What are the top things you can do to grow your HR career?

Study the functions of compensation, benefits, union negotiations, communications, training, organizational development all of it. Raise your hand to be part of a project team; sit in on the discussions about insurance changes; help with new employee orientation, participate in training.

And add to your vocabulary. Make a commitment to yourself to move away from totally casual language to a more poised language free of clichés. Use phrases: “Our customer XYZ is coming Tuesday, so I thought it would be great to inform the employees on the route through the plant.

We can ask a couple of them to explain what they are doing on their machine. What do you think?” Choose to make your language collaborative, not directive.

I posted a similar point on another discussion yesterday, so sorry for the repetition. My top advice is as follows:

Most HR across the industry, while going about the daily HR chores, become completely disconnected from the core business of the organization. Once these HR become HR managers they struggle to answer the basic question - "How does the HR Function contribute to core business?". Most come up with very abstract answers. They struggle to set targets, performance measures, metrics, strategies etc in conjunction with core business, hence fail to showcase the contribution and value that the HR function adds to core business. Abstract answers will never be taken seriously by the top executives, which leads to HR being clubbed as administrators and not "business partners".

Only if you know the nitty gritties of your organizations core business will you be able to showcase performance. It is easy for professionals in other functions to stay connected with core business because their work directly impacts core business. But, an HR needs to make that additional effort apart from day to day activities to stay connected with core business. Make sure you do that.

THIS WILL HELP YOU A GREAT DEAL IN THE FUTURE WHEN YOU BECOME A SENIOR HR PROFESSIONAL. YOU WILL THEN BE IN A POSITION TO MANAGE THE HR FUNCTION AS A "BUSINESS PARTNER" AND NOT JUST AN ADMINISTRATOR.

Regards,

Om Deshpande

HR professionals at work are a bunch of smooth talkers who make friends easily and grow their network exponentially. Is it any mystery why most hr professionals are very likable and gregarious? The formula has worked this long, it will hold steady for years to come. Its only people that can advance one's career and knowing the right people at the right time will help tenfold.