The Human Resource Association (HRA) is the club at the University of New Hampshire (UNH) for anyone interested in human resources as a future career. The organization, which joined UNH in October 2019, currently has 15 members and is looking to add new members. The club aims to involve students into the field of human resources (HR).
The goal of the club is to provide members with the knowledge and skills to help better themselves while pursuing their professional careers, according to HRA President Ben Buchholz. They hope to enlighten their members through networking events, workshops, and company visits while learning about the opportunities the human resource industry has to offer.
They are currently in connection with three different companies; The Nagler Group, Enterprise, and Novocure, according to Buchholz. Along with those companies, the organization plans on reaching out to other HR firms, staffing companies, and other various companies within the Portsmouth area. As the club continues to grow, members will have connections to companies as they enter the professional work of HR and will learn what information they will need to know when dealing with HR professionals and also promote job opportunities.
This past semester, they held their first employee benefits workshop, where the members learned about what they need to know when accepting a job along with the benefits you can expect when acquiring a job. The topics discussed during the workshop included 401(k)s, health insurance, paid time off, and employee stock option plans. The club has plans for many more workshops like this in the future such as HR practices as a whole including how to leave a job, negotiating an offer letter, and even how to let an employee go.
Aside from workshops, they plan on hosting events for members to attend. Currently they are working with the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM), to host a large event sometime next year where they will have many industry professionals come and meet members and any other students that want to join.
The majority of members are typically in Paul College, but anyone can participate, as HR will be involved in any field one chooses to go into. Meetings are typically on Wednesdays in Hamilton Smith Hall, but with the shift to online classes they are looking at alternative online meetings to continue the club.
Members are asked to try to be active in the club, and encourage all who are interested to reach out through WildcatLink. Students who are interested can also contact them through any social media platform or email, [email protected].
