How to Get Ahead in HR

Have you ever thought about a career in HR? Or perhaps you are already working in HR and you are looking to progress? No matter your starting point, this book provides advice and guidance to help you achieve your goals.

The HR profession is dynamic, and the opportunities to develop in the field have never been greater. Using a wide range of examples, skills-based exercises, quizzes and reflective activities, How to Get Ahead in HR prepares you to maximize your potential. Each chapter provides a variety of case study examples and action point lists. The book also introduces the field’s main professional bodies and explains the available options for gaining professional qualifications.

Praise for How to Get Ahead in HR

“This book will be of interest and use to anyone looking to start or develop a career in human resource management. It is full of great advice, with examples, background information and practical tools to make use of. Highly recommended.”

— Stephen Taylor, Senior Lecturer in Human Resource Management, University of Exeter Business School

“Insightful, practical and relevant are the three words that come to mind to describe Kay Maddox-Daines’s book, which really captures the true essence of HR. It explores the career path for those who are embarking on, or wishing to move ahead in, a career in HR through pragmatic and real-life scenarios. A highly recommended book for all levels of HR professionals.”

— Matthew Thomas, Director, Xformation Consulting, Australia

“A masterful portrait of the HR ecosystem – past, present and future – in an easy-to-read style. This book is a one-stop guide to all things HR: from its history through numerous changes and challenges to what the future may hold. The HR profession and all its different elements are brought to life through comprehensive case studies in each chapter, practical tools, questions for self-reflection, tips and a particularly useful chapter on further resources and support. A must-read for anyone with an interest in all things HR.”

— Jenny Liebenberg, People, Culture and Skills Director, Money & Pensions Service (UK)

“This is a must-read for anyone considering HR as a career path. It can be difficult for people to know how to enter the profession, and this new book by Kay Maddox-Daines provides a clear direction to follow as well as an overview of which role in HR could be most suitable. Moreover, this book will be very useful for my career coaching clients in helping them define where they are now and the strategy that they need to take them where they want to go in HR.”

— Kate Nudds, L&D Career Coach

“This is a very clear and practical introduction to the dynamic HR profession. The book demonstrates what HR really stands for today and the positive impact that HR professionals can have on organizations in these demanding times. If you want to move your career into HR or you are currently an HR professional, then this is a must-read.”

— Gerwyn House (FCIPD), Education and Skills Director at ICS Learn

Dr Kay Maddox-Daines is the founder of Future People Learning Ltd, head of the School for People and Culture at Arden University, and a Visiting Fellow at the University of Suffolk. Kay is also an external examiner for human resource management programmes at the American University in Greece and Leeds Beckett University in the United Kingdom, a registered career development professional (RCDP) with the UK Career Development Institute, a member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), a Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute (FCMI), and an executive career coach.