Human resources employees are not always the best placed to hold management positions in this field. This is what a study conducted by the Aon Hewitt firm found.
Those who thought that to become a HRM it was a necessity to have made a career in human resources are mistaken. According to the results collected by the Aon Hewitt from 45 HRMs around the world, careers seem much more diversified than it seems. More than half of HRMs said that they had not made human resources a career. And of these, one third said they had no professional experience in the field before taking the position.
Bigger and bigger challenges
According to the analyses by the American firm, companies seek HRMs with varied experience to be able to respond to different challenges: the multiple needs of the business, the volatile economic environment and the search for talent whose face is constantly changing. HRMs are therefore key players in defining corporate strategy. They are expected to be able to cope with the many problems awaiting them.
Key experiences
This explains why these managers today have diversified careers. 73% of respondents told the study they had changed their sector of activity at least once in their career. Another important aspect: 66% declared they already had a seat on a board of directors before holding their management position. One HRM in four had already been assigned to a position (outside HR) with the aim of developing their skills in the marketing and business field. And 67% had already worked and lived abroad and/or had managed an international team.
Broader and broader skills
The study also helped to identify a certain number of qualities and skills required to succeed in such a position:
- being able to make decisions from analysis of data,
- being the architect and evaluator of changes in the organizational culture,
- proactively identifying the needs of skills for the organization as part of the business’s future strategy,
- playing a role as a talent scout, both internally and externally,
- recognizing the scope of new technologies in improving HR processes.