations right now. Do you want to find a job that makes you feel better about who you are as a person? It’s never gonna to happen. Sorry. Your career will always break your heart. Get a dog, eat some ice cream with your kids, and stop your unemployment-related depression in its tracks.

Oh—and if you want to stop being moody & sad about your job search, approach Monday with a different purpose. It’s time to look for a job that allows you to have awesome and meaningful experiences outside of work.