I love getting questions about what it’s like getting a job in HR. Today I’m giving C a hand with her questions (answering a little late, but better than never!).

As a generalist, what exactly is your job like? What kind of projects do you work on, etc?

Every day is fairly different in my role, though a generalist at a larger company might not be able to say that. For instance, in recent weeks I’ve worked on collecting and analyzing company-wide performance reviews, drafted open enrollment communications describing our changes to benefits and premiums, worked with one of our admins to develop an activity for our executive retreat, and worked with our managers to develop goals for their employees for the coming year. In the coming weeks I’m working to create our affirmative action plan, develop job descriptions for our employees, and evaluate a new benefits vendor. It truly is a little bit of everything!

The thing that intrigues me most about HR is the potential to help people and help turn the work environment and experience in general into something more enjoyable for and considerate of today’s workers. After seeing how HR seems to be transforming due to web-workers and companies like Zappos, it almost seems like HR is the frontline for effecting change in labor relations. 

How much of this is actually true? How much of your job (or any HR position for that matter) actually deals with actual employees or things that directly affect them and in what ways? How much influence do you have on your employees and their work environment as an HR person? 

Great question! Just like Zappos, we do a lot of culture building and sharing, and it’s really helped us to develop a strong, unified workforce. One of the barriers is the level of respect that HR gets in the business, though. In previous employers HR was expected to be a quiet, back corner admin function. And that’s all it was. At my current employer the HR function is involved in planning and strategy meetings at all levels.

In my job, I deal with employees on a daily basis. However, that’s not the norm. As a small company I have the opportunity to have a high-touch relationship with our employees. That means they get more individual value out of me, but it also means that it doesn’t scale. In other words, as we add employees, we’ll have to add more to the HR team or reduce the hands on interaction.

I have a bachelor’s in business administration and most of my experience is in customer service, product support, and some IT roles (about 8 years of customer service experience). In your opinion, how are these skills relevant to the career?

The degree is a good one. It might not give you the deep background an HR degree would, but it does give you better awareness of the other business functions and how HR ties into those.

I would say that customer service experience translates well to an entry t0 mid level HR role. The higher you go the less interaction you have with people directly, but at those lower levels you do more face-to-face interaction with managers and staff. One of the interesting things about the HR profession is that we have people from every conceivable type of background.

If you are working in a company that specializes in IT services, to use your example, being an HR person there would mean you understand what the employees’ jobs are like and how you can best help them to be successful. At my current employer, I had very little experience in the industry, but I obviously like writing, so I was given the Communications hat as well as the HR/recruiting one. It’s a great way they have decided to utilize my skills and interests to make the organization better.

Working off of the last question, should I be focused on completing a certification asap? If so, how should I prepare for the exam considering I don’t have experience in HR?

In order to get certified (PHR/SPHR), you now have to have several years of exempt level HR experience to take the exam. It’s not a huge bump up in terms of marketability as a candidate, even if you could get it, since you don’t really have experience. I’d focus instead on using your general business education to increase the value of the HR function.

I am in the process of starting a family. I have read salary surveys and such but what is the income potential really like in HR?

Honestly, it’s different everywhere. Here in Huntsville (which is one tiny market among thousands in the US and worldwide) an HR assistant can make from $20-30k, HR generalists 30-70k, HR directors/managers from 50-100k+, depending on experience level and industry. It varies wildly and depends on the value you are bringing the business.

A good company will look at how you are increasing their profitability or reducing costs and work hard to compensate you accordingly. Someone who files papers 8 hours a day is going to be less valuable than someone developing and rolling out a new pay for performance compensation strategy.

Are there any resources out there about LGBT representation within the career? I looked around but was pretty unsuccessful in finding anything substantial.

I am actually good friends with a few individuals who fall into that category. I am not sure if they are comfortable with me shouting it from this platform, but they certainly do exist. I would say HR people in general are more tolerant of other beliefs (we see too many not to be!). If you want more information on this specifically I can put you in touch with one of them since I have no personal experience with this issue.

And there you have it, C! I hope that helps and that you are still interested after that exposure. Good luck!
If anyone else has questions they’d like to ask, feel free to email me at ben@upstarthr.com. Thanks!

