HRCP Blog

Turns out that the hot weather in Las Vegas has an upside (it was 113 as we drove out of town). It makes 96 degrees here at home seen quite comfortable. Next year SHRM’s annual conference is in Chicago. We already have our booth reservation for the Windy City, number 3841. That seems like a good number.

If there is one overriding message I brought home from the SHRM conference in Las Vegas, it is that a lot of people preparing for the PHR and SPHR exams feel alone out there. I lost count of the number of people I gave pep talks, including Lakecia (my new best friend) and Cari (given name Caridad, Spanish for charity—lovely, huh?), who are both taking the exam this Saturday. Good luck, gals! I can’t wait for the good news. I also talked to many who have failed the exam, some more than once, and don’t know where to turn for help. Most of these courageous souls plan to give it another try. When I see their anxiety, their pain, their struggle, I want to reach out. It is for them that I write this blog. For all of you PHR and SPHR hopefuls who need a cheerleader, a coach, a friend. I’m here for you.

When we departed for Las Vegas five days ago, I didn’t know if this blog was worth the effort. But now I realize that this might well be the most meaningful part of my work. This blog isn’t text, diagrams, and tables. It’s just me, saying, “You can do this.”

It has cooled off to a comfortable 105 degrees here in Las Vegas, so we are breathing easy now.

I’m happy to report that the future of HR appears to be in good hands. One of the fun events at the SHRM annual conference is the HR Games, a Jeopardy-style HR knowledge competition. The students that participate in the HR Games are brilliant, and their commitment to learning the HR body of knowledge is impressive. I’m convinced that any HR professional who puts as much effort into their HR certification preparation as these college students do to prepare for the HR Games would have no trouble passing the PHR or SPHR exam.

I talked to a great lady today (hi, Sue!) who has taken the SPHR exam twice, but didn’t pass either time. She is planning to give it another try. I told her what I have said here on my blog before: if what you did to prepare last time didn’t have the desired result, do something else! I know that seems overly simplistic, but it is surprising how many people do again what didn’t work last time, only they work harder at it this time.

My advice? Shake it up. Try something new. Like visiting the HR Games, for example.

Las Vegas is sizzling. The digital display in the car said the outside temperature was 112 degrees when we drove into Las Vegas yesterday. Add to that the 20-mile-per-hour winds, and it feels like I’m standing in front of a blow dryer. A very large blow dryer. Fortunately, it is comfortably cool inside the Las Vegas Convention Center, where we are manning our booth at SHRM’s annual conference and exposition. While we were setting up our booth yesterday, a pigeon came waddling up the aisle. Apparently, he and several buddies live in the rafters of the convention center. Smart pigeons, I say. It’s 112 degrees outside.

I met so many lovely, delightful HR people today. A disproportionately large number of them were from Virgina. They just came to Vegas to get away from the heat, I guess. One of these Virginians completely made my day. Her name is Lakecia, and she’s my new best friend; she told me that she reads my blog! And she wasn’t just saying that to be nice, either. She actually reads it. She specifically mentioned some of my blog entries and begged me to write more often. It made me inordinately happy. It’s just so good to know that someone out there is reading and benefiting from my blog. And Lakecia, I have something for you, so if your read this while you’re still in Vegas, please come back to booth 1898 and find me.

Anyone else in Las Vegas reading this? Come to booth 1898. I’ve got something for you, too.

Las Vegas, here we come! We’ll soon be making our way to SHRM’s annual conference and exposition. If you will be there too, come see us! We’ll be in booth number 1898 at the expo and hope that many of you will stop by to visit us in our 10 x 10 corner of the world. We love meeting those who have used the HRCP Program and those who are considering it. Human resource people are about the best people in the world, and it’s great fun to have so many of them under one roof.

Hope to see you there!

Disclaimer: I don’t recommend cramming as a viable preparation method for the PHR and SPHR exams. But if you are sitting for the HR certification exam during the current testing window (which slams shut on June 30) and haven’t yet begun to study, you haven’t got time left for much else, my friend.

Scenario: You registered to take the human resource certification exam four months ago. Your study materials arrived eight weeks ago. You’ve been busy with other things. Important things. But the exam is now 48 hours away, and you haven’t cracked a book.

My advice:

• Don’t panic. Some people march in and take the exam without studying a lick and pass on their first try. Not many people, but some. One thing is for sure: anxiety won’t get you any closer to a passing score. Try to relax and just do what you can in the time remaining.
• Focus on the essentials. Scan your study materials for the key concepts. You probably won’t have time to read every word, so make a reasonable list of things you want to know for the exam. You might want to give special attention to the areas covered in the exam that are not part of your current job. For example, if you don’t work in a unionized environment, spend some quality time brushing up on labor relations.
• Know the models. There are several models on which many other theories and concepts hang. Make sure you understand them thoroughly. I spent some time carefully learning the systems model for training just before going in to take the SPHR exam, and found that it helped me in answering at least three questions correctly.
• Brush up on the laws. Federal legislation is so important in the human resource field, and that importance is reflected in the PHR and SPHR exams.
• Review the terms and definitions. You did it in school. It works here, too. Study the glossary terms. If you don’t know a term’s definition, it is difficult to find the right answer on the exam. The HRCP Program includes lists of key terms in each unit and a set of flash cards with more than 500 terms and definitions. Other HR certification prep materials have similar study aids.
• Don’t overdo. You can only stuff so much information into your brain in a limited amount of time. Be sure to take regular breaks for meals and exercise. Your study time will be more productive if you do.
• Sleep. It is tempting to sacrifice sleep for study, and truthfully, at this point some sacrifice might be necessary. However, sleep is an important component in memory. It is during REM sleep that things are committed to our long-term memory. And caffeine is not a substitute for sleep. Getting a reasonable amount of shut-eye will help you more on the exam that drilling yourself on job evaluation methods.

I’ve been on vacation with my family. It was nice to get away from the office (and from the laundry room). We ensconced ourselves in a remote mountain resort, far enough from civilization, we thought, to insulate ourselves from our usual daily concerns.

But my work pursued me.

While relaxing in the resort’s lodge, I met another woman who was there with her family, also trying to escape her daily concerns. We began chatting:

Me: What do you do?
Her: I work at a hospital.
Me: What’s your job?
Her: I’m a human resource specialist.
Me: Oh, really? Are you certified?
Her: Not yet, but I’d like to take the PHR exam.
Me: Well, allow me to give you a little advice . . .

I can’t seem to help myself.