Sharon Hooper started working in the Manitoba government’s personnel department as a part-time summer employee. Today she’s vice-president of human resources and corporate communications with Ceridian Canada Ltd., the Winnipeg-based payroll and HRMS provider. She offers Canadian HR Reporter’s readers lessons learned in more than 20 years in the field.
I have often been asked to discuss my career and describe the formula I used for moving progressively through the human resources profession to reach the level of vice-president.
While getting ahead in the profession was not ever prescriptive for me, I have certainly learned a few lessons along the way that may help others as they move through their careers in the HR field.
By way of background, my entire career has been in the human resources field. I started out as a summer and part-time employee of the Manitoba government’s personnel department, while pursuing a bachelor of education. After seven years of working for the government, I was responsible for staff training at 22 departments totalling more than 15,000 employees.
In order to broaden my horizons and apply some of my experiences and knowledge in a new environment, I then moved to an electrical utility company. With this employer, my career expanded into a number of HR disciplines, including HR planning, training and development, industrial relations including collective bargaining, grievance management, HR policy development, compensation and benefit design and administration.
I took each new opportunity as an opportunity to grow and learn and make a positive contribution to the larger business. And with each new challenge assumed, my career gained depth and breadth.
After 10 successful years in the utility business, I joined one of the largest aerospace-manufacturing employers in Canada as the director of human resources.
Then, in 1998, I was invited to compete for the position of vice-president of HR with Ceridian Canada, a leading Canadian payroll and HRMS solutions company.
My interest in this position was captured when I learned they needed HR at the executive table to support efforts to integrate two recently acquired companies.
This presented an enormous challenge, given that 90 per cent of companies never achieve their integration goals — this is for many reasons, but most notably for failure to deal with the people issues that inevitably arise out of a merger or acquisition. I was bound and determined to do it right. Two years later I can report that we have made excellent progress.
What have I learned from all this?
Always be self-directed
Whether it’s learning new things or taking on new assignments, always be one step ahead of the game and be willing to take on new challenges. Do your research and know what trends, issues or opportunities will be impacting your business. Read the latest industry publications, take courses, attend conferences and join networks where you can share best practices.
Remember: the core competency of an HR professional is more than knowing about HR. Your skill set must include project management, financial planning and management, change management, conflict management, business analysis skills and an understanding of economics. The more capabilities you develop, the more valuable you will be to your current — and future — employer.
Accept challenges — even if you don’t know the answer
My motto could well be: “Say yes, then figure out how to do it.”
Never turn down the chance to make a difference, participate on a team or provide input. Even if it’s a new field that you have to research first to really understand, the experience you gain will far outweigh any difficulties you may incur along the way.
Use your professional networks, the Internet, reference texts — any tool you can to help you out, but take on the challenge and work it out as you go along.
Think wisely before changing positions
Do not take a career change lightly. Think through any potential move and really understand your motivation behind the move. Is it because you want more depth or breadth in your responsibilities and your experience?
For example, when I made the move to manufacturing from the government, my reason was to gain different experience in a new industry; it was to broaden my HR knowledge in a new sector and give me a competitive advantage in the job market by adding a new “niche” to my experience belt.
Your knowledge of HR is only as good as your ability to apply it to the unique business you are supporting. The more business industries you understand, the more mobile you are likely to be.
Before leaping from one position to another, take a moment to assess the impact you have made in your current job. Will you leave behind a nice-size, positive footprint? Will you be remembered as having made positive and effective changes? The legacy you leave behind will speak volumes about your career fit in future jobs. Also keep in mind that the HR community is very small and reputations have a way of following you wherever you go.
What better testament to the value of these lessons, than to tell you that I am still having fun and still learning after more than 20 years in the HR field? Embrace these lessons and I guarantee you will be able to say the same. Good luck.
Sharon Hooper is vice-president of human resources at Winnipeg-based Ceridian Canada Ltd., and can be reached at (204) 946-0770.
I have often been asked to discuss my career and describe the formula I used for moving progressively through the human resources profession to reach the level of vice-president.
While getting ahead in the profession was not ever prescriptive for me, I have certainly learned a few lessons along the way that may help others as they move through their careers in the HR field.
By way of background, my entire career has been in the human resources field. I started out as a summer and part-time employee of the Manitoba government’s personnel department, while pursuing a bachelor of education. After seven years of working for the government, I was responsible for staff training at 22 departments totalling more than 15,000 employees.
In order to broaden my horizons and apply some of my experiences and knowledge in a new environment, I then moved to an electrical utility company. With this employer, my career expanded into a number of HR disciplines, including HR planning, training and development, industrial relations including collective bargaining, grievance management, HR policy development, compensation and benefit design and administration.
I took each new opportunity as an opportunity to grow and learn and make a positive contribution to the larger business. And with each new challenge assumed, my career gained depth and breadth.
After 10 successful years in the utility business, I joined one of the largest aerospace-manufacturing employers in Canada as the director of human resources.
Then, in 1998, I was invited to compete for the position of vice-president of HR with Ceridian Canada, a leading Canadian payroll and HRMS solutions company.
My interest in this position was captured when I learned they needed HR at the executive table to support efforts to integrate two recently acquired companies.
This presented an enormous challenge, given that 90 per cent of companies never achieve their integration goals — this is for many reasons, but most notably for failure to deal with the people issues that inevitably arise out of a merger or acquisition. I was bound and determined to do it right. Two years later I can report that we have made excellent progress.
What have I learned from all this?
Always be self-directed
Whether it’s learning new things or taking on new assignments, always be one step ahead of the game and be willing to take on new challenges. Do your research and know what trends, issues or opportunities will be impacting your business. Read the latest industry publications, take courses, attend conferences and join networks where you can share best practices.
Remember: the core competency of an HR professional is more than knowing about HR. Your skill set must include project management, financial planning and management, change management, conflict management, business analysis skills and an understanding of economics. The more capabilities you develop, the more valuable you will be to your current — and future — employer.
Accept challenges — even if you don’t know the answer
My motto could well be: “Say yes, then figure out how to do it.”
Never turn down the chance to make a difference, participate on a team or provide input. Even if it’s a new field that you have to research first to really understand, the experience you gain will far outweigh any difficulties you may incur along the way.
Use your professional networks, the Internet, reference texts — any tool you can to help you out, but take on the challenge and work it out as you go along.
Think wisely before changing positions
Do not take a career change lightly. Think through any potential move and really understand your motivation behind the move. Is it because you want more depth or breadth in your responsibilities and your experience?
For example, when I made the move to manufacturing from the government, my reason was to gain different experience in a new industry; it was to broaden my HR knowledge in a new sector and give me a competitive advantage in the job market by adding a new “niche” to my experience belt.
Your knowledge of HR is only as good as your ability to apply it to the unique business you are supporting. The more business industries you understand, the more mobile you are likely to be.
Before leaping from one position to another, take a moment to assess the impact you have made in your current job. Will you leave behind a nice-size, positive footprint? Will you be remembered as having made positive and effective changes? The legacy you leave behind will speak volumes about your career fit in future jobs. Also keep in mind that the HR community is very small and reputations have a way of following you wherever you go.
What better testament to the value of these lessons, than to tell you that I am still having fun and still learning after more than 20 years in the HR field? Embrace these lessons and I guarantee you will be able to say the same. Good luck.
Sharon Hooper is vice-president of human resources at Winnipeg-based Ceridian Canada Ltd., and can be reached at (204) 946-0770.
