Portland HR Management Association

If you’ve been searching for your next HR role for a while, you probably know the routine.

Update the resume. Check the job boards. Apply. Follow up. Repeat.

But what if your next step isn’t another application?

On October 14, join PHRMA in person for Unstuck: Strategic Next Steps for the Prolonged Job Search with Talent Acquisition leader Blake Thiess.

Blake brings more than 12 years of Talent Acquisition experience and has overseen thousands of hires. During this HR in 90, he’ll bring that recruiter-side perspective to HR professionals navigating their own job searches and career transitions.

We’ll explore ways to stand out, create visibility around your search, activate your professional relationships, and stay connected to HR while you're between roles.

Just as importantly, this is a chance to step away from the job boards, have lunch, and spend time with other HR professionals who understand what it’s like to figure out what comes next.

We're offering a $20 Active Job Search registration rate for HR professionals who are currently out of work and actively searching.

October 14 | 11:30 AM–1:00 PM
The Standard Auditorium | Downtown Portland
Lunch included

Give yourself 90 minutes to try a different approach.

Select "In Active Job Search" when registering to access the $20 rate.

Learn more and register: https://bit.ly/3YmIGcf

This is what PHRMA community looks like.

These photos are from last year's Member Appreciation Event, and this October, there are three more opportunities to spend time with the people who make PHRMA what it is.

October 1 | Inclusion Mingle
Join a small group at Woodstock Cafe to learn basic ASL, meet fellow members, and experience a local Deaf-owned business. Just 15 spots are available.

October 8 | District Networks Coffee Meet-Ups
Start your morning with coffee and conversation alongside HR professionals close to home or work. No formal agenda, just a chance to catch up with familiar faces and meet someone new.

October 22 | Member Appreciation Event
Then we're heading back to The People's Court for one of our favorite nights of the year: an evening dedicated to celebrating our members, volunteers, and everything you bring to PHRMA.

And the best part? All three events are available to PHRMA members at no cost.

Which one will we see you at? Or better yet, join us for all three!

https://ow.ly/Xv4550ZPTwq

If you’ve submitted application after application without getting where you want to go, what can you do differently?

Sometimes the next step isn’t applying more. It’s changing your approach.

Join PHRMA in person on October 14 for Unstuck: Strategic Next Steps for the Prolonged Job Search with Talent Acquisition leader Blake Thiess.

With more than 12 years of Talent Acquisition experience and thousands of hires under his belt, Blake knows what the hiring process looks like from the other side.

During this HR in 90, we’ll explore ways to stand out beyond the application, increase visibility around your search, activate your professional relationships, and stay engaged in HR while navigating a career transition.

Whether you’re actively searching, considering a career pivot, or trying to figure out your next move, come spend 90 minutes exploring a different approach.

October 14 | 11:30 AM–1:00 PM
The Standard Auditorium | Downtown Portland
Lunch included

We're offering a $20 Active Job Search registration rate for HR professionals who are currently out of work and actively searching.

Select "In Active Job Search" when registering to access the $20 rate.

Learn more and register: https://bit.ly/3YmIGcf

An employee answers emails after hours. Someone works through lunch. A remote employee logs on early.

When does that time need to be counted and paid?

We're less than a week away from Wage & Hour Compliance: Avoiding Costly Mistakes & Managing Risk, presented by PHRMA Annual Partner Barran Liebman LLP.

Join Chris Morgan for a practical look at overtime, classification, timekeeping, off-the-clock work, required breaks, remote work, and other common compliance challenges.

September 30 | 12:00–1:00 PM | Zoom

PHRMA Members: Complimentary
Non-Members: $50

Register now: https://tinyurl.com/5dz5rrkc

Level Up Before Time Runs Out! 🎮⏳

Player status check: Have you unlocked your spot at the ORSHRM Fall Conference yet?

The countdown clock is ticking, and this year's Level Up experience is packed with opportunities to gain XP in leadership, HR strategy, AI, talent development, and networking.
Think of it like your favorite game:

✅ New skills to unlock
✅ Expert guides to help you advance
✅ Side quests with fellow HR professionals
✅ Power-ups you can take back to your organization
✅ Achievement badges in the form of fresh ideas and connections

Whether you're looking to level up as an HR leader, manager, business partner, or people champion, this is your chance to invest in yourself and your career.

