Tri-State President Shares Certification Success
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Felicia Drake is the newly certified Director of Human Resources for Red River Federal Credit Union. Having already received her job promotion, she did not have an obvious need for the certification for the sake of career advancement, but gaining the certification meant more than that.
Felicia is the 2016 President of the Tri-State Chapter of SHRM, Texarkana. Having previously earned her MBA, a SHRM certification gave Felicia the specialization she desired.In a brief interview with Felicia, she shared about her experience. She took the SHRM exam in July 2016, receiving a preliminary passing score right away. However, only a short two weeks or so passed before she received her official results via email, including her final scores.
For study materials, Drake purchased the SHRM Certification Online Tutorial Pathway. This gave her "the ability to study online from (her) desktop computer or mobile device" and "was very convenient," she started." She also took advantage of the online test, which she believes contributed to her success.
Felicia recalls her test anxieties: "Of course, (my) number one fear was not passing the exam. Having a full-time job and family, I was concerned about the ability to devote the necessary time for studying and preparing for the exam."
When asked about the experience and how it compared to her expectations, Felicia, someone who professes not to be the best standardized test-taker, beams with joy. Felicia shared that she specifically enjoyed the situational judgment questions, because she could draw the relationship from the questions to her daily work in HR.
"The exam met my expectations because it gave me the opportunity to learn information that I could apply to my daily work activities, plus study for the certification," she says.
In other words, the certification was just a plus to go along with the valuable knowledge she gained during her preparation process. "The experience was great. I am sure studying in a group setting is also a good experience, but having the online system made the experience convenient for my lifestyle," she adds.
For the final question, I asked Felicia what advice she would give to others in the profession about the exam or preparation, and her unwavering reply included two pieces of advice: #1) Purchase the online tutorial package, adding "I don’t think I could have passed the exam without the materials, practice exams, etc.;" and #2) Put in the work by studying."
Check out the online study system here:
https://www.shrm.org/certification/learning/options/pages/self.aspx
For those who prefer the group study setting, look for opportunities with local chapters. We will feature the unique partnership between A&M Texarkana and Tri-State SHRM in a future article. Creating and joining a study group can be an opportunity to grow and develop lasting professional relationships.
If you or someone in your local office or chapter is interested in exam registration, winter registration is open for the exam window beginning December 1. Please pass this success story and winter exam window announcement on to your chapter.
2016 Winter Exam Window: Dec. 1, 2016 - Feb. 15, 2017
Applications Accepted: May 16
Regular Application Deadline: Oct. 21
Late Application Deadline: Nov. 11
Article contributed by LaTonya McElroy, MBA, SPHR.
