On June 17, 2009 the Princeton South Jersey Chapter of APICS held its annual Top Management Night at Olde York Country Club.  It was our fourth consecutive year at this location and once again we enjoyed a cocktail hour with open bar and a delicious dinner.  Top Management Night successfully closed our chapter year with annual awards, introduction of the incoming Board of Directors and a great presentation from our guest speaker. 
 
The speaker for the meeting was Mark Voetsch, Corporate Vice President of Purchasing and Cost Controls at K. Hovnanian Homes.  His topic "Managing Vendor Relationships and the Supply Chain in Today's Economy" was insightful and particularly relevant for all type of businesses in today's economy. The topic was well received by the attendees who followed up with some questions and relevant discussion.  

The following awards were handed out to acknowledge outstanding contribution to the chapter during the past year.

Company of the Year – was awarded to Innophos.  Innophos has shown a dedication to the value of APICS education by actively providing APICS training on site for their associates and adding APICS Certification as a goal on Performance Reviews.  Kevin Cook, the Director of Supply Chain, has been driving the value APICS education at Innophos, and was at the dinner to receive the award. 
 
Member of the Year – was awarded to Lucille Lucas.  Lucille has been a member of the Board of Directors, most recently as Director of Programs.  Lucille as done a great deal to enhance our PDMs and in always finding for ways to improve all aspects of the chapter. 
 
The Rick Cathers Award – was awarded to Robert Wetherill.  This award is not given every year, but Bob's service and dedication to the chapter made the Board's choice easy to recognize him for his continuous contributions.  As a past president of the chapter, Bob is relied upon for keeping this going and for his valuable opinions.  

The night ended with recognition of the outgoing Board of Directors and introduction of the new 2009-2010 Board.  The Board is looking forward to serving the chapter for the upcoming year, with new educational offerings and our monthly Professional Development Meeting (PDM).  The first PDM after the summer break is scheduled for September 16, at a new location, Yogi's All American Restaurant in the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Monroe, NJ. 
 

JUST A HEADS UP!

The APICS Princeton South Jersey Chapter will resume our Professional Development Meetings in September.

When:  September 16th, 2009

Where:  Yogi’s All-American Grill at the Crowne Plaze in Jamesburg

Subject:  To be announced. Keep an eye on our website (www.apics-prsj.org) for further information

Please note the new location! Directions will be available along with the subject in the very near future!

It's easy to lose career focus during the summer months. Kids home from school, warm sunny weather and household projects tend to distract job seekers. Additionally, the interview process often gets disrupted while employers accommodate multiple vacation schedules. These interruptions become an easy excuse to put a job search on hold until September. Don't give in to the temptation to take the summer off. Your summer sabbatical will add months to your job search. Increased competition in September means a smaller margin of error in interview performance. Keep your job-search momentum throughout the summer to avoid frustration in the fall.
 
Here are three tips to keep your job search moving forward.
 
1. Stay on track.
 
Keep a schedule of weekly job-search activities that include networking for leads. Summer is a great time for increased social activities, which can quite naturally lead to discussions about your search. Additionally, tap into your on line social network to find people who know people within your targeted companies who may be able to introduce you to hiring managers. Don't over look the potential help of others in uncovering job leads.
 
Don't let your project “to-do” list take precedence over your job search activities. Yes, Summer is a great time to build a deck, paint a kitchen or landscape your yard, but don't allow your projects to keep you from moving forward toward a new job. Take care of your job-search goals first, then use all those extra day-light hours to fix up your nest.
 
2. Don't get impatient.
 
It's easy to let job-search activities slide when interviews get delayed, rescheduled or canceled. It's best to accept that hiring stalls are a natural summer phenomenon. Use your extra time to research targeted companies in greater depth. The insider information you pick up may give you the extra “leg up” in the interview to win out your competition. Remember, even though the hiring process seems slower during summer companies still interview and make offers June through August.
 
3. Keep your interview skills sharp.
 
The normal tendency in summer is to neglect critical interviewing skills. The idea is “once interviews start back up I'll pull out that book and get ready.” Bad idea. Don't get caught off guard. Start perfecting your interview skills BEFORE your next interview is scheduled. Minimally you should be able to:

* State your strengths and weaknesses
* Give reasons for short job durations
* Sell your transferable skills
* Give examples of your accomplishments

Remember, these are just the minimum issues you should be able to handle in an interview. Every job seeker has their own list of questions they hope they don't get asked. You must identify the questions that make you squirm and be ready with great answers.
 
Following these tips will help you maintain your job search momentum during the busy Summer months. Remember, work on your job search, then work on your tan. Build your interview skills then build the deck. You'll be way ahead of the September crowd and months ahead in landing your next job. 
 
Courtesy of Deborah Walker, CCMC.  Deborah is a career coach helping job seekers compete in the toughest job markets. Her clients gain top performing skills in resume writing, interview preparation and salary negotiation. Learn more about Deborah Walker, Career Coach at: AlphaAdvantage.com
 

CPIM, Certified in Production and Inventory Management

Topics include:

Elements of the Supply Chain
Just-in-Time (JIT)
Total Quality Management (TQM)
Manufacturing Resources Planning (MRP II)
Demand Planning
Capacity Management

Course Content:
1. Supply Chain Management Fundametals
2. Building Competitive Operations, Planning and Logistics
3. Managing Customer and Supplier Relationships
4. Using Information Technology to Enable Supply Chain Management
 

President
Bryan Warshofsky, CPIM
732-936-4219
bwarshofsky@khov.com

Executive Vice President
Jeffrey Dougherty
732-227-6513
jeffrey.dougherty@bms.com

V.P. Programs
George Lazarides, CPIM
609-860-4624
george.lazarides@us.rhodia

V.P. Finance
Robert Wetherill, CPIM
609-689-3776
urwethe@optonline.net

V.P. Membership
Frank Abatangelo
732-493-3910
eja96@aol.com

Newsletter Editor
Barry Jedic, CSCP
obj01@optonline.net

Arrangements Director
Diane Pacholec
diane.pacholec@cooperwheelock.com

Employment Director
Dave Hollinger, CPIM, CSCP
732-922-0255
dave@primebusinessgroup.com

Company Coordinator
Blair Williams, CFPIM, CSCP, Jonah
609-860-5856
blairrw@att.net