Surrey and North Hampshire Branch

Our morning club was launched to allow those who may find it difficult to attend our traditional evening events, a regular and informal opportunity to participate in workshops and networking.

The group appeals to a wide range of members, from those with a breadth of experience to share, to student members who are early career professionals.

We particularly aim to support:

• returners and those on career breaks who want to keep in touch with the profession and update their skills;
  
• those who work part- time or who have caring commitments and struggle to attend evening or early morning sessions; and
  
• those who simply want to network and update their skills in a friendly and informal environment.

Our recent workshops have covered a wide range of technical and skills topics, including:

• managing harassment and bullying in the #MeToo era
• smart working and new ways to work
• using LinkedIn 
• resilience

We look forward to seeing you at one of our sessions, which usually take place on a bi-monthly basis, from 10.00-12.00 either online or in Guildford town centre.

For more details please join our LinkedIn group.

MyHRCareer provides an opportunity for members from across the branch to better manage their careers and achieve the personal growth they seek and provide an understanding of how to achieve better work and a better working life.

We run several MyHRCareer Saturday morning study sessions during the year supported by visiting experts. Each session offers a selection of career related learning activities that are informative, interactive, and enable members to take-away tools and techniques to continue working with beyond the sessions.

The MyHRCareer sessions are designed to support members in using the CIPD‘s development plan and the CPD cycle to:

• Identify skills, strengths, and career motivations.
  
• Plan goals with clear outcomes and milestones.
  
• Act upon the plan, helped and supported by the visiting experts, tools and techniques offered, and other delegates.
  
• Reflect on progress through day to day experiences & contributing to LinkedIn discussions.

The MyHRCareer sessions planned include such topics as:

• career self-awareness
• CV writing practice
• LinkedIn profile writing and networking
• interview practice
• changing roles in your HR career

We want these sessions to provide what you want so please let us know so we can include it.

For more details of future events check and to participate in the discussion, please join our LinkedIn group.

The special interest group for consultants (SIG-C) is a forum for members who run a professional services business either as an independent consultant or as a small business. The group will also be of interest to members who may be contemplating a route into consultancy and may wish to investigate the challenges and opportunities that people can create for themselves through self-employment. The aim has remained to provide insights in how to develop your consultancy skills, improve your business and facilitate mutual support.

The group runs from September to June each year with a seasonal theme providing connected meetings. The interactive meetings enable members to participate in exploring their knowledge and in fresh thinking, building approaches to professional practice and developing solutions to clients. They also discuss how to best secure new business opportunities. Previous seasonal themes have included: 

• consultancy in practice
• the profitable consultancy
• building alliances
• the marketing edge
• the effectiveness question - what works and how
• the psychological structure of consultancy
• growing your business

When face-to-facing meeting is possible, we hold them at the Guildford Institute, Ward Street, Guildford, GU1 4LH, assembling at 19.00 for a 19.15 start, and lasting about an hour. Otherwise we meet virtually.