Applications, Resumes and Interviews...Oh My!

With my recruiting projects negatively impacted by the downturn of the financial industry, budget cuts and hiring freezes, I was forced to take action and aggressively position myself in the last 2 months to transition over to another means of recruiting work...

And there I left it, unfinished, the beginning of a blog almost 6 months ago. Fast forward to March 15th, 2010. In the last 6 months, I had interviewed, was offered and then accepted a position as a corporate recruiter for one of the largest automotive aftermarket supplier in the world. An exciting role within a dynamic company, positioned at the top of their game. Unfortunately, six months later, due to the lagging economy and lowered sales, that same position was cut. Although I consider myself a chronic optimist, to say I was a little bit disheartened, would be gracious.

We, my hubby and I, had already planned a weekend trip up to CT to visit my parents, so off we went. Little did I know that on that trip, I would find my inspiration. Typical of all family weekend visits are the movies Mom and Dad would rent for us to sit down and watch. One of the movies selected was Julie & Julia.

Julie & Julia is a great "feel good" movie. A movie based on two true stories, it's about a culinary legend, Julia Child, who provides and inspires a frustrated office worker, Julie Powell, with a new recipe for life. A mission, rather, to whip up 524 recipes in 365 days. Along the way, Julie finds herself and her joy.

Like Julie, "I can write a book. I have thoughts!... I can write a blog..." So here I am typing away...why not?

So I'll be creating a blog on what I am passionate about, my toddler and my tot, my Cornelius! Or rather, what inspires me to inspire him. If things succeed, I'll be able to launch a successful internet business and head off towards world domination, or if things steer the other direction, at least I will have a fun project to keep me blogging, networked with other moms and busy.

So in the words of Julia Child, "Bon Appetit!" Or rather, Good Reading! :)

Officially PHR certified!

I officially received my PHR certificate and PHR pin back on July 13th and should have updated my blog; but things have been crazy hectic here. With summer winding down and some of my other projects coming towards a close, I finally have the time to check in. So much to do, and still...so little time. I'm creating a new blog on my career transition activities, volunteer projects and networking campaigns. Please feel free to tune in! :)

3 more days in counting...

After months of studying and preparing for the PHR certification test, I am just 3 days away from my exam. Feedback from the PHR virtual study group already has 3 members with success stories! Hopefully, I will also have a happy story to tell by Friday afternoon. :)

So far I've read over Anne's book several times with special focus to the Workforce Planning and Development and Employee Labor Relations. With the sharing of resources from the study group, I've also went over the SHRM modules 1-6 and their associated eFlashcards. I've also had useful feedback from some of the people who have taken the test in regards to good test taking tips. I will be sure to utilize all this information well during the upcoming exam. My next strategy is to take as many of the practice PHR exams as I can get my hands on. Right now, I am averaging an 88% from all the practice exams. As long as I score 501 or above, I will be extremely happy!

Back to more PHR practice exams...

Power in diversity!

The study group is a success! Well, not because of me, but for the fact that we are able to better diversify our resources and study materials. Also, being able to connect with people at different levels of HR experience and skills will definitely be a benefit as well. I am so excited!

This week will be extremely hectic and nerve wrecking for me. Aside from trying to remain focused in the PHR studies, I am also participating in some federal training. In addition to that, I am working in closing a long recruit assignment. Neck deep in the offer stage, I feel like I am on pins and needles. After almost 6 months of dedication on this assignment, I am ready for a well earned "success story"! Relationship management at its best is like a beautiful waltz. Such a long day - don't even know if that phrase made any sense. LOL!

April 6th - Study Outline

Here is a brief overview of what to expect for Monday's study session. Since it is the first meeting, it will be an introduction of sorts. As always, I am open for suggestions and topic discussions.

PHR Study Session – April 6th –

Discussion Topic - Core Knowledge Required by HR Professionals - Part 1

Session outline:

1) Introductions - who you are, what materials you are using, where you are in your studying, your exam date, brief bio.
2) Exam Essentials for Core Knowledge Required by HR Prof. (See Below)
3) Questions & Answer
4) Key Terms


Exam Essentails:
Describe how HR programs interact.

Describe needs assessment and analysis process.

Understand the uses of a third-party contract.

Describe communication strategies.

Understand basic concepts associated with andragogy (adult learning theory)

Recognize and describe various motivation theories.

Understand uses for qualitative and quantitative analysis methods.


HRCI Test Specs
69 Needs assessment and analysis.

70 Third-party contract negotiation and management, including development of requests for proposals (RFPs).

71 Communication skills and strategies (for example, presentation, collaboration, influencing, diplomacy, sensitivity).

72 Organizational documentation requirements to meet federal and state requirements.

73 Adult learning processes.

74 Motivation concepts and applications

PHR Virtual Study Group - officially formed!

