The other day, my daughter, who is in grade 11, asked me what I wanted to do for a career when I was her age. And for the life of me I couldn’t remember, but it certainly wasn’t HR. I’m not even sure I knew what HR was when I was sixteen years old, in fact I’m certain I didn’t. So, how did I know that HR was the right career for me? The short answer is, I didn’t. In many ways, HR found me.
If you are wrestling with the next steps in your career and wondering if HR is a good path for you to pursue or continue pursuing then this episode is for you! You will learn eight questions you can ask yourself to help you determine if an HR career is the right path to pursue.
Here is a summary of what we talk about in this episode:
[00:40] - I begin with a story about my parent's business which we lovingly called, 'the store.' It was my first exposure to an operating business, but HR was not my dad's focus in his business and even after years of working there and watching it become a successful way of life for our family, it didn't really reveal any hints that I would find a career like the one I have today.
[04:02] - The first question I would ask myself if I was considering an HR career many moons ago is, 'are you interested in and genuinely curious about people?'
[06:57] - The second question I would ask my younger self is, 'do you enjoy solving complex sometimes messy problems?'
[08:45] - The third question I would ask myself is, 'do you like influencing others and trying to improve people’s lives?'
[11:14] - The next question I would ask is, 'do you need the spotlight or getting a lot of credit for your work?'
[12:55] - The fifth question to consider is, 'do you have tact and can you keep a secret?'
[15:14] - The sixth question I would ask myself is, 'are you comfortable with change and can you be flexible?'
[18:14] - The next question to consider is, 'are you approachable and good at building relationships?'
[20:37] - The eighth and final question I would ask myself is, 'do you have an interest in and appreciation of how businesses and organizations achieve success?'
[23:14] - I close this episode where I started, with the final chapter in my conversations with my Dad about his business and the lasting career lesson he taught me.
If you listen to this episode and don't say yes to many of the questions, take some time to consider what interests you about an HR career. You may discover that it is not the right path for you and that is ok! The best advice I can give you is to follow a road of passion and interest wherever it may take you. It is never too late to pivot and chart a new course. I have done it many, many time.
Here is a helpful link from this episode:
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