‘People are our most valuable resource’ is an over-used expression which nevertheless reflects the truth that the largest expense of any business is the cost of recruiting, developing and rewarding employees. Why then would any senior management team, with their eye firmly on the profitability of the business, not require professionally qualified and experienced staff to deal with all aspects of employing people, in the same way that they would look for managers with proven skills in other business areas?

While the ability to communicate well with people at all levels remains an essential for the job, today’s HR professional will be expected to have an interest in and an understanding of issues as diverse as the business they are working in, resourcing, managing change, employment legislation, training, staff reward schemes, data protection, salary surveys, HR technology, drugs and alcohol issues, budgetary requirements and constraints, pension developments, motivation theories, and many other areas.

There are many routes into a career in HR, not all of them obvious.  Some professionals work their way up through the HR arena, whilst some first specialise in the business and then transfer into HR at a later stage;  others take an academic route by gaining qualifications at University and then starting a career in HR to put their theoretical knowledge into practice.  With the increasing number of courses now available locally and nationally it is possible to gain a qualification at a young age and to begin work in HR in a junior role, with a defined career path ahead.    I think it is fair to say that there are more people aspiring to work in HR than there are positions available in the Channel Islands and therefore the competition for jobs and the need to take qualifications is of high importance.

The variety of the job is one of its main attractions, although in big companies with large HR departments there may be several specialist areas, such as employee relations, resourcing, compensation, benefits/pension, training or payroll. Smaller companies will have just one or two people who will be generalists who will cover all aspects of employment.  It is beneficial to gain a general experience of HR before specialising, but this may not always be feasible.

The title of HR Business Partner is widely used, but means different things in different companies. Essentially an HR Business Partner works in partnership with the business to support Senior Managers in developing and implementing their people strategies.   The HR Business Partner then engages the support of HR specialists as and when required.   In a smaller organisation the HR Business Partner may be an HR generalist with little specialist expertise to draw on.   In the truest sense, the HR Business Partner is working in a strategic role, using their knowledge of people management strategies to fit seamlessly with the business strategy.

Most advertisements to recruit human resources professionals will include the requirement for the candidate to be a qualified member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD). Full membership may be attained after two years of study through the GTA University Centre to achieve the Postgraduate Diploma in Personnel Management plus three years of experience in a managerial position. Other levels of qualification are available within CIPD, which may be more appropriate for those who are at the beginning of their HR career, for people wishing to specialise in training, or for those whose job does not require full membership and in Guernsey details can be obtained through the Guernsey Business School and the GTA University Centre.  The Certificate in Personnel Practice or the Certificate in Training Practice offered by these agencies are an excellent starting point on the road to full membership, both for individuals with some experience in the area and for people who are considering a career move into HR. There are also distance learning options details of which can be obtained from the CIPD website. 

Karen Martin FCIPD
Former Chairperson of the Guernsey Group of the Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development