About CHRA > Information for Students

College Relations Committee
Student Membership

The College Relations Committee organizes CHRA resources and professional members to benefit local aspiring Human Resource professionals and their future employers through support, development and networking opportunities for college students. The committee ensures support for local student SHRM chapters, unaffiliated HR students and promotion of the HR career choice.

CHRA’s College Relations program provides support to college-affiliated SHRM student chapters, faculty advisors and any and all area students planning on pursuing a career in Human Resources. Whether or not you choose to formally join CHRA, you have access to join our email list to receive announcements of student-targeted events and job-leads, apply for internship or job opportunities on our Web site, enroll in our mentorship program, attend any CHRA College Relations programs and workshops and attend CHRA professional meetings at a 50% discount if you are a full-time student.

Our full range of benefits are reserved for CHRA student members, and so we encourage you to sign up. Eligible students may join CHRA for an annual cost of $15. If you are a dues-paying student member of SHRM CHRA Student membership dues are discounted to only $5 per year.

Benefits of CHRA Student Membership:

Access to the CHRA Membership Directory of apx. 600 local HR professionals to network with
Access to the CHRA listserv – an online forum for CHRA members to ask HR questions, share job leads and more
Deep discounts on CHRA meetings and workshops: attend your first two meetings for only $5 each (a $20-$50 discount over our professional member rates!). For all meetings after your first two for the year, you will receive a 50% discount on member pricing.
Eligibility for our annual CHRA student scholarships. For more information, click here.
Free posting of your resume on CHRA’s Web site for professionals to view
Free resume review and interview coaching with a HR professional
Reimbursement for PHR exam fees for students who successfully pass the certification exam

See the main Web site page for more information. Ready to sign up? Click here to download Student Membership Application.

Students who want the discount rate must contact CHRA Association Headquarters directly to register and pay for the meeting. Call Jennifer Thornton at Chesapeake Human Resources Association Headquarters, phone (410) 752-3318 and request the student discount. Proof of eligibility may be required by the Director of the Student Chapter Committee.

FREE- GET ON CHRA'S MAILING LIST!!
Students interested in a human resources career and faculty advisors who provide instruction in human resources or business may be put on CHRA's mailing list (CHRA membership not required). Our mailing list provides periodic announcements of events of interest to HR students, internship and job leads in the area. The CHRA mailing will keep you informed of professional development meetings, education sessions and activities that CHRA sponsors. Please e-mail your complete name and email address in body of the message to chra@assnhqtrs.com. The CHRA mailing will keep you informed of professional development meetings, education sessions and activities that CHRA sponsors. You do not need to be a CHRA student member to join our student mailing list.

Student Scholarship Program

Qualifications for Entry

Must be a full-time undergraduate or graduate student, or a part-time student, currently working in non-exempt role
Must have been a CHRA Student Member by December 31, 2009
Applications must be received by April 1, 2010.

Entry Guidelines
Entries will be judged by the Scholarship Program Committee based on the following criteria:

Commitment to the field of Human Resources
Leadership ability
Involvement in CHRA or other HR related organizations

Scholarship Award Application Instructions
This application must be completed in full and submitted with the following:

An current copy of the applicant's resume
One official school transcript
Two letters of recommendation (at least one professional reference from a faculty member, school advisor, current/former employer, or HR professional; no more than one personal reference from a non-relative may be used)

Submit the original application complete with attachments by April 1 to:

Christal Chandler, PHR
Global Human Resources Manager
IMA World Health
500 Main St.
New Windsor, MD 21776
410-635-8742 / fax: 410-635-8812
christalchandler@imaworldhealth.org

All applicants and recipients of the CHRA $1000 and $500 Scholarship Awards will be contacted by Christal Chandler. In most cases, awarded Scholarship funds will be sent directly to the student's educational institution. December 2009 graduates will only be eligible for the $500 award, not the $1000 award.

Student Scholarship Award Application
Deadline April 1, 2010

**Files are saved in Adobe Acrobat (PDF) format, you will need to have the freely-available Adobe Acrobat Reader software installed.

DON'T HAVE ACROBAT READER? CLICK HERE:

Student PHR Exam Information

Converting from Student/Recent Grad to Certified Status

Students and recent graduates who are within twelve months of graduating from a bachelor's or master's degree program are welcome to take the PHR or GPHR exam in the student/recent graduate category. To learn more about this category, please refer to the current certification handbook.

