Professional Associations – Human Resource Management
Current Top Occupational Choice
My current top occupational choice is human resource management (HRM). I look forward to becoming a human resource management professional and opening my own consulting firm. I also intend to pursue various career options in HRM, such as HRIS specialist, compensation and benefits specialist, and employee relations manager.
Professional Associations Linked To the Industry
One of the professional associations linked to the HRM industry is the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). SHRM is a professional HR membership association that focuses on promoting the role of HRM as a profession and offers members certification, education, and networking (SHRM, 2023). Personal membership fees are $160 per year. However, the association provides discounts for students, and the annual membership fee for students is $35. SHRM will support my career development by helping me access HR-related guidance and attend conferences to exchange information and ideas with other HRM professionals.
The second professional association is the International Public Management Association for Human Resources (IPMA-HR). The association represents human resource professionals’ interests at the state, federal, and local government levels (International Public Management Association for Human Resources, 2023). The annual membership fee is $35; however, students are offered a discount to encourage them to join the association and participate in the events organized by the association. IPMA-HR will help me expand my network of professionals within my industry and gain access to career development opportunities.
The two associations regularly hold events and conferences to bring together HRM professionals and discuss issues in the profession. The upcoming conferences organized by SHRM include the INCLUSION Virtual Conference, which will be held from October 30 to November 1, 2023, and the Women in Leadership Conference, which will be held between 13th and 16th November 2023 (SHRM, 2022). Registration to attend the events is done online. The event charges are only available for members upon signing in to their SHRM accounts. I will attend the inclusion conference to learn more about managing a diverse workforce effectively. Similarly, IPMA-HR announced it will hold the annual Public Sector HR Association conference between the 2nd and 4th of October, 2023 (Public Sector HR Association, 2023). Registration to attend the event is online via the association’s website. The charges range between $850 and $2,150 based on membership status and the selected booking category. The breakdown for the payment is shown in Figure 1 below:
Source: (Public Sector HR Association, 2023)
I will not be attending the conference because it will be held in Washington, DC, which is far from my current location.
References
International Public Management Association for Human Resources. (2023). What is IPMA?: IPMA-HR MCC. IPMA. https://www.ipmamc.org/what-is-ipma
Public Sector HR Association. (2023). Annual conference. PSHRA. https://pshra.org/events-engagements/annual-conference/
SHRM. (2022, May 5). Events. SHRM. https://www.shrm.org/events/pages/default.aspx
SHRM. (2023, May 24). About SHRM. SHRM. https://www.shrm.org/about-shrm/pages/default.aspx
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Question
In this assignment, you will explore and identify value in professional associations related to your career field. First, consider the top occupational choice you are interested in and search for professional associations linked to this industry.

Professional Associations – Human Resource Management
To help you, you may want to explore the following resources:
Instructions:
After completing your research, answer the following questions:
- What is your top occupational choice at this time?
- Explore two (2) professional associations linked to the
- Give a brief description of the associations and how you think they may be helpful in your career exploration and
- Find out what the fees are for signing up and if they provide any discounts for students.
- Are there any upcoming conferences being sponsored by the association? If so, when, where, and how much is registration? Are you considering attending them?
Honors students are expected to join an association as student members, allowing them to conduct more independent research to identify networking opportunities and make connections in their career fields. Honours students will describe how their membership will enhance their professional skills and brand.