Moving on from HR... - General - Careers Clinic

2 Moving on from HR...

19 Mar, 2018 12:40

HI all,

I have a slightly different question to those usually asked on the Careers forum. I am currently an HR Manager/BP for a large FMCG. I have an MA in HRM and have been working in HR for four years. Due to global changes, my current position will become redundant at the end of this year and I am currently considering my options.

I am considering roles within the business that are not in HR in order to both gain line management experience and add breadth to my career. There is a fantastic opportunity within my current business to become a line manager and I have been invited to panel for the role.

Whilst, of course, there is no guarantee that I will be selected for the role, I wonder if I could seek some advice or words of wisdom from these forums, My aspiration is to become an HR Director in the future, and I am anxious that a career move out of HR could jeopardise my changes of being able to return to the profession in the future.

Thank you

Sarah

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Keith | 0 Posts

19 Mar, 2018 14:05

some solid operational management exposure at the right level would be a positive asset for many HR managers / Directors. The trick however is rarely getting out but getting back in and that's what I would be thinking of. So talking to your current employer as treating it as a secondment might be the best option.
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Elizabeth Divver | 0 Posts

19 Mar, 2018 14:23

In reply to Keith:
I agree with Keith on both points. I believe there is research which shows that experience outside HR is an advantage in getting to HRD level but that getting back can be harder than you might think.

While I was working in a multi-national oil company I moved out of HR into sales. The intention was that I would move back, bringing my line experience to my HR practice. Unfortunately recession struck and I was made redundant from my (by then) management role in sales and had to take a step down to administrator level to get back into HR with a new employer. However, having stepped down I probably rose back faster than someone who had not already worked at that level and am now an HRD in another organisation. If I had it all to do again, I would still make the choices I made at the time.
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