| Many HR professionals are stuck in the old-school | | | | maze. Or a spider-web. It's full of moves that go |
| mindset that HR career success comes from following | | | | sideways, forward, slide on the diagonal, even go |
| some kind of rigid, carefully laid-out career plan. Some | | | | backward. |
| companies have even taken years to develop | | | | The sheer churn and pace of change within |
| carefully constructed "HR career paths" or "HR career | | | | businesses resulting from economic downturns, |
| ladders" for their HR folks. | | | | globalization, and increased competition creates so |
| This is all a bunch of bunk. And this is the biggest | | | | much ambiguity these days that you cannot manage |
| career mistake just about every HR professional | | | | your career with a set-out plan. No one can predict |
| makes. | | | | what type of businesses and career opportunities will |
| That approach may have worked in the past, but it | | | | be available in 5 years' time and so trying to plan your |
| won't in today's workplace. | | | | career like you did in the old days is futile. |
| Talk to any successful Human Resources leader with | | | | Here's one thing you should do to avoid this mistake: |
| 10-15 years of experience who is happy and satisfied | | | | Be open and flexible. Instead of being guided by some |
| with their HR career so far - including yourself. Ask | | | | rigid career plan develop an internal 'compass' to guide |
| them where they saw themselves at the beginning of | | | | your career decisions and then build in some flexibility |
| their careers and a large number of them will tell you it | | | | so that you can take advantage of HR opportunities |
| was not necessarily what they are doing today. And it | | | | that pop up. Rather than say "My next move will be to |
| didn't happen from following some career plan they put | | | | a plant HR generalist role in Chicago" then I'll move into |
| in concrete. | | | | a "staffing manager role", when there's no guarantee |
| The truth is there is no ONE established career | | | | that these roles will be open or if if it will even exists |
| pathway to the top of the HR summit. You can get | | | | when you're ready to take it. |
| started anywhere in Human Resources. You can have | | | | Instead, make career decisions based on how it will |
| an masters degree in IR from Illinois. Or an MBA from | | | | increase your personal portfolio of HR skills and |
| Harvard. Or an associates degree from a local | | | | strengths...and the extent that it will give you a unique |
| community college. Or, like a boss of mine, start your | | | | story or experience that differentiates you from rest |
| career as a marketing analyst and find your way into | | | | of the HR pack. The point here is to make decisions |
| HR. It doesn't matter how or where you put your foot | | | | driven by what you can do to make yourself more |
| on the HR career path. But it does matter how you | | | | marketable, instead of trying to follow some overly |
| take the next steps, and then the next. | | | | structured career ladder that makes no sense in the |
| So planning some structured career path isn't the way | | | | ambiguous, ever-changing world around us. |
| HR careers work anymore. Linearity is out. The human | | | | This is one of many career strategies you should take |
| resources career is now a checkerboard. Or even a | | | | to recession-proof your HR career during tough times. |