I just wanted to give you a final reminder that this Wednesday is the deadline to receive the $400 early bird discount for the ninth annual ERE Expo 2009 Spring conference in San Diego next March - http://www.ereexpo.com.

In these economic times, don't miss out on attending the leading conference for corporate recruiting leaders at such a low price. Speaking of this tough economy, we recently added a few new sessions to the agenda to help you adjust your strategy and still take advantage of the war for talent which many experts still say exists.

David York, of 2008 ERE Recruiting Excellence award-winning company KPMG will present on how to optimize your recruitment function in an uncertain economy. David will be exploring various ways to leverage the current economy in our favor, more efficient ways to source candidates, as well as drive and retain our recruiting professionals, all with fewer resources.

And we added a session on Cost-effective Recruitment Practices led by the recruiting department leadership at Caritas Christi Health Care. Navigating a successful recruiting department in a down market with limited resources can be a challenging prospect. You'll see a cost-effective recruitment model that has turned a troubled recruiting division into a real-life success story through practical and affordable solutions for recruiting top-tier talent.

Speaking of the Recruiting Excellence Awards (http://www.ereawards.com), we are currently accepting applications for the fifth annual award program through January 9. On Monday night, March 30, the best of the best will be on display as we announce the winners of 2009 Recruiting Excellence Awards in San Diego. If you think you have what it takes, you can apply online at http://www.ereawards.com. All applications must be accepted by January 9, 2009.

Here are some other highlights from the ERE Expo 2009 Spring agenda - to view the full agenda visit http://www.ere.net/events/2009/spring/ataglance.asp:

* How Recruiting Professionals can Make Their Hiring Managers Successful: In this fun, how-to session, John Vlastelica will discuss what makes an effective hiring manager successful, what you can do to drive your hiring manager's success without becoming a subservient customer-service rep, what tools and training they need from you, and what expectations you should set with them about their role.
* Onboarding at 20th Century Fox: Learn how 20th Century Fox used onboarding to align its employment brand with its product brand (TV and motion pictures) -- while, at the same time, increasing new hire productivity and decreasing new hire turnover.
* Integrating Social Media and Web 2.0 Into Your Recruitment Marketing Strategy: Facebook. MySpace. LinkedIn. Blogs. Twitter. YouTube. Web 2.0. Trying to make sense of it all? How can these sites and tools fit within a comprehensive corporate recruitment marketing plan? Join Ben Gotkin of RSM McGladrey for a highly interactive approach to help you better understand how to make sense of it all.
* ...and much more.

With over 30 speakers, there is something for you and your entire recruiting team.

In addition we are honored to have Michael McNeal, Vice President of Talent Strategy and Acquisition for Intuit serve as the conference chairman to help bring it all together and keep the show moving forward. Michael is one of the true innovators in the corporate recruiting world and has won many honors including the Bay Area Human Resources Symposium's Award for Innovation. In addition, Michael's team won the award for Recruiting Department of the Year at the 2008 Recruiting Excellence Awards.

So visit http://www.ere.net/events/2009/spring/ today to find out all the information you need and to reserve your spot today. And make sure you register by Wednesday, November 26 to secure your $400 early bird discount.

Drop me a note if you have any questions. Hope to see you in San Diego next March!