HR Poll

Lola815

1. How long have you been working in HR?
2. How many companies have you worked for?
3. Did you graduate from college in the field or did you just fall into it?

Anita

>1. How long have you been working in HR?
>2. How many companies have you worked for?
>3. Did you graduate from college in the field or did you just fall
>into it?


I have been in HR 22 years in 2 different companies. Just fell into it no college training in the field.
Anita

Don D

Lola: Having recently watched the Enron and Worldcom hearings, I plead the fifth on all three questions. Don x:-)

Rockie

I've been working in the field for about 18 years (started when I was five). I have worked for four companies in the HR field. I started off thinking I wanted to go to law school and then decided to major in business instead and minored in psychology. I have a PHR certification.

In this day and age, I would advise anyone who wants to go into Human Resources to double major in HR and Law. Some universities offer this.

jules2001

I have been in HR for 3 years for 2 different companies. The first company has a placement agency, so it sort of counts. x;-) I have a degree in Communication Studies, a B.A. The folks getting a degree in (not to date me) Personnel, took many of the same courses as me, but were in the School of Business, and therefore got a B.S. After several years in a different field I decided to pursue HR and here I am.

cmergl

I have been working in HR for just over one year, with just one company. I have a college degree in Fashion Merchandising with a business minor, so I just fell into this position. I've been with the company for 5 years, starting as the receptionist! Let's just say it's been an interesting year. I really enjoy what I do and it's been a great learning experience. This fall I plan to start a 18 credit hour certificate program in HR.

Anita

Hey Lola how about you?

Lola815

I have been working in HR for six years, all with one company. I just fell into it after I graduated from college with a degree in Sociology. I had to basically create my job, so it has evolved since my first year working here.

AnneHa

>I have been working in HR for six years, all with one company. I just
>fell into it after I graduated from college with a degree in
>Sociology. I had to basically create my job, so it has evolved since
>my first year working here.

Ditto to Lola's post except make that BA in History. I do have 20+ years experience in small business ownership. When my husband retired to the golf course, I found a new line of work - and I love it! I do have PHR certification. Had to go to Las Vegas to take the test - darn my luck!

Missy

I have been in HR for about 4 years. Before that , I was an assistant principal in a middle school (I haven't found a lot of difference between that & being an HR manager x:P) I have a BS and an MS in Education & received my SPHR last year.

Don D

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON 07-16-02 AT 02:56PM (CST)[/font][p]Well, OK. I've been in HR related work for 20 years. I have a double undergraduate major, half unrelated, half sociology. I have a master's degree in Education (occupational counseling and guidance). Got accepted to the Peace Corps but chickened out, then worked for a number of years with a state agency, 5 years as HR Manager with the nation's largest refrigerated trucking company, 7 months at a residential psychiatric facility (No Ritaanz and Margaret, not as a resident), and the past two and a half as HR Director in this union manufacturing environment. I've 'fallen into it' alright, more than once!
P.S: DITTO MISSY'S COMPARISON ABOVE!

gab

I have been in HR for 5 years. I have worked for 2 companies. I have a BS in Psychology and my Masters in Industrial/Organizational Psychology.

cebudragonlady

With the small companies that I have been with, have been wearing both the HR and Controller hats for the last six years. Always started out as Controller, but the HR function has been tossed at me at each company ( " and the ball has been caught, down the right sideline, and it is a touchdown !" ) The most enjoyable part of each morning , is reading the comments on HRHero...better than coffee !

ritaanz

Here's my 2 cents. Over 20 years in HR with 7 companies. My degree is in Accounting and I started out at the Federal Reserve doing bank audits. Hated every minute. I moved on to manufacturing, working in "Personnel" in unionized environments. I have negotiated more contracts then I can count, lived through several strikes and can do contract interpretation in my sleep. Three years ago I relocated to Phoenix and now work in a non-union shop. Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. x;-)

Hatchetman

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON 07-17-02 AT 00:05AM (CST)[/font][p]I've done HR/ER work for one local governmental jurisdiction for the past 23 years. But within that jurisdiction, I've worked for 3 different agencies.

