I never dreamed of a career in Human Resources. From an early age, I would look to the stars and dream of being involved in healthcare, or the airline industry. Of course these are two very different industries but my passion for people was evident from then. After graduating high school, I got the dream call for an interview as a flight attendant. I am always punctual, but for some strange reason I ended up being 10 minutes late for the interview, and was ‘disqualified’ from that opportunity.
I took it as a sign when I was hired by one of the nation’s big commercial banks. That opened the doors to human resource management for me; or as it was called back then—personnel management. I was exposed to benefits administration, performance management, and more. Being the fast learner that I am—I learned, and learned, and learned.
This boosted me into the next position with a major international pharmaceutical company, that further exposed me to human resource management at the global level. I learnt not only the facets of HR at the local level, but had to interpret laws and practices for different countries that fell under my portfolio of responsibility. In my job I had to travel across countries throughout the Caribbean, and Latin America.
Education
What about education? As I journeyed, I felt led to receive formal training. Armed with a Bachelors in Business Management, I pursued a Masters in Human Resource Management. I also decided to minor in HR Development, while studying Doctorate in Education, Major Organizational Leadership. This then propelled my current role as Coach, and Human Resource Consultant.
As laws, technology and people change, there is no doubt that it is an advantage to become a member of organizations such as the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). This syncs with organizations such as local Human Resource Associations. Personally, I continue to participate in local, and national conferences. These days I conduct personal development Success workshops, backed by my research and subsequent publishing of book on Leaders and Success Strategies.
Success and Challenges Along the Way
Naturally, there have been challenges along the way. My most challenging feat arose during my first encounter with an international merger, between two giant pharmaceutical companies. Embracing two different cultures, employee relations issues, diversity, compensation, and benefits management in different countries was a challenge, to say the least. But as I look back and reflect on the Employer of Choice award, I am pleased. This experience molded me into my love for change management today. This passion has taken me across different industries including healthcare, hospitality, and others to name a few.
Even though there have been ups and downs since then, I have never regretted my decision to enter this profession. Every time I help a client improve their business, it makes me feel totally satisfied. Hearing the frustrations in their voices when they first contact me, and then seeing the satisfaction on their faces when things improve… is exhilarating!
In addition, The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) shared the result of the annual compilation of the most in-demand jobs done by CareerBuilder, and Economic Modeling Specialist International. Not surprising, Human Resource jobs were included among the top 20 positions-yea! The article stated that Human Resource Managers require a college degree and that this career position has grown by over 14,218 since 2010. This confirms that yes, it is a fine time to get into Human Resources.
So if you have the people skills, the spirit of resilience, and other facets mentioned, then go for it! Despite the stresses of the position, the job is totally satisfying….and oh by the way, it pays too. So what are you waiting for? Get started today, and if you’re like me, you’ll have no regrets!
Interested in how others got into this profession, read SHRM’s https://shar.es/1CXf4p via @SHRM
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