Getting a job in HR (Q&A) is a post from: UpstartHR

You may also enjoy...

• Helping an HR Student
• How to Get Into HR (HRYP Series)
• Video: How to Move up in HR

Recently I got an email from someone looking for some information on early HR career type stuff. Thought it might be interesting for someone else out there as well.

Hello

My name is Jay, I’m a french economics student, I’m in second year in college.

I have a project to write about the job I want to do later in my life, and that’s working in human resources. I must ask questions to someone working in the sector and I’m wondering if you could answer some of my questions about your job ? By the way, if some of your blog posts answer my questions, please give me the links to them. And feel free to add anything that you find interesting, the more there is, the better Thanks in advance !

What and where did you study ? Did you have work experience during your studies ?
I have a degree in human resources management from Athens State University (a local college). I worked full time while I was in school and took classes at night. The job was not in HR, but I knew that’s where I wanted to be once I graduated.

Why did you chose to study/work in HR ?
I answered this in my post on How to Get Into HR.

How long have you been working in HR ? What was your first job ? Was it easy to find it or were you unemployed for some time ?
I’ve been working in HR for about 20 months now. I just got into my second HR job and it’s better than my previous one by leaps and bounds. My first HR job was as an HR assistant at a local nonprofit organization. I was still working at the same job from college before accepting the nonprofit position. It was difficult to find a job that did not require me to have previous HR experience!

What’s the precise name of your actual job ?
Currently I am an HR Specialist.

What is your job exactly ? What do you do, what does your usual day look like ? Is it hard, stressful ? How are the working hours ?
Although my title says “specialist,” I really am a generalist. I’m eventually going to take over all of the HR function as we continue to grow (currently at 60 employees but probably over a hundred by mid-2011). In any given day I can answer questions about benefits, call job candidates, confront employee relations issues, or provide some training to managers. It’s hard, but it’s also fun/interesting. I could not specialize in one tiny part of the human resources function. I need variety! I work from forty to fifty hours a week.

In the end, do you find this job satisfying, are you happy with your career choice ? Why ?
I’m thrilled with my career choice, and this job is incredibly satisfying. Previously I worked for a large employer, and the issues they faced were incredibly challenging. The problem was compounded by half of the HR department wanting to keep things stable/safe, even though that was what was causing the issues in the first place (avoidance). In my current role, the organization is small, and I can emphasize recruiting for culture fit and other key elements that make it fun/interesting to work here.

Further reading:
More about my current role and how it is fulfilling career-wise. You can find out more in my post on how to get a job in HR.

Helping an HR Student is a post from: UpstartHR

You may also enjoy...

• Getting a job in HR (Q&A)
• How to Get Into HR (HRYP Series)
• Video: How to Move up in HR

How can I get into HR? That question has been asked untold numbers of times, and the answer isn’t always an easy one. And then there’s the sticky issue of trying to figure out what’s next when you finally do get into one of those highly coveted and treasured positions in the the human resources field. Let’s see if we can shed some light on those issues today, ‘kay?

(Note: this is a post in the HRYP (HR Young Professional) series. If you know a young HR pro, please pass this along to them. I’d appreciate it, and so will they!)

How I got into HR

My story isn’t the one that you normally hear. So many people I’ve met and interviewed over the years ended up “falling into” the HR profession through a growing admin role or by taking a slot nobody else wanted. Not me. I’ve always been around “people” problems. My parents own a small business, and I always saw the issues they had with hiring, retaining, and compensating their employees.

I knew there had to be a way to solve those issues, so I planned to get my degree in business management. Well, luckily for me, my favorite professor from my college years (Jim Kerner) assigned me a paper where I had to write about this thing called “human resources management.” In my research, I realized that this was what I’d always been looking for. I couldn’t believe there was actually an entire profession devoted to the issues I wanted to confront, and I decided then and there that HR was the career for me.

Once I graduated, I had to stay at my employer for a year since they helped to pay for my final semester of college. I was itching to find an HR role, and I was worried I’d forget everything I learned in college. So in January of 2009, I took and passed the PHR exam. When my year of indentured servitude was up with my employer (around February 2009), I started combing the career sites out there looking for an entry level HR gig. I found one with a local nonprofit organization, applied, and took on my first role in an HR capacity in April of 2009.

