To be eligible for general membership, individuals must meet one of the following criteria:
- Be an individual who meets a criterion for Professional membership but does not hold membership in the SHRM;
- Be actively engaged in human resources in a nonexempt position as defined by the Fair Labor Standards Act classification;
- Be an individual whose current employment status does not meet membership criteria, but whose education, employment or other background in human resources would merit special consideration by the Board provided that primary job responsibilities do not involve soliciting the members (i.e., product customer service representatives, or sales representatives for human resources products). or
- Individuals in nonexempt human resource management positions as well as those who do not meet any of the foregoing categories, but have a bona fide interest in human resource management.