Does your name have an apostrophe ( ’ ) or hyphen ( - )?

If your name includes an apostrophe (for example, O'Brien or O'Hara) or hyphen (for example, Smith-Jones), be sure to include that punctuation when you log in. There should be no spaces before or after the punctuation.

Does your browser accept cookies?

When you log in, a cookie is placed on your computer's hard drive. A cookie is a small text file that identifies you whenever you visit SHRM Online. This cookie lets you access member-only content areas without logging in each time you visit a new member-protected area.

By default, web browsers accept cookies. However, you or another user (or perhaps your IT department) may have set your browser to reject them.

If you are unsure how to check your cookie setting, please follow the instructions listed below for your browser type and version or contact your IT department for additional assistance:

• Internet Explorer 5.x:
  1. Go to "Tools" and in the pulldown menu click on "Internet Options"
  2. Click on the "Security" tab and then click on the button "Custom Level"
  3. Scroll through the Security Settings menu and look for "Cookies"
  4. Once "cookies" has been located, please check to make sure they have been "enabled"

• Internet Explorer 6.x:
  1. Go to "Tools" and in the pulldown menu click on "Internet Options"
  2. Click on the "Privacy" tab

• Netscape Navigator 7.x:
  1. Go to "Edit" and in the pulldown menu click on "Preferences"
  2. Double-Click on the "Privacy & Security" option
  3. Double-Click on "Cookies"

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Is your web browser compatible with javascript?

The login and navigation requires your browser to be compatible with javascript. By default, web browsers are set to work with javascript. However, on some browsers, you can disable javascript. Some examples are provided below to illustrate how you can check to see if javascript has been disabled. You can also ask your IT department, if you need assistance.

• Internet Explorer 5.x or 6x:
  1. From the browser's Tools menu select "Internet Options"
  2. Select the "Security" tab
  3. Pick the "Internet zone" icon
  4. Push the "Custom Level" button
  5. Scroll down the Settings list to the Scripting item (You may need to double-click on icons to expand lists
  6. Under the "Active scripting" item, choose the Enable radio button
  7. Push OK and Yes to confirm and close the Security Settings dialog box, then OK again to close the Internet Options dialog box
  8. Refresh the current page

• Netscape 6.x:
  1. From the browser's Edit menu select "Preferences"
  2. Within the Category pick list, select the word "Advanced"
  3. Check the box labeled Enable JavaScript for Navigator and push the OK button to close the Preferences dialog box
  4. Reload the current page

• Netscape 7.x:
  1. From the browser's Edit menu select "Preferences"
  2. Within the Category pick list, expand the Advanced item by clicking on the triangle twisty
  3. Next, select the subitem labled Scripts & Plugins
  4. Within the Scripts & Plugins window, check "Navigator" under the Enable JavaScript for grouping. In the Allow Scripts to pane, make sure items regarding cookies are checked
  5. Push the OK button to close the Preferences dialog box
  6. Reload the current page

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Have you recently cleared your cache?

Cache files are like invisible carbon copies of web pages you've visited, stored on your hard drive. When you revisit a page, your browser may try to speed up your online time by looking at the cached version of the page on your computer, instead of checking back with the remote server. This may explain why you can't log in -- your browser really isn't sending the information to our server. Also, as caches become full, some browsers may not operate as efficiently. Clearing your cache will not affect your bookmarks or registered services. To clear your cache, follow these steps or contact your IT department for further assistance:

• Internet Explorer 5.x and 6.x:
  1. Go to the Tools pulldown menu, and select "Internet Options"
  2. In the General tab you will see "Temporary Internet Files"
  3. Select the Delete Files option. Select OK.

• Netscape 6.x:
  1. From the Edit menu, choose "Preferences"
  2. Click on the triangle to the left of "Advanced" so that it points down
  3. Select Cache in the Advanced list
  4. Click the Clear Memory Cache button
  5. Click the Clear Disk Cache button
  6. Click the OK button

• Netscape 7.x:
  1. From the Edit menu, choose "Preferences"
  2. Click the plus sign next to "Advanced" so that its contents are shown
  3. Click the Cache item
  4. Click the Clear Disk Cache button
  5. Click the OK button

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None of these suggestions help. What should you do?

If you need additional technical support, please contact our Webhelp Desk by using our Technical Assistance Form. Or you can call 1-800-283-7476.