What’s next (HR career path)

I’ve spent a lot of time writing posts and recording videos to address this specific issue of advancing beyond the entry level human resources role. While I haven’t made it too far along myself, I have asked a lot of people for their thoughts and opinions, and you’ll find those below. First, here’s what I have to say on the issue:

• Rules for new HR professionals
• How to move up in HR
• Ways entry level HR pros can be more relevant
• Lessons from one year in my HR career

Thoughts from people who’ve been there, done that, and got the t-shirt

I didn’t choose HR – initially. I was leaving the military and interviewing with a paper manufacturer for a supply management position. After the interviews, the team asked me if I had ever considered Human Resources. At the time, and it was not that long ago, my perception of HR was a very administrative (and boring) department that processed pay actions.

HR was definitely not the field for me. They offered me the opportunity to spend some time with an HR department at one of the paper mills to see it in action. Sure, there was some processing of personnel actions and benefits work being done, but there were also employee relations, labor relations, staff development, recruitment and coaching actions going on. It was a pretty dynamic department.

I took the job and haven’t looked back since. I am the Human Resource Director for a medical center of over 1400 employees and no, this was not my intention from the beginning – I grew into the position starting with the paper manufacturer, moving to an HR Department of 1 (eventually growing to 3!) for a privately held manufacturing company and then to my current position.

Lisa Rosendahl-blog-@lisarosendahl

I always knew I wanted to work in Business Administration but was unfamiliar with HR when I entered college. It wasn’t until my senior year of college that I settled on HR and joined the student chapter of NASHRM. My interested was piqued during a project that involved splitting our HR class into the Union and Management sides and trying to settle a labor dispute.

Once I learned about strikes, laws, and negotiations I was hooked. Only later did I figure out that HR is more than that. I really thought I would be arguing for a living and briefly considered a legal profession but this is where I ended up. I have reached the HR Director level but it was not my goal, nor is it to become a VP. I just want to be able to do my job well. The higher up you go the more stress you entail and I’ve decided I just don’t want that stress. I’d also like to change and focus more on training and development or look into other positions in the company – Operations for example.

Stephanie Walsh-LinkedIn-@salawren

I, like many in my generation, fell into HR by accident. I took a year off between my sophomore and junior years of college to work in a non-profit publishing organization – in the magazine editorial division. I thought my career path was going to be the writing/editing side of the publishing business and thought this entry level “Manuscript Typist” role would be my foot in the door. I fully intended to finish my degree at night and start moving into the publishing world at that time. You can’t believe how boring the job was. I typed handwritten manuscripts (this was 32 years ago: pre-wordprocessing!) so that the editors could edit them. I was part of a pool of women. I was 19, the others were various ages from 23 to 65, all female.

I quickly determined that my plan had several flaws. But I had committed myself to this path and I was going to see it through. But to say the work was boring missed the truth of it by a mile. I’d have all my work finished by 11:00 or so and then I’d go hunting for something to do. I suggested to the supervisor that I be trained so that I could back up others in the department when they went on vacation and we made that happen. So, after about 3 weeks on the job, I essentially started to rotate through every other administrative and entry level professional job in the department. Within 6 months, I could and had done every job – and had done it well – that wasn’t a supervisory job or an editing job. I figured quickly that to go back to college and finish my degree ASAP was perhaps the better plan, and I returned to school in the spring.

Fast forward another year and a half and the “personnel department” of that organization hunted me down to see if I would join them upon my graduation. I had established myself as a hardworking, team oriented producer. And so, without another offer, I accepted. My thought was that by working in personnel I’d learn about organizations and their jobs and be able to decide on my direction. Turned out I really enjoyed the HR work. I headed up a robust summer intern program, backfilled for the recruiters, and generally made myself indispensible.

After almost 3 years I applied for a vacant recruiter position. I was 24. I had basically done the job already. But my manager told me that the hiring managers in the rest of the organization saw me as an administrative employee, not a professional employee, and that if I really wanted to progress in HR I should join another organization in a professional position and then come back once I had established myself. Tough advice. Unfair advice. Totally true advice. So I did. I was gone in 4 months. But I never went back – and I never went back to HR as a practitioner. I went to the consulting world and began a career of running consulting/service businesses in the HR space.

