Career options in the people profession

A career in the people profession offers a huge variety of roles to choose from. If you’ve a head for data, why not explore roles in reward or people analytics? Or if you’ve a passion for getting the best out of people, why not specialise in learning and development (L&D), talent management, organisation design, or equality, diversity and inclusion? Or if you’re looking for more variety in your work, consider an HR (human resources) generalist role.

Similarly, one of the great things about working in the people profession is that it enables you to work in any sector and different sized organisations. Whether you’re just starting out in the people profession or looking for your next move, explore the links below to find out more about the options available to you.

Which career route will you choose?

Careers in HR generalist roles

If you’re looking for a varied and rewarding career in the people professional, this could be the ideal job for you

Careers in learning and development

Creating a culture of continuous learning and growth

Careers in organisational design and development

Bringing together all parts of the organisation to help the system operate at its best

Careers in equality, diversity and inclusion

Creating an environment where difference is embraced and individuals flourish

Careers in employee experience

Creating a healthy, engaging working environment for organisations to get the most out of their people

Careers in employee relations

Managing the relationship between an organisation and its people through transparent practices and relevant law

Careers in talent management

Maximising the potential of those working in an organisation

Careers in resourcing

Creating a brilliant candidate experience for future employees

Careers in reward

Aligning pay and benefits with context, culture, and market

Careers as an HR Business Partner

Working with the business to develop an effective HR agenda

Careers as a people consultant

Working with organisations to help them get the best out of their people

Careers in people analytics

The heart of evidenced-based decision-making within the people profession

Working in different sectors

One of the great things about working in the people profession is that it enables you to work in any sector. Here’s a little bit more about the different sectors you could work in.

The public sector

The public sector is classed as any organisation which is run by a government; this can include central or local government organisations, healthcare, schools and emergency services.

You’ll find a variety of organisations both in size and type within this sector, all sharing the aim of providing services for public interest.

Given their size, most of these organisations will have people functions, with the larger ones boasting a significant variety of generalist and specialist people roles

The private sector

Private sector organisations are run by individuals or companies for profit and come in all shapes and sizes:

· Sole proprietorships: Individuals working on their own (for example, plumbers and designers)

· Partnerships: Where two or more people own the organisation

· SMEs: Small to medium-sized enterprises, typically with 250 employees or less

· Large multinationals: Generally, large organisations producing and selling goods in various countries.

People functions may exist in partnerships, SMEs and large multinational organisations, with the size and breadth of these increasing with the number of employees.

The third sector

The not-for-profit or voluntary sector operates in the space between government and private organisations, and is typically defined by these features:

· Values-driven - motivated by social goals rather than profit

· Reinvesting surplus profit into the pursuit of organisational goals

· Independence from the government.

The number of employees within these organisations will determine the size, type and variety of its people functions. A smaller organisation with fewer than 50 employees could, for example, consist of one stand-alone people role, whereas an organisation employing thousands will likely have a larger people function with a variety of different roles.

Organisation size matters

The size of the organisation will likely influence whether you take on a generalist or specialist role. In smaller organisations, you may perform a variety of activities as an HR generalist in a stand‐alone capacity. In larger organisations, the greater volume of people roles might typically include both specialist and generalist positions.