What a Head of Employer Brand and Belonging at Qualtrics wishes they had known before entering the Human Resources industry
Lauren, Head of Employer Brand + Belonging at Qualtrics, learned that career success requires more than just excellent work; it necessitates strong internal networking to "interrupt the flow of things" and advocate for projects, creating space where none exists to ensure visibility and impact. The ability to influence and show value is crucial for achieving results.
Networking, Influence, Advocacy, Internal Communications, Stakeholder Management
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Lauren Hodgson
Head of Employer Brand + Belonging
Qualtrics
Arizona State University (ASU) - W. P. Carey
n/a
Marketing
Technology
Human Resources (HR)
Scholarship Recipient
Video Highlights
1. Internal networking is crucial for project success and visibility.
2. You must actively advocate for your work and its value to key stakeholders.
3. Creating space for your projects may require interrupting existing workflows, but in a productive way, to demonstrate value and influence decision-making
Transcript
What have you learned about this role that you wish someone would have told you before you entered the industry?
I think in general, it isn't just about the work that you're doing, but also how you're doing the work, and who you're doing it with. So, I think it's very important to be internally networked.
I can have this amazing project that I create and is ready to see the light of day, but if I'm not networked with the right people in the business, for them to see it and advocate for it and push it up to the right stakeholders and decision-makers, it can just fall to the wayside.
It's really important to be networked, to know people, and to be able to influence and show the value. Everyone has so much on their plate and they're moving things along in their realm of business. You have to kind of interrupt that to show the value of what you're doing.
The space won't always be created for you. Sometimes you have to go create the space. It does not mean you should interrupt their work and disrupt things in a way that's not productive. But it does mean that you're going to have to advocate for yourself, and being networked with the right people will help you do that.