Emma Riley, 2020
BS in Human Resource Management; HRBP Intern, Jack Henry & Associates
The Benefits of Attending HR Conferences
The first time I attended the HR Southwest Conference, I made a point to attend as many educational sessions as possible. Some were very beneficial in giving real-world information about certain subjects such as upcoming laws related to employment and relevant changes in legislation. In many of the sessions, I found that the information being presented was similar to what was being taught in my classes. I believe attending helped reinforce the information I was learning. I also made a point to speak to various professionals about their job and what HR is like in their industry.
Reality Based Leadership
At the time I was considering going into employee relations and received a book recommendation from one professional who was working in employee relations. She said it helped her improve her ability to handle employee relation issues. The book was called “Reality Based Leadership” by CY Wakeman, and it was an interesting read. I also networked with many HR students from other universities, and it was interesting to meet others in the same boat as myself.
The second time I went to the conference I made sure to attend some key sessions, but focused more on networking with professionals and those who had booths set up. I did this because I was going to graduate about one semester later and was an officer in my SHRM chapter. So, I wanted to make sure to make plenty of professional connections. If I was to give someone advice on attending the conference, I would say to focus more on learning as much as you can and meeting people. It’s not a career fair, but it is a great opportunity to make connections and expand upon what you’re learning in your classes.
