Looking for a HR mentor or advisor.....
jrazoux
3 Posts
Hello my name is Jennifer. I am a full time student at American Intercontinental University. I received my Associates in Business Administration several days ago, and have started classes for a Bachelors in Business Administration with a concentration in Human Resource Management. I have little to no working experience in the HR field, but do have over four years of administrative experience I obtained while serving in the US Navy. I've also learn quite a bit from running a direct sales business from home throughout the past two years, but remained a homemaker and full time student as well.
So that's basically where I stand professionally and academically. I am very interested in beginning a career in the HR field and my Professional goal is to hold the position of "Directer of Human Resources" in some company within 10 years. With that said I am in search of a professional in the HR department, preferably a manager, supervisor, or director, that can point me in the right direction! A mentor of sorts! If anyone is interested, I'd greatly appropriate it. My email is jrazoux@gmail.com for anyone who may have advice or time to take me under their wing, virtually!
Thank you.
Jennifer
Comments
Hey Jennifer-
Congrats on your Assoc degree--you are well on your way. HR is a great field--I could not have made a better choice. I have my degree in HR as well as my certification serving as HR Manager for a Top 50 private employer in San Antonio--but I will tell you, when I am in doubt, I post and wait for a gentlemen that goes by TXHRGuy. Very cordial individual with extensive knowledge in HR and in my opinion, probably one of your best sources for reliable, accurate information. Whether or not he can serve as a mentor is his call, but when in doubt, there are several folks on the site that are more than willing to lend a helping hand including myself, HRforME (another knowledgable individual), and of course the gentlemen I mentioned above.
Best of luck to you in your pursuit of the HRD. You have made a great choice of field to look into--hopefully it will be the right fit for you. If you need any assistance, feel free to contact me directly at palmerpro67@hotmail.com.
Take care and good luck!
I do agree that TXHRGuy gives very, very good advice along with others.
I would suggest finding a few HR forums, such as this one, to read on a consistent basis. You will get look at the reality of HR. And see what the current issues are....and how those in the field are handling them. Another good one is LegalWorkPlace. Then Workforce.com has some really good up to date articles about what is happening in the workforce. They do have forums, but they move at about the same pace as this one.
Some states have better employer websites than others and I don't know what state you hope to work in, but I suggest getting knowledgable about state laws -- especially if you expect to end up in a company that has offices in more than one state. One good place to read is LaborLawTalk (although not strictly HR, they do have an employment law section which does break out into state law sections) -- and that is a forum where the general population goes and asks questions. You will find some common posters (such as CBG, PattyMD/TX, Elle, DAW, etc) who have a huge amount of knowledge. By reading their postings, you can learn a whole lot about the application of HR laws and principles.
Also look into the different parts of HR -- benefits, compensation, training, safety, etc. Bigger companies will have HR split out into more roles than smaller companies. One really good forums for benefits is BenefitsLink. A good one for payroll issues is PayrollTalk (although beware they dont' have much respect for HR individuals).
I strongly recommend the CEBS certification series. You might look into whether your university offers the study groups. You might find that some of your classes use the same textbooks as the CEBS courses. If so, you could kill two bird with one stone.
I also recommend trying to get some type of internship or experience while in school.
My last piece of advice....and this is my personal perspective...when people say HR, to me there are two different perspectives. One I will call social -- that is the office person who deals with parties, socials, things to retain employees, that thinks the HR position is pro-employee. The other I will call strategic --- that is the person who looks at HR from the employer viewpoint...how to save the employer money while reducing turnover, analyzing benefits, compensation, etc. This person takes into account the whole business structure rather than just the employee viewpoint. The strategic HR employee usually ends up having a seat at the management level....whereas the social HR employee ends up becoming the office manager and often manages the administrative employees. It sounds like you want to be strategic HR.....therefore get as much knowledge as you can. As you learn in your studies, try to think outside the situation. What's another way to accomplish the same goal?
You are very smart to be thinking about this now rather than later and I applaud your efforts. I however would try to find a mentor who you can meet with not only online, but in person. Someone that can help you network in your area. Because a lot of times securing a job in HR is all about who you know.
I graduated with my BBA in 2006 and started in HR 1/1/08. Prior to that I attended a seminar about HR and the Law, the instructor went around the room asking everyone how long they had been in HR. I was in the back of the room so I was dead last. I had not started the new position yet but knew I was going to get the promotion. When I said that I would start in the future, the entire room turned, looked at me, and in unison said "Run. Find another profession." I was discouraged and filled with doubts. I work for a young company (only 2.5 years old) so I was excited about helping to put HR policies and procedures in place with the input of the managers and COO, that has not happened. I am dictated too, "asked" to bend the rules/laws, and belittled when I take a stand for doing the right thing. Needless to say, this has not been a pleasant experience. However, this is a great profession, I am just with the wrong company. They don't need an HR Manager, they need someone to fill out paperwork and not say anything they are doing is illegal or wrong. I know not all companies, or upper management, is this way which is why I will find a job in another company. One in which the voice of HR, once respect is earned through integrity, is heard and respected.
