So You Want To Work In HR – Details, episodes & analysis

About The Guest(s):
Dennisse Bray has 16 years of experience in HR, starting as an HR Assistant during what was meant to be a two-week assignment that launched her career. She has worked across various industries in both specialist and generalist roles, fostering diverse perspectives and empowering others.

A lifelong learner and avid reader, Dennisse enjoys building her personal library and leading book clubs, including HR-themed ones. She created a LinkedIn group for HR Introverts and Ambiverts to build a supportive community.

As an immigrant and eldest daughter, she embraces the challenges of navigating new paths. In her free time, Dennisse enjoys family time, hula dancing, writing, and brainstorming ideas for her podcast, Pan Dulce with Dennisse.

Summary:
In this episode, Ricklyn and Dennisse discuss the journey into human resources, emphasizing the importance of networking, transferable skills, and the unique challenges faced by introverts in the field. They explore how HR roles can evolve from temporary positions and the necessity of self-advocacy and self-care to prevent burnout. The conversation highlights the dynamic nature of HR and the need for continuous learning and adaptation. 

In this conversation, the speakers discuss the unique strengths and challenges faced by introverts in the HR field. They emphasize the importance of support and community for introverts, highlighting their ability to lead with empathy and deep thinking. The discussion also covers the diverse roles available in HR that cater to different personality types, the significance of celebrating introverted achievements, and the need for connection and understanding in both personal and professional spaces. Finally, they offer valuable advice for those looking to enter or navigate their careers in HR.

Key Takeaways:

• Introverts Thrive Too: Introverts bring valuable strengths like empathy and deep thinking, making them effective HR professionals.

• Self-Care Matters: Burnout and compassion fatigue are common in HR; prioritizing self-care is essential for longevity in the field.

• Advocate for Yourself: Speaking up for your needs and accomplishments helps build recognition and career growth.

• Community Builds Strength: Support networks, especially for introverts, reduce isolation and foster meaningful connections.

• Transferable Skills Count: Experience from non-HR roles can provide valuable insights and help build a successful HR career.

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About The Guest(s):
Our guest today, Jessica Winder, is a dynamic working mama of twin daughters, celebrated as a keynote speaker, career coach, and senior-level HR executive. With a no-nonsense approach and expertise in people operations, she's all about stirring up "good trouble" for positive change. Passionate about nurturing leadership and unlocking potential, she leads Hidden Gem Career Coaching and authored "The Hidden Gem Within" to support career journeys. Get ready to be inspired by her wisdom and dedication to empowering individuals and organizations.

Summary:
Jessica navigates us through the complexities of industry transitions, strategic corporate involvement, and the art of aligning personal values with professional endeavors. As an emblem of empowerment, she offers her perspective as a "quit queen," advocating for the necessity to depart from roles that fail to honor one's worth, a sentiment echoing loudly among women of color in the corporate sphere. Furthermore, we traverse the landscape of minority experiences in predominantly white corporate spaces, gaining insights into the resilience and self-awareness required to thrive. Jessica's expertise culminates in a business designed to tackle the unique challenges faced by professionals of color, a beacon of hope and guidance in today's ever-changing societal fabric.

Key Takeaways:

• Embrace Adaptability: Life’s unexpected turns, like Jessica's shift from medicine to HR, highlight the importance of being adaptable and open to new opportunities that can lead to unplanned yet fulfilling career paths.

• Value Mentorship and On-the-Job Training: Jessica's journey underscores the transformative impact of mentorship and hands-on experience in building a successful career, particularly in navigating new and unfamiliar roles.

• Strategic Role of HR: The narrative emphasizes the strategic nature of HR, showing how it plays a crucial role across various sectors, shaping organizational culture and workforce management.

• Empowerment and Self-Advocacy: Jessica’s experiences as a "quit queen" and a minority in corporate environments stress the importance of advocating for oneself, especially in industries lacking diversity, and the resilience needed to thrive in such spaces.

• Aligning Career with Values: Jessica’s commitment to supporting professionals of color and fostering workplace well-being illustrates the significance of aligning one’s career with personal values, turning challenging experiences into opportunities for growth and empowerment.

Connect with our host:

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Connect with our guest:

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LinkedIn

 

In this week's episode, Ricklyn is joined by Carla Patton. Carla is a Certified Professional in Human Resources, offering an 18 year HR career distinguished by commended performance and proven results. She has demonstrated success in a broad range of HR-related activities. Carla prides herself on inspiring trust and engagement with Business Partners through building relationships at all levels of an organization. She is also the Co-Owner of The Career Salon, LLC and has a podcast with her twin sister covering issues related to career mobility, diversity, and inclusion, human capital and leadership.

In this episode you will learn:

• The skill that can open the door to career opportunities
• The impact networking has on making a career pivot
• How finding a stage and being vocal can help your career
• Why asking for help is a sign of professional maturity

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LinkedIn Article by Carla Patton

In this week's episode, Ricklyn is joined by Angela Shaw.   Angela Shaw is an accomplished HR professional. She grew her career from an administrative employee to leadership and has served as a Vice President of HR and was recently named Chief People Officer at a growing juice company in Austin, TX.

She has a BS degree in Business with a minor in Human Resources. She is certified as a SHRM Senior Certified Professional. Angela has a love of HR but is specifically devoted to diversity, inclusion, and workforce readiness.

Angela views volunteer leadership as a pathway for her passion as a servant leader to the HR community. She has steadily been involved with SHRM chapters since 2011 including 2019 President of the Austin Human Resource Management Association and currently Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Director for TXSHRM.

