When people ask me what profession I’m in, I don’t hesitate to proudly say, “HR !! You know, Human Resources.” Even when the response is, “Oh, sorry,” I’m not bothered in the least !! Really, I’m not kidding. Being in HR excites me and I wouldn’t trade it for any other profession (some of which truly do scare me !!)
One of the primary things that scares most folks I know in HR is that they aren’t quite sure where they fit in, or where the profession is going. When your view on HR is “unknown”, I can understand why there might be some apprehension.
Too often people are paralyzed by fear and it makes them cautious, conventional and stuck. These attributes aren’t attractive in any profession and especially HR. So what can we do, if anything?
Glad you asked. I don’t know if you’re connected to the good folks at Focus.com, but you should change that and get connected to them. Recently, they published a survey that was given to HR practitioners entitled, Focus Research Study: 2011 Crowdsourced HR Survey. It’s brilliant !! You really need to click on this link, download the .pdf and see what people had to say. It covers Trends in HR, the use of Social Media in HR and views on HR’s position in the organization.
I try to participate in all HR related surveys because I want to make sure to have a voice in things and also see what others are saying. I can honestly say that this has been the most effective survey on HR that I’ve seen in quite some time. It is reflective, critical and realistic.
You also need to read this to alleviate your fears. Instead of wondering “what’s happening in HR?,” you can take these results in and see for yourself what your peers are saying. A special shout out to Charlie Judy and Caty Kobe who are working to keep HR relevant through work at Focus !!
So, on this Halloween change your outlook from being an HR Zombie to someone who’s no longer afraid and is excited to proclaim that you too are in HR !!
Hey Steve – happy Halloween 🙂
Love your pride in what you do, and your excitement reaches all the way here to England. Keep it going please.
Cheers Doug – Had to refer back to your classic HR Zombie post. I printed it off when you posted it and kept it to remind me of what not to be !! One of the best posts I’ve read. Hope you’re doing well.
I’m with you, I love this stuff (HR) I think its where I need to be. I know it has some unattractive aspects but that’s like anything else in life. So I’m proud to be a HR professional.
I’m currently working on my BBA with a focus in HR. I love keeping up with what is going on in the feild and am really excited about starting my career. HR has such a broad scope and I’m excited to eventually get in and help employers and employees. As of now i’m thinking of going into either training and development or recruiting. I’d love to help people get back to work or expand their horizons. It’s good to here from someone who is in the feild and is still excited about it.
Hey Steve,
Thanks for the resource I was looking for that for my next article.