What the heck is an HRYP?

HRYP stands for “human resources young professional.” Yeah, sounds like a mouthful, so HRYP is the easiest way to say it, ‘kay? HRYP is an initiative kicked off by SHRM’s go-to guy for everything on the “young professional” end of the spectrum–Chuck Salvetti.

I had the pleasure of meeting Chuck at SHRM10, and since then I’ve learned more about what they are doing for young professionals in the HR space. I have to say… I love it. My goal from the very beginning was to serve as a resource for those just getting started in human resources, and this initiative is something that closely aligns with my goals for this blog.

With that in mind, I have built a series that links together the strengths and knowledge of some of my trusted resources in the HR arena and the questions/needs of the HRYP community. I am an active participant in the HRYP group on LinkedIn, and I encourage other young HR pros to join (I’m also a fan of the HRYP Facebook group, but I don’t participate there as much). I have had some interesting discussions with the people there, and I am excited to share some helpful information with non-HRYPs related to those conversations.

Top 3 HRYP Concerns

• Lack of credibility
• Lack of challenging work
• Lack of a definite career path

Below are just a few of the responses I’ve had to the following probing questions directed at the HRYP LinkedIn group:

1. If you could talk with a handful of HR professionals on the Director/VP level, what would you ask/tell them?
2. What is one frustration you have as an HRYP?
3. If there was an ideal outcome to that frustrating issue, what would it be?

Below you’ll find a few responses to those questions by the HRYPs out there. If you’re working near one, you might want to take notes for later (heck, you could even ask them yourself!).

Samantha

1. I would want to ask each of them how they chose HR as a career and what path did he or she take do to become a Director/VP (career and personal)
2. I can only say one?!?!? I think the main frustration that I have now is how HRYP are viewed. Despite how hard we work or show our credibility, I feel that some HR professionals don’t take HRYPs seriously and/or want to keep them at a certain level regardless of performance because “that’s how it’s always been done”. Some times I believer there is some reverse age discrimination going on.
3. An ideal outcome would be for everyone (all HR professionals young and seasoned) to have open minds and work together and share ideas as collegues. Not worrying about how old someone is or what someone should or shouldn’t know.

Pamela

1. I would love to know what they were thinking at my age. More specifically, did they have a ‘plan’ for the direction of their career or were they simply stumbling along and eventually realized where they’d like to go.
2. As a fellow HRYP, my ultimate frustration is exactly what Samantha mentioned. Sometimes it is very difficult to be taken seriously by department co-workers as well as other co-workers. Unfortunately, even though my resume demonstrates my proven abilities over the last 4 years, I am still looked at as a ‘newbie’ in HR. My city is in a smaller market and I am confident that I am the youngest HR Professional in this area. When I attend local SHRM meetings, I feel obligated to stay quiet through the meeting.
3. My ideal outcome would be to allow all members of HR to speak and voice their opinion. There are a few different generations working together in my department. The department should take advantage of each of the strong characteristics of each generation. No one should be made to feel less superior because of something they clearly cannot change.

Jenilee

1. I would love to know what they wish they knew when they were starting out in HR, and what pitfalls they would avoid.
2. As an HRYP, employee relations can be challenging when some employees with long tenures don’t think an HRYP is equipped to deal with the situation.
3. Ideally, in this situation a more senior HR person would partner with the HRYP, while at the same time trying to give as much primary responsibility as possible. If this is not possible, then you just have to do your best and make sure you’re prepared. HOWEVER, at the same time I realize that HR is seen as a very experience-driven field (I think because there are always “firsts” and unpredictable situations). So, I also have to remind myself that it’s ok if I have to wait for some time before ALL employees, junior and senior, are comfortable.

Colleen

1. I would love to ask them how they got started in HR, was it just by chance that they were placed there or did they choose to be in HR.
2. I think one frustration of mine is proving myself to more tenured HR professionals that I can actually do the job. Its hard being so young in this profession because you wind up being an HR assistant for a years before you are promoted into a more junior role.
3. My ideal outcome would be to have a career path laid out for me when I start a job, so I know that I am not going to be stuck in a lower level HR position forever.

Stay tuned for responses to these issues from some of the people I highly respect for their views and opinions. If you are a HRYP and would like to comment on these issues, I’d love to hear your thoughts. If you’re not, but you have an opinion on one of the three overarching issues, I’d love to hear your thoughts!

HRYP Series: What You Need To Know is a post from: UpstartHR

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Despite the intense annoyance he must have felt after meeting me , Curtis Midkiff, SHRM’s new Social Media Guy took the time to do a short email interview to talk about the event and what he sees for the days and weeks ahead. Whatever your thoughts on SHRM may be, this guy is doing some great things, and I can’t wait to see what’s next!

