The Maryland Chamber: In Reality Episode One from Storyfarm New Media on Vimeo.
New Maryland Chamber of Commerce member Storyfarm New Media is partnering with us to create a monthly reality video series chronicling the company’s first year of membership.
The goal of the video series is to call attention to the many ways the Maryland Chamber helps member companies grow, while working to enhance the state’s economy and business climate. Follow along as Storyfarm Managing Partner John Sherman attends Maryland Chamber events, connects with other members, gets involved in Chamber committees and activities, and learns more about the organization’s legislative advocacy efforts in Annapolis.
We’re pretty excited about this new collaboration, and we hope you find it entertaining and informative. This new format is being pioneered by Storyfarm, and we think it’s a great fit to showcase our efforts and get real-time feedback about our events and activities.
In the first episode, Sherman begins the series by going to the joint Marketing and Membership committee meeting at McCormick & Company headquarters in Sparks. Watch as John makes new contacts, learns about the Chamber’s legislative agenda for 2011, and shares what it’s like to be be a part of it from a newcomer’s perspective.
Join members of the Maryland Chamber of Commerce, along with members of other area business organizations, for a special networking event on August 4 at the Baltimore Museum of Industry, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Now in its sixth year, Baltimore the Region will bring together professionals from around the Baltimore area for a fun evening of network and sharing ideas. Participating organizations include Baltimore County Chamber, the Baltimore City Chamber, the Maryland Gay, Lesbian, Bi, Trans and Straight Ally Chamber, and the Maryland Chamber.
Tickets are $35 for members and $45 for nonmembers. Register online, or contact Gail Lemke at (410) 269-0642, (301) 261-2858 or glemke@mdchamber.org.
Join us for an evening of networking, food, fun and Orioles baseball at Camden Yards on Tuesday, July 20.
The Orioles will take on the league leading Tampa Bay Rays at 7:05 p.m. Beginning at 5:30, we will hold a networking event in the picnic area behind the bullpens in left field. Our pre-game picnic will include barbecue, hot dogs, pasta salad, watermelon, popcorn, cookies, beer and soda.
At game time, we’ll move to our seats in section 85, rows 1-4.
The price is $38 per person. Limited space is available, so make your reservation now to enjoy some Maryland Chamber fun at Camden Yards! Register online, or contact Gail Lemke at (410) 269-0642, (301) 261-2858 or glemke@mdchamber.org.
For small businesses, finding the right employee for a position can be a daunting task and present several challenges. Smaller firms may have difficulty gaining enough visibility to attract top talent and traditional recruiting methods, such as posting on job boards or classifieds, can often flood them with overwhelming amounts of applications, many from unqualified applicants.
Being innovative and using new technologies to support your recruitment efforts can pay off. Social media, industry associations, and networking events provide the opportunity for small businesses to gain visibility in their community and industry, as well as the possibility of identifying potential hires.
“Social media provides us with this great technology at our fingertips, and it’s a great way to find talent and gain visibility,” HR Anew President & CEO Deborah Stallings said.
Posting company profiles and advertising the benefits of working for your business on a profile on LinkedIn, a Facebook page, or a video on YouTube, is an easy and free way to promote your company to potential candidates.
“Social media also provides us with the opportunity to maintain our professional relationships and contacts, which can be incredibly valuable when looking for talent,” Stallings said.
Stallings said many great candidates for small firms are ‘passive job seekers,’ or those who do not apply directly to a position, but instead are referred through a professional contact. “Recently HR Anew hired six new employees, and all of them were passive job seekers,” she said.
Even your current employees can serve as recruiters. They can advertise the benefits of working for your company to professional contacts and friends. Industry associations and networking events can also provide you with the opportunity of identifying potential hires without having to go through the process of posting an ad and sifting through applications. Attending job fairs and working with career centers at local universities is another option to indentify new talent.
Wherever your recruitment efforts take you, it is important that they are continuous, and do not just start when a new position needs to be filled. Maintaining professional contacts and relationships will make the talent-finding process easier when it is time to bring on that new hire.
