February 2014 Newsletter

The Woodlands Chapter
American Payroll Association
P.O. Box 9093, The Woodlands, Texas 77383
Woodlands Chapter of the APA is affiliated with the American Payroll Institute, Inc. (dba American Payroll
Association) but is an autonomous and independent organization. American Payroll Institute, Inc. is not responsible
for the liabilities, statements, or activities of any of its affiliated chapters.”

The Treetop View February 2014 Newsletter of
The Woodlands Chapter of the American Payroll
Association
February 11, 2014
Our first Chapter Meeting for 2014!
Mike Lejeune of Steverson Staffing spoke on “How to Lead
or Become a Game Changer”.
Natascha Boland represented the Houston Livestock Show
and Rodeo $204.00 in donations are going towards the Arm
Forces Appreciation Day in March.
The Treetop View
February 2014 Newsletter of TWCAPA
Upcoming Meetings 2014:
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March 11, 2014
Topic: Local Taxes
Speaker: Patty Lake Cady
Charity: New Danville
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February 2014 Newsletter of TWCAPA
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The Treetop View
February 2014 Newsletter of TWCAPA
From the President
On behalf of the 2014 Board of Directors, I would like to say a belated “Happy New Year” to our
membership. We hope that you have all survived your year-end processes and are looking
forward to a prosperous and successful 2014.
The Board has been busy looking ahead too. We are beginning to plan for National Payroll
Week celebrations and our participation in the 25th annual Texas Payroll Conference. We are
looking for enthusiastic volunteers to work on the NPW and TPC committees and hope that
many of you will want to participate. From all reports, our Chapter booth was one of the most
popular stopping places in the Exhibitor Hall at last year’s Texas Payroll Conference. We also
have many standing committees that could use volunteers with a few hours to spare each year.
Working on these committees is a great way to get to know your fellow chapter members and a
perfect networking opportunity. Sign-up sheets will be making an appearance at the next
several chapter meetings.
Besides the two big events of the year (NPW and TPC), the Board is also looking for a
community service event to participate in and would welcome input from our members. We will
be recognizing the accomplishments and dedication of our members at the annual Awards
dinner in December, which will again include the naming of a Payroll Professional of the Year.
Patty Cady is busy lining up some great speakers for our monthly meetings, so we are looking
forward to offering a variety of interesting topics to help you advance your payroll career and
keep your FPC and CPP designations current. We have a CPP/FPC study group underway and
will offer another starting in July. One of our current participants told me that this class was a
blessing and that the Chapter should “never stop” offering this opportunity. I totally agree!
Our Chapter website is about eight months old and we are still tweaking its content and
capabilities. We hope that you are using it to get information about, and register for monthly
meetings, certification classes and special events. The website has made it possible to
automate some of the tasks that were previously done manually, saving time for our Treasurer
and the Membership and Distribution committee. The website will also be the vehicle used to
nominate and elect chapter officers going forward. From time to time, the Board will solicit
feedback from our members to make decisions on how the chapter operates. Starting on March
1st and continuing through March 31st, we will be asking for your input on our monthly meetings,
specifically start and end times, presentation topics and meals via a survey on the website.
Please be looking for it and give us your comments.
We hope to see all of you at a Chapter meeting in the near future. Bring a colleague with you
and introduce them to the educational and networking opportunities that abound at The
Woodlands Chapter APA.
Regards,
The 2014 Board of Directors
Claudia Watson CPP
President
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February 2014 Newsletter of TWCAPA
2014 Woodlands Chapter Officers
Position
Officer
President
Claudia Watson
President-Elect
Katherine Long
McKesson
Specialty Health
Past President /
Presidential Advisor
Brenda Dixon, CPP
Aon Hewitt
Treasurer
John Malone
Aon Hewitt
Secretary
Rebecca Schottie
Aon Hewitt
Chapter Coordinator
Marilyn LaMance
Nabors
Industries
Government Liaison
Marla Mayo
McKesson
Specialty Health
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Company
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TRATIOENTIAL
February 2014 Newsletter of TWCAPA
EMPLOY Course in the Bouston
�
Join The Woodlands Chapter of the APA!
Membership Benefits include:
Monthly Chapter meetings with relevant Payroll speakers for
YOUR career development.
Recertification Credit Hours for FPCs and CPPs.
Monthly Newsletter (this is it!)
Chapter Web site with current job listings announcements, and
information.
Semi-annual CPP/FPC Workshop
Celebrations and parties
Professional recognition

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




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Networking, chapter, and community service opportunities
and SO much more!
--
Order Your Shirts!
Go to www.catalogsportswear.com/designwrks order online from the
catalog.