So, Curtis, we’ve seen you here before on the blog in the days ramping up to SHRM10 (meet Curtis Midkiff). Out of all of your predictions for the event, do you think it went as well as you hoped it would? What was the best/worst part?

I think that the overall engagement effort went as I hoped. I entered into Annual with the hope that we would make a good initial impression to a point where we can have a point of reference for future efforts.   The best part was the engagement of the social media community in the press room/social media room.  The worst part was that I think that we ran out of time at the convention.   The nature of social media is organic and I think that the influence and potential for the social media lounge and general engagement was growing towards the end of the conference.

You had the opportunity to meet some great people I like to call friends (Mike VanDervort, Jessica Miller-Merrill, Matt Stollak, etc.). What was your impression of them in real life as opposed to their social personas? Anything particularly surprising?

Ben, I think the best analogy to answer your question would be that in many ways the Annual Conference was like a first day of school for me.  I wanted to do every thing that I could to make a good impression on the “cool kids” of HR whose voices are influential in the perception of our organization.    Prior to the event, I had read blogs from many of these folks, which in some cases were very critical of SHRM so I am not sure what I was expecting when they arrived and quite frankly I was a bit nervous.   What surprised me upon meeting them was that they were as happy to meet me as I was to meet them and they are open to lending a hand to me as needed and I appreciate that.

I was able to sit in on the social media panel you were a part of. I thought you did well and spoke admirably, but it was a tiny event in a back hallway. Do you have plans to get “social” more face time at SHRM11?

I definitely have plans to have social media front and center next year.   I am not as concerned about whether I personally get noticed as long as my goals are achieved.   In terms of engagement with members I am not going to wait until SHRM11.  I am embarking on a year long “BLOGAPALOOZA” tour which will allow me to directly engage and meet with our members to learn more about them and how we can better serve them via social media.

Between the hashtag, the tweetup, blog coverage, and other online content marketing the SHRM10 event, did you think the event was shared adequately to those who couldn’t attend? Is there anything that could have been better?

I think that through the hashtags and event we did a good job.  However, I am indebted to my Blog Squad as well as the other bloggers like Charlie Judy of HR Fishbowl and Bryan from DriveThru HR for engaging people on a daily basis.   Monster.com’s social media activation at the Annual Conference also was pivotal in letting people know what’s going on.   In terms of what could be better, I wish that our conference blog was more prominently featured on the SHRM.org homepage and the Annual Conference page.

This is not really a question, but I had the opportunity to spend some time in the social media lounge. The flat screens with the Twitter feed were great, and the atmosphere in there was always comfortable. I think you guys did a fantastic job on that!

Thanks for the kudos.  Make sure to let me know how we can make it better.

And, just to fit into this week’s requirements for the HR carnival, I must know: what do you wish you had learned at SHRM10?

Hmmmm…I wished I had learned the magic way to engage 11,000 members to get involved in social media.  I wish I would have learned that when you unleash a talented blog squad on an Annual Conference they are going to send more than enough content to engage the audience so you (as in ME) need to be ready to quickly post these entries.  And I wish I would have learned how to make those bacon cupcakes we had at the tweetup.   Oh yeah, I wish I would have learned if in a past life Eric Winegardner was really the Wizard of Oz because this guy makes amazing things happen.

And there you have it, people! I really appreciate Curtis for taking the time out of his busy schedule to answer a few pesty questions and let the rest of you know what he’s up to. Thanks for dropping by, and make sure you check out the other SHRM10 coverage if you haven’t already!

Photo credit: MonsterWW

SHRM’s Social Media Guy Dishes on #SHRM10 is a post from: UpstartHR

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All I can say about my experience at #SHRM10 is “wow.” I’m still trying to digest all of the lessons from the event, but I can already say that it was completely worth my time and sweat investment. There were 30% more attendees at SHRM10 than at SHRM09, and I think that was a part of the enthusiasm that buzzed around the event.

What did I learn?

I learned more about strategic planning, creating a better experience for job candidates, and serving others. I learned that being involved in the social world before the event helps you to make connections and build upon them once you arrive. I learned that the Monster and Smartbrief teams (and by default, me!) work their butts off to make the experience amazing for everyone.

Here are a few other lessons I’ve learned and a few that I’m still digesting.

