This will vary a lot by company, industry and region of the country. In general though, it will be tougher to pass the PHR exam if you have not majored in HR, since you will have to learn a lot of the material on your own. Some of the most popular student chapter programs include inviting local business people to come and speak to your chapter and to serve as mentors for your members. Other ideas include going on company tours, organizing an HR seminar, or hosting a networking reception or event and inviting business leaders to attend. You should also attend your local professional chapter meetings and offer to assist your sponsoring chapter with their projects such as meetings, seminars, and surveys.
Practitioners always prefer candidates with experience.
In addition, student membership in SHRM will give you access to an extensive network of people and information to prepare you for your future career. That concludes our session today with Beth McFarland, manager of SHRM's Student Programs. Just tune your web browser to the same place as today. The SHRM Auditorium is provided by SHRM and AltaVista Careers. I'm Robert LaGow and that concludes today's session.