We now have about 15 participants for the virtual PHR Study group for the May/June 2009 exam sitting. (gotomeeting caps attendees to 15.) And we are meeting every Mondays and Thursdays starting April 6th until end of June. The following is the timeline for test materials covered:

April 6,9 -- Core Knowledge Requirements for HR Professionals
April 13,16 --Strategic Management
April 20,23,27,30May 4 --Workforce Planning and Employment
May 7,11 --Human Resources Development
May 14,18 --Total Rewards
May 21,25,28,Jun1,4 --Employee and Labor Relations
June 8,11 --Risk Management
June 15,18,22,25 --Review
June 26 MY TEST DATE
June 29 --Test overview

To help save some time on Monday, here is my brief bio, study prep materials of choice, and limitations : ).

I am an executive recruiter with GRN. For the last 30(+) months I have been focused and leading in full life cycle recruiting projects in the finance and insurance sector. Please feel free to check out my linkedin.com profile. I have over 10 years professional experience in which I've been in management, customer service and sales. I am hoping to show my dedication to the HR practice by obtaining the PHR certification and also be more marketable should I decide to transition into a direct company. My study materials of choice at this time are:

Anne Bogardus' book PHR/SPHR Professional in Human Resources Certification Study Guide 3rd Edition
Gary Dessler's Human Resources Management
Max Messmer's Human Resources Kit for Dummies (who doesn't love cliff notes??)

If you would like to post your email to share/exchange info with one another, please let me know and I will include you all in the mailing list (Plus, it'll help me save some time when sending email : ).) Otherwise, I can keep it confidential.

Finally, my very own PHR study group!

Thanks to gotomeeting.com I am able to connect with 8 other PHR testers. We will have our first study session on April 6th. I am quite excited because the participants come from very diverse professional backgrounds. So cool. There should be some good synergy. My work schedule will be a lot more hectic starting April 6th and going forward, as I am involved in several new recruiting assignments as well as external projects for my husband's business and home. Between now and Monday's session I have to put together a quick study outline of sorts in order to make best use of the time for all attendees.

Off to some studying.

The Go Getter...

Trying to join an already established study group would cost me some cash to participate because I either had to register into the SHRM study program at the local college in order to network or be a member of the local SHRM chapter. Since I am trying to conserve as much money as I can, I am going with creating my own study group. I began with posting adds in the local paper and and craigslist.com, but it is not stirring up any nearby attention. I need to do the study group and do it now. The exam is creeping closer and closer. Then...light bulb! Why not host my own virtual study group? Especially since I am lucky enough to have all the resources available to me. All I need is a computer, internet, and VoIP. Check, check and check! Plus, I also have access to an online meeting place via gotomeeting.com! And, who doesn't like the benefit of conducting a study group out of the comfort of one's own home? Now I can connect with any one who is interested and I'm not bound by distance! I've posted a discussion on the HR focus groups in linkedin.com. I've noticed that there had been much comments on PHR study groups in the past and just recently. Hopefully I will be able to form a group that will be interested and consistent in meeting Mondays and/or Thursdays at 8 pm EST. It would be great to have others to share and diversify your study materials and bounce off ideas and questions. Also, more than anything for me...some one else to help me focus and be accountable. Life happens and then you get tired and want to go to sleep. Especially since I was up at 4:45 am this morning to get ready and prep for a networking meeting I had to attend about an hour's time away. One awesome benefit, the sun rising over the valley as I drove up and over the mountains! What a beautiful and invigorating sight!

(Side note, does any one have any contacts at Mercer who you could introduce to me? Preferably within the T&A team? I would love to be referred into Mercer. I have many top notch actuarial candidates but no way in as of yet. Well, that is another hurdle and many phone calls I will have to face tomorrow.)

Well, here is to tonight's study time 10-12. I am still attempting to conquer Strategic Management.

Trying to focus, focus, focus...then life gets in the way...

So hard to manage life, work and family some days. I try to tell myself that I am the world's best multi-tasker and by the end of the day, so many things still yet to do... But, then, look at all that I have accomplished!

I am still working as an insurance and finance recruiter and at this moment involved in 3 full life cycle recruiting projects: 1 moving into into its final decision stage, another deep in the interviewing phase and one still in the sourcing phase. Trying to juggle each of the relationships, manage the entire process and setting expectations to ensure the smoothest flow possible can be a daunting task. (I need to do a whole other blog for that one.) On the phones, on the phones. Calling and sourcing candidates. Yes, even with the turmoil in the financial industry companies are hiring and I have a service to provide. Albeit that business is a bit slower compared to what I had last year (running 8-12 assignments), I am not complaining. The extra time provides a luxury I would not have had last year and I will try to take advantage of the time to study to the fullest!

Along with that, I am also helping my husband grow his business -- doing PR and marketing work for him whenever my time allows. So let me shamelessly plug www.greatervalleytech.com! Making technology make sense for you! Mac service, support and training! YAY!

