HR will never attract the best without a makeover

HR must address its image issue (‘On the outside looking in’, Personnel Today, 16 October) if it is to attract the level of talent that the function deserves.

In reality, there are plenty of good human resources people with a strategic involvement and the necessary skills and competencies to reach the top. Some are even making the move from HR to other functional generalist and commercial roles. This just goes to show how flexible HR can be as a career development tool.

It’s interesting that the research compares HR to functions such as operations, sales, marketing and IT in terms of the level of influence held, where it rates fairly low.

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More than perhaps any other function, time spent in HR is a great opportunity to develop outstanding leadership, management, people and communication skills. These skills can then be leveraged in roles of influence across the entire business.

Jo Sellwood
Managing director,
Strategi Search & Selection