THE AUGUST GROUP NEWSLETTER

January 21, 2008

Volume 2, Number 3

Rochester’s Premier Professional Networking Organization

Newsletter Archives

In this Issue.

Words to Ponder

It's easy to make a buck. It's a lot tougher to make a difference.   Tom Brokaw

Got a thought to share?  Send it to newsletter@augustgroup.org and put  "Words to Ponder" in the Subject Line.

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Upcoming Events 

Send calendar additions to calendar@augustgroup.org

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Member Announcements

Have an announcement to share?  Here you can share so many things.  You're a new member and want share your elevator speech.  You never know who might spot it, perhaps a recruiter or business owner looking for someone just like you.

Perhaps you've landed a new position and wish to share the story and gratitude.

Maybe you are coordinating an event for community or charity and seek support.

This is where we'll post it.  This section reflects our members. Make contributions.

It's all about members for members and more here. Send your email to newsletter@augustgroup.org.

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Feature Articles

Got a story idea?  Submit  it to newsletter@augustgroup.org.

• Perspective

• St. John Fisher offers free career counseling
   

Have an article to contribute?  We welcome your contributions.  Make a difference. Share a story.  Submit it to newsletter@augustgroup.org.

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JOB POSTINGS

Hidden jobs are welcomed for sharing at jobs@augustgroup.org.  If the job your neighbor, friend or family shared with you is not right for you, it might be perfect for an August Group colleague.  This is a great place for practicing "give to get." With 1600 members, what can happen here when members own the content?

We welcome volunteers to coordinate the job postings on a weekly basis. Employers and members submit jobs that must be readied for inclusion in the newsletter.  A lack of help means fewer jobs get posted in a timely manner.  Why not be the first one to see new postings??!!

NEW Postings this week

• Sr. Technical Support Engineer – The Rochester Group

• Entry-Level Electronic Repair Technician – Phoenix Equip. Co.

• Operations Manager - Ultrafab

• Part-Time Bookkeeper – Insero & Co.

• Administrative Assistant - Function5 Technology Group Inc.

• Network Engineer Technician - Function5 Technology Group Inc.

Previously posted jobs

See the August Group Newsletter Archives

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News from the Power Networking Groups

The Power Networking  Groups have been the most effective of all programs offered by The August Group.  We hope that the member's will report regularly to the newsletter of their successes and stories shared.   Submit notes to newsletter@augustgroup.org and insert "PNG" in the Subject line.

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Human Resources Professionals - Things Job Seekers Should Know

We've had many HR professionals visit and contribute to The August Group.  Your ongoing contributions are valued and needed by all members.  We know that we'll see great contributions from those who have made their careers about career and organizational development.  If it's not your own writing, perhaps its a link or someone else's, writing that you are sharing and giving credit to the author.  Send your contributions to newsletter@augustgroup.org with HR in the Subject line.

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Small Companies That You Might not Know About

While so many members pursue the major employers in our community, there are numerous small and growing companies that go ignored trying to find talent.  Know of a small company then share it here providing nothing more than a link to its homepage. How easy does it get?  Send your contributions to newsletter@augustgroup.org with Small Company in the Subject line.

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Websites Worth Visiting

Send your contributions to newsletter@augustgroup.org with Website in the Subject line.

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Book Reviews and Good Reads

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FEATURE ARTICLE

Perspective

Contributed by Darryl Walczak  dwalczak@rochester.rr.com

I learned my first lesson in “Perspective” when I was 16 years old.  I was involved in a church youth group (which in retrospect might have been one of my earliest forays into networking) and at the end of each session the participants gathered would form a “prayer circle” to offer up thoughts for people who needed help.  Often, the prayers were offered up for elderly grandparents who had medical concerns.  But on more than one occasion, one of the kids (who ranged in age from 14 to 18), would pray for one of their friends who was going through a “tough time.”

At 16, I had never volunteered at a soup kitchen.  I had not thought much about people who were unemployed.  I had not had any experience with people who were on public assistance.  But I was aware that they existed.  I thought, “How could these suburban teenagers really believe that their friend was going through a “tough time?”

