Feeling Stuck in HR: How Can I Boost My Career Prospects and Skills?

Dear Seniors,

I have completed my BBA and am currently pursuing an MBA from Sikkim Manipal University through distance learning. I have been working in the construction field for the past three years in the HR & Admin department. Initially, I worked at a project site, but after a year and a half, I was promoted and transferred to the Head Office (HO). Unfortunately, the company I was transferred to suddenly shut down, and I missed the opportunity to experience and learn about corporate HR culture. I am now back working at the Head Office of a growing construction company, where I lead the HR & Admin team for all sites as well as the HO.

I must admit that I am not a well-trained HR professional, and I lack awareness of all HR functions. However, I am grateful to "citeHR" for providing me with the necessary drafts, formats, and other resources that have been instrumental in managing the HR team in my current company.

I am concerned about my career prospects, unsure if I will be able to secure a good job in reputable companies since I lack practical HR field experience. I am actively seeking opportunities to learn and grow in a reputed firm, as the HR role in my current company has minimal impact.

Seeking Advice on Career Advancement in HR

Seniors, I seek your advice on how I can enhance my skills for a career in HR. What steps can I take within my current company to gain recognition from management and showcase my contributions effectively?

Thank you for your guidance.

Please read the BOCW Act & Rule, Contract Labour (R&A) Act & Rule, Interstate Migrant Workmen Act & Rules. You will get some idea about the statutory compliance at the construction site. Please go through the Shops and Establishment Act under which your Head Office (HO) is registered. Visit the construction site and check their records for proper maintenance. Ensure that safety, hygiene, and welfare measures provided to the workmen are maintained.

As you mentioned that your company is a growing company, please check the HR policies and either develop them or create new ones. If not, start maintaining all the staff (HO & Site Based) records.

In your free time, browse CiteHR, and you will get complete help regarding how to proceed further. Whenever you encounter any difficulties, ask, and our learned members will surely help you in all possible ways.

Wish you all the best, Ajay.

Nobody can stop you if you want to learn. Take a trip to other sections of your HR department. Try to communicate with other employees there, establish healthy relationships, and ask them about their work procedures and SOPs. You can also ask them for their job descriptions and try to understand how they perform their duties according to those descriptions. Learn and memorize everything you see, hear, and observe in other sections, and implement them at the right time in front of the right people. Remember, little stones of knowledge can build a bridge towards your success.

Regards,

Always in life, you will find yourself confronted with unfamiliar situations like these. Often in professional contexts, these situations will shape the very quality of your work experience. Fortunately, you are not the only one to have traveled this road. So, fear not! It has happened to all of us, and that is one specific way we have learned. Many will agree with that.

What you need to do now is look at the things you know about HR processes and start with those. Automatically, as you interact with the business environment and people, you will begin to know what works, what needs to be changed, and what needs to get done.

Compliance and Policies

S. Bhaskar has given you the compliance and policies angle necessary for your HR department and role. Start with that. Those are the fundamentals of setting up an HR department in any industry on this Earth.

Along with compliance and policies, what you need to know in time is what is important to your business—how it makes money, what the long-term objectives are, what the short-term goals are, and what strategy your business has adapted as per its growth cycle.

This will not be very easily available to understand; nevertheless, you must take interest in it, ask for it, and develop your understanding of it. What you do in HR has to be aligned periodically with the business.

Trust yourself for now and just know that eventually, you will come into your own and take control. That's the way of life. For now, focus on the basics which you have been made aware of.

Good wishes.

Andy

Opportunities in the HR Domain

The HR domain itself presents various opportunities, ranging from Manpower Planning to Retirement. You can specialize in one or many domain areas and hone your skills. You have your life and career in front of you; use these opportunities wisely.

Best wishes