She is currently concentrating on teaching HR and consulting. She also serves on the board of two other organizations PelotonU and the YWCA of Greater Austin.

In this episode you will learn:

• Why it is important to choose yourself and let go of that which no longer serves you
• What it takes to land your first role in HR and build your career to the C-Suite
• How to show your value in your career and while seated at the table
• DEI: Where does it belong, how does it get done, and who should lead it?

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In this week’s episode, Ricklyn is joined by Kevyn Rustici. Kevyn is a Strategic Human Asset Consultant - Flipping HR from Cost Center to Profit Center with HRevolution. His "passion project" is upskilling HR professionals to become better business partners through data, metrics, and analytics. By focusing on the people, process, and technology today we can relieve HR of the administrative, reactionary practices of yesterday to a more strategic proactive function, to maximize the bottom-line impact.

In this episode, you will learn: 

• The power of employee data and how to use it
• The three questions you should ask to identify where strategic changes need to be made 
• The importance of developing a relationship with the Finance team 
• How having the data and insights could position you to be a profit center and not a cost center

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Podcast

In this week’s episode, Ricklyn is joined by Sandra M. Reed, SPHR. Sandra is a leading expert in the certification of Human Resource Professionals.  She is the author of HRCI’s Official Guide to the Human Resource Body of Knowledge, and numerous PHR SPHR exam preparation books, SHRM case studies, learning modules and training for adult students. 

Sandra holds her undergraduate degree in Industrial-Organizational psychology, and her graduate degree in Organizational Leadership.  She is a Master Practitioner of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator personality assessment (MBTI), and the owner of a business consulting group that specializes in strategy, organizational effectiveness and design and leadership development for small businesses.  Sandra lives in the heart of the Central Valley of California.

In this episode, you will learn: 

• How to overcome imposter syndrome to move your HR career forward
• The true value of preparing for your HR certifications
• How personality assessments help organizations hire and select the right people
• How Sandra transitioned from in-house corporate HR to  leading her own consulting group

Books mentioned in the show 

Long Life Learning by Michelle Weise

Where You Go Is Not Who You'll Be by Frank Bruni

HR Body of Knowledge by Sandra M. Reed

 

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Connect with our guest: 

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Pre-order your copy of the study guide for the Sherm CP and the Sherm SCP exam 

In this week’s episode, Ricklyn is joined by John Carlson, Talent Leader at LivingHR. John (he/him/his) is an HR and DEI expert who has worked with some of the top organizations in the world, helping to analyze their business and create/revamp their D&I and culture programs. As a Talent leader for LivingHR, John specializes in DEI Strategy Consulting, Equity Analytics, and HR Operations.

In this episode, you will learn: 

• What working in the talent acquisition space looks like
• How employers should view the term ‘culture fit’
• What it means to create a diverse and inclusive work environment
• The value of Employee Resource Groups
• How John stood true to himself as a gay man in corporate HR

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Have you ever wondered what DE&I is and how it fits within an organization?

Join Ricklyn in this week's episode as she chats to Jocelyn Thompson, the Principal & CEO of WorkVision Consulting, a boutique Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Consulting firm whose services focus on creating strategic DE&I plans, providing training and implementation, and assessing compensation equity. Jocelyn has eight years of experience working in the Human Resources and DE&I space but began her career managing teams of people in the restaurant and retail industry which she did for seven years. She has her Senior Professional in Human Resources Certification along with several DE&I related certs including Anti-Racism for DE&I and the Diversity & Inclusion Certificate from Cornell University.

In this episode, you will learn: 

• Some of the common myths around DE&I work
• What it means to have a strategic DE&I plan
• How to respond if your organization’s actions are more performative rather than a true desire to make change
• What compensation, equity and pay transparency means 
• How to land a role in the DE&I space

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In this week’s episode, Ricklyn is joined by Cassandra Rose. Cassandra is a Partner at Meritarc and is setting a new standard for helping organizations optimize their Human Resources and Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion strategy. Having held roles at multibillion-dollar global brands and unicorn startups, Cassandra has developed proven strategies which positively impact the physical, mental, and financial wellbeing of employees and embed equitable practices.

Cassandra has over 15 years of HR experience and is certified as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR, SHRM-SCP) with a B.B.A. in Business Management, Master’s Degree in Human Resources and Employment Relations, and Professional Certificates in Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion and Leadership. She is a proud member of the Forbes Human Resources Council and Human Capital Foundry.

In this episode, you will learn: 

• How to educate employees about the importance of benefits 
• The connection between DEI and employee benefits
• Why you should treat open enrollment as an ongoing process and not just an annual activity
• How the different disciplines in HR interconnect and allow you to leverage your transferable skills

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Are you studying HR Management and would love to hear about the transition into the workplace? In this week’s episode, Ricklyn is joined by Jalonni Weaver. Jalonni is currently working as a Talent Acquisition Intern for Charles Schwab. Jalonni didn't know majoring or getting a degree in HR was a thing until last year. She received a Bachelors in Fine Arts focus in Photography in undergrad and once out of college started working for Southwest Airlines. But then the pandemic hit and the airline industry was massively affected. She left Southwest and went to work in the finance industry as an Operations Admin, having no idea what that entailed at the time.

Jalonni was inspired at an interview by three black women and straight after, she went home and applied to get her Masters in Human Resource Management. Jalonni loves being the face of the company and it is her goal is to make a difference wherever she’s employed and help people reach their career goals.

In this episode, you will learn: 

• How to land your first HR job straight out of college 
• How to be an advocate for yourself to attract the right opportunities
• The key to networking and building relationships 
• What talent acquisition really entails 

Connect with our host: 

LinkedIn

Website 

 

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