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LOCATING INFORMATION

SHRM Online has over 15,000 documents related to the Human Resource field. There are two main ways you can locate the information you want - by browsing or by searching.

Browsing
The navigation bar on the left side of the screen is a useful tool for browsing and identifying areas of the web site that might be relevant to you. The navigation bar includes the major sections of SHRM Online. By placing your mouse cursor over an item on the navigation bar, you can click on that section and be taken to the main page for that section. If there are sub-items within a section, these will pop-up as you place your mouse over the navigation bar. A small arrow on the second level pop-out menu indicates that there is a third level.

There are two other tools that can help you locate popular content areas. A Site Map provides a detailed outline of the site's navigation. One quick way to locate a specific item on the website is to go to the Site Map and press the Ctrl and F keys on your keyboard to bring up a Find box. You then can type in the specific item you're looking for on the Site Map to locate it quickly on the page. Also, on the Site Map page, you'll find a link to an A-Z Find It Directory, which lists popular content alphabetically.

Searching

SHRM Online’s search is powered by Google’s Search Appliance.

You have three options for conducting a search on SHRM Online.

You can conduct a basic search by typing a few descriptive words in the search box located in the left-hand navigation bar on each SHRM Online page or at the top of each search results page.

You can limit your keyword search to documents located within a section of SHRM Online by selecting a section from the drop down box called “All Documents” that appears under the basic search box in the left-hand navigation bar or at the bottom of each search results page.

Last, you can use the Advanced Search to further refine your search.

Choosing Keywords

For best results, it's important to choose your keywords wisely. Make keywords as specific as possible. If you're looking for information specifically on 401(k)s, enter "401(k)" rather than a broader term such as "retirement plans." Use words that reflect terminology used in the HR field.

Automatic "and" Queries

By default, Google only returns pages that include all of your search terms. There is no need to include "and" between terms. Since Google only returns web pages that contain all the words in your query, refining or narrowing your search is as simple as adding more words to the search terms you have already entered. Your new query will return a smaller subset of the pages found for your original "too-broad" query. Keep in mind that the order in which the terms are typed will affect the search results. To restrict a search further, just include more terms.

Automatic Exclusion of Common Words

Google ignores common words and characters such as "where" and "how" and certain single digits and single letters, because they tend to slow down your search without improving the results. Google will indicate if a common word has been excluded by displaying details on the results page below the search box.

If a common word is essential to getting the results you want, you can include it by putting a "+" sign in front of it. (Be sure to include a space before the "+" sign.) Another method for doing this is conducting a phrase search, which means putting quotation marks around two or more words. Common words in a phrase search (e.g., "where are you") are then included in the search.

Capitalization

Google searches are NOT case sensitive. All letters, regardless of how you type them, will be understood as lower case. For example, searches for "board of directors," "Board of Directors," and "bOaRd of dIrEcToRs" will all return the same results.

Word Variations (Stemming)

To provide the most accurate results, Google does not use "stemming" or support "wildcard" searches. In other words, Google searches for exactly the words that you enter in the search box. Searching for "book" or "book*" will not yield "books" or "bookstore". If in doubt, try both forms: "book" and "books," for instance.

Spelling

If Google’s spell checker detects a possible spelling error in your search query, a spelling suggestion will be returned with the search results.

Synonyms

Synomyms (i.e., words that have the same or similar meaning) are displayed as “You could also try” on the search results page. For example, if you search for “FLSA,” your search results page will include the notation “You could also try: Fair Labor Standards Act.”

Advanced Search

A link to the Advanced Search page is available on the left-hand navigation just below the basic search box and toward the bottom of search results pages.

The additional search options provided on the Advanced Search page allow you to narrow your search. For example, you can restrict your search to documents that include an exact phrase, or to documents in which your search words appear in the title of the page.

The Advanced Search page also includes a feature called “Page-Specific Search.” You can use this feature to find pages that link to a specific page. This option can be helpful to locate documents related to a page of interest. For example, to locate all pages on SHRM Online that link to the HR News home page, you can enter www.shrm.org/hrnews into the Page-Specific Search box.

Sorting Search Results

The most relevant documents retrieved in a search are displayed first. You can also choose to display your search results by date, with the most recent documents first. This sorting option is available on each search results page, as well as on the Advanced Search page.