hays - the dna of an hrd

DNA OF AN HRDTHE MAKINGS OF AN HR LEADER

Candidates frequently ask us about the path to success. How

do I become an HRD? What do I need to do to transition from

senior management to an executive role? What should my CV

include?

Our report the DNA of an HRD is designed to answer these

questions. On the following slides we look at the path to

becoming an HRD.

Our findings are a result of face-to-face interviews with 461 HR

leaders across Australia & New Zealand.

Eliza Kirkby

Regional Director, Hays Human Resources

hays.com.au/hrd | hays.net.nz/hrd

BACKGROUND & QUALIFICATIONS

88% of HRDs hold a bachelor degree, 24%

hold a human resources degree, 4% a

psychology degree

35% have a postgraduate diploma, 27%

have a masters degree

44% hold additional HR qualifications or

certifications

The majority (68%) have not always

worked in HR


INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE

47% of HRDs have worked outside

Australia and New Zealand at some point

during their career. This includes in the

UK (51%), Asia (40%), North America

(24%), Europe (18%) and the Middle East

and Africa (16%)

The large majority (96%) say the

experience benefited their career


STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT & COMMERCIAL ACUMEN

Over half (53%) of respondents say

stakeholder engagement is the most

important skill for an HRD to possess

Commercial acumen was a close second

place (52%), while strategic planning

ranked third with 48% of the vote


RESILIENT & CREDIBLE

For two-thirds (67%) of our survey

respondents, resilience is the most

important personal characteristic that has

helped them succeed in their careers to

date

This was closely followed by being

collaborative (54%) and credible (53%)

Adaptive (52%) and a proactive nature

(51%) are also important


CAREER DEVELOPMENT

Encouragingly, 68% say that if they had

their time all over again, they would still

choose the profession, and most would

either like to stay in their current post or

take on a bigger HR role in future

68% have recently attended a networking

event to meet other HRDs

Almost all (96%) are on LinkedIn yet only

half (50%) use social media to network


TOP TIPS FOR THE NEXT GENERATION

57% of HRDs think up-and-coming HR

leaders need to be commercially aware

and a good business person

HRDs also advise the next generation of

HR professionals to build strong

relationships with their director (41%) and

be able to find out what a business needs

not what a business wants (32%)


UPCOMING CHALLENGES

54% of HRDs think that aligning strategic

requirements with operational budget and

workforce will be the biggest business

challenge for them

This was followed by company culture

(50%) and employee engagement (46%)

When asked about their own professional

challenges, achieving company objectives

came in at number one, followed by

demonstrating ROI from the HR department


INTERESTS

Outside of work HRDs are generally

active; 72% play sport or exercise in their

spare time

89% like to socialise with friends and

family

51% like to travel


SURVEY HIGHLIGHTSTYPICAL HR DIRECTORS


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hays - the dna of an hrd

Recruiting & HR