Connections

If you’ve ever heard me or another socially-active person mention events, we probably mention connections as a benefit. While it seems somewhat vague, I’ll put it this way: I have a list of 30 people to follow up with who most people would salivate to connect with. Why do I, a little old HR guy from Huntsville, Alabama, get to reach out to them? I’m not completely sure, but I think it has something to do with my passion for the profession and my desire to see things improve. I can’t think of any other reason they’d be interested.

Even if I had done nothing else during this event other than talk and meet people, it would have been completely worth the effort. How’s that for value?

The day job

It seemed almost like an afterthought, but I did get some great ideas to carry back with me to my day job. While I didn’t get to see all of the sessions I wanted (some of those suckers fill up fast!), I did experience a handful of solid, value-packed speakers who challenged my thinking. This list is going to be the frustrating one, probably. While I’d like to work on the 50 things we’re doing wrong, in reality I just can’t find the time to do all of them. But if I can make a few small changes (just a few, mind you), and it has a positive impact on my workplace and the overall organization, I think I might be okay with that for now.

Questioning my path

One thing I didn’t expect was questioning my career choices. I had multiple conversations with Eric Winegardner from Monster, Jennifer McClure from Unbridled Talent, and Gerry Crispin from CareerXroads. All three of them are superstars in their own right, and all of them encouraged me to continue growing and developing in my career.

One of the most profound statements I’ve ever heard from Eric (and it wasn’t this one) was this: move up, not out. So many amazing HR pros eventually take off and leave the profession instead of continually climbing to be Directors, VPs, and Chief HR Officers. We need more great people to ascend to those positions instead of leaving them to the people with seniority by default (even if they don’t have the skills or passion to be great at it).

Jennifer asked me what I wanted to do with my career. I didn’t have a quick answer to that, and she reminded me that as a recruiter, I needed to know what I wanted before it was offered. For example, if she called me to recruit for a position I seriously wanted, but I sounded unsure, then I’d probably be passed over completely for the job even though it was a good fit for me. I need to figure out what I want to do next so I can seize the opportunity when it comes along.

Projects and partners

While I’m active quite often, it’s never as fulfilling when I’m working alone. I love love love getting the opportunity to help someone else to finish a difficult task or build something new. It’s so much more exciting and fun to share things with other people.

• Mike VanDervort shared a great idea that I can’t wait to assist him with.
• I’m on the lookout for ideas I can share with Matt Charney, because he was so helpful throughout my conference experience.
• Bryan Wempen and John Jorgenson (among others) are great local/state SHRM leaders, and I am seriously thinking about partnering with them to develop more resources to better serve their members.
• Chuck Salvetti, the guy in charge of student and young professional stuff at SHRM, has asked if I would volunteer to help get the young professional group up and running smoothly. I’ just sent in my application, Chuck!

There are others, but I don’t want to let all of the cats out of the bag just yet.

Keep the flame burning

While I’m completely and totally on fire right now, it won’t last. I’m going to try to stave it off for as long as I possibly can, but the experience will fade from my mind and other stuff will clutter up my brain. How in the world can I keep it going? What if I don’t have an Uncle Andre hanging around to help keep me on the right track? If I could have learned one thing at SHRM, it would have been how to keep the spirit and enthusiasm all year long. Exploring that one could be a complete post in itself, but if you have your own suggestions, I’d love to hear them!

SHRM membership in my future?

I was prompted by some amazing people, including Gerry Crispin, Nancy Newell, Sue Meisinger, Tara Mauk Arthur, China Gorman, Nancy Slotnick (and more), to join SHRM. I still haven’t made the leap just yet, but I think it’s going to be sometime in the near future. To top it off, both Gerry and Sue offered me this deal: if I don’t get my money’s worth in value from SHRM membership, then they will pay me back out of their own pockets. It doesn’t get much simpler than that, huh?

What you missed if you weren’t there

If you haven’t seen it yet, there was some amazing content generated from the event. Below are some of the best resources I’ve seen so far (and a few of mine thrown in because I’m me ).

• Jennifer McClure
• Monster Thinking
• Monster’s Video Vault on Youtube
• Smartblog on Workforce
• My posts on MonsterThinking.com about the universal language of customer service, expect the best and get the most from your people, and the strategic role engagement plays for HR pros
• My other miscellaneous posts from the SHRM10 event here on the blog
• TLNT’s coverage
• Charlie Judy
• Mark Stelzner
• Jessica Miller-Merrill
• Mike VanDervort

Lessons for a lifetime-My #SHRM10 Recap is a post from: UpstartHR

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This weekend has been a whirlwind of activity and the big stuff hasn’t even started just yet. As I’ve said before, I’m working as a part of the Monster Street Team to cover the event. Here’s the whole backstory. I have a few pieces of content in the works, and here are a few quick snippets I can share from my barely registering brain cells.

