Student Organization Spotlight: Society for Human Resource Management
SHRM Fall 2022 Exective Board.
The Fowler College of Business is highlighting the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), a student organization that helps students gain experience in the human resources industry. SHRM plans events with various professional guest speakers for members to engage with industry leaders directly and SHRM competes in national case study competitions. Eric MacPherson (Senior, Psychology and Communication), President of Society for Human Resource Management, describes how SHRM helps connect students with job opportunities, build relationships with alumni, and more!
About the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM)
Q: What is the goal/objective of SHRM?
The goal of SHRM SDSU is to provide SDSU students with an interest in HR unique co-curricular and networking experiences with SDSU alumni and HR professionals in the greater San Diego area. Outside of HR career development, we also look to offer all SDSU students career development opportunities in their respective fields.
Q: What events, gatherings, and activities does your organization host?
SHRM SDSU holds many events, gatherings, and activities of varying scales. On a week to week basis, the club holds biweekly member meetings where officers present their work and update members on the club's activities. In the weeks in between member meetings, the club has biweekly Speaker Series events in which HR professionals, executives, and other key figures in the field are invited to present topics relevant to the field of HR.
Outside of weekly meetings and events, SHRM SDSU also offers the Alumni Mentor Program where members can browse and select a mentor from a list of SHRM SDSU alumni. Alumni engagement, however, does not end there. Our marquee event throughout the academic year is the annual Speed Mentoring Event. This event is geared to provide students with a comprehensive mentoring experience in a speed dating format where they are matched with four different mentors for 15 minutes each.
The biggest activity we offer, however, is a trip to the SHRM Annual Conference each summer. Our chapter fundraises to cover the costs of this trip for our members. Our members have had the opportunity to travel to Washington, DC, Chicago, Las Vegas, and last year, I was able to attend the conference which was held in New Orleans. This conference is the biggest of its kind in the HR field. There are special activities for students and students may attend three full days of workshops and presentations, as well as being welcomed into the field among 20,000 HR professionals.
Q: Why should students join your organization?
There are several reasons why students should join SHRM SDSU. We have a super engaged officer group devoted to the service and success of their fellow students. Our board often shares HR internship and job opportunities with our members and utilizes a private LinkedIn group for members and alumni to share positions in real time. Our organization prioritizes alumni relationships with our semester-long alumni mentoring program that connects members with alumni who guide and provide our members with job opportunities. We incentivize active participation through our point program which allows members to earn SHRM graduation cords. Our members also have the opportunity to participate in the CalSHRM case competition, can apply for scholarships with national SHRM, and engaged members have the opportunity to attend the SHRM Annual Conference trip with the chapter each summer. We also keep our membership dues low ($20/semester) which is a great return on investment for our members in light of the aforementioned opportunities.
All of these reasons are, however, captured by the theme of giving back. Once you join SHRM SDSU and become involved as a member, you gain access to our vast alumni network, our connections across the HR field in San Diego and our growing nationwide network, and the wealth of mentorship opportunities offered by the organization. All of these benefits center around the idea that our alumni and the HR community we are a part of in San Diego give back to future generations of professionals. Being involved in this cycle of giving back provides students with benefits during their college experience and in the years beyond graduation.
SHRM at the 2022 Fowler College of Business Achievement Award ceremony.
Q: How can a student get involved with your organization?
We welcome all majors and students can come to any of our meetings or events to get involved. Our events and meetings are open to anyone, you don’t need to be a SHRM member to come check us out. However, joining SHRM SDSU grants you access to many additional benefits. Anyone interested in learning more can reach out to us via email at [email protected] for more information.
Q: How does your organization connect with the community outside of SDSU?
As a SHRM Student Chapter, SHRM SDSU has natural connections outside of the SDSU community. One of the most proximal connections is with the local San Diego SHRM chapter. This is the local SHRM chapter for San Diego HR professionals. Our president sits on the San Diego SHRM board and attends all San Diego SHRM board meetings to bring a student perspective to the board as well as to report back on potential networking and job opportunities for our members. Having student representation on the board helps to foster a sense of community between our two chapters.
Another avenue in which we connect with the greater community is by participating in events held by the California State Council of SHRM (CalSHRM). Our chapter had the most attendees at the Student Summit held by CalSHRM last year of any school in California. We also have teams compete in the annual CalSHRM HR Student Case Competition. This contest helps test student members' abilities to problem solve and collaborate to solve a hypothetical HR scenario. During these competitions, we are able to meet and network with other emerging HR professionals across the state. We prepare our teams for the competition, and this past year, we received first place!
In addition to professional connections, our group looks for ways to give back to the community via fun events such as beach clean ups and school supply drives.
Q: When does your organization meet?
SHRM SDSU meets every Tuesday from 4:00 - 5:15 pm in the Park Boulevard Room in the Aztec Student Union. We hold bi-weekly chapter meetings in Park Blvd where students can learn about all the opportunities available to students. On opposite weeks, we host SHRM Speaker Series Events, primarily in Park Blvd as well, but some of our larger events, such as our annual Kick-Off, are held in Templo Mayor.
