Nina
Park is the HR manager at European IT consultancy Glue. She is also one of the
only HR practitioners who has ever had to recruit astronauts and to have
someone legitimately postpone a meeting because they were in space.
Where
were you working before and what were your duties?
Prior
to working at Glue I was a freelance HR consultant, working for a variety of
companies. Â Before that, I
headhunted astronauts and satellite engineers.
What
is the strangest situation you have been in at work?
When
a candidate told me he was unable to make a meeting because he was "going
to space" and then watching him floating around and waving in the shuttle
that night on the TV news.
How
do you think the role of HR will change over the next five years?
With
increasing legislation and litigation the role of HR becomes vital as an
advisory service, but even without this HR has to continue its development from
a reactive to a proactive service.
What
is your essential viewing?
Sex
in the City.
What’s
the best thing about HR?
Making
a tangible difference both to the business and on a personal level.
And
the worst?
Having
to get constant management buy in.
How
do you fill your spare time?
Shoe
shopping and riding my motorbike – a sunshine yellow Gilera DNA 125.
What
is the greatest risk you have ever taken?
Becoming
a freelance HR consultant in a difficult market, but this was also my greatest
decision as I got to work on some great projects.
What
is the essential tool in your job?
A
mobile phone with a built-in camera. I can now take photographs of all the new
recruits and easily send them to people in the organisation.
And
the most over-rated?
E-mail.
It’s not always the best way to communicate because people can misread and
misinterpret. It often does more harm than good.
What
advice would you give to people starting out in HR?
Never
be friends with people in the company – be a trusted confidante.
Do
you network?
Totally
– it’s a great way of getting new ideas.
If
you could do any job in the world what would it be?
Road
testing Manolo Blahnik or Jimmy Choo shoes.
Who
would play you in the film of your life and why?
Judi
Dench (though she’s got a few years on me). She’s a great actress – and she’s
my neighbour.
What’s
the worst/best office party you’ve ever attended?
The
best was when Glue took all its staff and partners to Paris for a long weekend.
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Park’s
CV
2002
HR manager, Glue
2001 HR consultant, APR
1999 HR consultant, ECI Human capital
1998 Recruitment officer, European Space Agency