• I’m here to cover leadership, culture, and other related topics. You can keep the total rewards, legislative updates, etc.
• Matt, Lisa, Eric, Janet, and Kathy (all of them are Monsters) are just amazing. Seeing all of their hard work going into this event to make things amazing for the participants is just wild. Keep up the great work, people.
• Neat survey stuff coming from the SHRM research lab hidden deep in an underground bunker somewhere in DC.
• John Hollon hits the keynote by Steve Forbes with heavy criticism.
• This thing is so incredibly huge for someone who’s never done it before. Who knew that HR was this big?
• Corporate lactation was a big topic at the Sunday night Monster planning session. Yeah, you heard me right. Having two dudes running a lactation booth is wrong in so many ways.
• There was a wild mob just before the keynote. Click for the video.
• SHRM10 has 30% more participants than last year (11,000 total). I’m hoping that’s because they want to learn something and not just because it’s in California.
• I met with my friend Terri Zaug from HRCP and it was fantastic. I’ve been working with them for almost a year and it was great to finally meet in person. If you’re looking at getting certified, hit them up and tell them I sent you.
• I met another pal, Cori Curtis with Baudville, and I got a sweet bag with goodies that says, “I put the HR in HERO.” I think you’ll enjoy some of their fun stuff that’s all about helping to make work more fun and encouraging for people, so drop by and get some goodies.
• SHRM’s team is doing some great work. Keep it up, people!
• During the press briefing (and all through the day yesterday) I kept hearing about the work that SHRM is doing with veterans. I think it’s great that they are making an effort to reintegrate our fighting men and women into the workforce.

I’m sure there’s more, but that’s all I can make out for now. Anyone else see or do anything great?

Quick Hits from Sunday at #SHRM10 is a post from: UpstartHR

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Today I don’t have to ramble at you (aren’t you thrilled?). My pal’s going to do it for me. My buddy Allen Robinson has given me permission to republish the post he’s written about his SHRM experiences. He says they’re not as bad as everyone makes them out to be. I’m not going to agree or disagree with his assessment, but I will shut up and let Allen do some talking. Here we go!

How many times have you heard that SHRM is more or less a waste of space, a dinosaur of an organization or just not meeting the needs of the HR community? I have been hearing this more and more lately.

My view of SHRM apparently is different than the growing disdain among my fellow HR Professionals. As I was developing my knowledge of HR at the University of Michigan, I was given a great deal of support by SHRM either directly or indirectly. There in lies the key to why I feel that SHRM is still a relevant organization.

While in college, I went on to become the President of the student chapter of SHRM at my University. I’m not saying that to toot my own horn (Trust me, its doesn’t amont to a hill of beans), but because this is a good example of SHRM creating an opportunity that allowed for great personal growth. Without SHRM, there would have not been an affiliate chapter at the University of Michigan nor the opportunity to further my knowledge of HR so easily.

Another example of SHRM’s relevance to me would be the HR certification and the HR Games. Again, while still in college, myself and two other HR majors studied and competed in 2005 HR Games. The information we gained in the preparation for these games was above and beyond what we were learning in our college curriculum. It just seemed to me that SHRM was making it possible to walk away from college with a much more well rounded understanding of Human Resources.

I understand that both of my examples are from the start of my HR career, but that does not mitigate the importance that SHRM had on my growth as a HR professional. I feel that if the only accomplishment SHRM does day in and day out is to bring awareness to the field along with providing students a wealth of information, then they are relevant and important. I dont look to SHRM to solve all of the worlds HR problems.

Ultimately, what I am expressing is that there is and will be a lot of good that SHRM has done for the field of HR and we should pay them just a little respect once in a while.

Why SHRM is not the Antichrist of HR is a post from: UpstartHR

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How can SHRM chapters and members get more out of membership? Read on for a few ideas. This post is a part of the SHRM Chapter Leadership Guide.

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?

SHRM chapters offer a discounted monthly meeting rate for joining. What good is that really? Why not offer some benefits beyond the ordinary?

Just a few ideas off the top of my head:

• Offer online audio/video copies of monthly meetings (can you imagine the value in that?).
• Have more general leadership/business oriented options.
• Create a chapter mentor program to bridge the experience/knowledge gap.
• Develop an in-house course solely for members (contact me, I’d love to help!).
• Deliver programming on things like social styles, trust, ethics, building credibility, managing up, professional development, leadership, integrity, and a thousand other things not completely dripping in HR.
• Encourage more small group “sub-events.” I learned at HRevolution that the small groups far outstrip large ones when you’re looking for real communication. The smaller the group, the more people interact. People still talk in large sessions, but they really make things happen when in small groups.

