Category Archives: General

Guest post blitz #5

AKA

As if I don’t run my mouth enough on my own blog…

guest post blitz

Maybe we'll still be friends when we are old?

Every once in a while I get the chance to write a little something for some of my friends. In an effort to repay their kindness, I share the links with you in case you’re interested in checking one out. If you’re interested in seeing some of my previous escapades, click here for the Guest Post Blitz archive.

Victorio at the Creative Chaos Consultant (gosh I love that name!) blog put out an interesting challenge early this year. He wanted people to either commit to their goals or shut up about it. It was appropriately named the Put Up or Shut Up Challenge. A few weeks later I shot him an email detailing my progress so far. Click here to see how I fared with the Put Up or Shut Up challenge.

April Dowling at PseudoHR is a fellow geek. When I asked if I could write a post that involved science fiction, zombies, and giant meteors (and still tie it back into the human resources profession, mind you), she was thrilled. Click here to see how science fiction makes me better at HR.

RocketHR, the blog that I run for my local SHRM chapter, has a post from yours truly every Monday. Recently I talked about how to look brilliant, a free HR eBook, and free HR podcasts. As of now, there aren’t any other contributors over there, so if you subscribe to RocketHR, you’ll be getting a little more me each week (and can’t everyone stand to get a little bit more of me?). :-)

HRevolution has been on my mind lately, especially since we just opened up ticket sales for this year’s event. While it’s not exactly a guest post, I did design the HRevolution website, and that definitely took more effort than a guest post. I have to say that when I started in HR I had no idea I’d end up building blogs/websites as a side job. But I love it!

Anyone else read something cool they’d like to share? Maybe something you’ve read in the past week that really hit the spot? Drop it in the comments so everyone can benefit.

Free HR Certification Flashcards

human resources certification flashcardsUpdate: the free HR flash card giveaway is past (for now). Find out who won here. If you want to get your hands on one of the best HR certification study aids available, why not snag the eBook?

Or you can get the HRCP discount! If you purchase the HRCP study materials and use the special HRCP discount code, you will get a $20 discount!

It’s getting to be that time for a large number HR professionals out there. They’ll be hitting the HRCI website and signing up for the PHR, SPHR, or GPHR exam. And I have something to help along the way. I’ve partnered with HRCP for a few months now, and I haven’t regretted it once. They have a great HR certification prep study guide, and you can save yourself the hassle of making flashcards by getting some from them. However, they’ve given me a pack of their flashcards to give away for free.

Free HR Certification Flashcards

Would you like a free set of HR certification flashcards? Here’s what you have to do.

In 50 words or less, simply tell me why you’re taking the exam.

Your story can be touching, funny, crazy, or eye-gougingly boring. It’s up to you. The deadline is 11:59pm on Wednesday, March 10th. The winner will be chosen randomly (thanks to Random.org) and notified via email. Depending on the popularity of the contest, I may host another in the near future. But we’ll see. So get cracking on your answers!

HRevolution 2010 Details

HRevolution 2010

The HRevolution 2010 event is coming to Chicago on May 7th-8th! HR professionals from around the country will be converging for 24 hours+ of mind-bending, trend-setting discussions, yet space is limited, so… SIGN UP NOW!

This is the second rendition of the event, and it’s going to be twice as good as HRevolution 2009. Why is that? Well, we have past attendees who can speak out to the event’s powerful impact, some new additions to the planning crew, and an actual website this time around. :-)

3 reasons why this year’s even will rock: Continue reading

HR101-Get the Free eBook

One of my favorite things about writing the RocketHR blog is sharing some great free resources with everyone (like this post on free HR podcasts). I do several hours of reading and research every week, and I sometimes uncover amazing resources that cost you nothing yet provide significant value.

I’ll stop rambling-today I have another. May I introduce the free HR 101 eBook?

Don’t let the title fool you. The information Victorio and his cast of all stars have put together is fantastic and thorough. The book dips into law, statistics, and finance, and it’s a great reminder of all the areas and disciplines HR touches on. Hope it sparks an idea or helps you to get a handle on some of the things you might not do on a daily basis.

Click here to download the HR 101 eBook

Advanced human resources education

Advanced HR DegreeOne of my friends emailed me recently with a question, and I know it’s a question that a lot of people ask. Even if you haven’t asked me, my opinion’s on its way. Enjoy!

I got my bachelor’s degree in HR in 2008. I have not worked in the field before, and I’m still looking for a job. I just came across an advanced HR program that looks interesting. It costs $4500. Do you think it would be a good idea for me to do this program?

In my (o so unprofessional) opinion, going for further education before you’ve ever stepped foot into your career is a bad idea. Why? Well, what if you do it for a month or two and end up hating it?

That money would be gone forever. Continue reading

Get more out of your SHRM chapter membership

get more shrm membership

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? Continue reading

HR Ninja Course Week One

Social Media NetworkingIn an effort to bring more people to the free HR Ninja course, I’m going to go through the lessons myself and post my updates as it goes along.  Enjoy!

Weekly Topic

This week was all about networking and making connections. The final challenge of the lesson was to take advantage of the social media tools available to crank networking up beyond the ordinary “here’s-a-business-card-now-we’re-buddies.”

Weekly Challenge Continue reading