Practitioner Forum: An Update From the Professional Practice Committee
Will Shepherd, Chair, Professional Practice Committee
The Professional Practice Committee volunteers continue to do an incredible job on your behalf. There are some exciting new resources they have created. Also, there will be some expanded and new offerings at the SIOP Conference in Chicago. Here are some key highlights:
- Practitioner Resources Videos
- Early Career Practitioner Consortium
- Speed Benchmarking and Speed Mentoring
- The Professional Practice Update
- Practitioner Reception
Practitioner Resource Videos - Lynda Zugec has taken the lead to produce a series of "Practitioner Resources Videos," which highlight the resources that SIOP has available for practitioners. These short video clips provide an overview of resources and can be found on the Professional Practice Webpage located on My.SIOP: http://my.siop.org/ProfessionalPractice
Be sure to check out the videos if you would like to hear more about the following:
- Early Career Practitioner Consortium
- Newsletter
- Salary Survey
- SIOP/SHRM White papers
- Career Paths Webpage
- “The Bridge: Connecting Science and Practice” TIP Column
- Mentor Program
Early Career Practitioner Consortium (ECPC): Due to the hard work of Vince Conte and Ashley Guidroz, the inaugural 2017 ECPC was a resounding success! All 40 slots were filled and the attendees spent the day with an impressive roster of seasoned I-O practitioners from various work settings and areas of specialization. The all-day session included a self-assessment using the newly minted SIOP competencies, as well as a personal profile from the Hogan Personality Inventory. In addition, participants learned about trends in
I-O careers, networked with each other and received mentoring from our panel of I-O practitioners.
New for 2018, the ECPC will expand enrollment and provide more tailored mentoring and break-out sessions to better meet the diversity of work experiences and career goals (e.g. Consulting, Government, Corporate Research, Individual Practitioner). The EPCP will provide three career development experiences in a one-day program on the Wednesday prior to the annual 2018 SIOP Conference:
- I-O professionals sharing their research and personal experience related to the most prevalent and emerging career trajectories for practitioners with I-O training
- A self-assessment of participant competencies (hard and soft skills) that match the requirements of these career options
- Ongoing mentoring from practitioners who represent a diverse group of I-O professionals now engaged in both current and cutting-edge practice.
Who should attend? Any I-O practitioner with up to 5 years of postdegree (PhD or terminal master’s) work who is interested in learning more about their potential and future in an I-O career. Check http://0-www-siop-org.library.alliant.edu/Conferences/18con/Regbk/practitioner_consortium.aspx for details.
Speed Benchmarking and Speed Mentoring: Michael Pate and Jerilyn Hayward are working on an exciting new concept called Speed Benchmarking. Applying the successful speed mentoring program framework to benefit mid-late career internal/external I-Os, the PPC will offer professionals with 10+ years of business experience the opportunity to engage with other SMEs on a variety of topics for two 30-minute speed benchmarking discussions. Specific topic experts will facilitate dialogue between experienced participants rather than “teaching” less knowledgeable colleagues. Topics will include Leadership Development, Big Data, Legal/Ethics, and Engagement (among others). Speed Benchmarking will occur Thursday, April 19, 5:00–6:30 PM, in the Fountainview Room.
For those professionals with less than 10 years of experience, the PPC also will be hosting the speed mentoring event again. Speed Mentoring will occur on Friday, April 20, 5:30-7:00 in the Superior A room. See future communications for more details and sign up opportunities for both events.
The Professional Practice Update: Ben Porr and Meredith Ferro helped launch the update in January 2017 to provide news highlights each quarter that are of particular interest to practitioners. Each issue focuses on updates related to the PPC, SIOP, and the broader I-O field. We received great feedback and plan to continue the quarterly version of the newsletter in 2018, introducing new features as the committee determines items that are of greatest interest to the readers in our practitioner community.
Practitioner Reception: Due to the success of last year’s SIOP reception, we will again be hosting a Professional Practice reception at the 2018 conference. It will be held Thursday evening (4/19) from 6-7:30pm in the Sheraton II and III ballrooms. This event will feature fun activities (e.g., photo booth) and free giveaways (including wine!), and is a great way to develop new and strengthen existing relationships with other SIOP practitioners. Emily Solberg is helping organize an amazing event. Stay tuned for more details!
Summary
A big thank you again to all the committee volunteers. See everyone soon in Chicago!
