I planned it too, I decided when choosing my GCSE options I wanted to work in HR (naively at the time I liked the sound of sacking someone!).  After A levels I decided not to go to uni as there were not any HR degrees so I got a job in pensions admin and battled for a few years to get a HR job, I then worked at a HR outsourcing Company and while there got exposure to employee relations and decided I wanted to do that so I got a role as an ER advisor and progressed to HR Manager while doing my CIPD (and got my childhood ambition of sacking people - not as much fun as a 13 year old thought it would be!). 

I then got an opportunity to move into Consultancy and 4 years later I'm still here and have just completed a master in employment law (LLM). 

I fell into HR after having a conversation with someone who worked in Graduate Recruitment.  It sounded great and within weeks I had written off on spec to a number of firms and had an offer from a global professional services firm.  I worked in a number of roles culminating in heading up the Graduate Recruitment function and leading a global recruiting team to implement resourcing strategies across the world.  I have had some amazing experiences and have not looked back!

I am currently on a secondment to the CIPD where I'm heading up a project on how to attract the 'brightest and best' into HR.  I've been delighted to read the stories on this thread and the variety of responses so far.  It seems there is a real mix of planners and 'fallers'.  It would be great to find out from you:

• What do you think HR should be doing to encourage the 'brightest and best' to choose or plan a career in HR?

• Some people suggest it's good to have experience outside HR, while others have worked within HR from the start - are there key skills that you need to be successful in the profession?

• What do you wish you'd known about HR before you joined the profession?

I'd be delighted to hear your thoughts to help shape this project.   Many thanks!

I definitely fell into HR.  When I left school I went straight into admin because I had no clue what I wanted to do with my life but I really wanted a job so I started out as a Trainee in the HR department at the local council working towards level 2 NVQ in Business Admin.  I became really interested in the profession at the time and applied for a Personnel Assistant but got turned down, probably due to inexperience. 

I moved around the council for a while doing basic admin jobs and after doing my level 3 NVQ and finishing a secondment position, I took a Plant Administrator job at an automotive firm working under the HR Officer who pursuaded me to do my CPP.  I was sick of basic admin and wanted more responsibility and less of a boring job so I decided to do it.  I finished that in Feb this year and am now looking for HR assistant type roles.  HR is definitely something that I've realised I'm interested in and although I've no aspirations to become a manager, I still want to carry on working in a HR environment.

For me, I moved into HR having worked in secretarial/office management roles over a number of years.  My then employer asked me to take on some HR duties and I subsequently went to Kingston University to do a part time post grad in HRM.  15 years on and I am still enjoying being in HR, obviously some days more than others.  Since qualifying, I have spent 18 months out of a HR role doing a line management role which was really useful and which has helped me to become more commercial in my approach.

Having worked in a number of sales related positions in my early 20's I made a conscious decision to move away from this and into HR as I had always been interested in this line of work.  Finding it unbelievably competetive I followed the recruitment route for a year and then got my "lucky break" when I was offered a HR Officer position within a global shipping carrier.  Funnily enough, the fact that I worked as a Thomson rep was one of the things that stood out on my CV as my now boss had just been on holiday with them.  They say these things happen for a reason and I can certainly say I have now found my "niche" in life...

To answer your questions Georgina:

• What do you think HR should be doing to encourage the 'brightest and best' to choose or plan a career in HR?
  
• Increase and enforce standards across the profession - I think there are too many HR practitioners who are not there to make a difference and only looking to milk as much as they can for themselves.  This hardly sets an example the bright young things would want to follow.

• Some people suggest it's good to have experience outside HR, while others have worked within HR from the start - are there key skills that you need to be successful in the profession?
  
• Knowledgeable, confident, ethical, driven, unflappable influencer

• What do you wish you'd known about HR before you joined the profession?

• That you need to believe in yourself and what you are trying to achieve and don't get sucked in by the negativity.

Hi Victoria,

A late starter finding my way into Learning and Development through technology-based training (anybody remember training programmes on 12" laserdisks). Subsequently specialising in management development, leadership coaching, talent management and resourcing.

Many opportunities along the way but only in the last few years has it been a 'planned' career,

John

Thanks for your response Ross, I think the new levels of CIPD membership will be a great way to prove individuals have a badge of competence that isn't just about exam success but demonstrating the skills and behaviours necessary to operate at a certain level.  I certainly agree that we need to encourage more businesses to better understand the role of HR and how HR can really work more effectively with business to drive sustainable performance -- rather than working for individual gain as you mention.

Interesting to hear your responses on skills and what you wished you'd known.  Do you think business acumen needs to be one of the skills too?  This is something that has come out of my research so far.

Thanks again!

Georgina

Hi all

I got lucky I guess!  My first job when I left school at the tender age of 16 (too many years ago!), was as office junior in an employment agency (what we now know to be a recruitment consultancy).  I stayed there for about 18 months, having learnt the basics of intervewing and CV writing.  For the years following, I held various posts in an office environment as well as 13 exciting years at Heathrow airport, where I gained a qualification as an L&D trainer and headed their L&D department; designing and delivering training programmes relating to the work they did.  I joined my current organisation in 2004 as a Project Co-ordinator within Learning and Development.  In 2005 the organisation re-structured and I was offered a post as an HR Assistant for the HR Director of a newly created division.  Unfortunately that HR Director was only in post for a short space of time before going on long term sick leave and never returning.  In the meantime I literally had to 'fly by the seat of my pants' and learnt a lot along the way!  When a new HR Director was appointed (and it took 18 months before that happened!) he encouraged me to study the CIPD qualification, however I had promised myself I would never again study like I had in the past at my age!   Anyway with a little more encouragement, I undertook the CIPD CPP qualification, and passed that with flying colours!  Spurred on by my thirst to learn more and encouraged by my CPP tutor, I then went on to do the CIPD Post Graduate Diploma.  I have just completed that and will graduate this October!  I am now a Senior HR Adviser for my division.  I feel I've been on such a long journey, not just professionally but personally too, but it has all been worth it.

