Your professional associations influence your career goals and aspirations. Networking with other HR professionals spurs both personal growth and professional development. What should you consider when seeking out professional affiliations?
Both the quality and quantity of your connections matter. “Sometimes you just need a few really well-connected people — or people who are in positions to make decisions on hiring — that could be really valuable,” says executive coach Charlotte Weeks of Weeks Career Services, Inc. “But it doesn’t hurt to continuously focus on broadening your network, too.”
The right networks provide meaningful connections that enrich your professional life and guide your career choices. Here is how to make that happen.
To make the most of your network affiliations, you must put a game plan in place. Match specific networking goals to your career path. For example, moving up in your current organization might be the first step towards your ultimate goal. “The biggest challenge that human resources professionals have is getting out of the tactics of work and thinking more strategically about who they are as HR leaders," says Lisa Prior, leadership coach and change consultant at Prior Consulting, LLC.
If your goal is to move up in your organization, find a network that emphasizes HR leadership. Attend virtual events and listen to what other HR leaders are saying. “Focus on building quality connections that you can trust,” Prior suggests. Learning from them will help you to establish yourself as a leader at your organization. You can keep moving along your career path and increase the benefits of being affiliated with a targeted network.
It’s never too early to plan for long-term goals. Look for networks devoted to HR professionals in your dream role — starting with existing connections. “Who’s already working in that area that you know?” Weeks suggests. Talking to contacts in the position you see yourself in can help you get a better sense of what you need to do to get there or if it’s genuinely a good fit.
Concentrating on quality is essential when connecting with professionals in the role you see yourself. Strong, genuine connections with individuals further along your career trajectory provide mentorship opportunities. “Build your own board of directors,” Prior suggests. “Find people you can talk to about where you'd like to go or what your strengths are.”
In addition to professional networking organizations, HRCI certifications introduce you to an HR network that’s both broad and high quality.
HR strategies differ across industries. An HR professional at an engineering firm, for example, will have to work out a different set of problems than an HR professional in a healthcare system. Gain a better understanding of what growth in specific industries looks like by connecting with HR professionals in that industry, Weeks suggests.
For example, if you want to move into healthcare HR, and you know from your network that upskilling is a strategic imperative for healthcare, you must design applicable programs for your organization. Joining a healthcare organization non-profit board can help build your network within the industry.
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