China Gorman-blog-@chinagorman

“Hi, I’m Steve and I’m in HR…” “Hi, Steve!” (slight groan)”

Too often HR people sound like they’re in a 12-step program when they state that they are in Human Resources. That should be discouraging, but I find it to be a great driver!
You see, I’m one of those rarities in HR. I chose to be in HR intentionally and it has been the only field I’ve ever been in! I didn’t fall into it at all. Actually, HR found me.

When I was going to college (the fabulous Ohio University) in the early 80’s, there wasn’t a Human Resources program. In fact, the only class you could take was on Labor Relations. I was struggling trying to fit in as an Engineer and then a Chemist when I first started. One day on break at home I was talking to my parents and they made me see that I had a huge blind spot! My mom said, “Steve, do you notice that you’re always around people? You tend to do things with people all the time and you tend to also gather people together. Is there a major that focuses on people that you could go into?” I ended up in Interpersonal Communications and things took off!

My first gig was for a Fortune 100 company where I was an in-house recruiter for a group of client groups throughout the corporate offices. I loved placing folks in jobs and thought that I was heading down the right path. That’s when the issue of Company Culture smacked me right between the eyes! You see, you’re only allowed to do certain tasks in a large company. Things are very compartmentalized. I wanted to be more of a generalist, but that wasn’t allowed. Also, they wanted me to go into Manufacturing and I wanted nothing to do with that. I was young and naïve, so I left to pursue the world of an HR Generalist with very little experience.

Irony now steps in… My next 10 years of HR were in Manufacturing and they were phenomenal years! I got to practice HR from a grass roots level with people who were VERY human. I realized that I needed to be in a culture where I could affect other’s lives and they could affect mine. I learned the value of practicing HR and being consistent with employees. I spent much more time with the employees than I did with Management or my desk. I was encouraged to do so and I have only benefited from that.

After manufacturing, I entered the world of consulting engineering and architecture as an HR Manager. During this time of my career, I began to develop and realize the power of networking within the greater HR community. I held a “semi-senior” role in the company and they encouraged me to get connected to the industry. At that time I became our local SHRM chapter President, began facilitating our monthly HR Roundtable (which I’ve been at for 12 years now), started developing and giving presentations to State Conferences and local chapters/businesses, joined the State Conference Committee and started the HR Net (an internet message board for HR professionals that goes out to over 5,700 folks worldwide each week). Note from Ben: if you’re interested in the HR Net, leave a comment below and I’ll make sure Steve gets you the free signup info.

I began to realize that I was a businessperson who practiced HR and changed my focus on how HR should be practiced. I began my career with the basics of recruiting, compliance and administration like most HR people. Now I was at a place where I wanted to be a Senior Executive of a company to influence the direction and strategy of HR in order for the business to be successful. I actually grew out of my role at the consulting firm. I never thought that would ever happen in my career.

And now, I’m the Executive Director of HR for a regional pizzeria company that is a Cincinnati tradition. All of the experiences I have gathered along the way have made me a more well-rounded human and I am more excited about being in HR now than when I started.

The great thing about our profession is that is does evolve. As long as there are humans at work, there will always be HR. It won’t look the same as it does even today and that is fantastic! We have a chance to define the future of workplaces, the direction of employee development and leverage the power of Social Media to provide great opportunities for people of any industry.

So… I’m Steve and I LOVE being in HR! It rocks and I wouldn’t trade it for any profession in the world!

Steve Browne-another guest post by Steve-@sbrownehr

Don’t fall into repetitive roles. The whole issue of HR having undefined job titles make it tough, so make sure you’re getting the experiences you want/need instead of reaching for a specific title. Each and every experience helps in the long road upward, so make sure you’re doing things that help you to grow and develop instead of doing the same thing over and over again. Take opportunities to boost your experience level even if it only makes up a small portion of the overall job you’re doing.