Then there is my pride and joy - my family and motherhood! Doing all the fun and dedicated things an adoring mother would do for her quirky 3 year old to make him happy, healthy and thriving... And making sure that family is first. Which includes sit down family meals, date nights, heart-to-heart and all those good things.

So to throw into this mix -- my pursuit to study and sit for the PHR exam, officially makes me crazy. : ) So another benefit of blogging, my own personal counseling session!

Any way, I need to be more focus...and that focus now is looking like 10-12 am. My goal this week is to conquer Chapter 3: Strategic Management. Off to studying!

Networking to studying success!

As an active member of linkedin.com, I've joined a few HR focused networking groups to link with experienced HR professionals. I feel a lot more confident in knowing that I have access to these pros within several strokes of the keys.

As of today, I have exactly 3 months until the PHR exam.

Still tackling Chapter 2...

Trying to get a good grasp around the core requirements and not yet able to totally digest it. Already so many terms I am now just learning. I hope this isn't the trend of things to come. After reading the entire chapter, I went back and made a bunch of flash cards with vocab terms. Game face on. I was told that classical music will help set the right frame of mind to capture and retain information, so I downloaded my son's Baby Einstein CD onto my iPod. I'll try listening to it tonight while studying and see if there is any improvement in my retention. If nothing else, at least I'll feel at peace and fall into a deep slumber. Great.

Setting the pace...

I spent several hours going over all of the materials and there is a lot to cover. Overwhelming! I started to worry that I bit off more than I could chew. Would 3 months be enough to adequately prepare? I don't have the time to psyche myself out so early into the studying but must focus and devise a workable game plan. From the HRCI website, the current PHR test specifications break down to the following:

1 Strategic Management  12%

2 Workforce Planning and Employment 26%

3  Human Resource Development 17%

4  Total Rewards 16%

5  Employee and Labor Relations 22%

6  Risk Management 7%

Also, from the HRCI website, the pass rate for the May-June 2008 PHR exam was 60%! Since I am not naturally a great test taker I will also need to pay some attention to preparing myself for that as well. 

(Special note that a lot of feedback from recent PHR testers that there was an ample amount of questions related to Strategic Management -- I will pay some additional attention to that area just in case.)

From a helpful twitter follower, PHRSPHR, I'm receiving daily useful words/terms/phrases for flash cards. I think it will be a good supplement to my study materials. I carry them around and pull them out whenever I have a spare moment.

Tonight's event - From Bogardus' book, tackling the Core Knowledge Requirements for HR Professionals!

Materials, materials! So much out there and so little time!!

My first obstacle was choosing what type of study materials to use in preparation for the PHR/SPHR exam. Being a head hunter, all of my HR related training was minimal at best. A two-week intensive boot camp and then off to the races!  Through research, day-to-day activities, interviews and interactions with HR personnel over the last 2 years, I've gained some useful insight into the practice but no where near where I would confidently feel in a position to sit and successfully pass the exam. With the local college's and SHRM's certification study program so costly, I am also going to tempt fate with my own ability to prepare for the exam --Since I am financing my own certification process I have to empower myself with the best possible resources I can find to ensure success -- so the quandary, what study materials?

My weapons of choice:

PHR/SPHR - Professional in Human Resources Certification Study Guide, Third Edition by Anne M. Bogardus, SPHR (Read a lot of positive reviews for this.)

Human Resource Management, Eleventh Edition by Gary Dessler (A good up-to-date HR text book for looking up more detailed information in HR areas.)

and, last but not least - a cliff notes of sorts,

Human Resources Kit for Dummies by Max Messmer.

Here's to fruitful studying!

I've also visited the local community college where the SHRM prep course was offered to speak with the head person there and see if I can freely participate with any of their outside study groups. (If you cannot find a study group I highly recommend you start up one. Sharing of knowledge, ideas and also pep talks will help motivate you when the going gets tough.) While there I was enlightened to join the local SHRM chapter to network amongst the certified HR professionals and potentially explore career opportunities. With annual membership at $90, it may not be a bad idea at all.

Any way, back to hitting the books! I am going to skim through all the materials tonight to see exactly what I got myself into...

Bit the bullet and registered for the PHR/SPHR certification exam...

First stop, www.hrci.org. So after debating and debating whether or not to take the PHR/SPHR exam this year, I finally bit the bullet and registered to take the exam this June. Being just a head hunter, this exam is not a professional requirement, however, if I wanted to be a more serious strategic HR professional and consulting partner, I think it will certainly help. Also, since my ultimate goal is to transition into a more traditional HR space, it will definitely make me more marketable. 

So being one who happily wears many hats, hopefully, by keeping a daily blog of my journey towards getting my PHR certification, it will help keep me focused, motivated and maybe even help others out there who is on the same path...

Welcome and enjoy the ride!