Discover how to shape your HR career pathway effectively, utilizing insights on skills, gaps, and tools available for your professional growth. Learn strategies for navigating various HR career routes to enhance your development and impact.
By Brad Nakase, Attorney
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Creating a career path for yourself in HR is essential to achieving your professional and personal objectives, regardless of how much experience you have. Depending on your interests and competencies, you have many options for developing and molding your career. By creating a career path map for yourself, you may decide how you want to progress in the future depending on your skills and professional goals in HR.
Your HR career path plan will provide you with insightful knowledge about:
The field of human resources encompasses more than just standard HR, and HR specialists have a significant and broad impact on the company. You can offer general business advice, assist with the adoption of technology or other digital initiatives, create and preserve a positive workplace culture, or cleverly incorporate the HR value chain into operations.
In this post, we’ll discuss the several HR career routes you may choose from based on the four HR profiles we’ve created. We will also provide three HR career advancement examples to motivate you.
A career was formerly thought of as a sequence of steps up to the pinnacle of achievement: holding a leadership position. A worker’s career path would normally advance from employee to manager supervising a team, director of a function, vice president of a department, senior VP, and further up the ladder. Put another way, your career often followed your organization’s hierarchical structure. Every post you had served as merely a steppingstone to help you advance to a more senior role.
But it’s not the standard these days to think of a career as part of a company hierarchy. These days, a career path is thought of as a sequence of events that give you chances to advance your knowledge and abilities. It’s possible that your career will continue to progress and that you’ll become Senior Vice President in the end. But your previous positions weren’t merely steppingstones to your greatest professional achievement.
The idea here is that careers are becoming experiences rather than a hierarchy. 84% of workers believe this transition to be important or extremely important, according to Deloitte research. This shift can be partially explained by the fact that traditional hierarchical career progression alone is not enough to succeed in today’s disruptive business environment—the COVID-19 pandemic is just one example of how this is true. Instead, you need an array of skills and competencies.
More than just a thorough understanding of learning and development, talent acquisition, and salary and benefits are required of a successful HR practitioner. Furthermore, you need to understand how the company runs, including how its goods are produced, how it provides services, how it turns a profit, and so forth. For this reason, it’s not unusual to find HR specialists with backgrounds in product development, marketing, or sales.
Employment in HR is expected to increase by 10% by 2030. Furthermore, since the start of the COVID-19 epidemic, the number of HR job posts in the US has increased by 87%. More non-traditional HR job paths and opportunities are emerging as a result of the expansion of HR tasks and responsibilities pertaining to sustainability, digital transformation, and well-being.
Not only are HR professions no longer straightforward, but a more diverse career path is now expected of you. Professionals change jobs and companies more frequently now than they did a few decades ago. It is also common for employees to assume various responsibilities while yet completing the same task.
This suggests that if the end goal is to become a CHRO, you don’t necessarily have to go through the conventional route of beginning as an HR Assistant, progressing to HR Specialist, HR Manager, and finally HR Director. It’s also feasible to start your career as an HRIS Analyst and advance to HR Operations Manager, Shared Services Manager, and then CHRO.
In HR, your career advancement is simply a culmination of your significant experiences. You develop new abilities and competencies with each position you take on, which advances your career and personal development. They will also enable you to progress in your professional development. Remember that different firms may require different skill sets, competency sets, and portfolios for the same job, depending on their structures, sizes, and industries. This means that you have a limitless number of options.
It also means that you have to expand on your HR expertise and acquire more generic HR competencies that you can use in a variety of situations. These skills will enable you to adapt to shifting work environments, future-proof your professional path in the face of global upheaval, and cooperate and innovate across the board.
Four skills stand out as essential when we delve deeper into the skills required to carry out various HR-related roles. It has been observed that an HR professional is generally T-shaped, meaning that during their career, they will need to acquire a set of both operational and general abilities.
