Human Resources Professionals Need Career Coaching Too

Most people in Human Resources deal with job seekers everyday, and it seems reasonable to expect that they would have an edge when conducting their own job search. They spend their days sourcing candidates, screening resumes, determining (and negotiating) salary, and interviewing. Considering their profession, they should know all of the tricks and be able to get a new position more quickly than people in other industries. Yet, as many people in HR know from personal experience, this is often not the case. Working with a job coach, specifically one experienced in the Human Resources field, can ensure that edge. First let’s look at a few different reasons for the disconnect from the two sides of the hiring desk.

People in HR have so much experience making the employment decisions that they completely forget what it is like to be on the other side. Here is where the inside tricks backfire. Anyone who has conducted interviews had certain answers that they were looking for. When HR people are in an interview they feel like they need to give that “right” answer rather than the honest answer that best describes them. A perfect example is the topic of compensation. Having presented compensation offers, they may know how much the limit is for most positions, but not know the negotiating tactics to obtain it for themselves.

Another weakness can come from a lack of objectivity. While people in all industries can struggle to articulate their accomplishments, it can happen to HR people more easily. People in human resources are very familiar with the process of hiring and the steps, but that is not that same as being able to nail an interview by clearly describing their talents and qualifications for a new position. Because of the illusion that they know exactly what to do in the job search, they often fail to recognize areas for improvement in the process.

Finally HR positions can be very competitive. Human resources positions are among the first to be eliminated during layoffs. After all, how much work can there be to do when a company has a hiring freeze? Even non-recruiting positions can be at risk when training budgets are slashed and benefits are reduced. This reality leads to an over saturation of the market. Regardless of the state of the economy though, there are always jobs and you just need to know where to find them. As a coach, I recently worked with a client in HR that received interviews at eight companies. This many interviews is an accomplishment at any time, but especially in this time of layoffs. It is proof that the jobs are out there and a well conducted job search can yield results.

This is where the career coach can come in. A career coach can let you know what the “rules of the game” are, and how you can use them for your own unique situation. While people in HR are experts in posting the jobs, they don’t always know where to find their own. A coach can target your search while also adding some tricks that rarely come up in a human resource job, like personal branding. Possibly most valuable, a career coach can serve as your accountability partner and cheerleader. He or she can keep you motivated and on track, identify and overcome obstacles, and guide you to develop a personally targeted plan. Some resources are available through career books and internet research, but if your job search isn’t going anywhere, or you need to get a new position fairly quickly, a career coach could be the solution for you.