Author Archives: Ben

HR careers: How to get a job in HR

If you’re trying to find out how to get a job in HR, you’ve come to the right place. It might surprise you, but I’ve only been in HR for about a year and a half at this point. I kicked off my HR career back in April 2009, and I’m amazed to see how much things have changed since then. I now have a great network of people and a little better understanding of this whole “HR thing,” but I didn’t have that when I started. I also didn’t have great tools like the Entry Level HR Jobs Guide.

How to get a job in HR

I graduated from college in May of 2008 with a brand-spanking new degree in human resources management. But I was stuck. See, my employer paid for my last semester of college, so I had to stick with them for a year of (indentured servitude) work to fulfill my obligation to the company. My supervisor knew that I was itching to move into HR, so she reached out to our own HR person in-house to see if I could do anything at all to start preparing myself. The HR person’s response? Nope.

how to get a job in hr

Take the time to learn how to get a job in HR before you make the leap

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So I had to grind out 12 months of work as I waited for the career to end all HR careers to start. :-) In November 2008, I started to get nervous. See, I could start looking for jobs in January, but I was afraid I had lost much of what I’d learned thus far in college. So, like any normal human being, I signed up for the PHR exam. I was slated to take the exam in late January, so I started studying right away.

My exam day came, and I passed with flying colors. I was so excited and just knew that a job would be right around the corner. And then I sat and waited for the next two months, applying for jobs but getting no serious interviews. It was disheartening.

Then in March I applied for this HR assistant job with a local nonprofit organization. To really help me get an edge over the competition, I looked up the HR staff that were in my local SHRM chapter’s email directory and sent them my resume directly. Then, nothing…

A few weeks passed, and I was feeling rough. I’d put a lot into the application process with the only job I was really qualified for, and it was a bust. Then I received a phone call from the VP of HR to come in for an interview. Score!

I was back in the game.

I bet I spent three hours preparing for that interview, and I think I really did well. I was able to turn her every need into an opportunity I could fulfill, and my enthusiasm was a big factor in the process as well. A few days went by and I had to come in for a second interview with another HR staff member, but it was mostly the same questions, so I knocked it out of the park as well.

Finally, a month after my first phone call with the VP of HR, I got the news. After all the prep, I really did learn how to get a job in human resources! It was an amazing feeling to know that I was finally jumping into the field that I had always wanted to be in.

What about you? What have you learned about how to get a job in human resources? What was your job search like when you looked for your first “professional” career? 

How to get a job in HR video

Other posts in the HR Careers series:

Replacing poor performers doesn’t always work

I was sitting in a session during the Human Resources Management Conference about employee engagement recently, and someone brought up an amazing quote.

As a little background, business leader Jack Welch advocated firing the bottom 10% of poor performers in order to maintain a high performance organization.

You can replace the bottom 10-20% of poor performers, but a bad manager can keep that poor performance going indefinitely.

I thought that was a fantastic insight. Even if you’re tossing the lowest ranked employees, a bad manager can hire more. A bad manager can turn a great employee into a bad one with enough inattention and mismanagement. A bad manager can hire B performers instead of A performers because he is afraid to hire someone capable of replacing him.

Replacing poor performers might not work if your supervisors are the real problem.

Good stuff, huh?

Difficult People, SHRM, and Enthusiasm-Guest Post Blitz #8

What do difficult people, SHRM’s value proposition (or lack thereof), guinea pigs, and enthusiasm have in common? They are all guest posts I’ve done in the past little while! Looks like I’m a little schizophrenic with the varying topics, but each post has its own merits.

I have several guest posts that went live (fairly recently) elsewhere that you may have missed. Some of them might be a bit different flavor than the usual upstartHR offerings, so be sure to check them out! If you\’re interested in seeing some of my previous escapades, click here for the Guest Post Blitz archive.

My friend Charlie Judy at HR Fishbowl let me share my thoughts on working with difficult people in this short post: Who needs a class? Get rid of them!

John Jorgenson of the newly christened HR Tailgate blog opened up the discussion by letting me reply to his own SHRM-related post with an article of my own: SHRM, Value, and You

Jessica Miller Merrill at Blogging4Jobs opened up the stage and let me discuss science experiments, rodents, and an billion dollar corporation’s product strategies: Guinea Pigs and Google

Lance Haun over at Rehaul lets me talk about one of my favorite elements of a good candidate: enthusiasm-can it get you hired?

