My name is Briana. I am a first-year MBA student specializing in Strategic Human Resource Management. I received the pleasure of speaking with and hearing from three-time Badger alumnae, Tanya Hubanks, on Friday, December 3rd about the SHRM certification. Tanya has had experience working as an employment attorney, an administrator in higher education, and a senior business leader and consultant. She is a human resource professional certified in Strategic Human Resource Management with a Senior Certified Professional designation, SHRM-SCP.
As a current student who is not yet sure of the professional roles I will take, I was excited to hear more about this particular certification that could help me be more marketable post-graduation. This particular certification is designed to help professionals acquire more strategic HR leadership positions that focus on behavioral competencies as well as technical HR knowledge. A credential like this, coupled with an MBA, can provide a very competitive edge in the workforce. As Tanya spoke with both the first- and second-year MBA students specializing in HR, she helped us better understand the purpose of getting certified. She also helped us to learn more about the test and what to expect if we decide to take the test. While it is a rather lengthy assessment (160 questions, 4 hours long), students can rest assured that the Wisconsin School of Business’s HR curriculum is closely aligned to material seen on the SHRM exam.
Tanya also shared some resources with us such as the SHRM Body of Competency and Knowledge and the SHRM Certification Handbook. Together, we looked at various technical and behavioral competencies such as business, leadership, interpersonal, and expertise that lead to a strategic mindset which then leads to successful business outcomes. Not all HR professionals or functions are strategic. While it may not be necessary to get SHRM certified, Wisconsin is providing its students the knowledge, experience, and skillset to be strategic human resource professionals who can confidently pass the SHRM certification test. We thank Tanya for spending some time with current HR MBA students educating us on the SHRM certification. On, Wisconsin!