Making decisions in your career can be very difficult. When you’re not sure which road to take, getting others to take a chance on you isn’t easy. Over the last few years, younger generations have received a lot of backlash for choosing to leave a company, but not enough credit for realizing what we want and going after our dreams.
Human Resources has been a great career for me, so far. I’ve been able to help, mentor, lead, challenge, and change myself and others. I’ve come a long way from just having one degree and a dream of getting a job. It’s a career I know that I want, even if I don’t know my final stop. Unfortunately, everyone doesn’t experience this same type of “Welcome” into HR or any other career, now they’ve decided to leave.
Maybe a company isn’t paying what you’re worth and you’ve pleaded your case, but nothing can be done. Maybe the environment is toxic and change isn’t coming. Maybe it’s just not what you see yourself doing for the next 50 years. Maybe you just don’t want to be with that company or your coworkers. Maybe the management is lacking and no one is looking to change it.
These are all valid reasons to leave a company and you shouldn’t feel bad for making the decision to do what’s best for you.
But, doing what’s best for you, requires understanding what you want. A few weeks ago, my boss and I sat down and she gave me the task of defining what I want in my career. My sister recently asked me what I’d like to focus on in HR. I’ve gotten the “What’s your next move” question thousands of times. After taking the time to really sit down and ask myself what I enjoy, what do I want to change/improve/create, and where do I want to work, I decided on the 4 areas of HR to focus in during my career. Now, we all know this could change at the drop of a hat, but for right now, I know what I need to go after.
What to do now? You’ve finally figured it out and now comes the hard, but rewarding, work. When I discover something new, I go full force in learning everything possible about it. Just this week alone, I’ve watched a webinar everyday, looked up different certifications in the different areas, connected with people working in that specialty. I’ve decided on goals I want to achieve and this all started from understanding what I want out of my career.
HR wants a lot from employers and employees and I’m not just talking about paperwork. We seek to find the solution in problems that are given to us, but, do we ever ask people exactly what they are looking for in the outcome? We have people giving HR pros information on ‘What Your CEO Wants From You’, but have we taken the time to have a direct conversation with the other players in the company? HR asks, dreadfully, for “a seat at the table” but never know who else is sitting or what’s on the agenda.
If you’re a HRNewbie, you’re about to start on or just started on this journey. It’s the best time to research everything. You can always change your mind but doing what you are passionate about will improve your work. HR is demanding, from pretty much every angle. You have to do this because you love it, not because someone said you’d be good at it. Take the time to learn from your network, even expand it by asking others. Job descriptions can have a lot of words, but when you go to that interview, you need to ask questions to find out exactly what will be asked of you. Read the books, don’t just depend on your professor giving you the answers.
Don’t be who others want you to be.
Decide who you are and who you want to be, become that person and be the best version of you.
Until Next Time …
HRJazzy 