The City HR Association is the professional bodyfor HR within financial services, based in the Cityof London and Canary Wharf. Our role is to helpHR practitioners at all stages of their career –whether through HR and technical training,personal skills development, knowledge sharing,best practice, policy development and networking.

This leaflet has been designed by City HR tohelp HR practitioners, at all levels, to managetheir career within their current organisation.We also appreciate that individuals sometimeswant to look at alternatives – either inside oroutside of their current organisation. Mindful ofthis, we have provided sources that will helpyou to think about your own aspirations andcareer management, to build on your skills andto understand how building your career withinyour current organisation translates into widercareer opportunities for the future.

Andrea Eccles, CEO, City HR Association

GETTINGTO THENEXTSTAGE OFYOUR HRCAREER

Current HR Role

HR Generalist

Head of HRBusiness Partners

Performance andReward Specialist

Learning &OrganisationalDevelopment

Chief PeopleOfficer or HR Director

See the National HR Leadership Programme delivered by the Guild of Human Resource Professionals for further insights (starts September 2018) on www.hrprofessionals.org.uk

What else can I do?

•Reward Consultant•Recruitment Consultant

(inplant management)•Training Consultant•Outplacement Consultant•Community Affairs

Manager

•HCM ManagementConsultancy

•Specialist Consultancy egreward, talentmanagement

•Trainer – Leadership,ManagementDevelopment, HR skills

•Outplacement•Employment Tribunal

Panel Member•Head of Community

Affairs•Marketing Director for an

HR related product•Professional Institute Role

•Reward consultant•Pensions and benefits

management•HR Systems Analyst•Benchmarking Survey

Manager

•HCM ManagementConsultant across allrelevant facets of HR

•Trainer and programmedesign

•Employee Survey Designand Analysis

•Employee Engagementspecialist

•Management Coach

•Chief of Staff, ChiefAdministration Officer orChief Operating Officer

•Governance Expert•Partner in a leading

Consulting Firm•Board level role in a

Professional Association•NED

Personal Skills?

•Relationship Management •Business Understanding•Influencing •Presentation Skills•Project Management •Training Delivery•Internal Communications •Benchmarking•Counselling/Advisory•Promoter of Organisation Culture, Values, Purpose•Driver of Inclusion and Diversity •Networking

•ExCo and Board Influence •Financial Accumen•Issue Resolution•Innovative HR Practices eg Agile, AI, Future of Work etc•Assessment and deployment of HR systems and

analytics•Coaching and Mentoring•Alignment of Business and HR Strategy including

IPOs and M&A•Advisory to Business Heads•Leadership•Champion of Organisation Culture, Values, Purpose,

Inclusion and Diversity•Representation at Employment Tribunals•Senior Level Networking

•Subject expert on Reward and PerformanceManagement

•Influencing of policy change and direction•Influencing skills with internal and external

stakeholders•Alignment of job architecture to organisational design•Champion and Challenger on Inclusion and Diversity•Leadership•External Voice on Reward and Performance

•Expertise in Talent and L&D•Procurement & leadership of internal and external

Employee Development Programmes •Organisational Design Skills•Optimiser of Performance •Champion of mental Well-being and Resilience •Change Leader and Facilitator of Business

Transformation•External voice on Inclusion and Diversity

•Board / ExCo membership•Coach to the CEO•Functional Leader in global operations•Define and drive HR Strategy•Arbitration and Problem Resolution•Firm’s ambassador on all facets of HR•Stakeholder Management of People Issues including

to Government, Regulators, Shareholders and theMedia

•Budget holder for all HR-wide spend•External Directorship, Public Body or Charity Role•Custodian of Employer Brand•Upholder of Culture, CSR and Social Purpose

How to Optimise your HR Skillset

What next in HR?

Up-skill to HR Business Partner or an HR specialistrole in • reward,• learning & development • resourcing or graduate recruitment • HRISthrough professional qualifications and internaltraining (see CIPD qualifications on back page)

In addition to a professional qualification considerwider qualification such as coaching, an MA orMBA. Also consider whether to acquire somebusiness experience such as line roles,marketing, corporate communications or PR.Alternatively, acquire specialist skills in • reward• learning and development• resourcing or graduate training and

development

Gain a strong understanding of all RewardStructures and Benefits including pensions andcash/non-cash incentives. Understand therequirements of all stakeholders and theirexpectations in terms of reward, regulation,governance, inclusion and diversity and culture.Leader in job architecture and job evaluation.Develop people analytics for Management andRemCo purposes and participate in externalsurveys and benchmarking. Be mindful of aligningperformance & reward

Head of:•Talent Management•Leadership & Learning•Digital Learning•Centre of Excellence•Employee Engagement

You will have extensive experience of leading HRteams to deliver a quality service to employees andother stakeholders and to contribute to theoverall performance of the business. To optimiseeffectiveness, you will need to operate as part of theSenior Management team for the business,including at Board level. Lead a multi-disciplined HRfunction and act as internal coach to businessleaders and their teams. The ability to drivepeople management programmes and employeeperformance to meet business strategy and live theorganisation’s culture is key. Strong governance,regulatory, social awareness, inclusion and diversityskills are critical. Act as an advocate for HR internallyand externally and promote the employer brand

Example for HR

HR Business Partner to Divisional Head of HR

Skills needed:Strong technical HR generalist andHR specialist skills, peoplemanagement, relationshipmanagement, upward and downwardcommunication.Knowledge of culture and values, thebusiness, corporate governance,political affairs.Additional strengths: strategy,industry insights, solutions,judgement, project management,influence, decision-making, budgetsand diplomacy.