The four fundamental talents of business knowledge, literacy in data, digital proficiency, and people advocacy are prerequisites for being T-shaped. There are various dimensions to each of these abilities, and these dimensions comprise particular behaviors. These are fundamental abilities that were previously discussed, and which are applicable to many HR positions. In addition to these, you’ll need to focus on at least one HR specialty. Recruitment, HR analytics, DEIB, and organizational growth are some examples.
The best HR career path for you cannot be determined in a one-size-fits-all manner. Your goals, interests, and abilities will determine the course you take, so even though you both have similar backgrounds and levels of experience, what is best for you may not be the same as what is best for another HR professional.
Nevertheless, there are still standards that you can adhere to in order to choose which course is best for you. Your ideal job is where you should start. Consider the following question: “What job would I love to have?” If you have an idea of what you want, all that’s left to do is determine what experiences, abilities, and competencies you’ll need to acquire to get there.
After that, you just need to chart out your next steps.
If you are unsure of your ultimate objective, it is best to concentrate on the experiences and talents you would like to have and begin searching for positions that will enable you to obtain them.
This can be a difficult endeavor given the variety of HR roles that are available and the various abilities needed for each one. To assist you in determining what abilities you must learn and which responsibilities will enable you to achieve your goals, we have provided a framework. With the help of this framework, you can clearly comprehend the various skill sets and behavior combinations required to succeed in various HR roles, which are divided into:
The Advisory profile includes roles like local HR Business Partners, specialists, and global HRBPs. The positions in the local learning and development teams and the Global Centers of Excellence are included in the Solution Provider profile. The Service Provider profile covers junior and intermediate management positions within the Shared Services centers. The strategic profile includes roles operating across various functions or business lines, including local HR executives and global CoE leadership teams.
You will need to know precisely what behaviors and abilities you need to develop to move between different positions, whether within the same profile or across multiple profiles. In the next section, we’ll go over each operational profile and provide examples of various roles that call for the specified behaviors of each profile.
We have outlined several HR job path examples that you may use to map out your own career progression in order to advance either vertically or horizontally. A vertical move is an advancement in your career that takes you to a higher position. A horizontal move, on the other hand, describes a shift toward a different job (or functional profile) that is comparable to your existing role. It’s important to start with the operational description of your current position in order to determine your career alternatives.
These are middle-and lower-level management positions inside the Shared Services centers. These can include jobs like HR Scrum Manager, Benefits Manager, Payroll Administrator, or Administrator.
It is the duty of those who work in a service-championing position to deliver prompt, attentive, and high-quality service. This expert must be devoted to the client and guarantee a scalable, repeatable, and consistent experience. In order to be successful in the HR Service profession, you must possess the following habits and skills related to the four fundamental competencies:
You must also have functional and role-related competencies, including knowledge of compensation and benefits, payroll, and other role-related abilities. Other examples include the following:
Generally speaking, your actual role will significantly impact your functional competencies and role-related skills.
Benefits Coordinator
Let’s examine the Benefits Administrator’s HR career path in more detail. In addition to overseeing and monitoring benefits administration, the benefits administrator is in charge of creating high-quality benefit plans for the company and looking into new and improved initiatives.
Important duties for this position include:
Benefits Manager
The benefits administrator may eventually transition into a benefits manager, who creates, implements, and oversees the organization’s benefits policies, processes, and programs. The benefits manager makes sure that benefit plans are affordable, meet employee demands, and adhere to regulatory standards.
Important duties for this position include:
Manager of HR Operations
The Benefits Manager may eventually transition into the HR Operations Manager position. In order to promote the best possible employee experience, this position is in charge of managing the effective implementation of HR procedures and technology.
Important duties for this position include:
These include positions in the Learning & Development teams or the Global Centers of Excellence. You can work as an employee relations specialist, facilitator, data administrator, or L&D specialist.