On the NASHRM chapter blog, RocketHR, I discussed good work etiquette and not making a bad impression: termination for bad manners? (don’t miss my funny SlideShare presentation at the bottom!)

And finally, Laurie Ruettimann told me to write something about SHRM and how they can stop doing things poorly, so of course I jumped at the chance: SHRM-3 recommendations from a new member.

Just a little bit of my brain floating around the interwebs these days. Anything in there interesting or enjoyable? What’s your favorite piece?

Social Media, SHRM, and Curt Midkiff

SHRM's social media guy-Curtis MidkiffSHRM has some work to do to catch up on social media, and a while back they hired a guy named Curt Midkiff to make that happen. You may remember me writing about Curtis before (part one and part two). Well, it’s been six months since his first appearance here, and I thought it was time for us to give him a performance review.

What do you think went well this year? What did you accomplish?

When I came to SHRM in April, our team had several initial goals for the balance of the year which were:

  1. Enhance our engagement with some of the key “HR voices” in social media.
  2. Increase engagement in our Annual Conference via social media.
  3. Create some initial beta platforms for engagement via social media.
  4. Be a resource for other SHRM departments and leaders looking to engage external audiences via social media.
  5. Get Ben Eubanks to become a SHRM member :-)
  6. Work with the collaborative social media team here at SHRM to develop a strategic approach to social media.

I think that we achieved some of those in these first six months but there is much more we want to next year!

2. Do you see any areas that need improvement?

Hmmm… Let’s see. Quicker blog posting from my SHRM10 blog squad (my fault guys, we will get all your work up next year in Vegas… :-)). And maybe we need to enhance our cloning software here at SHRM so I can be at six or seven places at once especially all the great social media conferences going on. But seriously, I think that next year offers a great opportunity for growth in the social media space here at SHRM. We have a number of people here at the headquarters that are integrating it into the work they are doing so collectively you can expect to see some cool things next year.

3. Goals for the Upcoming Year

  1. To enhance our external social media platforms. I think we made a good start in these areas but in 2011 we can plan to do more. We will generate more content (videos, blogs, etc.) to give people a fuller picture of the work SHRM is doing as a global organization.
  2. Annual Conference 2.0 — We are already working on some interesting things for 2011 to really increase engagement via social media. The feedback we received from the Social Media Lounge, The Blog Squad and TweetUp last year has now set the bar much higher and I think we are up to the challenge. At least from a social media perspective, we want to make sure what happens at Annual Conference in Vegas doesnt just stay in Vegas!
  3. Equip our Leaders and Members with Social Media Tools — I think that we will be in a position next year to provide more tools for our Volunteer leaders and our Members which will enable to understand the power and potential of social media. As I mentioned before, we have a great cross-divisional initiative going on here at SHRM that is going to better equip our employees in the social media space which we can then pass along to our leaders and members.
  4. Blogapalooza 2011 — We really want to get out there among the members to talk about social media and also listen to some of the best practices happening in the “field”. In my travels this year, I have met SHRM members like yourself (who by the way along with Victorio are doing some great work with #ProjectSocial) who are making some great strides in social media. We can assist as well as learn from these experiences as well. I am headed to Ohio in Dec and some of our other state conferences in 2011 so the tour bus is ready to roll.
  5. SHRM11 — As I mentioned before we looked at Annual Conference 2010 as a launch pad for enhanced social media engagement. Since then, we have had a presence at our SHRM Thought Leaders Retreat, SHRM Strategy Conference and our Diversity and Inclusion Conference. You will be happy to know that Annual Conference 2011 will be the next step in that progression. As is everything at SHRM its a team effort, so we are working witn a number of departments here on a social media presence that will build upon last year’s “beta test”. Stay tuned.

Peer reviews (360 feedback)

In an effort to get a well-rounded review for Curtis, I asked a few people to tell me about their own perception of him and the work he’s done so far. I asked for honest feedback, and that’s what I got!

I have met with Curt several times (at SHRM conferences) and found him to be engaging and knowledgeable. The overall impression he gives regarding the possibility of national SHRM adopting social media and encouraging its use is commendable. I still see national SHRM conferences offering sessions that lean more toward the control of employee use of social media platforms, but I do not see this as something that Curt alone can impact.