The answer, of course, lies in perspective.  Most of these teenagers had never been exposed to the outside world.  They knew of their safe existence with loving families, nice schools and strong social values.  A “tough time” for them was a break-up with a boyfriend or not having enough money to go out with friends.  Maybe they had petty issues with their parents.  But to these teenagers, these were major events.

I must admit, every once in a while, I get a strong dose of perspective.  I live in a nice house in the suburbs.  My wife and I both drive nice cars, we have enough money to have the things we need, and in most cases to have the things we want.  During the past holiday season, I was putting together a list of things I would like to get.  Not things I needed, mind you, but things I wanted.  Then it hit me.  My wife was packaging up a couple of shoeboxes filled with trinkets and small toys to give to some less fortunate kids for Christmas.  Knowing the joy that these little shoeboxes would bring these kids, I suddenly realized that I did not want as much anymore.  Looking back, I had everything I needed.

I may never have as much as some, but I will almost always have more than most.  And that is my perspective.

It is always easier to look at what we would like to have than what we already have.  And in some cases, that is a healthy, competitive attitude to have.  But as with anything else, moderation is the key to that attitude.  Always take time to recognize the things life has provided you.  And then think, is it really not as much as some, or is it more than most?

 
If you have a story to share or feedback, send it to newsletter@augustgroup.org

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St. John Fisher offers FREE Career Counseling

“Volunteer clients” can receive free career counseling from an advanced graduate student in our course in career counseling.  The counselors-in-training are enrolled in St. John Fisher College’s Master’s Degree program in Mental Health Counseling.

Who would benefit from career counseling?  This may be right for you if you are:

• Unsure of future career direction

• Questioning current job placement

• Interested in the relationship between personality and career “fit”

• Seeking methods to enhance your skills for your chosen career

• Uncertain about how your values fit with your occupation

• Need information on the job market in your field (salaries, demand, openings)

• Unaware of how to tap the “hidden job market”

• Need assistance with resume-writing, cover letters, or interviewing skills

What’s required?

In order to participate as a volunteer client, you must be:

• Unaware of how to tap the “hidden job market”

• Need assistance with resume-writing, cover letters, or interviewing skills

• Able to meet one-on-one with a counselor-in-training for at least 30 minutes between January 14 and February 7 to identify goals

• Able to complete a 45-minute career assessment by January 30 (can be done at home)

• Able to attend a workshop on February 7 from 4:00-6:30pm on the St. John Fisher College campus, “Personality Type in Everyday Life” to learn about the relationship between personality and career selection

• Willing to share relevant information with a graduate student

• Willing to “meet” either in person, via email, or by phone with your

• Counselor-in-training to reach your identified career counseling goals between January 21 and April 1

What information about me will be shared?

You will have complete control over what information you choose to share with your counselor-in-training.  Our expectation is that you will share whatever information is relevant to your goals for career development.  This might include demographic information, educational background, work experience, and personal preferences.  The approach that is taught in this course encourages counselors to treat each client as a whole person; that is, your career is an important part of your life, but it is only a part – your career best fits you when it fits with the rest of your life (work, family, play, social time).  As this is a learning environment, counselors-in-training will share client cases with the class and instructor.

How do I sign up?

We can accommodate limited numbers of participants, and thus we will accept clients on a first-come, first-served basis.  If you would like to participate, or if you have more questions, contact the course instructor:

Signe M. Kastberg, Ph.D., NCC, LMHC

Director, Mental Health Counseling Program

St. John Fisher College

3690 East Avenue

Rochester, NY 14618

585-385-7222

skastberg@sjfc.edu
 

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JOB POSTINGS

New job postings this week

Sr. Technical Support Engineer

Provides escalation-level (Tier 3) support for the deployment and maintenance of STC. Reports to Operations Manager. Requires in-depth understanding of enterprise networking, Linux operating environment and strong troubleshooting, verbal and written communication skills.

Responsibilities:

• Technical support to sales, partners and customers

• Resolution of application problems during outages or other production related issues.

• Read, analyze and diagnose errors generated in debug logs, systems error logs, etc.

• Corrective actions to resolve issues based on analysis and provide alerts/notifications to customer service, support personnel, and management.

• Technical assistance to application programmers, SAs and DBAs to ensure that systems and applications run per standards and requirements.