Students have five years from the time of taking and passing the exam to obtain two years of exempt-level HR work experience. Once the necessary work experience has been accumulated, please submit the following information to the HR Certification Institute (P.O. Box 79905, Baltimore, MD 21279-0905):

A copy of your bachelor or graduate diploma or an official transcript.
A letter from your employer(s) verifying your two years of exempt-level work experience. The letter(s) must include your position title, dates of employment and exempt-level HR work status. The letter(s) should also describe your job duties, including the signature and contact information of the individual verifying your employment. If we are unable to determine exempt-level work experience from the information provided, we may request a job description.
The balance due of the PHR or GPHR exam fee, payable to the HR Certification Institute (check, money order, Visa, MasterCard or American Express accepted). The student balance fee is nonrefundable. If you are unsure of the balance due, please feel free to contact the HR Certification Institute toll-free at 866-898-HRCI or info@hrci.org.

Please keep the HR Certification Institute informed of any name, address or job changes so you may be properly recognized in our records. If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact the HR Certification Institute at info@hrci.org.

Student Balance Fee Structure

GPHR 2004 forward $255.00
PHR 2004 forward $130.00

Internship Opportunities

Position / Location Posting Date

HR Intern / Arc of Baltimore February 4, 2010

Don't use an employment objective unless you edit it to match each position for which you apply. If your employment objective is incongruent with the job description of the position to which you are applying, most employers will assume that you are not familiar with the position and/or will not be interested in the job once you hear more about it. Therefore, they will not contact you for an interview. Generally, it is best to omit employment objectives from your resume.
Be sure that your resume is error-free (in spelling, grammar, sentence structure, subject-verb agreement, etc.) Many employers will immediately reject a candidate if there are errors of this type on a resume.
Your resume should be neat in appearance and in an easy-to-read format. Avoid using fancy fonts and unusual layouts.
Keep your resume to one page. Even people with 20+ years of career experience are advised to keep their resumes to only two pages. Your resume should offer facts about only your most important and relevant jobs, skills and accomplishments. You can provide details in your cover letter or during an interview.
All information on your resume should be factual and verifiable. Present your information in a favorable light, but don't exaggerate (or fabricate).
Explain time/job gaps by adding a "reason for leaving" explanation (one sentence) where gaps appear on your resume.
List the dates (month/year) that you worked with each employer. Be sure to identify job title changes and promotions that occurred during your career with each company.
Highlight your accomplishments and skills, not just your activities or job duties.
Use descriptive verbs when explaining prior job duties. This is the best way to ensure that you are conveying information clearly. If you are successful in doing this, the employer should be able to mentally picture you performing the task. Also, don't overwhelm with detail. Be brief and write plainly.
Remember your audience: Assume that the employer knows nothing about your background (which is usually always the case). Be sure to provide enough information so that they can see what you've accomplished, but leave enough unsaid so that they will want to contact you to learn more.

Keep in mind that most employers make the decision whether to reject or contact a candidate after reviewing his/her resume for less than one minute. First impressions are everything!

Ø Student Resume Board – e-mail your resume in a WORD format with desired position (internship, part time, full-time or seasonal) to chra@assnhqtrs.com. Resume posting is free for CHRA student members.

SUBMITTING A RÉSUMÉ: Any CHRA Student Member who is not already working in the Human Resources profession may submit a resume by e-mail to chra@assnhqtrs.com. Resumes will be posted free-of-charge, and remain posted for approximately 6 months. Please email chra@assnhqtrs.com to remove or refresh your resume.

REVIEWING RÉSUMÉS: HR Professionals looking to hire a CHRA student member, recent college graduate may explore the résumés posted under the Career Center Student Resume's Since the résumé files are saved in Adobe Acrobat (PDF) format, you will need to have the freely-available Adobe Acrobat Reader software installed.

Guidance and direction from experienced professionals is an invaluable resource for students who are exploring their fist career opportunities. This is why the CHRA Student Chapters Committee has created a Mentor Program to develop learning relationships between HR students and HR professionals.

The purpose of the CHRA Student Chapters Committee Mentor Program is to link students who aspire to work in the Human Resources field with practicing Human Resources professionals. The goal is to offer and open a line of continuous communication between these two individuals. Students should use their mentor as a resource to discuss issues such as, but not limited to, career options and goals, continuing education, volunteerism within CHRA, HR certification, and current HR issues and employment law. The mentor program will help students prepare for a career in HR and will allow them to gain perspectives from an experienced professional.

Ø Student Chapter Officers and Faculty Advisors – please provide the names and contact information to your CHRA Student Chapter Liaison. Interested in starting a new Student Chapter? Check out the SHRM Student Services site (link provided below). All active chapters will be assigned a CHRA Volunteer liaison. Check back on this Web site for liaison names and contact information.

Ø Link to Society of Human Resource Management, Student Services site: Setting up a new chapter, need to expand on your current chapter, need faculty advisor information, or want to read the student newsletter, Echoes? Click on www.shrm.org/students

(please check back for updated contact person)