Hi Lorna, Congratulations! That sounds like a really positive step for you.

What work is the HR advisor responsible for? You mentioned learning the HR system hands on, so is she working on payroll, benefits updates etc? You would be surprised at how quickly you might pick up individual transactions, or running reports to assist in analysis.

Over the course of a four week period, you might expect some repetitive work - i.e. running an attrition report on a weekly basis, you could easily fit in some development in that you shadow and observe how things are done for one - two weeks, then build up to you developing the report, with an opportunity for feedback from the Advisor.

Attending meetings with her, and jotting down where you see your interests and development areas in either technical or soft skills is also a good start.

I know the Advisor is leaving so no doubt she will either be winding down or busily preparing handover / closing out on projects but it is a good opportunity for you to think of what you need from her in terms of rounding off her feedback regarding her experience with you shadowing her and where she sees your potential development areas.

That's just a few immediate thoughts - i'm sure others will chime in with more! Good luck :-)