Work Stuff

So, item #7 is to find a job I love. I kinda like HR, but I’m also open to other possibilities. The problem is, I’m not sure what other jobs are like - I’ve been a receptionist and a file clerk, and I know I don’t want to do that. But I have no idea of what, say, an accountant or a marketing assistant or a librarian *does* on a daily basis, and thus, I have no idea if I’d want to do that job or not. The women I knew growing up were housewives and homeschooling mothers. Sometimes, they “kept the books” for a family business or they became admin types. No one had a career, per say. They were all very proud of their homemaker status.

So, in my job search, I’m going to focus on HR because that’s where I have the most experience. But I also want to research other possibilities and see what else is out there. The thought of having to get another degree is a little daunting, but if it was for the right job, I’d do it. So for now, the plan is to focus on HR jobs, but also to research and apply for other jobs where I think my experience will translate well. We’ll see how it goes.

Honestly, I’m not going to start a serious job search until after the holidays. I’m going to update my resume in the meantime, but the serious job search will begin in 2011.

I think the thing holding me back currently is my lack of employee relations experience. I handle some stuff - mostly pay issues and leave of absence issues - but I don’t handle performance issues. Given how my company is structured, I’m not sure how to get more employee relations experience at this point. So that’s something I need to work on. However, if I can tell employees that after a certain date they’ll be out of leave and will be separated from the company, I’m pretty sure I can tell them not to sleep on the job or to stop cussing at work or whatever.

I was listening to NPR the other day and they were talking about future trends for jobs. The consensus seemed to be that, given globalization and technology, it was impossible to predict what kind of jobs would be in demand 5, 10, and 20 years from now. However, they did say that companies are increasingly becoming global entities, so that got me thinking that I should probably look for a company where I can get some international experience. My current company is in many states across the US (I work in the corporate HQ), so finding a multi-national company to work for shouldn’t be too hard - or so I hope.

Also, given the current political climate, I think having more experience with benefits administration would work in my favor, too. I do a fair bit with benefits now, but I need to learn about negotiating rates, coming up with types of policies, that type of thing.  

Babysteps:
-update resume
-make list of places to look for jobs (sites like craigslist, but also specific companies)
-read career guides, books/magazine articles about finding your calling, etc (I think O magazine had articles about this in the Oct or Nov issue - yes, cheesy, but whatever)

If I decide to stay in HR, I need to do the following:
-learn a second language (Russian - which I studied in College, or Spanish, which is because I live in CA)
-get experience in international employment law(s)
-learn more about health insurance, billing, negotiation, conflict resolution
-get a certificate in HR or a Master’s Degree or maybe SPHR certification (not sure which one of these would be better - maybe ask R in my office about this? She might know)
-pursue more employee relations training.