Allen Robinson-blog-@logicwriter

How did I end up in Human Resources? Was it a planned career choice? The short answer is no. It does remind me of a story. I was attending a SHRM Leadership Conference a number of years ago. The speaker said that they talked to a lot of kids in school and had yet to hear any child say, “When I grow up, I want to be a compensation and benefits manger for a Fortune 500 Company.”

Now having said that, when I got into HR/Personnel (1990) I do not honestly think there was the professionalism that there is in the field today. Fortunately, I think this is changing. I have had the opportunity to talk to numerous college classes and I am happy to report that I do hear many students say they want to work in Human Resources. That is heartening. It tells me the work has become viewed with a higher degree of professionalism and is revered and respected by some, if not all, CEOs.

While I do hold the title of “director,” this was not necessarily where I was headed some 20 years ago when I got into this work. The company I work for has grown over the years and fortunately I been able to grow with them. I like to think that my growth has contributed to the overall growth of the company.

Young HR pros should immerse themselves in their work, their field and the people that they meet. Do not fear failure. Failure is a natural part of growth and development. Network with as many people as possible, if not for your career; do it as a way to develop your personal and professional network. Important friendships and relationship can be developed and nurtured in many different ways. For example, it might seem unlike that young man who works in HR in Alabama (Note from Ben: he’s talking about me, folks ) could have a friend and HR colleague who is twice his age located 600 miles away in Central Illinois. How do relationships like this occur? It is not by happenstance. An HR pro works hard to meet people, make new friends, and grow their personal network, which in turn will give them a wealth of resources and experience which will be available to them when needed.

Be happy, enjoy and revel in your work. If you can’t or don’t, then do something else. Do something which will provide you happiness and enjoyment.

Dave Ryan-LinkedIn-@davethehrczar

Make sure you are getting free email updates to the blog so you don’t miss a single post in the HRYP series. Click here and I’ll send you an email whenever a new post goes live.

Do you have something to add? How did you start your own career in HR? Maybe you didn’t even start in HR at all, and you eventually found yourself in a role that was? I’d love to hear about your own story of career growth and advancement. If you’re looking for your first role in the HR field, I’d love to hear from you as well on what you need to succeed.

How to Get Into HR (HRYP Series) is a post from: UpstartHR

You may also enjoy...

• How to Find/Make Meaningful Work (HRYP Series)
• How to Establish Credibility (HRYP Series)
• Getting a job in HR (Q&A)

I’ve talked before about meaningful and purposeful work. We all want to know that our work is more than just another hour wasted like a rat in a wheel. But how can we find (or make) meaningful work for ourselves?

(Note: this is a post in the HRYP (HR Young Professional) series. If you know a young HR pro, please pass this along to them. I’d appreciate it, and so will they!)

My Thoughts

I think one of the biggest things that can set you apart as a professional is to have some enthusiasm and passion for what you do. You can know all the legal stuff, be able to coach a manager, and document an investigation flawlessly, but if you don’t have a positive attitude, people won’t want to be around you.

Smile, darn it! Act like you’re glad to be there. You might be surprised to see what happens if you do that often enough. And if you just hate your job and can’t stand it day in and day out, then please (please!) get out. You’re making the rest of us feel horrible too with your lack of friendliness. This topic of passion at work is something I feel… Um, passionate about.

From the top: six people I respect give their thoughts

Be credible, pay your dues with a smile, be willing to do what needs to be done to get the job done, and see beyond the job right in front of you to anticipate what can be done. There is a lot going on in an HR Department and as the manager and supervisor, I can’t be everywhere and can’t oversee everything. I need people working with me who I can count on to get the figure out how to get the job done, to solve problems when they arise and to work nice with others. So a new HR pro think they are just paying their dues – which they are – but there is much more to it than that. I am looking for how the work is being done and looking for performance that I can trust. Once I see that, the less routine, more challenging work will come your way until you cry uncle.

My military experience and education opened the door for me initially however developing solid relationships, being true to my word and always learning have been keys to my continued success. I have been fortunate to work for people who have provided me with the opportunities to learn, to contribute and, of course, to make mistakes. You don’t have to join the Army to be successful in HR, but having an open mind, a willingness to understand issues from another’s perspective and strong critical thinking skills will separate you from the masses.

