HR Barbie, AKA Tamara in Ohio, asks the following:

I am so glad I found your site.  It is so important for the newly minted
HR Professionals, like me.

It was extremely hard for me to transition into HR, and like you, I did
not find an HR position until I began attending CSHRM meetings (Cleveland
chapter).

My problem with SHRM in general, is that it is directed more towards the
management side.  For professionals new to HR like myself, who only
implements policy and is not a policy maker, it can be very off putting
or in some cases a waste of time to attend.

I really want to join / attend on a more regular basis.  Perhaps in one
of your next posts you can write about how we can make chapter SHRMs
benefit all levels of HR.

I’ve heard from others like my buddy Tamara here, and I know it isn’t a local problem for her. I don’t know if these chapters are expecting the national chapter’s offerings to make up for their lack of value or what, but it seems pretty silly to me.

What can SHRM chapters do? Continue Reading

In all of the HR certification talk that I get into, I really don’t know much about the Global Professional in Human Resources (GPHR) exam.

What’s on it? Who takes it? Is it worth the effort?

Recently I had the opportunity to chat with Lori Goldsmith, SPHR/GPHR (LinkedIn, Twitter) about what her experience was like. If you’re wondering what the GPHR exam is all about, you’re going to learn from someone who’s been there and done that.

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Me: Why did you decide to get GPHR certified? Continue Reading

Today is going to be exciting. I get to join the rest of my peers and kick off the NASHRM mentoring program (known as NASHRM Mentor University). Why is it exciting? Well, I get to spend some close, personal time with a wide range of HR professionals in all stages of their careers, and I get to do it for $50. While I debated the value of other high cost HR conferences, this thing sounds like it’s value-packed and dirt cheap. Check out the post below that I wrote forRocketHR after I found out about making the short list.

Want to get mentored? Well, you’ll have to wait until next year. This year’s participants in the NASHRM mentor project were announced last week, and I am thrilled to be on that exclusive list. The mastermind of this project, Rusty Brand, passed along this comment: Continue Reading

This post originally appeared on HR Gumbo last year as one of my first guest posts. Stephen’s given me permission to repost it here. Enjoy!

Wouldn’t it be nice if there was something to make this HR thing easier to do? Maybe if there was some sort of way to meet other professionals, share ideas, and trade best practice tips, then we all would feel less like we’re treading water and more like we’re making a difference. Wait a minute, there is a way to do that, and it’s your local SHRM chapter!

Now, before I get into the meat of the post, I’d like to say that not all SHRM chapters are great. Some of them just plain suck. And you know what? This post may or may not be for you. If not, check back later. Or read something inspiring. On the other hand, some chapters really do rock, and this post can help you leverage that for your own career. Continue Reading

SHRM 2010… It’s coming up in just a few short months in San Diego, California. Are you going? Back when SHRM 2009 was going on, I was salivating to attend, and I was really looking forward to SHRM 2010. When I found out it was going to be across the US, my excitement waned. I can’t make that trip.

People often ask if I will be attending this event or that function. Remember, people, I’m an entry level HR pro (in terms of years worked, anyway). I do not have the means to support multiple conferences each year. And my employer being a nonprofit doesn’t really help, either. I’d love to be able to meet some friends (like my pals at HRCP), be a social media evangelist, and generally raise some havoc. But as of this moment, it’s not going to happen.

What I will be doing Continue Reading