Without care and attention, HR professionals can find themselves so busy managing and developing others that they neglect their own ambitions and future. To be effective and to be recognised, HR must keep one eye on their own aims, ambitions and skills making sure they keep pace with the latest approaches to the profession and that their career continues to move ahead.
Right now there are a whole host of resources, tools, qualifications, online and in person courses designed to support and push forward a professional HR career. The question is, how to identify the right resource at the right time in order to have maximum impact?
Florence Carter, Global VP of People and Culture, Fuse Universal explains early in her career she felt isolated as a standalone Head of HR. She combatted this by actively engaging with the HR community. “I regularly – and still do – attend HR conferences, join online HR communities to network with my peers and learn different approaches and best practices,” she says. “Also to get ahead in HR, there’s no need to reinvent the wheel – make use of open-source HR resources – there’s tons out there – and ready-made templates for efficiency and learning from other best in class companies.”
Learning Continuously & Always Connect
Ultimately, says Carter, continuous learning and connection to others are key to building and maintaining a successful and impactful HR career.
“HR is most definitely a profession in which first-hand experiences enable career progress,”
says Nebel Crowhurst, Chief People Officer at Reward Gateway. “There is a need for HR leaders to have strong intuition and gut instinct when supporting people. There is not always a process to follow or a handbook on how people might react and respond in complex situations.”
By way of addressing this, Crowhurst highlights the need for core skills around business acumen, strategic focus, legal and financial knowledge – all learnable she argues, as they have an element of process to them or a blueprint to follow.
“In my own career, I have had the opportunity to combine real firsthand experiences of people in the workplace, with supportive mentorship earlier in my career – blended with achieving a professional qualification, which gave me the grounding I needed,” she says. “For anyone who feels they don’t have the opportunity of mentorship within their own organisations, programmes such as The Aspiring HRD Mentorship scheme with the CIPD are a great way to obtain support.”
The Mentoring Advantage
Mentoring is highlighted as one of the most impactful investments for a successful HR career by Claire Williams, Chief People and Operations Officer at HR software provider Ciphr. “Having a mentor, whether through a structured programme or an informal professional relationship, can provide guidance, perspective, and support,” she says. “Investing in mentorship, either as a mentee or a mentor, can significantly accelerate career growth by offering real-world insights, problem-solving strategies, and a sounding board for complex workplace challenges.”
Since HR draws on so many skills and so many areas of knowledge and expertise, what emerges is a need to pull on diverse resources in order to build a coherent professional career. High flying HR is not a matter of following a simple and straight-forward path.
Navigating a successful career in HR is no small feat, and that’s where career guidance professionals play a game-changing role,”
says Sue Alder, Training Manager, Career Development Institute. “They provide the strategic insight and tailored support HR practitioners need to map out clear career pathways and make informed decisions about their development. It’s not just about earning qualifications or mastering tools – it’s about taking a holistic approach that builds resilience, adaptability, and the ‘bounce-back ability’ to thrive in an ever-changing business landscape.”
Diverse Skills to Power the Professional
It is unsurprising to find that successful HR careers come with continuous learning. Learning new skills, new areas of business and more will always add to the value an HR professional can bring.
“For HR professionals looking to further their careers, my top piece of advice is to invest in continuous learning,”
says Sejal Daswani, Chief People Officer at Deputy. “There are a wealth of different resources and programmes available, especially in today’s age, to help HR professionals progress.
Daswani also highlights professional networks as a great way to invest: “Nowadays, there are so many different ways to find these networks and groups, whether it be through LinkedIn, or by attending a conference specifically for HR professionals. Learning from your peers is so important – by having open discussions around HR challenges and strategies with those around you, you can gain insights into topics that formal training may not always cover.”
Qualified for Success
Qualifications can still be crucial to a HR professional’s standing. Nebel Crowhurts highlights her Masters in HR as a huge catalyst in her career to becoming Chief People Officer. According to Emily van Eyssen, Founder, Remote Recruitment CIPD qualifications or SHRM or HRCI certifications all help to validate expertise. However she also notes HR should not stay in its lane:
“HR managers aspiring to senior leadership must focus on strategic growth,” she says. “Learn about digital transformation – knowing tools like LinkedIn Talent Insights or AI-driven apps will help you stay competitive. It’s crucial to align HR goals with broader business strategies.”
Emily also highlights the global angle for HR professionals who truly want to lead organisations – an important facet highlighted by the most recent HR World/Wilson report into HR’s path to the C-suite:
“Global talent management marks a leadership benchmark in HR,”
she says.“CIPD qualifications are still the gold standard in the UK,” says Lauren Chiren, CEO of WomenofaCertainStage.com and former HR transformation executive, “but additional training in diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), menopause awareness, and mental health first aid can make a real difference. These extra skills help HR professionals stay ahead in an evolving people landscape.”
Chiren also highlights executive coaching and leadership programmes, – including ILM or EMCC-accredited courses – as useful for helping HR professionals step up from operational roles into more strategic leadership positions.
“HR technology and analytics tools like Personio, BambooHR, and Culture Amp streamline HR operations, while AI-driven workforce analytics provide valuable insights into employee wellbeing and organisational trends,” she adds. “Taking a data-led approach to decision-making can make a huge impact.”
Open to Everything
Above all, when addressing its own development needs, HR should keep an open mind: “Approach these opportunities with openness and adaptability,” advises Emily van Eyssen. “HR is a field in continuous evolution, with opportunities around every corner. It can be a thrilling journey if you embrace proactive professional growth.”
The HR World is actively supporting HR professionals in their careers through the resources we produce every week. Our articles, webinars, in person events and research activities are dedicated to furthering both the HR function and the professional individuals who have dedicated their working lives to how people work.
Check out our forthcoming webinars, or catch up on recent discussions here.
You can also download the current HR World/Wilson report and the next issue, out in April will give insight into how professional qualifications further the HR career.