Creating HR procedures that soundly, thoughtfully, and practically meet the needs of the business is the responsibility of a professional working as a solution provider. They ought to be able to empower others to implement HR solutions at scale throughout the company. In order to be successful as a Solution Provider, you must possess:
The following habits and skills related to the four fundamental competencies:
The following knowledge is part of the functional competencies and role-related skills:
Expert in Organizational Development (OD)
You can advance from being an Organizational Development (OD) specialist to an OD Manager and, ultimately, an OD Head. For every department, the OD specialist guarantees ongoing organizational changes. Their principal duties consist of the following:
Manager of Organizational Development (OD)
An OD specialist may eventually advance to the position of OD Manager, where they would be in charge of creating and carrying out training and development plans for business staff members. Additionally, they promote interventions throughout the corporation and advise business leaders on issues pertaining to OD.
The following are the main duties of the OD Manager:
Head of Development within the Organization
The Head of Organizational Development job may eventually be filled by the OD Manager. They oversee and assist with the organizational needs assessment. They also create, carry out, and assess activities that maximize the efficacy of the workforce.
Important duties for this position include:
Manager of Human Resources
An OD specialist can pursue a different career path in addition to vertical advancements to become an HR manager. This individual plans, coordinates, and directs the management of the HR department, which includes hiring, training employees, and paying and providing benefits.
Important duties for this position include:
These include positions like HR Managers, Global HRBPs, Consultants, and local HR Business Partners.
An advisor functions as the organization’s reliable and respectable HR specialist. They provide good, sensible, and carefully thought-out counsel pertinent to the situation and the company’s requirements. In order to be successful as an advisor, you must possess:
The following habits and skills relate to the four fundamental competencies:
The following are examples of role-related abilities and functional competencies:
Human Resources Officer
For instance, the HR Officer may be an entry-level to mid-level HR generalist with a wide variety of responsibilities, or they may concentrate on a single HR domain. To develop the culture and objectives of the business, they recruit, educate, and support its people—the most valuable resource.
Important duties for this position include:
Business Partner for HR
An HR Officer’s next career step would be to become an HR Business Partner (HRBP). This individual serves as the business’s and HR’s strategic point of contact. Important duties for this position include:
Senior Business Partner in HR
The HRBP has the potential to progress to Senior HRBP status over time. At a major corporation, they are also referred to as the HR Manager or the Vice President of HR. They advise the executive team and utilize their business acumen to make sure that HR aids the organization in achieving its objectives.
Important duties include:
These roles work across different business units or divisions, like the local HR Executives and the worldwide CoE leadership teams. This profile allows you to pursue roles such as Shared Services Manager, Head Talent, Employee Relationship Executive, and Chief Human Resources Officer.
An expert working as a strategist is an important collaborator in determining the organization’s future and an important contributor to the business plan. They create the HR plan and guarantee that the company has the people resources it needs to prosper both now and in the future. Usually, these are experts with a good deal of prior expertise in a range of HR-related tasks. In order to be successful as a Strategist, you must:
Have the following habits and skills related to the four fundamental competencies:
Knowledge of the following functional abilities and role-related skills is required:
Chief Learning Officer
As their first leadership position, someone fitting the Strategist description can begin as the Chief Learning Officer. This C-suite executive is in charge of an organization’s learning management. They design and implement a company’s learning plan according to the demands of the business and the workforce.
Important duties for this position include:
Director of HR
In the near future, the Chief Learning Officer may take on the role of HR Director, overseeing the HR department’s personnel, activities, and policies. By counseling the board on the ramifications of its actions for human resources, they support the company’s overarching strategy.
The following are the HR Director’s primary duties:
Chief HR Officer
The CHRO position is the next logical step for an HR director. This person leads an organization’s HR and culture. They go by a variety of titles, including VP of HR, Chief of Talent, and Chief People Officer.
Important duties for this position include:
HR professionals wear several hats in many companies, especially in small and emerging businesses. This implies that they can play a variety of roles.
Generalist in HR
The HR Generalist position is the most prominent one. This mid-level professional’s duties include hiring, handling benefits and compensation, managing HR, and other duties. They typically serve as part of a team that services various business areas or are an organization’s first HR hire.