🎯 Don't let the registration timer hit zero.

Register today and join us as we power up the future of HR at .



Game tip: The best players don't wait until the final level to start earning points. 😉

4th Annual ORSHRM Fall Conference- Level Up Join Oregon SHRM for the 4th annual fall conference.

Sometimes you need to talk HR with people who understand exactly where you are in your career.

PHRMA Career Networks bring together professionals at similar career stages to ask questions, compare experiences, share what they've learned, and build stronger connections within the local HR community.

Emerging Leaders is for those building their HR foundation and experience.

Mid-Level is for experienced HR professionals navigating growth, influence, and what comes next.

Executive is a confidential, peer-driven space for senior HR leaders. Participation requires an application.

Three different spaces. Three different conversations. One PHRMA community.

Please note: Executive Network has moved to October 1.

Find the Career Network that fits where you are and register at https://ow.ly/89LH50ZOWcO

When you’ve been searching for your next role for weeks or months, submitting another application can start to feel like more of the same.

So, what can you do differently?

Join PHRMA in person on October 14 for Unstuck: Strategic Next Steps for the Prolonged Job Search with Talent Acquisition leader Blake Thiess.

Blake brings more than 12 years of Talent Acquisition experience and has overseen thousands of hires. During this HR in 90, he’ll bring that recruiter-side perspective to the job seeker’s side of the conversation.

Together, we’ll explore ways to stand out beyond the application, build visibility around your search, stay engaged in HR between roles, and activate your professional relationships.

Whether you’re actively searching, considering a career pivot, or figuring out what comes next, this session is designed to help you move forward.

October 14 | 11:30 AM–1:00 PM
The Standard Auditorium | Downtown Portland
Lunch included

Learn more and register: https://bit.ly/3YmIGcf

When does the workday actually start? What counts as hours worked? Is an employee classified correctly?

These are questions HR professionals regularly encounter, and getting the answer wrong can create significant risk for an employer.

Join PHRMA and Annual Partner Barran Liebman LLP on September 30 for our next Workplace Legal Update, Wage & Hour Compliance: Avoiding Costly Mistakes & Managing Risk.

Barran Liebman Attorney Chris Morgan will walk through classification, overtime, timekeeping, meal and rest periods, remote work, and other common wage and hour compliance challenges.

September 30 | 12:00–1:00 PM | Zoom

PHRMA Members: Complimentary
Non-Members: $50

Register today: https://tinyurl.com/5dz5rrkc

Benefits costs are rising. Let’s talk about what HR teams can do about it.

How do you manage increasing costs while continuing to offer benefits employees value? What are other organizations changing? And what’s actually working?

Those are the kinds of questions we’re bringing to the table this Thursday at HR Think Tank: Managing Rising Benefit Costs.

Come ready to compare experiences, ask questions, and hear how fellow HR professionals are approaching plan design, renewals, vendor negotiations, benefits changes, employee communication, and more.

No slides. No presentation. Just conversation.

Thursday, September 17 | 5:30–7:00 PM
The Spitz | 2103 N Killingsworth St, Portland
PHRMA Members: No cost
Non-Members: $65

Registration is still open. Come with what’s working, what’s challenging, and what you’re still trying to figure out.

https://tinyurl.com/4fph38r7

Some HR conversations are easier with people who are navigating the same stage of their career.

PHRMA Career Networks create space to connect with peers who understand the questions, challenges, and opportunities that come with where you are right now.

Executive Network
September 24 | 7:30–9:00 AM | Downtown Portland
For senior HR leaders navigating strategy, leadership, and high-level decision-making. Application required.

Emerging Leaders Network
September 24 | 5:30–7:00 PM | Portland
For those building their HR foundation, growing their confidence, or transitioning into the profession.

Mid-Level Network
September 29 | 5:30–7:00 PM | Beaverton
Please note: Mid-Level will meet the following Tuesday this month.
For experienced HR professionals navigating growth, influence, and what comes next.

Wherever you are in your HR career, there’s a Career Network built for the conversations happening at your level.

Find yours and register at https://ow.ly/VzNQ50ZNsF4