Lisa Rosendahl-blog-@lisarosendahl

• Find a good mentor or manager at work that will put you on new projects or act as your “agent.”
• Be aggressive in asking for new assignments, positions, projects
• Use every advantage to get in front of people and speak

When I first started out in HR I was a lowly clerk that handled data entry and pushed paper all day. I knew I was destined for more. In less than 9 months I had been promoted to a recruiter. How did this happen? I made it a point to come in early and work a little late, I asked a lot of questions not only about HR work but about the business and products we were producing, and built relationships with the management/employees/and corporate HR employees.
I was lucky to be given a new manager who wanted to mentor me and when I did a good job he put me on tougher assignments. But my co-workers heard and noticed too. And, good or bad, they would suggest me for tasks.

At one point I was told I was going to present a supervisor training class over lunch. It was my first one ever and I was terrified. Not only of the public speaking but because I had no background on the topic- but that’s another story. Needless to say I came off as stiff and boring, and people kept falling asleep during my presentation. Later, at the same company, I received a new manager who pushed me to continue speaking in front of people and gave me good advice – ditch the PowerPoint, use stories, and make it interactive. Not only did it make it more fun for me but it helped my audience remember the information better. Plus, I realized speaking well in front of a group is a powerful thing. People remembered me and came to me for advice and help.

One day I heard that the company was going to open 2 new facilities and I knew that one of the HR managers that I really wanted to work with was going to transfer there. I went to him and said “I want to help you set up the office. You know I’ll do a good job for you.” Strangely it worked. But what surprised me more was that when I told my co-workers I got the transfer they weren’t surprised – they said they all knew it was going to be me, that I was the best fit for that job.

My new manager was fantastic- a good mentor and friend. He pushed me to do supervisor training, get out into the community, get involved, and get to know people. And when an opportunity came up to travel to Maine to help out the facility there, he came to me first and asked me if I’d be interested in going – Knowing I would be. But I also expressed my interest in going to his boss, the HR V.P. I ended up going for almost 2 months. They even offered me an HR Administrator position up there!

Stephanie Walsh-LinkedIn-@salawren

Do not underestimate the power of paying your dues.

Once you’ve established yourself as the dependable, go-to-person for your team, you’ll be given more and more “other duties as assigned” that will enable you to learn more and contribute more. Remember, it’s not about you, it’s about the work of your department and ultimately the success of the organization. Look for ways to do new things that will allow you to contribute more while you’re learning. But always pay attention to your job duties and do them flawlessly, cheerfully and dependably. You may be surprised how quickly your job duties will be redefined to include more impactful activities.

China Gorman-blog-@chinagorman

Its the age old dilemma….I don’t have enough experience to get the job that will give me the experience that I need to get the job. We’ve all been there or are there now. Here are a couple of thoughts:

1. Think about your job in a different way. If you are in a role that you are “paying your dues”, make sure that you fully understand the role and how it fits into your organization. Get above the tasks that you do and think high level questions such as “how does a what I do effect the business of my company” “is it an efficient process” “what are common questions/issues that arise within this role and how can we address those differently”. While you may be “paying your dues”, demonstrating creative thinking to your leadership team and being able to tie ideas or solutions back to improving the business of your company will make you stand out among your peers but will also provide that sense of meaningful work.
2. Make sure that you are learning from your experiences. Some people have several years of experience but it is the same thing over and over. In other words, they have been working for 25 years but it as if they have 1-year of experience, 25-times. Don’t be that guy! Learn from what you are doing—even if it is not your dream job. Understand the good points, the frustrations experienced by the people doing it, how processes work (backwards and forwards) and how it fits into the overall strategy of your organization (I think I’ve said that already…get the point?). Prepare yourself for opportunities now or the opportunities in the future will be limited.

Rusty Brand-LinkedIn-2010 NASHRM Chapter President

Complete tasks quickly that you don’t find meaningful and devote time to projects that give you satisfaction and a feeling of purpose. I get a lot of satisfaction out of a small portion of my work duties, so I try to finish up what I can and spend my remaining time performing work that is meaningful to me and has long-term benefits for my employer.