The whole audience isn’t made up of just HR directors or VPs. Sure, they make up a part of the audience, but you have way more people on the other end of the scale.

What can SHRM members do?

Members have a limited amount of options. If the chapter stinks, then there’s not a whole lot you can do. Sure, you can join a committee and try to make a difference from the inside out, but that’s not going to work for everyone. And being a member should mean that you’re getting some benefits, not working your tail off as a benefit.

Chapters, give them something more. They are paying you an annual fee. And for what? To get a discount if they go to monthly meetings.

That’s your benefit? That’s your value proposition? How about offering something more permanent or intimate or interesting?

Another interesting value-add for SHRM chapter members

I don’t want to cripple your ability to fend for yourself, but why not rely on the amazing free advice and information found on Creative Commons licensed blogs? As long as you give attribution and don’t directly charge for the information, you can use it to supplement a chapter newsletter, start a monthly discussion series, or share as a bonus with people who come to meetings. Want to make the content sharing extra special? Tell the writer that you’re sharing their work with a new audience. It will thrill them to no end.

And you want to know something pretty cool? You could probably talk one of those writers into coming and speaking for you, too. See? I just opened a whole new pool of potential speakers for you.

Save me a little time, will ya?

We’re all busy. We don’t have a lot of time to filter information. If you can sift through some articles and find one you know will be popular, then that’s a value-add right there. Anyone can throw 50 pages of junk at someone. It takes some effort to whittle that down to 7 really solid pages of helpful information.

If that’s too vague for you to grasp, try this exercise.

• What’s your topic this month? We’ll pick wellness just for kicks.
• Look for free supplemental resources. Well, lookey here seems there’s a few great resources on wellness from Fistful of Talent, Compensation Force, and HR Web Cafe.
• Grab the link or print out the article. After the monthly meeting, share the link via email or the print version by including it in everyone’s packet.

Was that so difficult? And it is just one tiny thing that separates your chapter from a dozen others.

I’ve said it before. Some SHRM chapters suck at marketing. It’s not that you don’t care about members. HR people aren’t natural sellers or marketers. But if you can take some ideas like this seriously, then maybe you can take the short and simple (yet very powerful) step to help your chapter mean something more for everyone involved.

Get more out of your SHRM chapter membership is a post from: UpstartHR

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Today is going to be exciting. I get to join the rest of my peers and kick off my SHRM chapter 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:

We believe that the mentor program has the potential to bring tremendous value to the career development of our members.  NASHRM has been considering the idea for a few years and we are excited to get it off the ground in 2010 under the title of Mentor University.  The plan is to utilize a variety of approaches including group, peer, and flash mentoring as well as the more traditional approach.  HR Pros will have a chance to network and engage in a smaller forum and focus their time on areas/topics that are of interest to them, helping them to take the next step within their respective careers.  Its going to be a lot of fun!

Someone asked me the other day why I would use my own limited time and money for this project. My reply: why not?!? You probably know how hard it is to break into the HR field and advance through the ranks. This experience is going to put some of that hard-to-reach information at the fingertips of the next generation of HR leaders. If the others are as excited as I am about this, then it’s going to rock.

One thing that really excites me about NASHRM Mentor University is that the leaders have purposefully kept the group small enough to encourage discussion and interaction. That’s one thing I learned at HRevolution earlier this month. The smaller sessions encouraged a lot of ideas and chatting, but the larger groups were more subdued. The smaller the group is, the more people can absorb and interact. Look for some great posts to come from the interactions facilitated by Mentor University.

As you can plainly see, I’m planning to come away from this year-long experience with some great new contacts, invaluable insights, and fresh ideas. I already have some questions lined up for the mentors.

• To what/whom do you credit your success in this profession?
• How can you establish and promote a solid organizational culture?
• How do you stay sharp as an HR pro? Reading? Researching? Seminars/conferences?

But what about the rest of you? I’m pretty sure you’re all not CEOs. You’re everyday professionals with a busy schedule, a boatload of paper on your desk, and a never-ending series of issues to solve.

I feel your pain.

So here’s what I want to do. If you were able to take part in something like this, what would you want to learn? Do you have something specific that you’re dying to know, or maybe you (like me) just have a general thirst for knowledge? If you want to share your questions and comments, I’ll do my very best to get them answered in one of my sessions with the other attendees.

Photo by gsfc.

SHRM Chapter Mentoring Program is a post from: UpstartHR

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