[A LETTER FROM THE TEAM]

Valerie wishes you all well from Mexico. But while she is on vacation, the newsletter marches on. Here is the latest from the trenches.

HR: Heavily Recruited? Highly Respected? Yes…and No.

Dear Friends:

Did you know that, after years of being overlooked and undervalued, you are suddenly in a hip, happening, white-hot-center-of-the-universe profession? So says the Wall Street Journal, and you’ll get no argument from us. “For top-level HR talent, this is a seller's market,” said the Journal in a recent article. “There is a large and growing gap between supply and demand.” And the facts certainly back it up. Salaries are rising (though perhaps not quite to the levels touted by the Journal, which stated that Fortune 200 companies are willing to pay top-level HR talent as much as $800,000 or $900,000 a year!). It’s also becoming harder to get into the top international Master’s degree programs for HR; the number of applicants to the London School of Economics’ HRM program, for instance, more than doubled last year. And major publications such as the Journal and the Harvard Business Review are taking notice: in addition to the article in the Journal, HBR wrote this month about Harvard MBAs looking to take the HR path to the top.

Why all the sudden interest in HR? (To read the rest of this month’s letter, click here).

Take care,
The VF&Co Team

Ask Valerie

Dear Valerie:
I am looking at reducing employee burnout by helping people get a better handle on their work/life balance. Do you have any suggestions?
 - Working hard on employee commitment

Dear Hard Worker:
Can't talk – on vacation. Does that answer ur q?
 - Valerie

VF&Co HR On Demand

Would you like to have access to an at-a-glance feature of HR professionals who are pre-screened, pre-interviewed, highly motivated, and ready to go? VF&Co's new HR On Demand is an executive placement service offering access to the best HR professionals we’ve found worldwide. Check our website for updated profiles on a variety of candidates from Human Resource Managers and Vice Presidents of Human Resources to specialists in the areas of compensation, benefits, and M&A. Just click on the link above to view who is featured this month.

Human Resources Search Opportunities

Human Resources Executive Positions

Director of Human Resources (Santa Clara, CA)
A global publicly-traded semiconductor company is seeking a worldwide Director of HR responsible for HR Operations on a global basis, including compensation and benefits, M&A, and staffing process and strategy. Email your resume in MS Word format to recruiting.

Director of Human Resources, Office of the CTO (Espoo, Finland)
International mobile technology and networking company seeks a highly strategic person for its world-renowned research center. Email your resume in MS Word format to recruiting.

Human Resources and Office Manager (San Mateo, CA)
Dynamic biopharma company needs an HR/Office Manager. The candidate who fills this newly created position will become a key member of the general and administrative team, responsible for vital daily human resource tasks. Email your resume in MS Word format to recruiting.

Manager of Human Resources (Palo Alto, CA)
One of the largest global law firms is seeking a Human Resources Manager to support the Director of Human Resources. Supporting the Palo Alto office, future plans for this position include supporting an office in Sacramento, CA and Seattle, WA. Email your resume in MS Word format to recruiting.

Senior Staffing Manager (Redwood City, CA)
This philanthropic investment firm is looking for a full-cycle recruiter with experience across all industries and desire for long-term growth within this growing company. Email your resume in MS word to recruiting.

Compensation Search Opportunities

Director of Global Benefits (San Francisco, CA)
Large, privately held insurance firm on the West Coast and ranked among the top insurance brokers in the nation. Email your resume in MS Word format to recruiting.

Director of Compensation/Chief of Staff, Americas (San Jose, CA)
A global, leading provider of Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS), is seeking a Director of Compensation for the Americas with worldwide responsibilities. This person will provide strategic and tactical execution for the Americas, in addition to leadership, planning, and supervision to the Compensation Managers in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Email your resume in MS Word format to recruiting.

Compensation and HRIS Analyst (San Jose, CA)
Fast growing, huge, global hardware company. Email your resume in MS Word format to recruiting.

Executive Compensation Manager (San Francisco, CA)
Successful growing software and programming company seeking experienced Manager of Executive Compensation. Email resume in MS Word format to recruiting.

Senior Compensation Analyst (San Francisco, CA)
Technically savvy, Senior Compensation Analyst needed for this 3,000 employee, growing global software company. Email resume in MS Word format to recruiting.

HR Manager Contracting (Santa Clara, CA)
Global, high tech company needs HR Manager contractor with payroll and performance appraisal management experience. Email resume in MS Word format to recruiting.

Compensation Consultant (Fremont, CA)
Global semiconductor company needs a compensation consultant who specializes in Radford matching and compensation ladder creating and implementation. Email resume in MS Word format to recruiting.

