Thomas McCoy ⋅ Kansas City, MO Employee Engagement Institute ⋅ 30 years experience

Hi Gunny -
Leading edge HR is more that being a technical expert in pay, benefits, sourcing, etc.
To get a seat at the executive table you need to be relevant, to understand and be able to state how you contribute to the bottom line. A key component is how HR can engage the employees to implement the business plan. Employee engagement is not an HR function, it is part of the business strategy...but it can be owned by HR. That would give you a seat at the table. Lots of good information about engagement can be found at our web site www.employeeengagementinstitute.com . And please contact me with your questions.
Semper Fi. tjmccoy@tjmccoy.com

Laura Thomas ⋅ Santa Barbara, CA Casa Dorinda ⋅ 14 years experience

Hi Monica,
It sounds like you have some good experience. I think a good way to start is to focus on what area of HR has interested you the most. Experience in training is a great asset - you may want to focus on that if you enjoyed it. It is not purely an HR function - you could be a Safety trainer for example. Once you are hired into an HR department, you may have the opportunity to learn other areas. Additionally, if you are in the training department you will have an opportunity to meet people in other departments and get exposure from that.
I'll be happy to answer any questions you have.
Laura Thomas

Cedric Cook ⋅ Richmond, TX IBM ⋅ 19 years experience

Hello Marine!

I am not directly in the HR profession but I would recommend you get involved with the National HR org and then get involved in local chapter meetings.. I believe that this will help in a two-fold manner: 1). Get continuing education in your field and 2). Make some connections with HR practitioners in your local market.

If that approach doesn't work, reach-out to friends/colleagues in companies that you are interested in to get an introduction to their HR person {be bold --smile}..

http://www.humanresources.org/website/c/

Regards,

Cedric

Lynsey Johnston ⋅ Woodridge, IL Hendrickson ⋅ 10 years experience

Hi Monica,

I have been in HR for over 10 years in four different industries (health care, nuclear energy, retail, and manufacturing) and several different HR functions (recruiting, generalist, employee training & development). I would be happy to take time to answer any questions you may have related to the HR field. Please feel free to contact me at ljohnston@hendrickson-intl.com. Respectfully, Lynsey Johnston

Linda Silver ⋅ Bradenton, FL Federal reserve bank of Boston ⋅ 35 years experience

Hi. I have been in H R for over 30 years. I am semi retired and have a coaching and consulting business. I have worked internally and externally in HR. I would be happy to mentor you. Let me know if you would like to connect. Best regards, Linda

david lance ⋅ Presto, PA HJ Heinz (Retired) ⋅ 40 years experience

Hello SGT Williams. I have had a career in HR and I would be happy to have a discussion. I am an old salt, just turned 65, so I have a great deal of life experiences I could share and help point you toward some suggested areas of HR that you might like to pursue. My direct email is dwlance888@gmail.com. Please feel free to contact me and if you want we can schedule a phone call.