Effective HR Software Management: Strengthen Connections, Build Credibility, and Navigate Change

Written by Rachelle Anne C. Hablado

Thank you Pubmat by Alliah Jade D. Vergara

“Track your Connections: Establish your Credibility and Learn to Manage HR Software System”, the third and final chapter of this year’s PROGRESS: Chapter Webinars, was held on March 24, 2023, via MS Teams and FB Live, with the objective of instructing every student how HR software is used efficiently in various business organizations as well as showing the key factors in setting up a LinkedIN profile. The webinar was divided into two sessions: morning and afternoon. Each had its very own speaker who separately discussed the topics of LinkedIn Profile and HR Software. Moreover, this event was open to all HROM students, students from other courses and outside PLM to reach a greater audience since these topics will surely be valuable in the corporate world. PROGRESS 3 - 𝙏𝙍𝘼𝘾𝙆 𝙔𝙊𝙐𝙍 𝘾𝙊𝙉𝙉𝙀𝘾𝙏𝙄𝙊𝙉𝙎 will be the last and officially conclude the series webinar.

The morning session started at exactly

10:00 AM, led by the lively moderators, Cieanne Karla Espino (Committee Officer for Fellowship, Wellness, and Sports) and Eunice Guevarra (Committee Officer for Research and Publication), who enthusiastically chatted with the participants to encourage active engagement. They then utilized the opportunity to thank the sponsors and partners for making the event a reality. The program formally started with an opening prayer conducted by Apple Villaespen (Assistant Secretary and Director for Corporate and Social Responsibility), followed by the singing of the Philippine National Anthem. To shake up the energies of the participants, the 1st Icebreaker was facilitated by Janna De Leon (Committee Officer for Fellowship, Wellness, and Sports). The rules of this game were simple: in each round, participants will be given three sets of words and must find connections and commonalities between them. The majority of the participants appeared to be deeply invested in the game and eager to win prizes. At the end of the game's three rounds, four victors were announced, chosen from both MS Teams and FB Live viewers.

Raven Salonga, the JPMAP-PLM’s Chairperson for National Convention and one of the event’s organizers, then delivered his inaugural words in which he welcomed everyone with utmost gratitude. He expressed his sincerest appreciation to the speakers, Mr. Lipardo and Mr. De Guia, for helping to enhance the audience's knowledge of HR Software and LinkedIn Profile. He stated, “May this webinar impart you with knowledge that you can use later on, as you all pursue the field of Human Resource Management and Operations Management…”. He expects that this webinar will assist participants to become more knowledgeable as it will be entertaining and full of experience.

It was a great pleasure for the JPMAP-PLM Chapter to invite Mr. Rheyan “Wayne” Lipardo as one of their guest speakers. His talk proper circulates from the following topics: (1) How to start up your LinkedIn Profile, (2) Building Personal Branding in LinkedIn Profile, and (3) As future managers, how can LinkedIn Profile be maximized. He noted that in order to be a successful professional on LinkedIn, 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗯𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗮 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗲𝗱𝗜𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆. The first step is, of course, to sign up, which may be done through smartphone or computer. The second step is to create a well-written profile. He emphasized that one of the most common mistakes made by newbies is that they do not create it in an appropriate manner. He explained that proper syntax, spelling, font size, and so on are required to make it appear more professional. The third step is to upload a decent or professional-looking profile. He added that one of the most typical mistakes made by first-time LinkedIn users is to select anime or non-professional-looking photographs, such as selfies with filters, which are utterly improper for the platform. He reminded everyone to avoid using images that do not appear corporate and instead use formal ones, such as graduation pictures. The final step is to start building connections. He stated that having a large network equates to having more potential and immediate candidates.

Mr. Lipardo provided simple and straightforward methods for enhancing personal branding on LinkedIn. Number one on the list is to once again upload a decent or professional-looking photo since he noted that stalking is one of today's recruiters' skill sets. Then, upload a background cover photo. Finally, ask for recommendations from your colleagues. Furthermore, he also introduced other ways to boost personal branding. This involves creating helpful content through sharing inspirational quotations or articles relating to your job and becoming one of LinkedIn's top 100 influential Filipino professionals. Additionally, he discussed how to maximize LinkedIn profiles. He claimed that one must learn new skills. Students require access to thousands of expert-led courses on business, technology, and creative themes in order to gain in-demand skills. Then, post your job hiring. Followed by creating an official company page. Eventually, find and message talents. Mr. Lipardo concluded his presentation by answering questions from the audience during the Q and A session.

