SEPARATE YOURSELF
FROM THE PACK
STORY BY CHRISTIAN CODRINGTON
HR associations can give
students' careers a boost
A
s
more
students
choose
human
resources as a career, the need
for them to distinguish themselves, go that extra mile and
highlight their strengths and
experiences to a prospective
employer becomes more compelling.
This task isn't easy — it's
tough to highlight mileage
that hasn't yet been travelled.
Where does a young professional acquire those experi-
ences and can a professional
HR association help students
go that extra mile?
In The End of Membership
as We Know It, author Sarah
Sladeck argues the value of a
professional association must
be measured in three ways
— professional, personal and
community.
Arguably, the key benefit
is the variety of professional
needs that will be met by participating in a professional associ-
ation. The list includes access to
formal and informal mentoring,
access to exclusive job postings,
exposure to practical workshops
and the opportunities that result
when HR associations partner
with academic institutions.
STUDENT COMPETITIONS
One example of the partnership between associations
and academia is the annual
Excalibur student competition.
Excalibur is a unique chance
canadian hr profession
18 hrreporter.com
HRP.indd 18
12-03-28 3:18 PM
