Showing posts with label HR Education. Show all posts
Why the @huffpostbiz Top 100 Social #HR Experts on Twitter Should Be a Wake-Up Call to #SHRM
by Matthew Stollak on Wednesday, July 3, 2013
However, if I am the Society for Human Resource Management, I'd be very worried about this list.
Why?
I went through the LinkedIn profiles of all 100 individuals and found:
- Only 21 individuals had listed they had earned PHR or SPHR certification (none listed GPHR). This number could be higher, but some either chose not to list it, or they may have let certification lapse.
- Less than 60 had a formal business education (i.e., a BBA or post-graduate degree in a business-related field). Some only listed their college, but did not list their educational background. Others did not have education as part of their LinkedIn profile.
- Of that 60 or so, less than 25 concentrated in human resources as part of their undergraduate or graduate education.
- Is pursuit of certification perceived as valuable? If a significant portion of those who are perceived as being knowledgeable on the field of HR (or at least a major subset of the field) do not possess certification from SHRM, will some choose not to pursue it as well, as they do not see it as necessary to succeed in the industry?
- Barriers to entry in the field of HR continue to be low. Again, many of the individuals on this list have demonstrated through on-the-job experience and success that they deserve to be lauded. But, it should concern SHRM that many apparently do not need a HR education to be successful in HR.
- The need to embrace social and its impact on membership. SHRM has done a wonderful job over the past couple of years of working with many on this list. Over 50 on the list served on the social media team at the 2013 SHRM Annual Conference in Chicago. However, with many on the list having little to no affiliation with SHRM, will some HR professionals wonder why they should join SHRM when others are possibly providing valuable information for free?
- 7 comments • Category: certification, HR Education, HRCI, Huff Post, SHRM
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A Career in HR? The Cynical Girl (@lruettimann) and I Discuss
by Matthew Stollak on Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Laurie Ruettimann and I love Human Resources in very
different ways. She is a consultant and
disaffected practitioner. I am a
professor. We have very different messages for our chosen profession.
Here is a letter Laurie received from a graduate student at
an elite university. We wanted to apply different perspectives and respond
to this young gentleman directly.
Dear
Laurie,
I
just read your article “A Letter to the #shrmstudent Conference Attendees”
and I must admit I am a little surprised.
I might be slightly scared. I am
currently following a master’s degree in HR.
It was a tough choice because it is tremdendously expensive. I have a passion for HR, though, and it’s
worth it.
But
your article kind of lost me, to be honest.
I can hardly ignore your opinion.
You said that HR is a career for older people. Can’t I be sure that I want to have a career
in HR at the age of 23?
Plus,
I was told I could make way more money in HR.
Anyway
I hope you can answer my questions. I
really look forward to your reply.
We see three questions in this letter.
1.
Is HR a good career move?
2.
Should a student pursue HR right out of college,
or wait to enter the field?
3.
Can you make any money in Human Resources?
From Laurie Ruettimann:
I stand by my original article. Human Resources is a lovely career choice,
but I think it’s a mediocre choice compared to all of the cool things you can
do when you are 23 years old.
Additionally, HR is the corporate department that most closely parallels
parenthood. With age comes wisdom. Many of the best Human Capital Management
practitioners in the world are over the age of 50 and have seen every aspect of
business – from operations to customer service – and apply that expertise to
HR.
Of course you can make a lot of
money in Human Resources. The median pay
for a Human Resource Manager is $99,180 per year. But, I’m not sure that is a lot of money to
someone who spends tens of thousands of dollars on a degree. And for those of you who are bad at math,
remember that median is not average.
From Dr. Stollak:
The beauty of the educational
system, particularly in the United States, is that you get exposed to a wide
range of occupations and career choices since you begin schooling. You will take classes in the hard sciences,
the arts and the humanities, and the social sciences. You may change majors a couple of times. At most higher education institutions, you
will not only have to take general education classes, but a core curriculum as
well. If you choose a degree in
business, you will be exposed to the fields of accounting, finance, marketing,
management, international business, as well as HR. If after those classes, along with an
internship, you find yourself with a passion for HR, why not pursue it? Our school emphasizes the notion of vocation as
a calling. And what better calling is
there then HR in helping others find their calling as well.
Just because you pursue a career in
HR right away, it doesn’t mean you are exempt from knowing the other parts of
the business. Spend some time on the assembly
line if you work in a manufacturing plant.
Go out on a sales call with your sales representatives. By
understanding the various functions, one can better demonstrate the value HR
can deliver.
As always, salary doesn’t exist in
a vacuum. What’s the alternative? If we look at the same data for the top 20
highest paying occupations, 13 require additional education and training, which
could mean even more debt. Further, 10
of the 20 are in the medical and legal field; avenues that you might have
already considered and chosen not to pursue.
What are your thoughts?
- 8 comments • Category: #popHR, HR Education, Laurie Ruettimann, salaries
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