Navigating a Career Shift: Transitioning from HRM to Marketing

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 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.

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

Dear HR Baroda,

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

Dear Rao sir,

Thank you for your valuable reply. However, we have encountered some unproductive conflicts within the organization. In HR, internal customers are always considered right, whereas in marketing, external customers are always prioritized.

For example, the Accounts department often faces ego clashes with HR personnel, a common occurrence in many companies. The Production team tends to have a demanding attitude despite being provided with a conducive working environment in several MNCs.

The Marketing department expects to be treated as if they are indispensable to the company's operations. While HR aims to provide supportive services, during general meetings, other departments are often deemed more essential, with HR's functions discussed only as a formality. This issue is prevalent in many companies.

For instance, implementing a 360-degree appraisal system can be incredibly challenging.

Thank you.

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.

Hi HRBaroda01,

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

Hello Hrbaroda01,

Yours is a classic example of "The other side of the mountain is always green."

For ANYONE, three factors decide the career options available to him/her... 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 persons ruin their careers by opting for the IT line when they weren't suitable for it in the first place.

Coming to the factors, they are [NOT MY words, but those of psychologists in the USA]: Capability, Aptitude & 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 S&M when you don't have the basic qualification for that line [remember everyone is NOT 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.

And regarding 'ATTITUDE,' at least going by your value judgment that there are no politics involved & such things in 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 mechanism 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. And the Sales guys had to take the flak from clients, for no fault of theirs... which does seem one of the very reasons that you wish to get into S&M. And 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 pl. Anywhere, you will have problems. For all you know, you being in HR today is nothing but an opportunity for you to LEARN handling issues/problems? Just give this a thought.

All the Best.

Rgds,

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

"Your efforts will be appreciated by everyone in your organization."

My advice would always be to work sincerely in the best interests of the organization, be tactful, and try to be helpful by providing professional advice as an HR professional. One should work with the mindset of the possibility of appreciation from anyone. Do your best, fulfill your duties sincerely, and accolades will flow automatically.

The key performance indicators (KRA) should focus on achieving good results for both the organization and personnel, rather than seeking personal appreciation. If one works solely to seek appreciation, this pattern can be noticed by all and would be counterproductive.

Hi gentlemen,

In addition to responses from many, I wish to address and allow an important input. There are very good companies that hand over the charge of HR boss to either a Finance or Marketing professional who has been working for a long time and consistently been a top performer. Their viewpoint is that a person who is familiar with our products, establishes customer loyalty, understands the cost of the product, and other related elements of our organization, and whose wavelength also matches, has the ability to function effectively as an HR head.

Regards,
RDS Yadav
LABOUR LAW ADVISER