As far as a mentor is concerned (and this may have been mentioned already) get involved in the local SHRM chapter and/or Employer's Committee.
TXHRGuy is definitely a great source of wisdom. Good luck.
Thank each of you for your input, it's been extremely helpful such far. I will be sure to check out and join any HR and employment law forums, as well as try to find a local mentor to meet with in person. I believe reading and learning as much as possible is probably the key to doing well, good thing I love to learn and read! Again thank you all very much for your suggestions!
-Jennifer
Everyone -- I appreciate your kind words. There are some very talented people here and you cannot go wrong asking a question in these forums although it is often best to wait a few days before acting if you can just to get different perspectives. You will find over time that people here have different strengths and weaknesses. HRforME, for instance, knows more about payroll and benefits laws and regs than me or anybody else I know. There may be someone here who knows as much but, if so, they don't participate as much as she does. PamConnel knows driving-specific and OSHA rules very well. I could go on and on about IT and GM as well. In short, there's a good group of people here. Since we don't always agree on the grey area stuff, it's wise to wait for multiple responses to serious questions.
On another site, someone recently posed the question, "In this economy, is HR at the table or on the table?" My answer to them was indifferent to the economy and related to what I believe to be a great truth of success in strategic HR. Ultimately, in the dominant modern paradigm, business turns on numbers. Your ability to understand basic financial reports and to model HR initiatives and outcomes in a financial manner will determine to a large degree whether or not your partners in business leadership will take you seriously. Whatever else you do, be knowledgeable about government regulation, be prificient in as many HR fields as you can, and equally importantly, understand the key metrics that drive your business. Your HR metrics are of no business value if you cannot relate them to financial or business metrics.
If you go the SMB/SME route, there is always room at the top but you must be a good networker to find these opportunities. If you go the Fortune 1,000 route, there will always be pressure for you to specialize and stick to your knitting both because of the way large organizations tend to run but also because leaders who don't pick you will not provide you with the opportunities you need to grow professionally. In the SMB/SME world, every contributor is valued so if you are good, you are in and if you are bad, you are without a job.
All of this knowledge and technical proficiency you will gain over the next ten years en route to your goal of being a leader will not help you succeed at leading. So, along the way, you must become a student of problem solving, negotiation, and leadership. The book list is endless and a topic for another day but I hope these words are helpful to you.
TXHRGuy:
Your words were slightly moving, and if anything I certainly have gained a greater drive to strive towards my goals! I thank you for your encouragement and knowledge, I know I will learn much from you as well as this forum of HR professionals!
Welcome to the world of HR! I say I have stayed in this field over the years because there is never a dull moment and each day is different. You will laugh, want to cry (or just pull your hair out), and learn something new just about every day.
You have come to a great forum with a great group of people! As some of the others have mentioned we all have our strengths and that helps to give you different prospectives on things.
There really isn't much advice I can give you that hasn't been mentioned. I will say that once you start with a company really take the time to learn the business. Your understanding of the business will help when you are recruiting, setting policies, disciplining based on the policies, when you are helping the managers make strategic decisions and on and on! You can't make recommendations if you don't understand what someone does, what financial position the company is in, what the product or service is you provide, etc.
Take time to network with others in your area or industry. This will help with things like compensation and benefits, state laws and regulations, recruiting, etc.
Good luck! Let us know if you need anything else.
PamConnel knows driving-specific and OSHA rules very well. I could go on and on about IT and GM as well. In short, there's a good group of people here. Since we don't always agree on the grey area stuff, it's wise to wait for multiple responses to serious questions.
[/quote]
TXHRGuy, thank you for your kind words. I appreciate it. I have not been throwing my two cents lately as I am studing to take the PHR test in December, and am a bit overwhelmed. I have learned much from your post, and think that your sage words will help come test day. Wish me luck!
Pam - sorry you were laid off. It seems like a lot of postings on the bb that I participate in are talking about how to handle RIFs, layoffs or the person got laid off and is out on the market. My husband works for a county government and is getting furlowed for 2 weeks of pay. They are spreading out the furlowe over a specific number of payperiods so we are not getting hit all at once. This just goes to show that it is not just private or publicly traded companies that are hurting. It is govt agencies as well.
Good luck on your exam.
Good luck! I also graduated from AIU and completed my Masters Degree there. I am currently the HR Director at a non-profit and LOVE my job. Working at a small to medium size non profit has allowed me to work in many areas and be involved strategically. It has been a great experience for me...definitely a learning experience. I had to develop many of our programs from scratch.
I agree with the person who said you should get a 'live' mentor. I met a woman at a leadership conference who owns her own consulting company. We met for lunch and have been friends for a year now. It was wonderful and she helped me a lot along the way.
I also suggest that you take advantage of your local SHRM chapter. Attend the meetings and NETWORK!!! Go to lunch with HR professionals, get coffee and just pick their brain. You will meet a lot of people who will help you grow in the HR field and may even be able to give you a great reference!
Pam - congratulations!
I hope you are able to find a position in the very near future.