Michael Page HR thought leadership series: career advice

Michael Page Human Resources is committed to providing a forum for HR professionals to share knowledge and one way that we facilitate the exchange of ideas, advice and knowledge is through our HR director thought leadership series. These events bring together top HR professionals to discuss a variety of key HR topics, allowing peers to discuss their challenges and solve the HR issues faced in organisations today.

We have captured the insights of industry leaders on a range of topics, including a rare chance to get career advice from key players in the Australian HR profession. Our HR leaders generously offered learnings from their own careers in HR, which will prove to be invaluable to anyone interested in progressing their HR career.

In our career advice videos, HR directors such as Debra Eckersley, Managing Partner, Human Capital at PricewaterhouseCoopers, Janine Frew, Director of Human Resources at Scentre Group and Amanda Mostyn, Group Executive HR at ASX discuss their career histories, who has influenced their development, and advice they’ve received along the way.

Many of these leaders discuss the importance of understanding the business that you’re working within, and gaining a thorough understanding of how the HR function can support strategic priorities on the commercial side of the business. A strong HR team will focus not just on the people side of the role, but also have a thorough knowledge of what it is that makes the business and the industry you’re in tick.

Ronan Carolan, Head of HR at Optus, and Greg Tadman, Regional HR Director at PageGroup, talk about the importance of gaining as broad a skillset as possible. Gaining a diverse understanding of different facets of HR allows you a choice of whether to remain a generalist or to specialise in one area.

Another common thread in the career advice series is how many of these HR professionals made use of many mentors and advisors to help them in their career. Even at the top of their profession, our Thought Leaders emphasise how the advice their mentors have given them helped them focus their careers and achieve their goals.

Throughout the interviews, it’s clear that these professionals have a passion for their work and care about both the human resources side and the business side to their jobs. As Susan Henry, Head of People & Culture at Starlight Children’s Foundation, says: “Find something you love and are passionate about and that you enjoy doing every day”—then follow it up with getting as much experience, advice and career development as possible.

Watch our HR career advice videos to find out from top HR directors about mentorship, career progression and development, communication and the importance of taking leaps.