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Career Path Planning for HR Pros
Human resources professionals manage every aspect of the employee lifecycle through recruiting, administration, compensation and benefits, training and development, employee relations, performance management, mergers and acquisitions, and more.
They’re directly tied to today’s high-priority business metrics, such as culture, employee engagement, and retention. Since their job is all about employees, it’s hard to remember that HR professionals are also employees.
Like any employee, HR professionals have career goals and interests within their field. They want to master skills and pursue passions. Just like any other role, HR professionals have the opportunity to move up through the ranks and, eventually, manage teams of their own.
The days when HR was just an administrative function are long gone. Now, HR is involved in most key decision-making and strategy at a company. So, what does a modern career in human resources look like?
HR Career Path Trajectory
Generally, the career path upward mobility for HR professionals follows the following timeline and structure:
HR assistant/coordinator
Most people begin their careers in human resources at an entry-level position. This position is usually a generalized role that might help with recruiting, benefits, payroll, employee relations, engagement, performance management, and whatever else needs to be done. It’s an opportunity to learn and understand how the various disciplines of HR affect an organization.
HR manager
One step up from assistant/coordinator, the HR manager has more decision-making power and ownership of day-to-day HR processes—and they’re more empowered to be analytical. With around five years of experience under their belt, they get more input into HR strategy and processes that affect the larger business ecosystem. Often, the HR manager also leads a team of assistants/coordinators.
HR Director/VP
HR professionals can move up from a manager position to a director and then a VP role. The HR director and vice president are more senior members of the department, usually with around five to ten years of experience. Someone at this level is the owner of end-to-end process creation and the execution (and oversight) of every metric. Directors and VPs set, enforce, and evaluate HR policies, procedures, and best practices that align with the company’s mission, values, and goals.
Chief HR or People Officer
The most senior role in HR within an organization is the chief human resources officer (CHRO), sometimes known as the chief people officer (CPO). With 15+ years of experience, they collaborate with the rest of the C-suite and key company stakeholders (CEO, board of directors, etc.) to develop all company-wide HR initiatives, policies, and strategies. From employment law to organizational planning and beyond, they completely understand all HR disciplines and the leadership skills to back them up. They oversee the HR team to ensure monthly, quarterly, and annual goals are met to advance company objectives.
The HR career ladder mirrors that of most careers, but within HR, several avenues of specialization–and the opportunity to work in-house or as a consultant—make HR a unique career path.
To Specialize or Not to Specialize
The career trajectory outlined above applies largely to HR generalists—human resources professionals with various HR skills and expertise across various HR disciplines. More senior HR generalists likely have gained diverse skills through in-house careers.
An HR specialist, however, is trained to work in a particular area of human resources—with an acute skill for a specific HR discipline and years of experience working on that one piece of HR. Specialists usually get their start as generalists but decide to go deeper in one area they are uniquely skilled or interested in—through certifications or more schooling.
Specialization can unlock new career opportunities for HR professionals. Larger companies hire specialists to oversee each HR discipline or vertical (compared to smaller companies that might hire one or two generalists). Organizations also bring in specialists to solve a specific, interesting problem (rather than to take over general HR administrative responsibilities).
Popular areas of specialization for HR professionals include:
- Benefits
- Learning and Development
- Payroll
- Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
- Talent Acquisition and Hiring
- Labor Relations
- Analytics
Specialization is not a pigeonhole: within these specializations, there is still forward momentum in career structure. A benefits specialist might start out as a benefits coordinator and grow into a benefits manager. A recruiting specialist might grow from a recruiting coordinator into a VP of Talent Acquisition (and so on).
In-House HR vs Consulting
Beyond specialization, HR professionals can customize their careers by taking their talents in-house or becoming free agents. HR consultants help organizations manage and support their workforces when they need an extra set of hands or an expert opinion on moving forward. Organizations often bring in a consultant when they need help with a specific problem, like a recruiting push or a labor relations issue.
Consulting is ideal for HR professionals who seek greater flexibility in their work life (like many modern employees right now), who enjoy working on new problems and ideas regularly, and who have a few years of in-house experience under their belts (so that sourcing work isn’t a problem).