The following are the main duties of the HR Generalist:
HR Assistant
The HR Assistant is another position that frequently mixes a variety of profiles. The HR Assistant is in charge of the day-to-day operations of an organization’s HR department.
Important duties for this position include:
HR Specialist
The position of the HR Specialist serves as a third example. This HR specialist specializes in a particular aspect of HR, such as benefits and pay, labor and relations with workers, or recruiting. Usually, HR specialists work in bigger HR teams.
Important duties for this role consist of:
Now that you have a solid understanding of how to transition between the HR functional profiles, let’s look at some real-world examples of how an HR professional might advance. Andrea, Michael, and Lucy have granted permission to use the following three stories. All identities have been altered to protect privacy.
HR Assistant to CHRO
After earning her Generalist HR degree, Andrea has worked in HR for the past 20 years in various jobs. She began her career in one of the largest mining enterprises in her nation as an HR Administrator assisting the HRBP team. Andrea worked along the whole HR value chain. For Andrea, this position was an invaluable learning opportunity.
When she transferred to a financial services company two years later, it helped prepare her for her first HR Generalist position.
Before relocating to the telecom industry to take on a Senior HRBP post, she oversaw several HR projects in this capacity. She got the chance to lead long-term projects, communicate with other HR specialists, and work with the business on higher-level goals as a Senior HRBP.
Four years later, Andrea took a job as an HR executive for the first time. She was employed as the Head of HR for a different telecom company that was going through a merger at the time. One of their biggest enterprise service lines was under her purview.
Three and a half years later, this experience gave her the skills she needed to take on the role of CHRO in a public sector firm. Andrea is currently employed by one of the largest multinational banks in her nation as a more senior CHRO. In her role, she is in charge of the strategic HR strategy and solutions for the more than 30,000 employees.
From Human Resources Consultant to CHRO
Michael began his work in the insurance industry as an HR consultant. In his initial position, his primary responsibility was assisting the HR group services team in implementing various business-wide interventions. He went into an HRBP role, where he was in charge of matching HR priorities to the demands of his firm. He had realized that interacting with the business was his genuine passion.
Michael’s success in recruiting allowed him to be transferred to the position of excellence. In his capacity as Head of Talent, he oversaw the whole talent management portfolio for the company. He later assumed responsibility for the Learning and Development portfolio, which enabled him to advance to the position of Manager for OD and Learning.
Michael wanted to use his HR knowledge and skills in a different sector after 14 years of experience. He was promoted to Group Executive for Organizational Development at a logistics company. He was exposed to the strategic human resources sector and had the chance to work together with a range of stakeholders to advance specialized HR operations. This enabled him to gain his next position as Vice President of Shared Services. He was responsible for planning, developing, deploying, and refining HR technology solutions across the board for his company. Michael is currently employed as the CHRO of a multinational manufacturing company.
From Assistant in OD to Head of OD
With twelve years of experience in various jobs within a multinational firm, Lucy is a human resources professional. She began her HR career in the financial services sector as an OD Assistant. In this capacity, Lucy helped the company carry out a number of interventions, and she came away with a solid idea of what a specialist did.
Later on, Lucy transitioned into an HRBP position, where she gained insight into how HR interacts with and contributes to the company. Her role’s broad emphasis, which enabled her to comprehend every stage of the employee lifecycle, was especially enjoyable to her.
Four years later, she joined the Organizational Development team as an OD Specialist. Lucy eventually assumed the position of OD Head, overseeing the company’s growth portfolio.
Our world is full of uncertainties and disruptions, from widening skills gaps to the impending automation of many jobs. HR professionals must possess a diverse range of abilities in order to effectively navigate current and future difficulties and leverage them as personal growth opportunities.
The HR operational profiles and the many HR career path possibilities within each operational profile have been introduced in this article. Different combinations of basic and functional competencies—which are broken down into skills and behaviors—are needed for different types of roles.
But knowing what skills and personality traits you’d need is just the beginning of your quest to become a future-ready HR practitioner. The following action item is to ascertain your present ability level and pinpoint your individual skills gap.
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