The HR Advisor’s role; building powerful foundations for your HR career

We don’t always remember every nuance of our early careers, but the one thing most HR professionals will never forget is the day they finally achieved the status of HR Advisor.

Think back to the start of your HR career.

Maybe you can remember the excitement of being offered an HR Administrator role after finally completing your degree?

Perhaps you fell into the profession as a temp, only to realise how interesting and rewarding it could be.

We don’t always remember every nuance of our early careers, but the one thing most HR professionals will never forget is the day they finally achieved the status of HR Advisor.

You may have faced some tricky interviews, dealt with some challenging situations and made some tough decisions throughout your senior HR career, but accomplishing that first solid rung on the ladder requires real grit and determination.

You’re likely to be juggling an immense workload and trying to prove your abilities by taking on more senior work at every opportunity.

You’ll no doubt be spending the evenings studying towards your CIPD to ensure you have every available string to your bow.

Every spare minute you have left will be spent searching for and applying to interesting opportunities, as you compete with hundreds of other HR candidates for the role that defines the start of your professional career.

There’s no doubt that a lot goes into securing an Advisor’s role but for the professionals who start their career in this way, there is an invaluable opportunity to gain experience across the whole of the HR spectrum.

Developing hands-on knowledge of everything from recruitment and reward to ER and L&D helps grow a broad base of skills and gives the post-holder a chance to see what they’re really good at so that they can make informed, inspired career choices further down the line.

Taking on generalist responsibilities is also a great way to build your confidence and credibility. It’s impossible to excel in every field but you can gain so much from working in areas that may not sit within your natural comfort zone. HR is also a profession where knowledge is both coveted and respected. The more you know, the more the business will respect and value your input.

Further down the line, it’s easy to see why so many successful HRDs started their careers by getting their hands dirty in an HR Advisors role.

Having a wide range of experience in many areas enables them to lead their employees from experience and anticipate the challenges that lie ahead.

Their leadership skills will also benefit from a generalist’s insight, enabling them to motivate and inspire the different personality types that sit within their teams.

For anyone looking for direction early on in the HR profession, the Advisor’s role is a great place to start. It crowns you as being credible, trustworthy and an expert in the HR field.

You will become one of the most important points of contact for employees across the business and provide yourself with a solid stepping stone from which to build the foundations of your career.

Jen Gaster

Founder and Director of HR Heads Jen is passionate about the innovative and successful recruitment of HR talent and creating strong, lasting networks built on trusted relationships.

Connect with me on LinkedIn here