I graduated from college, but at that point, I did not plan or think about entering HR (didn't know what area I'd work in although I was looking forward to a career in administrative work in government).

When I got home tonighe I noticed that I hadn't really identified how I actually got into the HR field. I had applied for a promotional job with my agency through civil service. The job was involved with employee relations activities, oriented toward providing management with guidance on discipline and performance problems, preparing the discipline action letters, and then reprosenting the agency in full blown-administrative hearings as part of the emplyee's due process. The hiring manager, who felt that I would make a good HR staffperson, wanted to select someone else but I was ahead of that person on the examination list. So the manager asked me if I would "waive" my standing and let the person below me get selected with an assurance that with the next opening I would be selected. I did. And a few months later I recieved the call from the manager offering me the next opening. That manager was one of the few managers who I felt had true integrity.

That job was in fact how I got my screen name, "Hatchetman". I used to enter my agency's offices in my three-piece suit, carrying my brief case, and all the employees knew that some one was getting the ax.

Margaret Morford

BS degree with a major in Psychology, minor in English, history and sociology, which meant no jobs when I graduated in late 70's. Went to work for a service company that had a huge growth rate. Got put in HR when the CEO yelled at the Personnel Manager (See what an old war horse I am!) and she walked off the job . Liked HR. Went to law school and was a trial lawyer in the early 80's, when EEOC charges and employment lawsuits were beginning to happen. Left the practice of law to go in-house as a VP of HR for a large manufacturing company, which was both union and non-union. (All my great HR stories come from that job!) Became the VP of HR for a huge distribution company after that. Became a consultant about five years ago.

Margaret Morford
theHRedge
615-371-8200
[email]mmorford@mleesmith.com[/email]
[url]http://www.thehredge.net[/url]

Steve McElfresh

1. How long: In HR for 20 years (15 in-house, 5 consulting)

2. How many companies: Worked in-house in 4 companies, not including a couple of years running the Saratoga Institute, and now my own consulting firm.

3. How got into the field: After a time in social services, got a Ph.D in Org. Psych, taught in a school of management in Boston, then came west to join the (then) chip/semi-conductor revolution. For youngsters, to get a feel for what it was like then, think "internet craziness, with real products/profits". I wasn't entirely clear what HR was, but knew a lot about management and so was christened a Director of Training. Became VP HR at several companies (got a JD along the way, just 'cause I got tired of paying lawyers and not knowing what the heck they were really doing), and now do strategy, consulting & coaching for HR organizations.

Steve McElfresh, Ph.D
HR Futures
408 605 1870

Sunny

Good questions - it's interesting to see how we all got here. I got a BA in English and after trying publishing (don't ask) started as a NY State Employment Interviewer. After moving to Nashville and a brief stop in the music biz, I began the 20 yr. HR Career that has taken me to three companies so far. I've spent my whole HR career in manufacturing - a world of its own.

HRAMERICA

I graduated from college with a BA in economics and a minor in accounting. Later, I studied advanced accounting. And still later, I became a certified paralegal. I've been working for the same company for 31 years.Two of those years was as a junior accountant. The rest of those years were spent in environmental legal issues as well as HR and commercial insurance.

Rodger

atherese

Have been in HR for 16 years. I have worked for 3 different facilities but they were owned by the same parent company, so seniority carried over from each position. No college degree, fell into the position. This fall I will be entering an HR certification course (4 year program) with the University of Minnesota.

March22Collector

I've been in HR for nearly 2 years and all with the same company. This August I'll have been with this company for 9 years. I started out on the Assembly Line, as a grinder. Transferred into our Stamping Plant and operated presses for 3 1/2 years. Won a bid for a Management Trainee position and trained in several areas of our manufacturing plant for about 3 months. Was promoted to Training Coordinator soon after that and then promoted to HR Manager just months after that. As fare as sckooling, i'm not reel brighte. x:D I'm close to finishing my Associate degree in Business Administration (which I've been working on part time for almost 4 years) and when I get that I plan to fast track my next degree. All said, I'm fortunate to have this position! I love it.

durasupreme

Worked in Human Resources-related positions 23-1/2 years for only 2 employers. No college training - learned and grew with the positions.