 Pick out a polo or click on Category/Woven shirts.
 Request a quote for the style you have selected.
In the comments section, request the TWCAPA tree logo (on file with vendor). It will be an additional
$8.60 for embroidery of the logo.
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February 2014 Newsletter of TWCAPA
Ease your payroll fright,
save a hundred bucks.
With legislative changes that could occur at any
moment, the nightmare of payroll can last all
year long for some. Not only can you learn to
wake up from that nightmare at this year's
Congress in Minneapolis, you can save $100
on registration too!*
The concentrated education offered at
Congress will update your knowledge and
help you better understand and apply what you
already know to ensure your organization's
compliance. Don't cross over to the dark side
of noncompliance – go toward the light and
register for the 32nd Annual Congress in
Minneapolis, MN.
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32nd Annual Congress
May 13-17, 2014
Minneapolis Convention Center
Minneapolis, MN
Make your
Congress Housing
reservations today!
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February 2014 Newsletter of TWCAPA
TEXAS PAYROLL CONFERENCE
PROUDLY PRESENTS
BE SURE TO MARK YOUR
CALENDARS
FOR THIS DAZZLING EVENT!
2014 Conference Sponsor
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February 2014 Newsletter of TWCAPA
www.txpayrollconference.org
Compliance Update:
BNA
SSA TO ENFORCE STRICTER STANDARDS FOR ELECTRONIC
FILING
The Social Security Administration will no longer accept forms
with invalid employer identification codes, starting with electronic
Forms W-2 and W-2c filed for tax year 2014, Tom Bricker, a
financial management analyst with the SSA, said Feb. 6 in an
Internal Revenue Service payroll industry teleconference.
The SSA has in some cases corrected invalid identification
information in forms that had a few identification information
errors, but no longer will engage in a "guessing game" by
adjusting the information instead of rejecting the forms, Bricker
said.
"We are getting out of the business of changing reports, as you
report them, in processing," Bricker said.
Upgrades that will enable the SSA to automatically reject
electronic Forms W-2 and W-2c with identification code errors will
be implemented by May 2014. Among the code data that need to
be valid for the forms are employer identification numbers,
employer tax codes, jurisdiction codes and tax year codes.
Rejection notices for unaccepted 2014 forms will not contain
specific error information, but will advise employers to use the
SSA's Business Services Online portal to access detailed
information regarding why the notices were rejected. The stricter
standard for identification code information follows a stricter
standard that the agency implemented for Medicare and Social
Security information in 2014.
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February 2014 Newsletter of TWCAPA
Seeking Employment? Contact Cynthia
Buckles if you are interested:
1.
2.
3.
1. Payroll administrator position requires experience with PeopleSoft
HRMS Bachelor’s degree preferred, client will substitute degree for seven 5+ years
of relevant experience with high volume payroll processing experience. Salary up
to $62k with great benefits.
2.
2. Payroll Administrator prefers experience with Kronos, CPP and multistate experience. Salary range to be considered beginning at $75k to $95k.
Cynthia Buckles
Recruiting Manager | Robert Half Finance & Accounting
713.623.4700 x40552 phone | 281.619.0378 cell
Connect with us: LinkedIn | Twitter | YouTube
Cynthia Buckles | LinkedIn
Robert Half | 1300 Post Oak Blvd., Suite 300 | Houston | Texas
77056 USA | roberthalf.com
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February 2014 Newsletter of TWCAPA
Jobing.com in partnership with the American Payroll Association (APA) and the American
Accounts Payable Association (AAPA).
Persistence
I read this quote last week:
Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go. - William
Feather
It reminded me of the story of the tortoise and the hare… an all-time favorite. You can
just picture the rabbit speeding past, then stopping to take a nap. There’s also the fable
about the crow attempting to get a drink of water. When realizing that the container was
too narrow, he begins dropping stones into the water. The water rises to a reachable
level and he enjoys the cool liquid... the sweet reward.
There are a lot of words that describe this quality … persistence, perseverance,
steadfastness, doggedness, stick-to-itiveness, tenacity, and stamina. And it is a quality
that I personally admire and strive towards. Utilize this characteristic in your job search,
and it is sure to result in success.
There's a fine line, however, between being persistent and being bothersome. However,
I also believe that if you don't yet have the job offer... you have nothing to lose. It's only
yours to win. So go for broke. After applying for a position, be sure to follow up. Do your
due diligence and uncover creative ways to get a personal introduction into the
organization. Utilize your network to ask about the corporate culture and who some of
the decision makers would be.
Then of course, make the "ask." The ask is asking for a next step. A sales person would
call it the close. By completing the online application, you are making a quiet ask to be
considered for the position. In your job search, I'd like you to get a bit louder. It's okay to
ask a friend of a friend to introduce you to the hiring manager and/or forward your
resume directly onto that person. It's okay to ask for some type of response. Where are
they in the process of hiring? And if rejected, it's okay to ask for some feedback. Stick to
it! Keep after it. Be persistent until you get some type of answer from each position. And
persevere by applying to multiple positions at the same time. You will find success by
hanging on after others have let go.
Good luck!
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The Treetop View
February 2014 Newsletter of TWCAPA
Bridging the Gap: Addressing Gaps in Your Work History
Many job seekers are experiencing longer than desired time spans between positions,
while others are re-entering the workforce after a lengthy hiatus. Whatever the reason, it
is not uncommon for candidates to find themselves in a position where they have a few
gaps in their resume timeline. If this is your current situation, there are ways to minimize
the gaps and better position your qualifications.
Choose the Right Resume Type: Functional resumes are the best format for drawing
attention to your skill sets, rather than your dates of hire. However, many companies
like to see a candidate’s previous employers, so a combination resume, or one that
begins with a section about your skill sets and ends with a list of past employers, gives
the best of both worlds.
Address the Gaps in your Cover Letter: Your cover letter allows you to expand on
information presented in your resume. This is a great place to address the reasons for
any employment gaps. Whether you decided to take some time off from the workforce
or you were educating yourself for a new career, the more insight you can give the
potential employer, the better.
Add Relevant Information: Gaps in your resume do not mean your productivity came
to a halt. You can add information in your resume that is not related to a specific
employer. This could be anything from volunteer work to training classes to skills gained
from being a stay-at-home parent. Plan on highlighting the roles similar to another job
function on your resume and explain what you accomplished during that time that
enhanced your skills.
Tell the Truth: One of the worst things you can do in your job search is lose credibility.
It is very easy for potential employers to confirm work history details, so be sure you are
being honest with your professional information. Remember, employers are always
looking for candidates who are the right fit; which means a gap or two in work history
may not be a deal-breaker. The key is to customize your information to best showcase
why you feel you are the best person for the job for which you are applying.
Good luck!
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