Q: What are your organization’s social media handles?
LinkedIn: @shrmsdsu
Instagram: @shrm_sdsu
Twitter: @shrmsdsu
Facebook: @sdsu.shrm
Q: Anything else you’d like to add about your organization.
We are a really fun, inclusive group and there is something for everyone. Anyone going into the business industry needs to know something about HR and we also provide a lot of professional development opportunities to help students get ready for their chosen career path. Our chapter has a long tradition of working hard for our members and has been awarded the Outstanding Chapter Award five times since 2014 by national SHRM. This award is given to the top 12 student SHRM chapters in the US. We are proud to be recognized among the top SHRM chapters in the country!
Q & A with Eric MacPherson, SHRM President
Eric MacPherson, SHRM President.
Q: As a student leader involved with an organization at SDSU, can you share why you got involved and what your experience has been like so far?
As a student leader here at SDSU, I originally got involved with SHRM SDSU because of a classroom visit from a now graduated officer. I was intrigued by the idea of an HR club here on campus and, once I came to understand the benefits of joining SHRM SDSU, I thought it would be extremely beneficial for my professional development. So far, I have had an amazing experience as a member, serving as Vice President last semester, and now as President! This club has taken me to amazing places such as New Orleans for the SHRM Annual Conference and introduced me to some amazing people like Jennifer Saavedra, Chief Human Resources Officer of Dell Technologies and Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., President of the National Society for Human Resource Management.
Q: What experience with your organization has been the most impactful?
The experience that has been most impactful on me was attending the annual SHRM Conference in New Orleans this past summer. Between all of the unique professional development workshops to the incredible speeches given by leaders such as former President George W. Bush, this trip opened my eyes to many different ways of thinking about the field of HR. With such broad experiences all jam-packed into a few days, this trip ended up being a profound learning experience that challenged my way of thinking. If given the opportunity, I would advise everybody to find a way to attend an event like this as a student.
Q: Why is getting involved on campus important to you?
Getting involved on campus was critical because it shifted my college experience from mindlessly attending classes to being fully engaged with the university. Joining clubs and putting yourself out there adds a new element to your daily life that allows you to integrate your life with another group of people who care about and are working toward a common goal. Additionally, joining clubs has given me the chance to serve in leadership roles where I am further challenged to lead others in accomplishing the chapters’ goals. It was, however, crucial that I joined early to fully take advantage of all the opportunities available to SHRM members.
Q: What has been your favorite SDSU memory so far?
My favorite SDSU memory so far has not exactly been one core experience. For me, it is better characterized by the daily questioning and learning that I am able to do in class every day. I always love raising a hand in class and offering my opinions on any given topic to help create dialogue with my fellow students. In those interactions and discussions, I tend to see my way of thinking from other perspectives which, to me, is the essence of attending college. This also follows with the general idea that you should put yourself out there in every way you can. People are often a lot less judgemental and a lot more prepared to listen to you than you may think.
SHRM SDSU in New Orleans with the President of SHRM, Johnny C. Taylor Jr.
Q: What is the best advice you have for future Fowler College of Business students?
I think that my biggest advice to give to Fowler College of Business students (and all SDSU students) is to talk to your professors and your peers. Don’t just show up to class and leave when time is up. When you start asking questions and communicating with your peers, you start to open up doors that might not have otherwise been available to you. All of the co-curricular projects and activities (including SHRM SDSU) I am working on were born out of conversations that I made with my professors and my classmates. Please remember that, especially in a university setting, the people around you are here to help!
Q: What is the best advice you have received during your time at SDSU?
One of the best pieces of advice I received at SDSU was given to me in a psychology class in my sophomore year. The class was focused on careers in psychology and the advice that was given the most by our guest speakers was that your career is a flexible process that changes over time. You are not simply defined by your major, and your major does not decide what you will end up doing for the rest of your life. With that premise in mind, the choices I have made with regard to classes and cocurricular experiences have not been constricted by what my degree evaluation says. I have been able to fluidly move from interest to interest which has allowed me to expand my knowledge in diverse and unique ways.
Q: What career aspirations do you have following your time at SDSU?
Following my time here at SDSU, I am looking forward to attending graduate school in fields such as industrial/organizational psychology or leadership. I have an interest in data and statistics, and I would like to see how I can use each of those tools as a means to create better working environments for real people. In an ideal world, that would allow me to work as a consultant who can use my educational background to support businesses and their employees. On the side, I could see myself working in a higher education environment as a professor where I can give back to the educational community that has given me so much.
RAPID FIRE QUESTIONS:
Pancakes or waffles? Waffles
TikTok or Instagram? TikTok
Favorite band? The Neighborhood
Action or comedy movie? Action
Pancho’s or Trujillo’s? Panchos
Favorite show to binge watch? Game of Thrones (and soon to be House of the Dragon)
Fun Fact? My favorite hobby is watching Premier League soccer with my dad!