Allen Robinson-blog-@logicwriter

When it comes to this I have some generational issues here. While the perception may be that the new/younger folks get all of the less desirable work, such may in fact be the case. But if not for the new or younger people who is going to does the grunt work? While it may seem mundane and rudimentary nonetheless all of it is still essential. Were it not, the work would not be done. Completing I-9s may seem like it is not cool, but it is pretty damn important when it is all said and done. If they are not done properly with great deal of attention paid to detail this can expose the employer to a tremendous liability. So while the young HR pro needs to think through the matter and decide if it is really as bad a they think it is.

Now the flip side to this is that if the young HR pro feels that not only are they not being included in the cool stuff, but rather they are being EXCLUDED, i.e. someone is taking a positive action to ensure that they are NOT being given any chance to do any meaningful work; this becomes a different matter. If that is the case I think it is incumbent upon the young HR pro to have a conversation with the superior about the matter, as uncomfortable as that may be.

Somewhat relating Q2 to Q1, if you can’t find meaningful work in your job, maybe you can find it in some other areas outside of work. For example as a volunteer leader in a not-for-profit group, you might well find rewarding and fulfilling work.

Last comment about this matter, whatever you do DON’T GO NEGATIVE. If you turn sour, and start making negative comments to anyone about this, you will have fallen on your sword. There is more than enough negativity in the workplace already – don’t bring more!

Dave Ryan-LinkedIn-@davethehrczar

Make sure you are getting free email updates to the blog so you don’t miss a single post in the HRYP series. Click here and I’ll send you an email whenever a new post goes live.

Do you have something to add? How do you find meaning in your work, and if you can’t do that, how can you create an environment where work can be meaningful and fulfilling? Are people who don’t find meaning in their work doomed to live a sad, sad life?

How to Find/Make Meaningful Work (HRYP Series) is a post from: UpstartHR

You may also enjoy...

• How to Establish Credibility (HRYP Series)
• How to Get Into HR (HRYP Series)
• HRYP Series: What You Need To Know

What the heck is an HRYP?

HRYP stands for “human resources young professional.” Yeah, sounds like a mouthful, so HRYP is the easiest way to say it, ‘kay? HRYP is an initiative kicked off by SHRM’s go-to guy for everything on the “young professional” end of the spectrum–Chuck Salvetti.

I had the pleasure of meeting Chuck at SHRM10, and since then I’ve learned more about what they are doing for young professionals in the HR space. I have to say… I love it. My goal from the very beginning was to serve as a resource for those just getting started in human resources, and this initiative is something that closely aligns with my goals for this blog.

With that in mind, I have built a series that links together the strengths and knowledge of some of my trusted resources in the HR arena and the questions/needs of the HRYP community. I am an active participant in the HRYP group on LinkedIn, and I encourage other young HR pros to join (I’m also a fan of the HRYP Facebook group, but I don’t participate there as much). I have had some interesting discussions with the people there, and I am excited to share some helpful information with non-HRYPs related to those conversations.

Top 3 HRYP Concerns

• Lack of credibility
• Lack of challenging work
• Lack of a definite career path

Below are just a few of the responses I’ve had to the following probing questions directed at the HRYP LinkedIn group:

1. If you could talk with a handful of HR professionals on the Director/VP level, what would you ask/tell them?
2. What is one frustration you have as an HRYP?
3. If there was an ideal outcome to that frustrating issue, what would it be?

Below you’ll find a few responses to those questions by the HRYPs out there. If you’re working near one, you might want to take notes for later (heck, you could even ask them yourself!).

Samantha

1. I would want to ask each of them how they chose HR as a career and what path did he or she take do to become a Director/VP (career and personal)
2. I can only say one?!?!? I think the main frustration that I have now is how HRYP are viewed. Despite how hard we work or show our credibility, I feel that some HR professionals don’t take HRYPs seriously and/or want to keep them at a certain level regardless of performance because “that’s how it’s always been done”. Some times I believer there is some reverse age discrimination going on.
3. An ideal outcome would be for everyone (all HR professionals young and seasoned) to have open minds and work together and share ideas as collegues. Not worrying about how old someone is or what someone should or shouldn’t know.