Human Resources Contracting Roles

Need to fill an HR contract position yesterday? Our clients can relax when they're under time pressure, knowing that we average a 24-hour turnaround for HR Contractors. This includes specialists from Compensation and Benefits and M&A to HRIS and Organizational Development, and many other areas of expertise.

Why VF&Co pre-screened HR contractors?

• Immediate access
• HR Generalists to Senior Executives
• Back-end VF&Co strategic HR support

Immediate needs? Contact Dana Hutcheon at 650-614-0220 or dana@vfandco.com.

Industry Events

HR Star Conference – San Francisco
July 16th, 2008, all day event – South San Francisco Conference Center, California
Valerie Frederickson will present The Emerging Role of the Strategic HR Business Partner during this one-day free conference. VF&Co will also be hosting a luncheon and a panel of HR executives from companies like Blueshield, Celerity, OpenTV, Williams-Sonoma, H&R Block, Trianz, and Foundry Networks. For more information about this event or to receive an invitation to the luncheon please email Cassandra LaBouff.

NCHRA Annual Conference – HR West
September 15th to September 16th, 2008 - Oakland, California
Valerie Frederickson will present The Emerging Role of the HR Business Partner at the annual NCHRA conference in Oakland. This conference is a large gathering of HR professionals from Northern California offering an opportunity to network and learn from some of the foremost HR presenters and practitioners. Keynote speakers include Oren Harari, Tamsin Smith, and Chip Conley. For more information about this event or to receive an invitation to the luncheon please email Cassandra LaBouff.

BIO 2008 Human Resources Conference
October 26th to October 28th, 2008 - San Diego, California
Valerie Frederickson will present Your HR Career at this conference designed to engage HR professionals in biotech. The focus of this year's conference is “Taking Care of Business, Taking Care of People: Maximizing HR's Effectiveness”. Sessions at the conference will examine the expertise required in this industry of the HR function to effectively meet new expectations and address HR issues and challenges specific to the biotechnology industry. For more information about this event or to receive an invitation to the luncheon please email Cassandra LaBouff.

About VF&Co

Valerie Frederickson & Company (VF&Co) is a human resource executive search and consulting firm known for helping clients build and sustain winning teams that thrive in today's aggressive marketplace. VF&Co specializes in customized solutions to meet a company's complete human resource needs at every stage from startup to Global 500.

Executive Search Practice

The number one concern of senior executives is recruiting and retaining skilled staff. This was the finding from a study conducted by Accenture that also reported that four of the top ten business concerns were related to HR management. Companies need the very best in Human Resource leadership to address these issues and build teams that deliver long-term, sustainable results. Consequently, hiring your next human resource executive with the talent, experience, and strategic vision you need may be the most important business decision you will make.

Because of Valerie Frederickson & Company's long standing relationships, built through hundreds of HR searches and consultations in human resource management and organizational development, the VF&Co team is uniquely suited to identify, recruit, and close the best HR executive for your company and help you win the highly competitive war for talent.

Why Clients Choose Valerie Frederickson & Company:

• Prompt results. The average time from start of search to presentation of the winning candidate is 21 days. 87% of searches are completed in less than 45 days.
• Superior results. More than 95% of executives placed by VF&Co are still with their companies five years following placement.
• High client satisfaction. More than 90% of the firm's work is either repeat business or from referrals. A number of clients have been with VF&Co for more than a decade.

VF&Co offers:

• Access to the best talent available through extensive networks built upon long-term relationships with U.S. and global executives
• Customized search solutions that fit your goals, budget and timeline
• Interim HR management during the search process, followed-by an assimilation period to ensure a smooth transition

Call Mathilde Pribula at 650-614-0220 or email her at mathilde@vfandco.com to learn how your organization can reap the benefits Valerie Frederickson & Company can deliver: Improved performance and greater success through your most valuable asset—your people.

Recent HR Placements

Human Resources Consulting Practice

Today's business environment is unforgiving for organizations trying to merely stay the course. Your organization may stagnate or falter despite the proven skills and knowledge that brought your leadership team and your organization this far. Those who prevail are able to plan successfully for change, and harness the vision and passion of their workforce into sustainable, bottom-line results.

To help develop and keep your HR program in line with your corporate direction, we provide HR strategic vision, cost-effective HR infrastructure, and pragmatic advice across all critical areas of human resource management, we draw upon years of expertise with start-ups, midsize and global enterprises to guide organizations strategically through any stage of growth.

Diversity Statement

VF&Co welcomes and encourages all diversity candidates to contact us directly. We highly value the diversity of our VF&Co team, placement of diverse executives into our client companies and our diverse clients, candidates, and supplier partnerships. We want to help swing the pendulum the other way.

About Our Newsletter

The VF&Co newsletter, “VF&Co In the Know,” and VF&Co Executive Search Update are the intellectual property of Valerie Frederickson & Company. They are a free resource to business professionals.