Acquire the right skills profilethrough internal committees,working parties, internal/ externaltraining to create the right portfolio

Depending on your role now thinkabout•other related areas in HRGraduate

Recruitment, L & D, Internal, CareerCoaching, Reward, Employee,Relations, HR Advisory, or

•Business Activities, such asCustomer Services, Marketing,Business Analysis, RelationshipManagement, Community Affairs,Corporate Communication, Diversity.

Think about:

What do I want to be doingwithin the next 5 years? HR?Working in the business?Other? Be brave!

What do I need in my careerportfolio to achieve myaspirational role?

What learning, experience,skills and personal qualities doI need and what can I get frommy company?

What is my current role andhow will that translate to otherinteresting roles?

Career Planning

THE GOAL

My career goal within 5 years

What skills, knowledge, experienceand personal attributes do I need to

achieve my career aim?

What do I need to doto achieve my career aim?

Where am I now? What else can I do?

For HR related careers refer to the CIPD HR Professions Map (www.CIPD.co.uk/profession-map)

For non HR related careers refer to Adult Directions

What next in my Career?n Where am I now? Where do I want to be

in 5 years?

n In the same career ie HR? Whatexperience, training and attributes do Ineed to build my career?

n In a different career? Determine what youwould like to do and how to get there.Use Adult Directions CASCAiD to do this

n Who can help me plot my career andmake a transitionary path for me? Makea list and approach in a structured way

n How do I build credibility or a track recordin my chosen field? Identify what will helpyou re career position and seek it

n Network internally – expand yournetwork of work colleagues. These maybe future critical internal or externalcontacts and will aid your knowledgesharing

n Network externally - Accept invitations toCIPD Branch events, City HR events orseminars held by lawyers and consultingcompanies. These always have time at thebeginning and end to network and meetnew people in a relaxed atmosphere. Thiswill aid future best practice and peercollaboration.

n LinkedIn –keep your profile updated withnew skills and experience

Developing my Career in HR:Formal Interventionsn Get feedback: from your line manager,

peers and direct reports

n Do I need to study further e.g. - Professional qualification via CIPD- Occupational qualifications such as

an MA in HR Management orOccupational Psychology

- Optimise use of your CompanyTraining facilities

n Are there extra tools to add to myportfolio e.g.- Psychometric testing- Employment law courses- Coaching qualification

n Read a range of Business and HRpublications to keep knowledge currentincluding People Management and Workmagazine, Harvard Business Reviewand HR Magazine

Developing my Career in HR:Informal Interventionsn Attend external seminars to build

knowledge e.g. - City HR Association - CIPD local branch meetings- Local law firms- Management consultants

n Gain Committee or Working Partyexperience to build profile and contacts

n Network internally and externally

n Be aware of teambuilding, relationshipmanagement and politics

n Join a Board, Commission or CommunityRole

Inclusion and Diversity Specificn Join a relevant networking group

n Understand the D & I Policy in your firm n Find a sponsor or mentor to identify your

personal growth needs. Use theappraisal process to test ‘What Next?’

n Undertake any training offered to enhanceyour professional or personal credentials

n Working Parties, Committees, ProjectManagement Teams, Involvement in CSRactivities are a good way of developingnew relationships

n Be strategic, have a plan, plot this andbe brave

For Personal Development for HRrelated activities, look at n Your Company intranet for a full range of

training programmes

n The City HR Events Schedule for trainingprogrammes, seminars, working partiesand networking groups. Most of it is free!

n The Guild of HR Professionals Website onwww.hrprofessionals.org.uk for seminars.Also in the National HR LeadershipProgramme details

n The professional body or industry group foryour profession and their advertisedcourses

n Academic Institutions offering publiccourses on your aspirationalqualifications

n CIPD website for membership, branchdetails, HR Professions Map and How Toinformation via www.cipd.co.uk/homepage

n CIPD e-directory for HR courses viawww.cipd.co.uk/cipd-training

Marketing myself Internally andExternally n Networking events are great

opportunities to market yourself

n Dress and act appropriately for theposition you aspire to

n Raise your profile – contribute activelyto meetings, join internal and externalwork groups

n Volunteer to be on working committeesor groups

n Always send a note thanking someonefor meeting you – you will stand out.

n Send a LinkedIn Invite to new andexisting contacts. Think about yourprofile and key words.

n Join email or member board discussiongroups

Interviewing Internally andExternally n Present your application using a

concise, relevant and up-to-date CV

n Ensure your application meets the fullcriteria of the job and demonstratethis – customise your response

n Bring your business knowledge up tospeed and do as much research aboutthe business as you can

n Have your elevator story ready – learna self-description that is accurate,relevant and positive. Must be lessthan 60 seconds

n Be prepared for the strengths andweaknesses question

n Don’t interview the interviewer!

Top Tips for...

© The City HR Association 2014 (updated 2018) www.cityhr.co.uk - info@cityhr.co.uk - Tel: 0207 670 1932