Ask any high school student what their dream job is, 而且听到“HR professional”的可能性非常小, unless you asked Elaina Bicego.
Like most of her peers, Bicego wasn’t sure what she wanted to do after high school, until one day, her mother recommended she visit Oakland University’s Adult Career Counseling Center. She took several personality and skill assessments, which suggested human resources as a potential career. The following year, Bicego took a personal finance class in which students run a mock business; coincidentally, she was assigned to the HR department, which essentially sealed the deal for her.
“I … absolutely loved it,” she said of the experience. “Once I learned more about what HR entailed, 我很兴奋能找到一条以人为本、涉及多种职能的职业道路.”
当比戈开始申请大学的时候，选择很容易. 这位沃伦人已经很熟悉公开大学的校园了，这在很大程度上要归功于她的妈妈, 也是一名自豪的公开大学校友，但被学校的人力资源开发(HRD)项目吸引, 与其他学校相比，离家近，负担得起.
“它是密歇根州仅有的拥有人力资源开发项目的学校之一，也是最容易进入的学校之一,” Bicego recalled. “We didn’t have a lot of money growing up, so the fact that I could apply to OU for free, 是否有资格获得多项学术奖学金和助学金, and there were no extra fees such as parking, really made the school accessible.”
During Bicego’s freshman year at OU, 她被聘为会计处的学生助理和会计实习生, an experience she called “invaluable.” By the time she left the position three years later, 她已经有机会将她在人力资源开发课程中学到的很多东西付诸实践, which she largely credits to her then-manager, Judy Dorchock.
“(她)允许我自由地为其他学生助理实施新的流程和培训,” Bicego said. “这是我第一次有机会运用我在人力资源开发项目中学到的东西.”
By the summer of 2018, 比戈在哈曼国际获得了她的第一份实习工作，作为一名学习和发展实习生, 曾被选为澳门公开大学人力资源开发学生协会和荣誉协会的财务主管, having previously served as a member since 2016.
For Bicego, 她从公开大学的教授那里得到的支持对她追求实习和工作机会都很有帮助. 2019年2月，就在毕业前几个月，她得到了J.G. Kern Enterprises, a local automotive supplier. Under the encouragement of Professor Dennis Wade, she took the job, 最终成为公司的全职人力资源职位.
“Typically, 人力资源专业的学生没有机会踏进高质量的大门, 所以我记得我的教授丹尼斯·韦德鼓励我参加，看看我是否喜欢它,” she said. “事实证明，在工厂车间工作是一次了不起的经历，为我打开了另一扇门.”
比戈于2019年毕业，获得人力资源开发理学学士学位, with minors in training and development, and Lean leadership, as well as a Lean green belt certification. Lean learning, one of the core concepts explored in OU’s HRD program, employs tools, 技术和管理理念，以帮助简化流程和优化性能，同时消除浪费.
当2020年COVID-19大流行影响美国时, 公司的首席财务官找到了比戈，希望他担任新设立的人力资源职位, based on her educational background.
“This company had never had HR before,” she recalled. “我从零开始帮助建立了这个部门，一年后就被提升为经理.”
因为比戈独自建立了这个部门, 她决定通过加入。来扩大她的资源网络 奥克兰和马科姆县人力资源管理协会 (OakMac SHRM). 她于2021年加入董事会，担任节目总监，现在担任当选总统. 她在奥克麦克人力资源管理公司的工作不仅帮助她迅速启动了科恩的人力资源部门, 但也“让(她)接触到一个拥有丰富知识的惊人网络”，这最终让她获得了现在的职位.
Bicego目前担任LightGuide, Inc .的助理副总裁.这是一家位于Wixom的增强现实(AR)工作指导软件公司. In her role, she supports a team of 75 full-time employees, co-ops, interns and contractors in the United States, as well as a small team based in Europe. Her responsibilities include all functions of HR, such as recruitment, policy creation, compensation and benefits, wellness, employee engagement and culture. As a result of her hard work, 在去年的密歇根州人力资源管理协会(MISHRM)会议上，她被提名为最佳人力资源专家.
While her days at OU may be behind her, 比戈把她在职业上的成功很大程度上归功于人力资源开发部的教授们——尤其是乔伊斯·卡托纳, 感谢他“培养了(她)对学习和发展的热爱”，感谢丹尼斯·韦德支持她在克恩担任这个职位，也感谢她在金灰熊队期间在校园里获得的实践经验和机会.
“Within the first five years of my professional career, I’ve gotten to try all three of my career path options,” Bicego said. “所有这些经历和机会之所以成为可能，都是因为这里的教育水平高, 我在公开大学期间得到的职业指导和鼓励.”
欲了解更多有关OU人力资源开发项目的信息，请访问 chinaqinyu.com/orgleadership.
March 3, 2023
By Trevor Tyle
