Hi Andre

IMHO it is mistaken to assert “ .....one would need as an absolute minimum at least two decades worth of solid HR experience and an accompanying career track record to become an HR Director / Head of People....”

It’s less common nowadays perhaps but still not unknown for line managers etc who are non HR specialists to be appointed to senior HR roles and I have personally seen this work very well indeed- it’s the same principle that one doesn’t really need an academic to run a major university or even a teacher a great big secondary school. Provided that person is a good manager, they’ll delegate etc the technical stuff and simply manage it.

- obviously, that’s more likely to be far more feasible in the case of large oorganisations than for SME’s, where there aren’t necessarily  in house technical specialists / seasoned professionals......

You are unlikely to become a HRD in a Footsie 100 company. No matter what. If you were you would probably already be very close or even there by now. Whilst in theory extending your career into 70s gives you the same amount of time it’s just unlikely to get you there in my opinion. 

If you have the talent there is no real reason why you can’t progress to Head of HR / HRD in a much smaller organisation. In some organisations there is little difference between a HRM and HRD and it just depends on what people want to be called. I have seen the term HRD used in a 80 person company.

This is not atime served industry or profession - talented people tend to rise quickly. 

So a little bit of your answer comes down to what you actually want? Is it the title or is it a fulfilling worthwhile stretching job in HR? The latter is certainly possible for career changers if you have the talent.

Focus on adding value , delivering business related solutions, being pragmatic rather than dogmatic and listening to your customers. That’s the key to getting on.

As to steps to jump. There is really no one career path. In a small organisation someone might through luck and hard work progress from HRA to HRM to Head of HR. Depending on opportunity and probably other people leaving and being in the right place.

In a larger organisation it’s likely you would be looking at a more varied career path with time spent as a HRBP and possibly in a specialist function

find the names of a few HRDs / Heads of HR in organisations you would see yourself working in and look up their career profiles on LinkedIn to get an understanding of their particular path  

Have you looked at the HR career map?

First, the pathway from HR Administrator to HR Director falls into the "difficult" category regardless of age. Statistically, there are hundreds of lesser HR bods for every HRD worthy of the name, so the odds of making the journey are, statistically, less than 1%.

Second, age plays a part because the law and increase in enlightened attitudes aside, there will always be options that are closed to you by prejudice and biased thinking. Then there will be options that are closed to you by your own different priorities. Speaking as an over-40, our energy levels are lower than they were; our expectations of life, leisure and employment are different. And that means that, prejudice aside, more options will be closed to us by our own priorities (I, for example, wouldn't take an overseas role or a role in London for [almost] any money).

Finally, one cannot overestimate the influence of luck. Being in the right place at the right time is a crucial factor in a successful career path that most people disregard. You can influence luck with time and energy, but see above with regards to those over 40.

So, as a straight question was asked, a straight answer I shall give: this definitely falls into the "almost impossible" category of career trajectories.

However, on a more positive note, jumping steps is entirely possible. I re-entered HR in my mid-30s after a six year break and in a completely new sector. I took a temp contract in an admin role, turned it into a advisor role in a month, used that to leap into an HR BP role for 18 months and from there shifted to being an HR Manager. Four years later, I would say I could make a strong argument that I was qualified to apply for HRD roles in SMEs of 150-200 employees. A few years in such a role and I could hypothetically step up to a similar role in a much larger or higher-profile company and still be under 50 (just about).

But I also had the advantage of being a white, male, middle-class, privately-educated Oxbridge/Sandhurst graduate. Socio-economically I am holding a golden ticket.

In reply to Robey:

One fellow I know of was formerly HR Director of a multi billion pound 40000 odd employee industry and he started his working life as a Joiners Mate.

Andre, i think you asked a very similar question recently and received a lot of advice at the time.

I didn't contribute at the time as you were getting some very good advice, but it is clear that you are very frustrated at your lack of progression.

If i recall correctly you have a neurodiverse condition which means that you sometimes have difficulty in picking up on social cues when communicating. As you progress up the HR ladder, the ability to pick up on social cues and small clues about people's emotions becomes more important. This can be when dealing with employee relations issues, such as disciplinary or grievance issues, interviewing, negotiating with Trade Unions, or coaching and mentoring managers through difficult situations.

It may therefore be that it is this that is holding you back from progressing up the 'traditional' HR route. People may have been unwilling to give you feedback along these lines, due to a fear of being seen as discriminating (I mean Andre's employers or potential employers rather than anyone on here by the way), however that is not helpful to you and there are a number of areas of HR where neurodiversity would be a considerable strength.

I have previously worked in a research institute and a large proportion of scientists are neurodiverse. Within scientific research, you are often working on your own and need to be able to adopt a highly focused and methodical approach to the research you are carrying out- often repeating small actions continually, making only tiny changes each time. . People who are not neurodiverse can often find that quite difficult in the same way that you find reading social cues difficult. It is all about playing to our individual strengths

If you want to stay in HR practice, the growing area of HR Data and Analytics is an area where your strengths would be highly useful. Reward and benefits is another area that involves a considerable amount of research and methodical thinking to develop solutions.

However, as I remember from your previous post, you are also very academically gifted so you could consider moving into academia -- for example, carrying out research into people/organisational psychology. As an idea of the types of HR related research jobs this route could lead to, my local University is currently advertising for a Senior Research Associate to carry out a research project that " seeks to identify which combinations of workplace health and wellbeing practices reliably improve worker health, wellbeing, engagement and performance"

I hope this is useful and you are able to find a route that you find fulfilling