Human Resources Manager

1. I have been working in HR for about 7 years.

2. Worked for 3 different companies in 3 different fields. (One of the things I love about HR is that it is not industry specific. With a few adjustments, you can work in any type of industry.)

3. Totally fell into it. I ended up in the HR department of a direct marketing firm I had worked at for awhile because they were looking for anything that would allow me to be full-time. I found I really enjoyed the work. I am now less than a year away from my bachelor's in management with an HR concentration. I will also probably be testing for my PHR certification this December.

Miriam George

I have been in H.R. for over 20 years. Went to college for Accounting. At my first job I was not only their bookkeeper, but also did all personnel functions.

Spent 15 years with one company in manufacturing as HR Mgr. Got a world of OJT there because the President (and my boss) had a Masters degree in HR Management and was extremely knowledgeable. I believe I learned more under him than I ever would have in college (although I didn't always agree with his methods).

I am H.R. Manager for a large manufacturing firm now, having been recruited about a year ago. Much more progressive environment, better pay and benefits, you know the story.

To sum up, as a youngster I thought I wanted to do Accounting. Later realized that I am much more of a people person than that. And, most of the time, I love ?? the challenges of H.R. I certainly agree with the posting that recommends both a degree in H.R. and law school.

Dorie

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON 07-17-02 AT 08:45AM (CST)[/font][p] I have been in HR over 20 years with 2 employers. First company, a defense consulting company, went through every change an organization can, privately held, sold, new owner bought etc. So although I stayed there a long time I feel I got to do everything. Made an industry change a couple of years ago, now work for a cultural non-profit and I love it. Got a Certificate in HR maybe five years into working in the field.

It has been very rewarding watching this profession become a "profession" and see the position of trust and respect it now holds in companies.

ritaanz

x:o MOI???

Gillian

OK, I'll be the senior. My first HR job was in 1967 so that makes 35 years if I have maintained my math ability. I have worked for three private industry companies, one city government, thirteen years in private practice as an HR consultant, and now a private university which used to be a client. On the side, I teach HR at two other universities and serve as an expert witness in HR type cases. My undergraduate degree is Business and my graduate degree is Public Administration. I went into HR on purpose after I graduated the first time. My goal is to turn our University into an employer of choice, then I am going to retire, move to Mexico and teach English. Preparation is underway!!

Lori B

I practiced employment law/ERISA work for 8 years before a key client brought me inside to head up HR/payroll/benefits/legal. I've been here for over 2 years and find the day to day issues much more challenging and interesting than legal work.

My hat is off to the senior folks above. Staying with HR for so many years is inspiring to us all....

Darlene

I've been in HR for 5 years. I have a BS degree in Medical Social Work (never worked a day in that field), and have worked for the same non-profit organization for 19 years. Fourteen of those years were spent managing Employment and Training Programs (JTPA), and developing new projects. One day my boss comes to my office and says "I've got an idea...." and thus our HR department was started with me to develop it. Prior to that, each department head did their own thing and we all hoped it was the RIGHT thing. **smile** I've learned a lot, and the changes just over the past 5 years have been interesting...but I love it! Far, far more than project management!!!

lee2

Been in HR for 35yrs. Worked for eight organizations. HR director for 30 yrs. Have BS and MS in Bus. Ad. - Personnel Mgmt.

System

Ah, a popular poll!! OK, I've been working in HR since 1996, six years now. I have worked in HR for two companies in those six years, and in-between the two companies I was a legal secretary for an attorney. Hey, it paid the bills!

The first college I went to I majored in Broadcast Communications and dropped out because I lost my grant (the grant committe got sucked dry)so I went to a second school and decided on what I thought would be a very easy profession: Court Reporting. What a nightmare. So i finally graduated out with a Paralegal AAS degree. Si igjess I jjstllinglll

>1. How long have you been working in HR?
>2. How many companies have you worked for?
>3. Did you graduate from college in the field or did you just fall
>into it?