2011 Ram Charan Essay Contest Winners
The National Academy of Human Resources (NAHR) announced the winners of the inaugural Ram Charan HR Essay Contest in New York on November 3rd.
The contest is designed to stimulate interest in the HR profession as a career for the best talent in the global education system and to further advance the NAHR Fellows’ knowledge and understanding in particular areas of interest.
This year’s topic, Human Resources Contributions to Global Business Competitiveness, generated essays from undergraduate and graduate students from many countries. Prizes of $20,000 for first place, $10,000 for second place, and $5,000 for third place were awarded. Contest winners also received an expense-paid trip to New York City to attend the announcement. Read each winner's essay by clicking on the winner's name.
First Place: Peter Norlander, UCLA Anderson School of Management
Second Place: Melanie Lowenberg, Ross School of Business, University of Michigan
Third Place (tie): Diya Kapur, ILR School, Cornell University
Third Place (tie): Cassandra Sparks, University of Phoenix
The Ram Charan HR Essay Contest has been made possible by a generous donation to the NAHR Foundation from NAHR Distinguished Fellow Ram Charan, a world-renowned author, speaker, and business advisor. The next essay contest topic will be announced in March 2012.
Information about HR Internships
SHRM now has a partnership with Internships.com to bring a wider variety of HR-related internship opportunities to SHRM Student members. Students are also eligible for additional benefits as a student member, such as receiving guidance of interviewing and writing resumes. Visit the internships site at www.internships.com/group/shrm .
Also, organizations looking to fill an HR Internship vacancy can post their announcement and HR internship job description on the Internships.come site too. If you're considering offering an HR internship, and would like information on what other organizations include in an HR internship job description, we have samples from each of the HR discipline areas that you can use as a model to create your own HR internship.
2008-2010 Internship Sponsorship Awards
During 2008, 2009 and 2010, SHRM administered the Internship Sponsorship Program. A total of 58 awards totaling $290,000 were distributed to SHRM student members to support an HR internship under the Internship Sponsorship Awards.
A selection committee comprised of SHRM volunteer leaders from each of the five geographical regions judged applications against a standard set of criteria to determine which applicants received the awards.
Each selected student received half of their awarded funding during the first week of his or her internship. The remaining half of the funding was awarded upon completion of the internship. Also, upon completion of the internship, each award recipient was asked to complete a short follow-up survey and write a brief paragraph about the internship experience. Each provided a job description as well.
Attached is an example of a project that the California State Council of SHRM worked with two students from CSU-Fresno to complete. SHRM wishes to thank the California State Council for its leadership in developing this pilot project to work with a university whose program aligns with the SHRM HR Curriculum Guidelines to create a useful and meaningful tool to provide California-based HR professionals an additional resource to do their jobs.
Additional Resources on Internships
More about Internships. SHRM's research shows that 92% of organizations require a minimum of six (6) months of relevant HR experience in order for an applicant to qualify for an entry level job in HR (See 2011 Curriculum Guidebook). Plus, SHRM's State of HR Education Longitudinal Study shows that more than 40% of students complete internships despite the fact only between 5% and 8% of universities require internships as part of the HR degree program at their university.
The following information may be helpful to you in your role as faculty advisor. Links are provided to read more about it.
Internship Guides. Looking for information to start or manage an internship program for HR students at your university? SHRM's online Guide to Organizing an Internship Program can help. Plus, stay tuned for information about a new internship service debuting through SHRM in spring 2011.
Encourage students to compliment their degree by taking the Assurance of Learning Assessment for Graduating HR Students.
Designed as a test of mastery for students to show potential employers they have acquired the minimum knowledge required to enter the HR field as an entry-level HR Professional, this assessment is now available. Students may complete an online application at www.shrm.org/assessment. All the details about this assessment are housed on the Assessment web page.
After gaining professional work experience at the exempt leve in HR, former students should pursue HR Certification as a PHR, SPHR, GPHR or California-certified professional through the HR Certificaiton Institute. They are the leading independent, internationally recognized certifying body for the HR profession.
The HR Certification Institute develops and delivers credentialing programs, based on practice analyses of current HR practices in the workplace, to validate mastery in the field of human resource management and to promote organizational effectiveness.
Student programs and student chapters. SHRM's Student Programs web page includes information on the following (all of which may be helpful to you as a faculty advisor to HR students):
- How to join SHRM as a student member
- How to renew your student membership
- Converting from a student membership to a regular membership after graduation
- Awards and scholarships
- Career Center, including information on internships
- Resources for student chapters
- Echoes Newsletter exclusively for HR students
- Student conferences and Case Solving Competitions
- How to start an SHRM student chapter