What is your current role and how long have you held that position?
HR Manager at the CQI. I’ve been in the role for just over a year now.
How did you get into HR?
I studied economics at university and went straight into a graduate management development programme that specialised in operations management in the private sector. Instead of taking a role as an operations manager I opted to learn more about HR and took a role recruiting new graduates into the programme I’d just completed. I decided that I wanted to learn more about the breadth of HR and so I took a generalist HR Assistant role where I also studied for my CPP at night school. This gave me a good HR grounding which I’ve built on since with 2 other HR roles, one overseas in New Zealand and the other back in the UK with the civil service. Now, 7 years after finishing my degree, I’m enjoying my first role as an HR Manager and studying part time for my PgDip HRM to gain my full CIPD chartered member status.
I’ve done a lot of work in organisational development. That is the key area of responsibility for me in my current role. It’s mainly about improving the way people work and how they are managed and helping make links between what people do every day and what the business is trying to achieve as part of its core strategy. This is really interesting work and has great scope for engaging people in their work and ultimately making the workplace a better place to be.
Did you know anything about HR beforehand?
I learnt about HR through my operations management training, as there were HR issues to manage, such as disciplinaries, absence management, employment law etc. I enjoyed learning about that but didn’t feel operations was quite right for me. That’s what made me decide to learn more about HR.
Did you make the choice to enter into HR or did it happen more by chance?
I approached my employer while on the graduate programme and asked if I could change the normal course from going into operations management and instead try graduate recruitment. It’s important to me to take charge of my own career, rather than drift into things, as my career’s always been something I wanted to enjoy and get something out of. You can be lucky with unplanned events but I don’t like leaving everything to chance!
Describe one or two of the key highlights of your career in HR
Working in New Zealand was an excellent experience during 2007. I worked recruiting people from The Philippines to move and work in New Zealand and so it was a truly international experience and one that taught me a lot about how to get people to understand each other’s cultural differences, appreciate them and work together.
Another key highlight has been working as an HR Manager while completing my PgDip HRM. Although it can be hard work at times, I’ve found the two to be very complementary and it’s great to put the theory straight into practice in the workplace.
Do you think the role and value of HR is growing, and how?
I think HR is an exciting career, particularly at the moment. So often, big media stories, such as the government spending cuts and economic recession come back to HR as challenges to work with and resolve in the workplace. It’s no longer a policing career of form filling and keeping records, but it now has enormous scope for supporting the business achieve its objectives and engaging the workforce in the same goals. There are many ways to work to achieve that aim and that’s what I really enjoy about HR; finding the best way of doing it for the business you work in. Everywhere has a different culture and what works in one organisation won’t necessarily be successful in the next place. I like to be kept on my toes!
Where has your career taken you in terms of different countries or meeting interesting people?
I’ve been lucky enough to work in New Zealand where I had two trips to The Philippines, which was very interesting. Usually in HR, you have the opportunity to travel, even if it is just locally to other sites of the business. HR works with the entire business and I believe that you can only do that successfully if you have strong working relationships with people. This means that you have the opportunity to get out and about and really get to know your people and what they do in their environment. That’s when you can become a credible HR professional and offer a service that fits the individuals and their working culture.
What would you say to encourage someone to consider a career in HR?
Try and get involved in a generalist HR role as soon as possible, as HR is very varied and you’re likely to have a preference within that scope. You don’t want to get put off by working in a narrow field of HR that you might not enjoy as much as something else. Volunteer for as many extra projects as you can, but always remember, don’t spread yourself too thinly; overpromising and under delivering really undermines all those good intentions.
What are the key qualities and skills you need as a person to succeed in HR?
You need to be a good listener. In HR you’re really problem solving most of the time and that can only happen with success if you truly understand what’s going on from each perspective. It’s also important to enjoy learning. The theory and practice of HR is developing at such a rate and it’s important to keep up with it all so that you can guide your business to the best of your ability.
What are the worst elements and key challenges of being an HR professional?
Sometimes it can get exhausting and you just have to keep going to finish key projects or deal with unexpected issues on top of planned activities that may be underway. At times like that you still must maintain the highest standards, as often the work of HR can be held to account by the law. Still, when you reach the end of a busy period it can be very satisfying to look back a feel that you pushed yourself and did something well.
What are your ambitions for your HR career?
I would ultimately like to work as an interim or self employed HR consultant. I enjoy variety and I think that type of career would suit me, after I’ve spent a few more years building on my experience. In that type of career I’d get to work with a wide variety of organisations in all sectors with different challenges and that really appeals to me.