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Career Matters
Career Management Strategies for HR Professionals

Since the 90’s the impact of technology on every business practice has been mirrored in the HR environment. From sourcing candidates to conducting exit interviews, the HR professional has become increasingly involved with employment cycles, technological innovation and the changing career development needs of the employee population.

Not surprisingly, HR professionals today are challenged to keep their own careers on track.

Here are some of the “rules of the road” for HR professionals interested in growing their careers within the context of their current jobs:


1. Conduct your own career audit.

• Take stock of your skills, accomplishments, goals every 6 months. Use this information to update your career profile or resume.

• Create a 30 second “elevator speech” that describes the role you play in your company. Emphasize the “value added” component of the job rather than a detailed description of tasks and responsibilities.

• Review your current professional network and identify people you would like to add and why. Strategize ways to expand your list of contacts and track your progress.

• Consider the industry’s impact on your organization and identify specific HR or business competencies you may need to develop to address emerging issues. Evaluate available courses and certification programs that may add to your existing credentials.

• Ask yourself how others view you within your organization. Check out your internal reputation.


2. Stay current.

• Increase your value to the organization by staying informed about changes in your industry through web sites, books, professional journals, newspapers, etc.

• Locate – and share - information on the labor market , employment trends, changes in the law, and salary surveys.

• Create a database of regional and national resources that may be relevant to your organization’s recruiting, hiring and training needs; routinely share this information with the organization’s management team through HR updates.


3. Know what you do well and tell others.

• Increase your visibility by writing an article for publication in your organization’s newsletter or an HR journal.

• Present your ideas at a professional association meeting or conference; participate in panels focused on employment issues.

• Look for formal and informal opportunities to meet and network with managers and employees from all business lines. Share your success stories as you work with them to resolve their issues.

• Be proactive; become your own best advocate!


4. Connect with clients and colleagues.

• Ask for feedback from your manager or your internal/external clients regarding their relationship with HR; look for ways to partner with management on new business initiatives.

• Become a member of a professional organization to exchange ideas with colleagues and learn more about the issues facing HR and your industry. Better yet, join a committee to increase your visibility within – and beyond – the immediate membership of the association.

• Create your own career “Board of Directors” by identifying several career advisors who can provide you with feedback, contacts, advice and development opportunities. Your advisors may be former managers, colleagues from present or previous jobs, or even contacts outside your industry.


5. Expand your resource list.

• Find the time to identify and utilize the resources that will support your career growth.There are numerous web sites available that contain valuable information on career and worklife issues. The following sites are good starting points for articles on self-assessment, networking, employment trends and career management.

• www.lifeworkstransition.com ( Based on the book Life Work Transitions.com by Deborah Knox and Sandra Butzel)
• www.quintcareers.com ( Quintissential careers)
• www.wetfeet.com
• www.careerweb.com
• www.careerleader.com
• www.vault.com ( The Vault )
• www.wsj.com ( Wall Street Journal)
• www.bostonworks.com ( Boston Globe Boston Works)


The Greater Boston Area has a wealth of professional organizations devoted to Human Resouce issues. Visit the web sites listed below for more information on each organization including its focus, membership, and meeting schedule.

• Neponset Valley Chamber of Commerce, Human Resources Council (NVCC) www.nvcc.com
• American Society for Training and Development (ASTD) www.massastd.com
• Career Counselors’ Consortium – New England (CCC) www.careercounselorsne.org
• Human Resources Council (HRC) www.humanresourcescouncil.org
• Association of Career Professionals International (ACPI) www. acpinternational.org
• International Coach Federation of New England (ICF) www.icfne.org
• New England Employee Benefits Council (NEEBC) www.neebc.org
• Northeast Human Resources Association (NHRA) www.nehra.com
• Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) www.shrm.org


Patricia Griffin-Carty is a communications coach, trainer and speaker. She can be contacted at tgcarty@aol.com, or 781-326-9379.