Recently I posted a humorous item about being listed as a “Top 25 Digital HR Influencer.” It was all in fun, but there was something more serious brought to my attention by my friend Charlie Judy on the Trench HR LinkedIn group for “in the trenches” HR pros. He wanted to know why there were so few “real” HR people on the list and how we could get more people involved.
If you remember my Put Up or Shut Up goals for 2011, one of those is to help more people get started blogging. Just putting that out there might seem scary for you. It’s really not. If you don’t have the time for social media or you just don’t have the patience to get your own blog up and running, I would love to help. I want your voice out there.
My friend Steve Browne recently (finally!) started his own blog after months of people begging him to start one. He got started doing guest posts like the one on my site and built an audience of people who loved to hear what he had to say. Then someone gave him a free blog setup for Christmas. :-)
If you have something to say, let’s talk. Even if you think this blog might not be the forum for you, I’ll gladly help you reach out to someone else if I can. The best blog posts are those that talk about personal stories of triumph and tragedy, and everyone in the HR/recruiting fields has seen their fair share of those two things.
And if that’s not enough to spur you on, there could even be some PHR/SPHR recertification credits in there for you. Recently, the Human Resources Certification Institute (HRCI) announced that they would award recertification credits for blog posts that fit their requirements. Here’s what it takes:
- Credit is awarded under the Research/Publishing category.
- Blog posts must be 700 words or more on a subject related to the HR knowledge base.
- Posts must contain facts/data and not be an editorial or opinion piece.
- Blogs must be posted on a site that is open to the public, whether it is the writer\’s blog or as a guest blog post for another site, such as SHRM Connect.
- Links to posts must be provided in the submission for recertification.
If you are interested in blogging for fun, for the emotional release, or just because you can get a few recertification credits, please let me know. I haven’t been around this profession as long as many of you, but I know something for certain.
Blogging makes you better at HR.
G’Day Ben,
You’re absolutely correct. Blogging makes you better at almost anything, including HR. Not only that, but it gives you the opportunity to subscribe to blogs of curmudgeonly rebels like me who challenge all the conventional bureaucratic wisdoms of regular HR practice. e.g.
*the purpose of staff selection is to get a job done not to choose a person
*the basic human unit in the workplace is the team not the individual
*performance appraisal is best done by employees not managers
*a manager’s prime people management role is to put systems in place that make it impossible for employees to fail.
That’s enough heresy for now.
Make sure you have fun
Regards
Leon
*
Great piece Ben. This is the type of support, and motivation, that needs to be offered. Many thanks to you for continuing to keep this on the forefront.