Stephanie Price graduated from CQUni in 2012 with a dual degree in Business and Professional Communications. Stephanie began her career as the People & Capability Coordinator for Leighton Contractors in Gladstone and is now working in the Public Sector as a Learning and Development Advisor. Stephanie says being a professional communicator is extremely important when working in Human Resources (HR).
My experience of working in this type of role has been different with each new workplace and this makes it even more exciting to see what’s next for me!
The first thing I do when I get to work is…
Greet the rest of the team, check my calendar and review my priorities for the day, do a quick scan to check if I received any urgent emails, then check in with my key stakeholders if at any point I will likely be engaging with them on a particular task or topic that day. Start actioning the priorities, then once I am comfortable that I’ve got a handle on the priorities, I will then give time to review and respond to the rest of my emails.
The three activities I’m most likely to do in a day are…
- Review policy, procedure and process to provide advice or clarity on issues in the workplace
- Research and plan future learning and development strategies, activities and initiatives for recommendation to management
- Facilitate and coordinate said activities and initiatives in the workplace.
Something people might not realise I do is…
Proof-read and edit other people’s work.
Something I didn’t think I would be doing as a HR professional is…
Issuing invoices to customers for training courses.
Something I did think I’d be doing is…
Proving advice on internal learning, development and people management principles in line with business strategy and culture.
Something students who are considering being a HR professional need to think about is…
Being the best professional communicator you can be.
Something I wish I knew about being in HR is…
Some people will judge who you are as a person (privately and professionally) for working in HR, people may make this known to you or not. You need to decide early on how you will let this affect you and/or how you will respond to this (if required).
The best bit about my job is…
That the role can vary as it adapts to the direction of the business. The role is also influenced by changes in HR practices and pressures external to the organisation. My experience of working in this type of role has been different with each new workplace and this makes it even more exciting to see what’s next for me!
This blog is part of a ‘day in the life’ series promoting what roles really involve. If you’ve graduated from a CQUni course and would like to be part of this blog series please contact [email protected].