I feel lucky to work in an organisation that has recognised my potential and has sponsored all my studies to date.  I absolutely enjoy coming to work every day, it's not without it's challenges but that's what makes it all the more interesting!

Ann

Ann 

 You are truly blessed that you find your work so uplifting !

Georgina

I can't see that 'business acumen' is particularly needed - obviously the capacity to understand business strategy and financial / commercial issues is almost essential, at least to working at director level, but HR people are not necessarily needed for their finance or accountancy or commercial talents. Some say they need acting ability; others say they just need to be able to say No ! in innumerably different ways. Think personal trust, mutual respect and credibility across the whole spectrum of staff-management is very important, as is a certain resilience (aka as a thick skin). (Once and only once have I ever seen this enshrined in a (design engineering) manager's job description: ' must have the capacity to deal with and cope with considerable criticism - much of it unjustified........')

Strange how most of us 'fell into it'. I did too...

I studied dance for a year and although it was fun, it wasnt a 'career'.

Got a temp admin job stuffing envelopes with application forms, and here I am 7 years later HR Co-ordinator, did my CPP, now planning to get graduate CIPD.

Love what I do and so glad I decided to leave my dancing days behind me.

Great stories from everyone!

Looks like some of us fell into HR and some did not. Well here is my story - which is slightly different.

I started life as a payroll clerk in the NHS at the tender age of 19, did a HNC in public admin - dabbled in NHS Finance for while and decided it was not for me - and undertook a Diploma in Management Studies - then found that people was my main passion and started my CIPD quals whilst in Finance! Was lucky to get  talent spotted by a HR Director and moved in to HR as Pay & Reward Specialist on secondment - I never looked back - Had a variety of HR roles up to Assistant Director in the NHS - undertook my MA in Strategic HRM - and then met my then partner and moved to where his business was located. Then became a HR Manager in a social housing organisation - big change but lots of potential for development - then promoted to Head of HR and Business Improvement - now following a restructure - HR Lead for the company again and in the process of completing and my second MSc in Leadership at Manchester Metropolitan University and looking for that on last move!

Not bad for someone who is no longer a spring chicken!          

Hi Georgina,

Looking at your 3 questions, I think the following:

• HR has improved it's standing in the workplace over the last few years, but does still get viewed as more of an admin function than a strategic function too often.  HR needs to continue to work hard to prove the strategic value of the function to the business.  By people seeing HR as a positive career choice (which I think we all do here) and a complex and challenging role, contributing to the organisation's success, the brightest and best will want to follow a career in HR - and I think they do already in many cases.

• Agree with David about the key skills.  I have an operational and financial management background, which I dont' regret at all but don't think it shoudl be necessary to have a successful career in HR.  It sort of links to the previous point - as HR becomes viewed more as a career in itself (which I feel is happening now much more so than even 10 - 15 years ago) other managers will respect HR for what they are; with the "dinosaur" managers who see HR as an administrative backwater who are inhibitors rather than partners their attitude is often that HR do not live in the real world.  I think that has helped my career in HR as I have been there and done it.  However, you wouldn't expect a finance professional to have got experience in other function to make a good finance manager - so why so with HR?  I do think a key skill is an interest in people and a way of handling difficult situations with empathy and tact - but achieving the business objectives.  do also agree with the saying "no" bit too - HR mustn't take over from managers - it is their responsibility to manage their team but it is easy to fall into the trap of trying to be helpful and removing that responsibility from them!

• I wish I had thought more about the saying no bit!  Also that most managers don't have very highly developed people skills and are promoted because of their technical ability for the function they are managing.  Think "management" should be seen as a career path in itself - why do we put technically good people into roles they are not good at just because of the career path they need to follow?

Just a few random thoughts!

Peter   

I fully agree with you, Peter !

Why waste the talents of good teachers or doctors or engineers or whatever by making senior one need to become managers ??

The skills required are often totally different and far better undertaken by separate individuals.

Hi Victoria

Its a good questions. I guess a lot of people are learning the benefits and enjoyability of being in such a challenging field, hence they go straight into it.

I actually came into HR after my undergrad degree in psychology and business. It is the only field which combines the two very nicely. I haven't had enough which is why I am going on to pursue a PhD within HR too.

 Its just such a diverse field and branches out into many other fields. It is the core of an organisation, afterall.

Really interesting stories to read because at the CIPD we have project running right now, to understand how to make sure we attract the very  best people into HR and how to make it a competitive career destination of choice. 

Many of us who slipped or fell into it - as I did also - discover when we get there, that we wouldn't want to be doing anything else.  I'd say HR is still  a well kept career secret - one that I'd like to shout a lot more from the rooftops, to people at every stage of their career.  How to capture the essence of an HR career - in a way that captures its unique contribution to both organisational and individual growth?  Any thoughts?

 And we still want those who fall.  My interest after graduating was in supporting people get into employment - growing up in the 80s left me clear that unemploment was a social and economic blight.  So I started at the Dept of Employment (as it was called then) and took a couple of employment related turns to find myself a few years later in HR.  It's been a fascinating journey.