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In episode 147 of “The JoyPowered® Workspace Podcast,” JoDee and Susan discuss some possible paths your HR career can take with several guests sharing their career journeys.

In 2020, there were over 700,000 people in the US in HR roles, and it’s estimated that there will be over 840,000 by 2025. There are a variety of career paths someone can go down in human resources. Our hosts share four HR profiles cited by Dieter Feldman in an article on AIHR: the service provider, the solution provider, the advisory profile, and the strategy profile.

Service providers have a focus on the customer, are able to translate data and analytics into value for the business, and possess extensive insight into different HR platforms and technologies. People in these roles may need a knowledge of compensation, benefits, payroll, HR operations, project management skills, and/or agile methodology. Arnold Austria, a global compensation leader, joins the show to share his career path and advice for HR professionals.

Solution providers place relevant HR trends into the business context, optimize technology design and build a digital culture, and apply knowledge to HR in meaningful ways to drive business impact. They may need a strong belief and commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging; learning and development skills; knowledge of talent acquisition; data collection and preparation skills; and/or change management abilities. Miriam De La Cruz describes her HR journey into employee relations and gives advice for others interested in being solution providers.

People in the advisory profile have commercial awareness, use data to drive evidence-based HR, and are able to align the needs of external and internal stakeholders. Professionals in these roles may need knowledge of HR consulting, HR management, business management, networking, and communication and/or storytelling and presentation skills. We hear from two people who fit this profile; Jane Richardson, an attorney who loved labor law and made the move into HR, and Christopher Hudson, who works in HR in the public sector.

Someone in the strategy profile shapes HR strategies with data-driven and impactful insights; embodies the vision and mission of the business; and champions and protects the values, ethics, and sustainable practices of the organization. For this profile, you may need strong HR management skills, familiarity with HR strategy, leadership skills, and knowledge of lean management. Strategist Natalie White calls in to share her HR story and advice.

Finally, it’s important to note that HR offers the flexibility to move across different roles and different profiles. The sky’s the limit! Rhonda Beard shares her experience as an HR generalist and an HR consultant.

In this episode’s listener mail, we’re asked for suggestions for union avoidance. In the news, in our current talent shortage, job seekers are not as likely to spend the extra time and energy to add a cover letter to their resumes and applications.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Purple Ink
• Powered by Purple Ink
• Susan Tinder White Consulting
• ”Number of human resources workers in the United States from 2015 to 2020 with a forecast until 2025”
• ”HR Career Path: Everything You Need To Know”
• ”Job Hunters Take a Stand: We’re Not Writing Cover Letters”

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