{"id":2755,"date":"2021-06-17T14:15:23","date_gmt":"2021-06-17T14:15:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-professional-education\/?p=2755"},"modified":"2021-06-22T12:53:05","modified_gmt":"2021-06-22T12:53:05","slug":"more-than-hiring-firing-carrie-barhams-shrm-success-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-professional-education\/2021\/06\/17\/more-than-hiring-firing-carrie-barhams-shrm-success-story\/","title":{"rendered":"More Than Hiring & Firing: Carrie Barham\u2019s SHRM Success Story"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"human<\/p>\n

\"Carrie<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

After earning her bachelor\u2019s degree in health services administration, Carrie Barham never expected to have built a human resources career 20 years later. <\/span>Her experience working at\u00a0<\/span>a few<\/span>\u00a0health insurance\u00a0<\/span>companies eventually<\/span> led Carrie to begin<\/span>\u00a0working in benefits<\/span> and becoming an HR professional! <\/span>Now, Carrie<\/span>\u00a0works at National Aerospace Solutions as a Health and Welfare administrator<\/span>\u2014<\/span>and has the SHRM designation beside her name to\u00a0<\/span>prove<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>that hard works pay off.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

Marah: What was your motivation behind becoming SHRM-certified?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Carrie: I had set a goal for myself years ago to become SHRM-certified. I know how important certification is for HR leaders to have. It\u2019s not like you won’t get a job without certification, but having the SHRM designation looks great on a resume and helps you stand out. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

M:\u00a0<\/span><\/b>What\u00a0are aspects of\u00a0UTC\u2019s\u00a0<\/span><\/b>SHRM Certification Exam Prep\u00a0course<\/span><\/b><\/a>\u00a0that you found particularly interesting or enjoyable to learn about?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

C: I have worked in HR for\u00a023\u00a0years, but my background was primarily\u00a0in\u00a0benefits\u00a0until about two years ago.\u00a0In the past two years, my role has expanded into talent acquisition and staffing. If\u00a0you\u2019re\u00a0not a generalist, though, there are many aspects of HR to uncover. I have a general knowledge of other HR aspects, but the course was a great refresher in learning\u00a0about parts of HR that you\u00a0do not\u00a0hit on as much if\u00a0you are\u00a0a more specialized professional.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I also enjoyed that the course participants were from different industries. The variety made a huge difference in the course dynamic. You\u2019re able to hear individuals talk about their experiences and explain why they do certain things in various situations. For example, only three of us in the course worked for companies with unions, so we were able to share our experiences with our peers whose companies do not have unions.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

M:\u00a0<\/span><\/b>What is one major takeaway you had from the course?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

C: HR plays a vital role in businesses. 10-15 years ago, HR professionals were not seen as business partners in organizations. Now, many HR pros are involved in strategic planning, management,\u00a0and helping companies make decisions.\u00a0Companies are starting to recognize how valuable HR business partners are.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

M:\u00a0<\/span><\/b>What were your interactions with the instructor like?\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

C:\u00a0The\u00a0interactions with Todd were\u00a0great. He would always let us ask questions during class or stay after if we needed to talk\u00a0about a topic in further detail. I appreciated how he would explain what we didn\u2019t understand and break down what we were learning in the books even more in-depth.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

M: How did you prepare for the SHRM certification exam? What advice would you give someone who is currently preparing for the exam?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

C: I have two major suggestions: Know the flashcards SHRM gives you and take many practice exams. The flashcards help you engrain the material into your brain. And, when it comes to exams, you need to understand WHY you got a question wrong. If you don\u2019t understand why you missed a question, you won\u2019t be able to improve moving forward!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The boot camp was a critical piece of my SHRM certification experience. However, I would suggest using more resources to enhance your learning if you\u2019re struggling with a certain topic. For example, I struggled with talent acquisition, so I used supplemental learning to dive deeper into the topic. Look up YouTube videos or buy an extra book specifically on the topic you need more insight into.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

M: How did you create a study\/work\/life balance while in the SHRM Certification Exam Prep course?\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

C:\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0definitely\u00a0doable\u00a0to manage the balance, but I also knew\u00a0before I began the course\u00a0that sacrifice would be\u00a0needed.\u00a0If you\u00a0only\u00a0dedicate two hours to the course every week, you will not get what you need out of the course (and I am not sure I would have passed if I\u00a0had\u00a0just had the SHRM learning system on its own, without an instructor). If\u00a0you\u2019re\u00a0willing to sacrifice\u00a0time for a few weeks\u00a0to\u00a0become certified, then\u00a0you\u2019ll\u00a0be more likely to succeed!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

M: Is there anything else you would like to share about your SHRM Certification Exam Prep experience?\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

C: Many people have the assumption that HR is just hiring and firing, but there\u2019s so much more to the field than that! HR is a fascinating and entertaining field. If you want to become SHRM-certified, UTC has a valuable and worthwhile program to prepare you for the test. I don\u2019t know how people pass the exam without having extra resources like Todd to explain what they\u2019re learning!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:<\/h4>\n

\"Marah<\/p>\n

Marah Whitaker (think Laura with an M) serves as the marketing assistant for the UTC Center for Professional Education. During the workday, she spends time writing blog posts, creating content for social media, developing email campaigns, and building relationships with CPE\u2019s customer base. During her free time, you can find her getting lost in a good book, having spontaneous dance parties, playing piano, and going to Buffalo Wild Wings on Wing Night. Professionally and personally, she aspires to live by Mr. Feeny\u2019s advice, \u201cDream. Believe. Try. Do Good.\u201d She strives to use her passions to serve others and contribute positively to the world around her.<\/p>\n

Connect with Marah on\u00a0LinkedIn.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  After earning her bachelor\u2019s degree in health services administration, Carrie Barham never expected to have built a human resources career 20 years later. Her experience working at\u00a0a few\u00a0health insurance\u00a0companies eventually led Carrie to begin\u00a0working in benefits and becoming an HR professional! Now, Carrie\u00a0works at National Aerospace Solutions as a Health and Welfare administrator\u2014and has… <\/p>\n

Continue Reading <\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1540,"featured_media":2785,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[921,110214],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-2755","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-human-resources","8":"category-student-success-stories","9":"entry"},"yoast_head":"\nMore Than Hiring & Firing: Carrie Barham\u2019s SHRM Success Story - UTC Center for Professional Education Archive: Jul 2007 - Oct 2025<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"More Than Hiring & Firing: Carrie Barham\u2019s SHRM Success Story - UTC Center for Professional Education Archive: Jul 2007 - Oct 2025\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"  After earning her bachelor\u2019s degree in health services administration, Carrie Barham never expected to have built a human resources career 20 years later. 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