Avoid These Top 5 Mistakes at #SHRM14 - Blogging4Jobs

Avoid These Top 5 Mistakes at #SHRM14 - Blogging4Jobs Avoid These Top 5 Mistakes at #SHRM14 Check out our exclusive SHRM Orlando Guide. Get the skinny on shopping, food and travel tips for Orlando.  Click here. Dont forget to signup for our free texting service by texting SHRM to 55678 to get daily updates on the best parties and maybe even a flash party or two. You never know what will happen with Blogging4Jobs.   Avoid These Top 5 Mistakes at #SHRM14 Its that time again! SHRMs Annual Conference is less than a week away and if youre like me youve already started mentally packing and making a checklist of what you need to bring. If youve been to SHRM before I hope youve learned from these past mistakes of mine, but if its your first time here are a few mistakes I made last year that I wont be making again! Chargers and Cords Galore! The worst thing about attending any conference, especially SHRM, is forgetting my spare battery packs and mophie chargers. Since this conference is jammed packed with several sessions starting at 7am its important that I have plenty of devices that are able to charge either my iPhone or iPad. You still have time to click on over to mophie.com and purchase a battery pack or charge case for your iPhone. The price is worth the pain of having to find an outlet and sit there until you get enough juice to continue your festivities. Youll be going from the wee hours of the morning to late late night if youre doing it right. If youre presenting at the conference make sure youre bringing the right cords to connect up your presentation. Especially if youre using a Mac computer its important to bring the right connecting cords to make your presentation show up. We always put this at the top of our list because its the most important and the most regrettable mistake at SHRM. Hanging out with the same ole group. Conferences bring friends together and SHRM is one of the biggest conferences where you can connect with collegues who live in a distance land. The only mistake made here is not making new friends. I love the song: Make New Friends and Keep The Others. One is Silver and the Others Gold! (See Youtube video) I am extremely guilty of breaking this rule. This is my second year in the HR circuit of attending conferences and I love meeting up with those who live in far away lands. Connecting again with those ive talked to on Twitter and seeing clients of past, present, and future. Its easy to jump back in your circle of HR friends, but take a leap during SHRM this year and work on meeting 2-3 new people. Connect on Twitter and go from there! Were all a bunch of nerds anyway, lets be friends! .ai-rotate {position: relative;} .ai-rotate-hidden {visibility: hidden;} .ai-rotate-hidden-2 {position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%;} .ai-list-data, .ai-ip-data, .ai-fallback, .ai-list-block {visibility: hidden; position: absolute; width: 50%; height: 1px; z-index: -9999;} Take off your badge! Yes were at a conference, but when youre out and about in the city of Orlando, take of your badge! Not only does it draw attention to you, but it probably doesnt compliment that sweet outfit you brought to show off. Conference  attendees are generally not as aware of their surroundings  and in a new location they might let their guard down a little because theyre having a little more fun or hyper focused on the conference. Make sure to take off your badge and use a secure bag to to keep your belongings close to you and away from those tricky thieves! Social No-Nos Lets be real for a minute. This conference is the only time (maybe second or third) you get to let loose and have fun with your friends that you dont always get to see. Even with the two conferences I attended last year I saw people who made complete fools out of themselves when they were VPs and Directors at bigger named companies. With social media running rampent at these conferences pictures you put online can be shared quickly and mercilessly. A good rule of thumb is if you want to drink a lot, put your phone away and then have a fun time. Branch out and network, but dont put yourself out there too much that your job is at risk. Dressing Inappropriately The weather in Orlando looks beautiful for the duration of the conference. The lows are in the 70s and the highs are in the 90s. Itll be hot. We all know that and if youve ever been to Orlando you might think dressing up in a business suit or skirt/shirt might be unbearable. Conferences are just as much about networking and relationship-building as it is learning. Wearing the appropriate attire will not only show respect for those in your profession, but dont go too far where youre uncomfortable and feel miserable all day. Being uncomfortable makes it hard to focus so dont get into a situation where youre shivering or drenching in sweat instead of learning. Its super important to wear the right shoes as well. Show off those high-heels, but remember youre going to be walking quite a bit and even doing some dancing. If youre going out on the dance floor later in the evening bring some flats in your purse so at the end of the night youll be able to get home without killing yourself. .ai-rotate {position: relative;} .ai-rotate-hidden {visibility: hidden;} .ai-rotate-hidden-2 {position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%;} .ai-list-data, .ai-ip-data, .ai-fallback, .ai-list-block {visibility: hidden; position: absolute; width: 50%; height: 1px; z-index: -9999;}