HR musings with added sparkle!
With just over a week to go, the countdown really is on for this years CIPD Annual Conference and Exhibition! There is always such a brilliant buzz around this event and this year, the focus is all upon Leading The People Profession which certainly is a powerful theme!
Ok so what does this year’s event have in store for us?
“I believe that everyone has the ability to share their experiences; by doing so, you have the power to inspire the next generation of professionals”.
The above quote is one that I wrote back in April 2017 when I was leading a session for the CIPD Northamptonshire Branch member to member mentoring scheme, so it is quite personal to me, but is is one that I wholly believe in.
As HR professionals, we have a world of resources at our disposal; our network being one of the strongest assets that we have, this may not be unique to the HR profession, but it is certainly one that is powerful and has a solution to almost every challenge. This is particularly useful for mentoring, as the mentee may not even know some of the things that you do.
This was one of the many reasons why I decided to become a mentor in 2012 when I joined the CIPD Steps Ahead programme, since then I have been fortunate to act as one of their ambassadors in addition to mentoring job seekers. In 2017 I successfully supported 8 people into work; this was a range of people with different backgrounds some were returning to work after a period of absence, some were working parents looking for a career or returning to work, and others had just left university and were unsure what options were available to them. In addition to this, I co-founded the CIPD Northants branch mentoring scheme in 2016 which is beginning to grow in popularity.
The beauty of mentoring, is that you are supporting people using your existing skills and knowledge so it is not particularly difficult to do, all it takes is about an hour of your time every other week and you can make a big difference to someone’s life. It offers the opportunity to support others to encourage career development and support whilst unlocking their full potential.
Continue reading “National Mentoring Day 2018 #MentoringRocks”
For many new parents, the thought of returning to work can be a daunting one. As part of my blog collaboration series, I am joined by Laura Izard known as the Comeback Girl (@C0mebackG1rl on Twitter) to discuss how parents can prepare themselves before returning to the world of work.
Whether you are at the end of your maternity leave or you’ve taken a career break, returning to work can be one of the biggest decisions you’ll make, and confidence can play a big part in the decision-making process. Having children changes your life so thinking about returning to work and putting yourself first can make you feel guilty as a parent, but it shouldn’t. Returning to work can be fulfilling, exciting and rewarding, but most of all, it can make you feel like ‘you’ – pre-children!
Understandably, when you become a parent your priorities change in a big way, so firstly, it is important to understand and be realistic about the expectations you have for yourself. You may feel guilt about leaving little ones at home, that’s normal and it’s also normal not to feel it. It’s vital self-care to consider your needs too.
Continue reading “Returning to work when juggling life as a parent”
This week on the blog, I am delighted to have collaborated with the wonderful Lee Lam to discuss the relevance of CV’s in recruitment processes; are they actually needed anymore? With many companies choosing to welcome more modern recruitment practices, is it time to ditch the CV for good?
With so many companies already trying different approaches to recruiting their new team members, it would be easy to think that removing the CV from the process completely wouldn’t be seen as that disruptive – indeed, many of the conversations I’ve had with companies are around the fact that they already feel they are being disruptive because they have changed their approach to no longer rely on the CV – but that’s not quite the same as dropping it completely.
Your words have the power to inspire others to help them become something they never thought was possible.
Last week’s HR Acts of Kindness saw us use our words to pass on positive messages to those around us and I’ve received some lovely messages from all over the world telling me how this simple idea has really helped their own outlook at work or at home in challenging times. Thank you for all getting in touch and spreading your positivity!
For every positive, there’s always going to be the attraction of a negative opinion, that is if you actively seek them. By having a positive outlook, this will help someone succeed; this has certainly been the case for me recently, I’ve avoided doing my coursework for a long time until my husband said to me, it’s not going to do itself, yes you’re busy, but this matters to you so you need to rethink how you feel about it and get stuck into the books!
Natalie Ellis HR 