• Client management inclusive of excellent communications, responsive follow through, and advocacy for client issues within internal departments.

• Analyze trends associated with the customer base and report potential areas of risk or reward to management.

• Prioritize numerous issues of varying severity and effectively manage the resolution of all issues within accepted service levels.

• Collaborating extensively with peers, Business Analysts, Development, Quality Assurance and Account Managers to resolve client issues while actively contributing to a growing knowledge network that improves the effectiveness of our team and the information available to our clients.

• Utilize support tools and utilities to monitor environments for performance, reliability, and stability during daily operations, application code releases, systems software releases, security patch releases, or service pack releases.

• Collaborate in workload and duration estimates.

• Formulate technical action plans for analyzing and resolving problems related to STC.

• Generate documentation in the form of bug reports, tech tips and best practices.

• Simulate problems in lab.

• Participate in solutions for knowledge base.

• Provide production support cross-training to relevant groups as needed.

• Participate in enhancement requirements.

• Provide problem solving and business expertise in the design, development, testing and deployment of business applications.

• Prepare and document detailed system analysis specifications for approved projects.

• Review specifications and processing activities with business requirement analysts and technical team to ensure that all requirements and customer needs are met.

• Evaluate system test results and documentation prior to implementation of any system to ensure standards have been met and the system is ready for production operation.

• Assist in developing standards, guidelines, procedures and methodology for system development.

• Assist in the preparation of proposals for all phases of systems planning, development and implementation.

• Assist SQA in the development of test plans.

Requirements:

• 5+ years production support experience.

• Specific experience supporting and troubleshooting Linux, Java and PostGres applications.

• Solid experience with corporate networking implementations.

• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to communicate effectively with technical and non-technical audiences ranging from individual contributors to executive-level contacts.

• SQL and Linux/Unix experience strongly desired.

• Experience in, or production support work experience. (Linux/Windows environment).

Personality Traits:

• Must be a flexible self-starter who can ramp up with new technologies quickly and can adapt to a growing and evolving team.

• Must be a flexible self-starter who can ramp up with new technologies quickly and can adapt to a growing and evolving team.

• Imaginative, motivated, and able to work effectively under pressure.

• Strong logical and creative problem-solving skills, good oral and written communication skills, and excellent analytical skills.

• Must be able to succeed with minimal resources and minimal supervision.

• Demonstrated leadership ability, strong team player who enjoys working in a fast paced atmosphere.

Carl Provenzano

Director, Human Resources

The Rochester Group, Inc.

www.rochestergroup.com

Tell them you learned about the opportunity through The August Group newsletter.

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Entry-Level Electronic Repair Technician

Skills and knowledge of laboratory equipment repair such as water systems, centrifuges, photometers, sterilizers,  HPLC systems, incubators.

Please send resume to: GCondon@PhoenixEquip.com

Tell them you learned about the opportunity through The August Group newsletter.

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Operations Manager

Provide day-to-day direction for manufacturing unit through production supervisors.  Responsible for safety, security, staffing, continuous improvement initiatives, and achievement of production requirements in both quantity and quality.  Resolves daily production constraints due to technical, material or scheduling problems.  Actively pursues cost reduction in cost of goods sold through the use of lean manufacturing practices.  Organizes and monitors skill development training, detailed employee development plans and milestones.  Provides assistance to other shifts.

The ideal candidate will have a BS in a Technical or Business discipline, or 5 years equivalent work experience.  Candidate must have at least 5 years production management experience in a 7-day/24-hour industrial operation. Additionally s/he will have excellent communication and computer skills. Strong leadership capabilities and motivation abilities are vital.

To apply:  e-mail resume and cover letter with salary history to jls@ultrafab.com.

Tell them you learned about the opportunity through The August Group newsletter.

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Part-time Bookkeeper

Insero & Company's Recruiting Services division is currently recruiting for a Part-time Bookkeeper (Direct hire) for a local service provider that has been in business for over 45 years. This position would be working in a small office of 4 other people and is located on Culver Rd. Salary range $17-20/hour based on experience.