Before the webinar proper, registered participants were asked to participate in the asynchronous promotional activities posted on the Facebook page of JPMAP-PLM Chapter. The first activity entitled “Recruit who?”, required the participants to assess and evaluate who among the three candidates qualifies as a new hire. On the other hand, the second activity “Manager: Are You Free?”, made the participants type their responses on whether they would assist their manager considering the time constraints. The winners were announced during the webinar, with a total of six winners - three for each activity. The victors appear to be anticipating the prizes provided by the sponsors.

The afternoon session began at exactly 1:00 PM, shortly after the brief lunch break. Vince Mortos (Auditor and Director for Fellowship, Wellness, and Sports) facilitated the 2nd Icebreaker to enable participants in transitioning into the ideal headspace for what lies ahead and re-focus during the learning experience. This game's mechanics are as follows: the facilitator will first display a phrase with missing letters, which is one of the top HR Software Features. The participants will attempt to guess the HR Software Feature displayed on the screen by the moderator. The attendees' competitiveness was on full display throughout this time, as they all wanted to win. In the end, five victors were announced, chosen from both MS Teams and FB Live viewers.

The JPMAP-PLM Chapter was pleased to welcome another competent guest speaker. Mr. Romel De Guia discussed topics that focus on (1) Defining HR Software, (2) Identifying the best HR Software for small businesses, and (3) How does HR Software manage different HR Facets within a workplace. He began his lecture by emphasizing the benefits that technology brings to Human Resource Management. Mr. De Guia mentioned that business-savvy entrepreneurs have recognized the value of Information Technology (IT) tools in meeting corporate objectives; And that technology is critical now to assisting us in running an efficient and effective human resource function. He defines HR Software as 𝗮 𝗱𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘇𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗮𝘀𝗸𝘀 and overall HR goals of an organization. He also recognized the various HR Software for MSME, including HRIS, HRMS, HCM, EDMS, ATS, and HRPS.

He provided advice on how to select the best HR software. To begin, a strategy for evaluating HR tools must be developed. This is accomplished by describing the organization's major workforce challenges, needs, and goals. The second step is to assemble a cross-disciplinary buying team that will help evaluate the shortlisted tools. Lastly, to identify the requirement and prioritize what is crucial to the organization in HR software: functionality, features, price, and so on. He presented the top HR Software Systems in the Philippines, which are (1) peopleHum, (2) Sprout, and (3) GreatDay HR. He demonstrated the benefits of HR Software Systems, which include reduced admin tasks, improved compliance, cost reduction, and secured data. The expansion of HR capabilities remains a significant focus of growth for businesses. Salary negotiations, conflict mediation, and strategy-setting are perennial areas of concern to HR professionals. Mr. De Guia ended his presentation by answering audience questions during the Q&A session.

To put an even bigger smile on the faces of the participants, a raffle draw was conducted. Despite not many people winning the raffle since they were not present when their names were announced, it is clear that those who won loved their prizes. The program ended with closing remarks from the JPMAP-PLM’s Chairperson for Events and Membership, and one of the event’s organizers, Danica Esteban. She took the opportunity to convey her heartfelt gratitude to everyone who attended and helped make the event a success. She thanked the eminent speakers, Mr. Lipardo and Mr. De Guia, for sharing their knowledge and expertise in their respective disciplines. She is also extremely grateful for the JPMAP executive officers', chairpersons', and committee officers' support and direction. She also extended her heartfelt thanks to the sponsors and partners for this webinar. “We genuinely hope that you enjoy this webinar as much as we did in achieving its purpose, particularly in strengthening our abilities in making collections, forge our sense of professional identity and maximizing the use of modern HR practices to our fullest potential as aspiring managers..”, she added. She aspires that this webinar will leave attendees feeling inspired and encouraged as they advance in their careers.

The chapter webinars were indeed a huge success. The organization believes that the participants learned a lot about optimizing the use of LinkedIn profiles by providing unique professional skills and personal branding reputation to connect with other people, as well as managing information, processes, and ensuring the efficiency of HR Software Systems by tracking various aspects within the organization. We hope that the knowledge gained by participants in the PROGRESS: Chapter Webinars will be remembered and put to good use. As these are merely the beginning of our never-ending learnings as we embark on our future pursuits. We anticipate that these individuals will absorb the new information and continue to challenge themselves to hone their knowledge and skills, as it will undoubtedly benefit them in the years to come.

𝙎𝙥𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙤𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙮:

Sentinote.ph (Major Sponsor)

RED Images (Major Sponsor)

BigBrew España - Trabajo Market (Major Sponsor)

Crypto4chun (Major Sponsor)

Amasing Beauty Salon (Minor Sponsor)

Cozy'Zola (Minor Sponsor)

𝘾𝙤-𝙋𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙮:

PLM DOST Scholars' Association

PLM Chemical Society

PLM Tourism Students' Society

JPMAP - MMSU Chapter