I would like to see him continue to reach out to HR practitioners in the field who are using sites in their organizations successfully. By sharing those cases with SHRM leadership, he’ll continue to advance the positive image we need. I also recommend having Curt pull together a round table of these same professionals to talk with SHRM leadership about the benefits and how we’ve overcome the concerns of social media use. —Trish McFarlane

Curtis has done the best job he can in his short time with SHRM. He in essence has two bosses, the people at SHRM and the social media HR community. SHRM writes the checks. The challenge lies with SHRM itself and the red tape and seas that Curtis must navigate to help bridge the gap between SHRM and social media.

I would like to see Curtis spending more time engaging and leveraging the social media HR community while also learning more about what it’s like to be a HR practioner. I’d recommend that Curtis spend at minimum four weeks shadowing a typical member and learning about some of the obstacles and issues they face. This will increase his knowledge and credibility among the human resource members he serves. —Jessica Miller-Merrill

As a member and volunteer leader, I was super-pleased when SHRM named Curtis to his position (better late than never, hey SHRM?).  He’s had a lot to accomplish in a short time, but has gamely engaged with his audience of members; an audience which is often clueless, afraid and reluctant    I particularly enjoyed participating in the Curtis-led CLA Membership webinar – “Social Media for Chapters and State Councils.”  Well played Curtis – I hope you can keep it going! —Robin Schooling, SPHR

And that, my friends, is a review! Have any thoughts on the work Curtis is doing? Let’s hear ’em!

SHRM Leadership Conference

Well, it was bound to happen eventually. In a week I’ll be venturing to Washington, DC in order to attend the SHRM Leadership Conference. It’s geared towards SHRM Volunteer Leaders, and I definitely have an interest in becoming one. Much of what I do now isn’t exactly in the spotlight when it comes to helping SHRM leaders learn and grow. Things like the SHRM chapter leadership guide are pretty unobtrusive, but they can really help chapter leaders to think about things critically instead of running their chapter “the way it’s always been done.”

I pushed hard to attend, talking with my local chapter, reading up on the requirements, and even going so far as to pitch the idea to SHRM to help me get there (yeah, right, but I still had to try). In the end my local chapter backed me up (as they always seem to) and the big boys at SHRM didn’t (as they always seem to). I thought the pitch was a good one. I’ve included the text of it below.

I have heard so many great things about the leadership conference, but the problem is that it has all been from word of mouth. I’ve never read another blogger really dig deep into what happens there and how they benefited from attending the event. While I spend a considerable amount of time volunteering with my local chapter, my position as webmaster/social media coordinator doesn’t qualify me for a ticket to the event. Bottom line: I would love to have the opportunity to share about the event and promote it to my audience and network.

I know it is more of a niche event, but I believe it has the potential to radically change how SHRM reaches and guides its volunteer leaders. I so strongly believe in the idea of bringing volunteer leaders together that I have created a LinkedIn group to gather feedback and form some close ties to the SHRM leaders in the field.

Because I’m also involved with the HRYP committee with Chuck, I’d love to find a way to help reach the young volunteers and help bring them into the leadership conference experience. WIthout them seeing the value in attending, the event will be losing a lot of attendees in the coming years.

I’d like to write about the leadership conference from several angles:

  • First, from that of a first-time attendee. What’s it all about and is it even worth the trip?
  • Second, from the young volunteer leader’s perspective. Is this a tool that can provide me and my chapter with value?
  • Third, from my blogging persona. This event really is where a lot of connections and changes are made that other people never even have the opportunity to observe. I want to push bloggers to learn more about SHRM and share how their experiences have influenced their careers and organizations, because this is where the magic happens.

See? Not really a hard sell, but it has a lot of potential if they want to prove the value to the young HR professionals and other new and future SHRM volunteer leaders around the country (world?). Anyway, like I said, my local SHRM chapter made it happen for me, so I’ll be going and focusing on ideas to really help them in the coming year. I have a lot of ideas on my mind already, and I’ll be traveling with our president-elect, so there will be some deep discussions on chapter strategy on the trip to DC. If you’re going, shoot me an email. I’d love to meet you there!

By the way, my friend Dave Ryan did a little survey and realized that only 1.57% of the attendees for the event are active on Twitter. Not sure if that’s above or below the average, but I’m interested to see what happens when we get together.