Our client is seeking candidates interested in working 2 or 3 days a week for an average of 15-18 hours a week, they are flexible with creating a schedule that works best for hired individual. The position is opened due to pending retirement of current the current Bookkeeper.

Responsibilities:

• Performing all aspects of A/P, A/R, journal entries, and bank
  reconciliations.

• Daily processing and entry of accounts payable vouchers.

• Processing payroll through a payroll service.

• Generating daily, weekly and monthly reports regarding work in
  progress.

• Reconciling, balancing, investigating and resolving any account
  discrepancies.

Requirements:

• Associate's degree (accounting/business major is preferred) along
  with a minimum of five years experience in a formal bookkeeping
  position is required.

• Accounting experience working in a small business is highly preferred.

• Excellent Microsoft Word and Excel knowledge is required.

• Experience with QuickBooks accounting software is required.

• Excellent organizational and communication skills are also essential.

To apply:

Please send resumes and salary requirements to careers@inserocpa.com

or by Fax to 585-454-4024.

Tell them you learned about the opportunity through The August Group newsletter.

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• This job is part-time, permanent and is non-exempt.

General Duties:

• This person shall report to the Controller and shall perform all day-to-day accounting and associated administrative functions, within accounts receivable and accounts payable.

• This person shall also have responsibility for general office administration.

• This person shall be able to work between Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM through 4:00 PM or other hours as assigned by the Controller. Hours are flexible depending on employee schedule

Specific Responsibilities:

Specific tasks delegated to this employee include, but are not limited to:

• Accounts Receivable

  • Prepare and mail invoices.

  • Receive and enter customer payments and make deposits.

  • Enter customer credits.

  • Resolve customer accounting inquiries.

  • Make collection calls

• Accounts payable

  • Prepare and enter purchase orders.

  • Enter item receipts and vendor invoices.

  • Prepare vendor payments and process credit card payments or write checks as directed by the Controller.

  • Respond to vendor inquiries.

  • Enter and track vendor credits.

• General accounting

  • Review and enter all administrative bills.

  • Maintain vendor and customer files as directed.

  • Coordinate payroll processing with payroll vendor.

  • Coordinate benefit administration between employees and benefit providers.

  • Assist the Controller as needed.

• General Office

  • Answer and route incoming phone calls.

  • Receive, open and distribute incoming mail.

  • Order and maintain general office supplies.

  • Prepare and mail general corporate correspondence.

  • Perform other tasks as directed.

• Required Physical Skills

  • This person must be able to type, using a standard keyboard, must be able to use a telephone, and must be able to access a standard lateral or drawer file cabinet.

  • Must have a valid driver’s license.

Send Inquiry to careers@f5technology.com. Please include resume if able.

Or visit us at www.f5technology.com.

Function5 Technology Group Inc.

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Network Engineer Technician

Job Classification:

• This job is part-time, temporary and is non-exempt.

General Duties:

• This person shall report to the Senior Engineer and shall complete all aspects including disassembly, testing, reassembly and configuration of hardware components assigned to him/her.

• This person shall be able to work specific hours between Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM through 5:00. Hours as assigned by the Senior Engineer and are flexible to employee schedule.

Specific Responsibilities:

Specific tasks delegated to this employee include, but are not limited to:

• Testing

  • Conduct appropriate testing on all hardware to ensure it is capable of application software installation or of being placed in production, in accordance with the customer requirements. Prepare appropriate test reports.

• Disassembly

  • Remove/test individual components as directed.

• Assembly/Configuration

  • Reassemble/configure servers/switches/chasses in accordance with customer requirements.

• Test bed Maintenance

  • Perform routine maintenance such as cleaning updating.

• General

  • Maintain appropriate reference materials.

  • Maintain effective testing cost control by using appropriate testing methods.

  • Verify serial numbers.

  • Perform other tasks as assigned.

Required Physical Skills:

This person must be able to type, using a standard keyboard, must be able to use a telephone, must have a valid driver’s license and must be able to lift 40 pounds unassisted.

Minimum Requirements:

High School Diploma or equivalency required, 2/4 year relevant degree preferred.

Send Inquiry to careers@f5technology.com. Please include resume if able.

Or visit us at www.f5technology.com.

Function5 Technology Group Inc.

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