What an HR Manager at Non-Profit Group Home Housing wishes they had known before entering the Human Resources industry
Sharon wishes someone had emphasized that work isn't necessarily where friendships or community are found, and understanding that "people will not like you" is crucial for navigating the discomfort inherent in HR. Accepting that one cannot please everyone, especially as someone who used to be a "people pleaser," ultimately creates an easier path for success in the HR field.
Industry Realities, Workplace Challenges, Hard Truths, Emotional Intelligence, Conflict Resolution
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Sharon Mooney
HR Manager
Non-Profit Group Home Housing
Baylor University
Arizona State University (ASU) - W. P. Carey Master of Science - MS, Human Resources Management and Services
Fine Arts, Music
Nonprofit, Foundations & Grantmaking
Human Resources (HR)
Disabled, Scholarship Recipient, Took Out Loans, Worked 20+ Hours in School
Video Highlights
1. Importance of separating personal and professional life: Understanding that your primary support system shouldn't solely rely on workplace relationships, even though positive relationships at work are beneficial.
2. Navigating Discomfort and Dislike: Accepting that not everyone will like you in a professional setting, especially in HR, and learning to navigate the discomfort that arises from this.
3. Overcoming People-Pleasing Tendencies: Recognizing that being a people-pleaser can hinder success in HR and learning to prioritize objective decision-making over trying to please everyone.
Transcript
What have you learned about this role that you wish someone would have told you before you entered the industry?
I would have loved for somebody to sit me down and be really transparent about the fact that you are not at work to make friends. Your friends, your support, your community does not come from work.
That doesn't mean that you can't have friendships at work or like the people that you work with daily. In fact, it is preferable that you like being around the people that you spend 70% of your life with. However, that is not a requirement to have a job in HR.
You also have to understand that people will not like you. You will get on people's bad list. That is just a fact. Learning how to navigate that discomfort sooner rather than later would have been really helpful.
I tend to be a people pleaser, and so that is something that I've really grown from being in this industry. I can't function in that space, the people-pleasing space, and be successful in the HR space. So I wish someone would have sat me down and said that people are not going to like you, you're not going to make everybody happy.
Now that I know that and I have the full, big picture of how that actually works and what that expectation is, it is easier. It is easier to have that separation and to do the best that I can in the industry. It just would have been nice to know sooner. I probably would have made fewer mistakes along the way.