HR MANAGEMENT

Preparing for a Career in HR



Abstract

Examining the factors that are affecting careers in the modern organization Heritage goes on to note that because the fundamental nature of the organization is becoming more flexible to accommodate new business styles, the types of employees that are needed is changing as well. "In today's environment there is widespread career uncertainty.

Before considering a career in human resources development it's important to understand how this job has evolved over the past few decades. Those working currently in Human Resources Development, formerly know as personnel, or just HR, will find themselves doing various jobs depending upon the size of the company for which they are employed.

Today, an employee in human resources development may find herself managing the tasks above, as well as consulting with top executives in the company to determine strategic planning. An HR officer today has moved from behind the scenes staff work to leading the company in suggesting and changing policies.

In addition human resources staff may work to improve morale and productivity and limit job turnover. They can also be responsible for helping the company effectively use employee skills, provide training opportunities to enhance skills, and help boost employee satisfaction with their jobs and working conditions.

Table of Contents

CAREER MANAGEMENT4

H.R.M. PRACTICES7

FIVE-YEAR CAREER DEVELOPMENT PLAN8

CAREER DEVELOPMENT PLAN10

STRENGTHS10

AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT11

SHORT TERM GOALS12

LONG TERM GOALS12

ACTION STEPS TO OBTAIN CAREER GOALS AND OBJECTIVES13

POTENTIAL BARRIERS14

CONCLUSION20

REFERENCES22

Preparing for a Career in HR

Career Management

For both the professional and the human resource manager, the changing nature and development of careers serves as the basis for a considerable amount of change and obfuscation. As such there is an impetus to explore the current factors that influence careers in organizations, the implications of these factors and how employees and organizations should view career success. To this end, this investigation considers these issues to provide a more comprehensive overview of how modern careers can affect the organization overall. By critically examining these issues it will be possible to garner a better understanding of the importance of career to the individual as well as to the organization.

Considering first the context of career as it applies to the individual, Heritage makes the following observation: "To think of a career as a linear, step-by-step advancement up the corporate ladder is not only to exclude all the other ways in which people make their living, but also to fail to take into account the environment in which we now work - an environment that is characterized by unprecedented rates of change" (Heritage, 16). What this effectively suggests is that the traditional ideology of the career as a linear path of progress no longer exists. Instead, the development of a career has been replaced with a less traditional model that often provides little cohesion for the individual(Guttman, 1991).

Secure jobs with regular tasks, pay, hours and place of work are disappearing, and increasingly being replaced by more loose and shifting arrangements, including freelance assignments, temporary or consulting positions. Companies are replacing the traditional corporate structure with project-orientated ...