Sally G.
About me
| Sally G. | |
| Politics, Economics and Philosophy | |
| Politics, Philosophy & Economics | |
| Undergraduate | |
| Vanbrugh | |
| 1997 | |
| United Kingdom |
My employment
| Director - HR Enablement & Engagement | |
| EY | |
| United Kingdom | |
| Finance and consultancy | |
| Large business (250+ employees) | |
| 2014 |
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A day in the life of a Director - HR Enablement & Engagement in the United Kingdom
I have a less than traditional career path yet have spent 20 odd years working with multi-nationals, central government and third sector organisations
My career goals when I graduated
Not sure I knew (I'm still not sure I know!). I had ruled out a career in TV/film production (a longer story). I wanted to make a difference to peoples lives and I was inspired by applied ethics, and applied economics and was interested in what we would now call the 'future of work'.
My career history
1997/8 - After York, I got an MSc in Personnel Management & Industrial Relations (my focus was industrial relations).
1998/2000 - ITN (News production) - Personnel Officer
2000/2001 - SAP - HR Systems officer
2001 - PwC - Consultant/manager in HR Consulting
2004 - Accenture - Manager/Senior Manager in Talent/HR/Change area
2011 - Freelance/studying another MSc/Parent
2013 - Set up own company
What has helped my career to progress
Working hard, always delivering and building a reputation. Keeping curious.
Courses taken since graduation
MSc in Personnel Mgt & Industrial Relations (UMIST/now Manchester University)
MSc in Sustainability & Responsibility (Ashridge Business School)
How my studies have helped my career
I think keeping learning is core to the success of any career (and life)
My advice about working in my industry
Expect to work hard and stay curious.
What I do
I am currently a Director in a large Professional Services firm. I am largely responsible for people and change related projects aimed at increasing engagement and improving the work environment for all staff.
Skills I use and how I developed them
I could write a long list of skills. The main ones:
1. Dealing with ambiguity is one of the key skills I use on a daily basis. My thought process on a day-to-day basis is largely around: What's the real problem here? What's the context? Who are the key players? What might a way forward be? How I developed that skill - taking on many and varied projects meant I was rarely the expert but I needed to be always curious and work my way towards a solution.
2. Relationship and credibility is the next big key skill in this business. I live and die by my reputation and the quality of my last project. How I developed that skill - connect, connect, connect and I keep in touch with a broad range of interesting (and fun) people.
3. Juggling multiple priorities is a core skills and has been in my management consulting life. How I developed that skill - keeping organised and 'on it'.
What I like most
Variety and making a difference to peoples lives. I also now work part time and spend the rest of my time on other activities. It's great to have that flexibility.
What I like least
It can be stressful and there can be politics and egos to deal with. I do less travel and long hours than a used to (which is good).
What surprised me most
The amount of flexibility I can have if I ask (and make it work)
Next steps...
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