SHRM Leaders-Be one!

leadership shrmNext week brings with it the 2010 SHRM Leadership Conference, and I am thrilled to be able to say that I am attending this event. So, what is it? Well, it’s an event geared toward the volunteer leaders that make things happen in the HR space. SHRM chapters and state councils send their leaders to the conference to learn how to manage their chapters better and provide more value for members. Why do I care to attend?

Better leaders make better organizations.

And because I believe that, I’m going to keep doing two things: encouraging our current leaders to get better/smarter/faster and pushing new people to volunteer for my local SHRM chapter. My time as a volunteer has greatly enhanced my network of local HR pros I can call on if I have questions, and it lets me keep my fingers on the pulse of what is current in the HR space.

You can do it, too!

Did you know you can be a leader, too? It’s really not as difficult to get started as you might imagine. All you have to do is complete a short form in order to volunteer with NASHRM. If you don’t like forms, shoot me an email and I can help you to find the area you’d like to help with. There are multiple areas you can help with, so there’s a good chance that something will be a good fit for you.

Step up. Be a leader. We need good ones now more than ever.

My tribute to the veterans out there

This is a piece that I wrote as a tribute. A small thank you for those who have given so much. I have a wonderful wife and two sweet little girls that mean the world to me, and I couldn’t imagine having to leave them for months and months to go somewhere and have my life threatened on a daily basis. But some people have. Some people do have what it takes. And I salute each and every one of you who do.

My grandfather was a veteran of the Korean War. He rarely talked about his time there, but when I was in 10th grade, I had to interview a veteran for a school project. I can still remember the night when I went over to his house to ask him the questions. It started somewhat formally, but it quickly devolved into a series of funny and interesting stories that I’d never heard before. My normally-serious grandfather was smiling, laughing, and sharing some of the funniest and scariest moments of his lifetime. When he died a few years ago, untold stories and memories went with him, but those few stories that he shared with me will be passed on for as long as I can recall them. Today you’ll get a tiny piece of them.

James Eubanks was young. Too young. His older brother Thurman joined the military, and he wanted in, too. After rubbing his birth certificate strategically with some dirt, he was able to fake his way into the Army. Basic training usually goes by for many soldiers without incident. Not so for this young man.

In an attempt to have a little fun one evening while his friends were out and about, he went night skiing with one of his buddies. It’s quite difficult to see a frozen piece of barbed wire when you’re flying down the slope by the moonlight. One second he was humming along and the next he was screaming in agony. One of his skis had caught in the barbed wire and turned his leg sharply, breaking his femur. So much for getting into the fight quickly.

After a few months of recovery, he was ready to go and took off for Korea. He had some close calls and some interesting times, but one of the worst things he could remember was the deep cold of a winter night in country. If he and his squad were able, they would find a small house for shelter and take turns patrolling the countryside before returning to warm up.

The homes had a unique heating system that pumped heat under the floors to heat the entire structure. Well, one night they were taking shifts and as each group came into the house, they would toss a handful of fuel into the furnace. The night kept getting colder and colder, and the house kept getting hotter and hotter. Finally someone realized that the furnace had caught fire and everyone poured out into the bitter cold to escape it. They watched as the house, their only shelter, burned to the ground before their eyes. Realizing what silly, stupid thing they had done, they began to laugh uproariously. That merriment is probably what kept them all warm enough to survive another night.

Another hero

My father in law is another one of those selfless people who took time away from his job, family, and life to go to Iraq for over a year. While I haven’t had the conversations with him that I had with my grandfather, I still deeply appreciate what he did for his family and country. I have a hard time deciding whether I want to go away for a weekend to a conference. He drops everything and goes halfway around the world for more than a year with only a moment’s notice. Veterans are a totally different type of people, and I’m so thankful that I have the opportunity to show them the appreciation they deserve.

They’re people, too

I also want to share a video I saw recently that hit me hard. Watching the news and hearing reports of the far flung battles across the world dehumanizes this war. These aren’t faceless machines. They aren’t soulless monsters. We need to remember that it’s our family and friends over there fighting for us. Email subscribers need to click through to view the video below. Bring a hankie.

Thank you to those who fought and will continue to. I can’t tell you enough how much I appreciate you.

If this touched you in some way, please share it with someone. We could all stand a good, solid reminder of what these men and women have sacrificed for us.