Pamela

1. I would love to know what they were thinking at my age. More specifically, did they have a ‘plan’ for the direction of their career or were they simply stumbling along and eventually realized where they’d like to go.
2. As a fellow HRYP, my ultimate frustration is exactly what Samantha mentioned. Sometimes it is very difficult to be taken seriously by department co-workers as well as other co-workers. Unfortunately, even though my resume demonstrates my proven abilities over the last 4 years, I am still looked at as a ‘newbie’ in HR. My city is in a smaller market and I am confident that I am the youngest HR Professional in this area. When I attend local SHRM meetings, I feel obligated to stay quiet through the meeting.
3. My ideal outcome would be to allow all members of HR to speak and voice their opinion. There are a few different generations working together in my department. The department should take advantage of each of the strong characteristics of each generation. No one should be made to feel less superior because of something they clearly cannot change.

Jenilee

1. I would love to know what they wish they knew when they were starting out in HR, and what pitfalls they would avoid.
2. As an HRYP, employee relations can be challenging when some employees with long tenures don’t think an HRYP is equipped to deal with the situation.
3. Ideally, in this situation a more senior HR person would partner with the HRYP, while at the same time trying to give as much primary responsibility as possible. If this is not possible, then you just have to do your best and make sure you’re prepared. HOWEVER, at the same time I realize that HR is seen as a very experience-driven field (I think because there are always “firsts” and unpredictable situations). So, I also have to remind myself that it’s ok if I have to wait for some time before ALL employees, junior and senior, are comfortable.

Colleen

1. I would love to ask them how they got started in HR, was it just by chance that they were placed there or did they choose to be in HR.
2. I think one frustration of mine is proving myself to more tenured HR professionals that I can actually do the job. Its hard being so young in this profession because you wind up being an HR assistant for a years before you are promoted into a more junior role.
3. My ideal outcome would be to have a career path laid out for me when I start a job, so I know that I am not going to be stuck in a lower level HR position forever.

Stay tuned for responses to these issues from some of the people I highly respect for their views and opinions. If you are a HRYP and would like to comment on these issues, I’d love to hear your thoughts. If you’re not, but you have an opinion on one of the three overarching issues, I’d love to hear your thoughts!

HRYP Series: What You Need To Know is a post from: UpstartHR

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• Young HR Pros and #SHRM
• How to Get Into HR (HRYP Series)
• How to Find/Make Meaningful Work (HRYP Series)

Check out the short video below to find out more about the lessons I’ve learned after my first year as an HR pro. The transcript is below the video if you’re the reading type and want to skip my Southern accent of awesomeness.

(Subscribers may have to click through)

Things I’ve Learned in the Past Year

1. Despite all the talk, HR is much more transactional than strategic.
2. A lot of people are comfortable with a transactional role. We discussed that at HRev last year, because everyone knows that ALL HR people can’t have strategic roles. Someone still has to do administrative stuff. I’ve kept my eyes open since then and I can definitely tell that some people are just fine with that.
3. Surviving a mostly transactional role (when you prefer something more strategic) is almost as difficult as getting into HR in the first place.
4. Having a mentor (preferably not a direct supervisor) can save you a lot of hard lessons.
5. Building a widespread network is crazy valuable. I couldn’t begin to put a dollar value on the people I interact with the most.

What do you think? For those of you who’ve been around this profession for a bit longer than a year, what advice would you have for the new people?

When I first started writing this blog, I wanted to reach out and help the new and potential HR pros out there. In recent months, I’ve moved to other topics, but I have plans to do some posts that are more beginner-focused. Have a suggestion for a post? Leave me a comment!

Lessons from One Year in HR (Video) is a post from: UpstartHR

You may also enjoy...

• Video: How to Move up in HR
• Getting a job in HR (Q&A)
• You just aren’t that great…

AKA How to Move Beyond a Crappy Job

A lot of us get frustrated when we want to do work on a level of 10 (while we’re stuck doing work at a level of 1).  In this video I give you a suggestion I’ve learned from experience about how to make that level 1 work suck less.

Video: How to Move up in HR is a post from: UpstartHR

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• Getting a job in HR (Q&A)
• Xtreme HR Career Story Challenge
• Helping an HR Student