Let me say up front that I’m an advocator of SHRM; I think they’re a great resource for the majority of HR professionals. Do I think there’s room for improvement? Of course, there’s always room for improvement in any organization as large as SHRM and China Gorman is helping to lead the way.
When I first started my career in something other than being in front of customers/members it was in Accounting as a Payroll Administrator. I was obsessed with learning more about payroll and benefits. The American Payroll Association was the first place I went to do my research.
One slow day while waiting for ADP to kick back my reports, I found myself going from the APA site to the SHRM site and it was like someone flipped on a light switch and everything was clear. I spent literally the entire day on the SHRM site reading about legislation, tool kits for policies, looking at sample forms, reading about benefits, and researching certification. I made my way over to the HRCI site and downloaded the certification handbook for later reading. I eventually found the Alabama SHRM site and the Birmingham SHRM site as well; though both took some digging.
SHRM was what sucked me into HR. I don’t visit the SHRM site as much as I used to, mostly because I find what I need via a Google Search or asking my wonderful Twitter friends.
My coworkers, on the other hand, use mostly the SHRM site. They use SHRM for the free webinars and to get sample templates for policies or letters. Even during set up training for our new ATS the trainer talked about adding a link to SHRM on the side bar for external resources.
SHRM is a good tool for those new to HR or those that aren’t as engrossed in social media. Say what you will about SHRM, I blame thank them for where I am today.
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I wonder if their efforts to be everything to everyone aren’t crippling the very people they’re trying to help… Hmmm…
Anyway. Good post. I’ve been doing a lot of reading/thinking about SHRM and professional associations in general. Good reminder that a lot of people still use them for some good reasons.
Thanks for the insights, April. We’re always interested in what our members find valuable — and what else we could be doing to add value to the relationship. If you feel we’ve supported your career success and have helped you grow as a strategic business leader whose expertise is HR, then I think we’re meeting part of our objectives. Thanks for the feedback.
I blame my lack of intellectual curiosity for my career in HR. That — and I’m not good at math.
@Ben I often forget what all SHRM has to offer until a coworker mentions finding something.
@China – Thanks for the comment! When I first got into HR I did use the SHRM site often. Many of my coworkers still do.
@Laurie – Math is not my friend. We tolerate each other and that’s about it.