Most HR practitioners say that if they could do it all again, HR would still be their chosen profession.
Findings from a Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) survey of 1,800 HR practitioners revealed that more than 80% would still opt for HR if they could turn back the clock on their careers.
Only 26% of the respondents actually started their careers in the profession.
The same proportion – including one in four HR directors – said their current job was their first role in HR.
Personal drive and generalist experience were cited as the most important contributors to their careers so far.
Respondents to the CIPD survey were asked to indicate whether they agreed or disagreed with 22 statements relating to careers in HR.
Source: PersonnelToday.com/Data: CIPD
Almost all (99%) agreed that it was important to keep up with how the role was changing, and 81% agreed that career progression was improved by moving between employers.
Other findings from the survey show that two out of three HR practitioners believe that their work is ‘gaining prestige as a profession’.
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But only one in three believes that HR is viewed as ‘an attractive place to work’ by people outside the profession.
Nearly half the respondents (47%) thought that HR offered good career opportunities for those who wanted to work part-time, and 46% believed that the profession would remain predominantly female.
