A great way of developing your career as you start in HR is to consider your gaps.  By considering what you know, what you have experience of and what you would like to know more about you can focus your energies to develop your career.


In the early years (by that I mean 0-5 years’ experience) it is really sensible to be broad in your interests, but you might want to consider specialising later.


A few thoughts on this:


  • Don’t assume you need to be a generalist – many people are and it suits them well (see my earlier blog on knowing yourself) they like the variety and mixture of challenges, but for others there are some areas of HR which just don’t suit you.
  • You could consider the option of being a subject expert later in your career – certain specialisms such as shared services, payroll or benefits are highly sought after.  If you came into these roles with a broad base first that would be very attractive to many employers.
  • Larger organisations tend to split recruitment, learning and HR, if that’s your organisation then look out for opportunities to move across the areas.
  • On that points you also might consider seeking out larger or smaller organisations to work for depending on what skills you are seeking.  Smaller organisations allow for more general exposure whilst large will have more experts to learn from.  Having a range of sizes on your CCV can also be really beneficial.
  • Don’t rule out operational roles in the business, I know a number of senior HR people who did a stint in operations – retail store manager, regional operations or team leader.  This is especially powerful if you want to stay in one sector such as manufacturing or retail – and it will really add to your cv.


It’s also worth considering the long term as developing yourself as an HR generalist, would give you the best chance of moving into more senior HR roles if that’s where you want to go.  Many HRD roles require experience of all aspects of HR.  I often see people who have missed out any exposure to learning or payroll which are both very useful skills to add to your kit bag.  A broad range of skills is also very useful in roles with smaller organisations where you might be the only HR person and will need to cover all aspects.


In my mind the specialisms sit on a range of HR types: Learning folk on one end – HR BP types in the middle – with shared services, reward and payroll people at the other end.  Some of us might be a mixture but most of us will have a preference or affinity with one part over another.


Your personal style and preference might dictate which areas are a natural fit for you but I would suggest you try to get a balance in your experience even if it’s a quick dip rather than a long swim, some ways to achieve this might be:


  • Look for opportunities in other HR teams if you are in a large organisation
  • Taking a short-term secondment internally to cover maternity leave/sick leave in a different role in your team or in an operational role
  • Work shadowing specific roles
  • Seeking a mentor from one of the HR areas or from within the operational side of your current business
  • Taking some shorter-term roles to fill in your experience gaps (if you bank account can allow it)
  • Attending a training course or self-study on


A final thought on careers – I advocate quick moves in your early years – up to 3 years per role so you can gather experience and try out different ways of working.  With a bit of planning you can set yourself on the right course for HR success.


Photo by Katja Ano on Unsplash