What A People Programs And Operations Lead At Alphabet Wishes They Had Known Before Entering The Human Resources Industry
The People Programs & Ops Lead at Alphabet Inc. learned that the field of people operations encompasses "so many different functions," including benefits, payroll, and HR business partnering, recommending that early career exploration through generalist roles helps one discover their preferences and strengths, such as realizing "I'm not a payroll person." This process of identifying both preferred and disliked tasks is crucial for career navigation.
Career Exploration, Job Search, Career Development, Industry Realities, Workplace Challenges
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Michelle Lowry
People Programs & Ops Lead
Alphabet Inc. Company
University of California, Davis
N/A
Psychology
Aerospace, Aviation & Defense, Technology
Human Resources (HR)
Scholarship Recipient, Took Out Loans, Greek Life Member, First Generation College Student
Video Highlights
1. There are many different functions within people operations or HR, including benefits, payroll, HR business partner, compliance, and HR systems. Gaining exposure to these different areas can help you identify your strengths and interests.
2. Starting in a generalist role can provide valuable exposure to various aspects of people operations, allowing you to explore different functions and determine what you enjoy and dislike.
3. Figuring out what you don't like is as valuable as figuring out what you do. Don't be afraid to try different roles and adjust your career path based on your experiences. It's okay to change course if a particular area doesn't suit your interests or skills
Transcript
What have you learned about this role that you wish someone had told you before you entered the industry?
It would have been helpful, and not that it was to extreme detriment, but I do think it's useful to know and be aware that there are so many different functions within people operations or HR. You could have a focus on benefits, on payroll, on being an HR business partner, compliance operations, or HR systems.
There are so many different avenues. I ended up doing something more of a starting as a generalist and moved into focusing on programs. But I've touched on all of those things over time, and I think that doing something that can introduce you to everything is really amazing.
If you can do generalist roles, like coordinator roles, I think it gives you good visibility into what the type of work might be like. One thing that I learned, not necessarily just about this role but about working in general, is sometimes figuring out what you don't like is just as valuable as figuring out what you do.
Because then you can know, okay, I really don't enjoy doing this. I got a little taste of payroll; I'm not a payroll person. That's not going to be something that gives me joy. Sometimes what you think is going to be what you want to do isn't, and you don't need to force yourself into that narrow place.
Open it up and say, "Okay, I tried that, I didn't love it." Here's how I can, maybe I'll be in this role in a different way than I expected. So you just never know where things are going to end up. It's worth just taking a shot and trying a new job.