💡 effective training & entry tips

I’m new to HR and my company and I’m helping to establish a Learning and Development Management training program for trainees, our mid-level managers and then our emerging leaders (each level will have a diff training). What are key topics should I look out for when looking for trainings and how to better determine which employees should be taking these trainings (other than talking to their managers + looking at performance review). What other steps should be taken?

Context: Industry: marine/logistics – we are a container terminal operator. company size: 150.

📣 Jill Felska, Founder of WantToWorkThere.com:

First of all, congrats on stepping into HR and tackling such an impactful project! It sounds like you’re putting real thought into creating something meaningful for your team, and that’s a great start. I’ve spent the last three years immersed in building meaningful, modern management training – and have learned a lot!

This article I wrote on the Four Things to Consider Before Launching a Manager Training Program is a great place to start, as it will help you think through core competencies, management expectations by level, and how to choose the right topics. I also recently did an article outlining everything I learned running 30+ management training cohorts this year, which I think will also be helpful.

It sounds like this is the first internal management training program that is being established in the organization. While I love that you’re thinking about leveling, I would actually challenge you to think about building a foundational program for all levels first. While there is a huge benefit to building out content for people at different experience levels, I think having some core curriculum that is taken by every manager in the company is incredibly impactful.

A foundational shared curriculum will establish shared language and expectations across all of your people managers (from the executive team to a first time manager), which is key to a more universal employee experience across the organization. This also builds a solid foundation for accountability, which is incredibly important in building the desired behaviors into established norms at the company.

All this to say, I would recommend starting small and learning as you go, instead of putting your head down and building the whole program at once. Starting with one topic can help you test everything from content structure to employee enthusiasm, which will allow you to make additional tweaks as you go.

I would also be remiss to not mention that I built an entire curriculum to meet this exact need. It’s what I was looking for (but couldn’t find) in my last Director of People role – a foundational curriculum that I could purchase once, customize to my cultural needs, and then use to train every current and future manager in the organization. I’m obviously biased, but I’d say it’s worth a peek. If nothing else, it will give you some great additional insights into lesson content and program flow!

Last but not least, I’m always up for a good brainstorm or willing to provide feedback on what you’re building, the best hosting platform, ideal curriculum formatting, etc. Don’t be afraid to reach out, if you just need to bounce some ideas! I truly believe that better management is one the biggest existing leverage points when it comes to employee experience and building better workplace cultures. Anything I can do to help support this effort is time I’ll happily spend!

📣 Cassandra Babilya, Creator of Make Work Suck Less:

Definitely agree with breaking down L&D opportunities by career stage: early career, front-line managers, and emerging leaders. Here’s what I recommend at each stage:

Early Career

• Charting your Career Path
• Advocating for Yourself (check out my resource for How to Tell Your Boss Anything below)

Front-Line Managers

• Coaching and Developing Others
• Recognition
• Giving Feedback
• How to Build a High-Functioning Team
• 1:1s and Career Conversations
• Performance Management

Emerging Leaders

• Executive Communication
• Goal-Setting
• Budget Management
• People Analytics
• Organizational Development
• How to Tie Values to Operations

📣 Ryan Farmer, HR Director @ TorHoerman Law LLC:

My biggest focus, especially with the new managers, is the part of the transition from the day-to-day worker to managing those workers and the transition that goes along with that – especially when it comes to how to draw those lines in the sand. The hardest transition for a new manager is going from co-worker to managing those work ‘friends’.

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How do you recommend someone get started in HR with little-to-no HR experience? Do you think a Bachelors and/or certification is needed?

Context: I have had HR responsibilities on my plate in my last few roles as I’ve worked for small companies and nonprofits who don’t have an HR department/dedicated staff person. I’ve developed a skillset and talent that I feel make me a great candidate for HR roles, but because I don’t have that degree or certification, I think my legitimacy comes into question – especially if I’m looking for work outside of the organizations I currently work for/interviewing with folks who don’t know anything about me outside of a resume.

📣 Erik Bates, Compensation Analyst @ St. Luke’s Hospital:

I got my start in HR without a “relevant” degree or experience. At the time, the Talent Acquisition manager for my company had interviewed me for SEVERAL positions because I desperately wanted to get out of the customer service call center hell I was stuck in, and thought that I had a skill set that would align well with recruitment (outgoing, organized, well-spoken, etc.).

Turns out, I had him fooled. I’m shy and DISTURBINGLY unorganized, and absolutely cannot put a coherent sentence together without going on 15 tangents and speaking way too fast (thanks, ADHD!)

That being said, I think HR is a very forgiving field when it comes to requirements. Sure, you’ll run into your share of gatekeepers that think that a PHR, SHRM-CP and/or a HR Management degree are minimum requirements. Screw those guys (Fun fact: most of them will be guys. Take that how you will).

But in the end, this is primarily a soft skill field. I worked my way from junior recruiter to senior compensation analyst, changing companies once to a company who took a HUGE leap of faith on me (and it turned out great!). All this without ever having earned a HR degree or getting any certification.

Grit, determination, and willingness to learn will get you far. Carefully wording your resume to drive home transferable skills should get your foot in the door, even if it’s for an HR Assistant role that will allow you to be promoted from within once the company sees your true value by working alongside you.

Would be more than happy to chat and provide guidance if you want it.

📣 Rhona Barnett-Pierce, Founder of RhonaPierce.com:

Agree with Erik, this has been my experience as well.

I have zero degrees or certifications “relevant” to TA or HR and it’s what I’ve been doing successfully for many years now. My degree is in Software Engineering and my certifications are all Tech Project Management related.

When you have a non-traditional background, you have to lean on relevant skills and the ones that are transferable. My approach was to brand myself online (LinkedIn and YouTube) and position myself as the person with the skills to fill those gaps that a lot of TA & HR teams are missing (project mgmt, process improvement, HR Tech vendor selection, etc).

As strong as my resume is/was, when you’re wanting to make a career shift, you can’t let other people tell your story. If all they have is a resume, they’ll make up a story in their head about what those words on paper mean. And it will almost never be a favorable story (for you). That’s why I relied heavily on video content and on long form written content to showcase my expertise and transparently share what I was learning and HOW my existing skills translated into what a TA team would need.

📣 Lillie Hughes, VP People & Programs @ Blue Circle Health:

I agree with Eric and Rhona, I also got started without an HR related degree or certification. I have found that many HR teams are completely happy to train someone who is willing to learn and has some transferable skills. Telling the story of why you want the role and how your skills fit the job requirements will go a long way.

I think focusing on landing an HR role is a better use of time than studying for or earning a certification. A certification might check a box in some situations, but when I’m hiring for a team, skills and experience matter more to me than ticking a box. Of course, that’s just my perspective and won’t be shared by everyone – but it does give you insight into what they value and the culture they’re building.

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