During my 9 months in the Colorado State University Graduate HR program I was exposed to many new HR ideas and strategies. Every time I had a chance, I conducted a study on CSS and worked on our next strategic move.
For example, one of my classes, Maximizing Human Capital, showed me current trends in recruiting post-pandemic and in the digital and social media age. I learned that we have to accept that recruiting and hiring is forever changed in light of recent events. Therefore, CSS must adapt quickly to attract highly skilled talent and to continue to grow as an organization.
This class also taught me that the full employee life cycle starts the moment a person submits their application in response to a job ad. It matters how we handle candidates during the hiring process because we may only hire 1 or 2 but the rest will receive a rejection letter. If we treat them with respect and dignity, they are likely to either apply again or tell their friends about the great experience they had even though they did not get the job.
I also learned that the most critical time in the employee life cycle is the first 90 days of their employment, including onboarding, orientation and on the job training (OJT). During this time, we all (HR, management and teams) must work extra hard to ease this transition for the new hire, help them feel included, a part of the family. Research shows that successful onboarding can help overall retention of the new hires.
The knowledge I accumulated during my graduate certificate program will help HR stay on top of current trends, work on improving employee satisfaction and engagement, and assist with CSS's growth.