Feeling Stuck in HR? Seeking Advice on Transitioning to a Frontline Marketing Role

Dear Seniors, I want to shift my career from HRM to Marketing. I believe that Marketing is a challenging job and it's free from the internal politics of the company. Marketing people are working on the front line, while HR people are working as a backstage support system. I want to lead and work on the front line. I am interested in managing teams and motivating them to become business leaders. I found it difficult to influence people in HR because our management is giving more importance to the Marketing division.

Please give your valuable suggestions.

Regards

Dear Friend,

However, it's your own perception that you wish to share HR with Marketing. But just wish to say here that today HR is on the frontline. Even HR is a business partner more than Marketing sphere of any organization.

Rgds

Additional Insights for Career Shift from HR to Marketing

This is in addition to what Mr. Nathrao and Abhay have written. Well, gentlemen, to give proper suggestions, you need to provide us with more information. What is your qualification? What is your designation? What is the nature of your industry? What is the geographical spread where your products or services are sold?

If you wish to shift from HR to Marketing, how many times have you accompanied Marketing personnel in the field? What efforts have you made to understand why their shoes wear out in the field? Have you identified the competencies required for the marketing personnel? Which competencies do you possess? How have you ascertained that you possess those competencies?

Above all, in your company, are salespersons considered as marketing personnel? Sales and Marketing are independent functions; however, in India, the former is often dismissed as the latter!

Thanks,

Dinesh Divekar

Abhay sir, you are right, but in the Business Partner, we had acquired 50% of the marketing job, right? We have to play on the front line. The most important person in the organization will be the one who has done the most business.

Dear Dinesh sir,

What I am impressed by in Marketing is that we are independent and our results are measurable. If you sell more, your performance is high, and vice versa. However, in HR, our performance is not measurable. When the company is doing well, the maximum weightage goes to marketing, quality, and production. The HR department will receive limited credit. If HR establishes good systems, the credit goes to Management.

Understanding the Difference Between Marketing and Sales

Looking at your original post and subsequent responses, I was wondering if you understand the difference between marketing and sales. FYI - the output of marketing is difficult to measure in terms of numbers, but the output of sales is measurable in numbers.

The Customer is Not Always Right

You made a strange statement that the customer (internal or external) is always right. Research shows the precise opposite. I would recommend you read about what organizations do when the customer is wrong. Most organizations ignore such a customer since it is a costly affair to engage with that customer in a dialogue.

Credit for HR's Contribution

As far as HR getting limited credit - this depends on how well HR has learned the business and associated metrics involved. If HR shows limited understanding of the business, then they get limited credit. If you as HR want more credit, you have to work more. If your organization treats HR reports as formalities, then it will regret this sooner rather than later.

Reflecting on Your Career Choice

I would urge you to seriously consider why you got into HR in the first place. And if now, you wish to change careers, that is fine too, but to change based on the reasons you mentioned above, which can be distilled into fame and financial reward (nothing wrong here) only, then you may find it more difficult than you think to be successful in the new career.

Contributing to a New Career

Since you are in HR, what is the reason you would give to hiring yourself, if someone asks you how you will contribute in the new career? These are some of the topics which I will be discussing in my workshop at Mumbai, this Sunday "Find the Right Fit - Move from Good to Great Interviewer."

Kindly read all the replies to your post again, especially Nathrao's reply, before you take a decision. If you wish, you can also contact me, as I also do career coaching.

All the best.

Regards,

Dear Sir,

After going through the discussions, I feel that every field has its own challenges, be it HR or Marketing. Politics or human relations aspect has percolated into all spheres of human life. You cannot remain aloof. If you are looking for a better future in Marketing, that is your decision. However, there are also opportunities for HR professionals to move to the top echelons of the business in the current scenario. Therefore, a decision has to be taken considering all such aspects.

Thank you.

Dear Friend,

Please don't try to convince us. Just analyze and convince yourself where you'll fit 100% in the organization and give your best to accelerate the growth of your organization.

Rgds

The Other Side of the Mountain is Always Green

For anyone, three factors decide the career options available to them, irrespective of whether those options are good, bad, or ugly. Just because the IT sector salaries are good doesn't mean everyone fits in. I have seen many, many people ruin their careers by opting for the IT line when they weren't suitable for it in the first place.

Factors Influencing Career Choices

Coming to the factors, they are [not my words, but those of psychologists in the USA]: Capability, Aptitude, and Attitude.

Since you have not mentioned your educational background, saying anything about the 'Capability' aspect in your case would be a misnomer. One can't get into Sales and Marketing (S&M) without the basic qualifications for that line. Remember, not everyone is Bill Gates, who founded Microsoft without a degree.

As far as the 'Aptitude' (or in other words, interest) aspect goes, you do seem to have it, but I am afraid the reasons seem to be wrong.

Regarding 'Attitude,' at least going by your value judgment that there are no politics involved and such things in the S&M line, I don't think it fits the bill.

If you think the S&M guys can drive any company alone without any support mechanisms like HR, Production, QA, Finance, etc., forget it. I know of many companies that went down the tube just because the Sales guys were not supported well to fulfill the commitments given. The Sales guys had to take the flak from clients, for no fault of theirs, which does seem to be one of the very reasons that you wish to get into S&M. If you have any feeling of 'that's not my problem,' I guess you have a far more serious attitude issue that needs correction. If you don't have any such feeling, that's quite good, since you would be able to see your situation from a 360-degree perspective. Forget about feeling bad for not being able to implement it in your company for now; focus on yourself first.

Frankly, I see a tendency of 'running away from problems' in you. No hard feelings, please. Anywhere, you will have problems. For all you know, being in HR today is nothing but an opportunity for you to learn handling issues/problems. Just give this a thought.

All the best.

Regards,
TS

Dear HR Baroda,

Our learned members have spoken the truth to you. I believe you should not consider changing your field, but rather focus on how you can contribute to the growth of your company and employees. I am not aware of your expertise in HR, but if you excel in recruitment, you might consider establishing a training center within your company to offer short-term courses on specialized skills required by your company. This initiative could potentially bring in additional revenue while providing a pool of skilled employees. Similarly, you could explore similar ideas for other functions.

Additionally, you may want to consider introducing best practices such as 5S, Kaizen, and Lean in your company to enhance overall productivity and efficiency. By thinking outside the box and implementing new practices that benefit your company and employees, you are likely to receive appreciation from everyone within your organization.

Regards,
Mukesh Patel