HANNES REPORTS ON HIS ENTRY INTO A PROJECT CAREER AND HIS FIRST PROJECT
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO START A CAREER AT THE HR FIELD?
I had my first contact with HR in 2020, when I supported the HR Business Partners operationally as a working student in a corporate group. I had a lot of fun doing that, so it quickly became clear that this is where I see my professional future in HR. Since I would like to get to know as many areas as possible at the start of my career, the project career at HR factory is made for me!
HOW DID YOU START YOUR PROJECT CAREER AT HR FACTORY?
I have just completed my first project in a media company and have been supporting the HR department in the area of HR administration for the last 1.5 years. In the process, I’ve learned that being an HR admin involves much more than just creating contracts. Once you understand the basic processes in HR, you start to improve things.
Our customers often actively demand this, which I personally really enjoy. For example, I introduced digital signatures in the HR department at the customer’s site, which has since made everyone’s day-to-day work much easier! The media company was in transition and in the process of transforming into an international matrix organization.
That’s exactly what made the project so exciting: I was able to support the company during a very challenging time, take my first steps in HR and, along the way, get to know what a transformation entails in a company and an HR department. I also witnessed the introduction of an ERP system.
HOW DID YOU EXPERIENCE YOUR FIRST PROJECT PERSONALLY?
At the beginning, it was very cold water that I jumped into, but that’s what I want. I think that you learn to swim and develop very quickly, especially in cold water. So I can certainly say that I had a steep learning curve in the project. This applies not only to the professional side, but also to my personal development.
You want to start your career at HR factory, too?
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APART FROM THE CUSTOMER PROJECT, WHAT ARE YOUR EXPERIENCES WITH HR FACTORY?
What always supported me mentally and professionally in my work with the customer were the other HR Experts at HR factory. Most of the time I was on site with the customer. However, I also worked for the customer from the HR factory office on a few occasions. The exchange with colleagues is very good, both personally and professionally. Here you only meet full-blooded HR people. They work in very different HR projects and are absolute experts in various disciplines or are in the process of becoming so. We benefit from each other’s experience with our customers and exchange ideas about the best approaches.
YOUR SUMMARY AFTER 1.5 YEARS AT HR FACTORY ?
As different as we all are, we have one thing in common: We all like HR in some way! The colleague who is interested in marketing supports a customer in employer branding. The technology nerd is helping a customer implement an ERP system. And the colleague with an affinity for numbers handles payroll for a client. If I want to get to know another area, I ask experienced colleagues for an exchange. Or simply focus on this area in HR in the next project.
Personally, I am still in the process of finding out which HR area covers my interests and skills the most. In the next project, I’m sure I’ll make more progress in this area and I’m sure I’ll be able to learn a lot more, both professionally and personally. I’m looking forward to the next jump into the deep end!