"I didn't have a traditional career trajectory...": the route to credibility in the HR profession

The HR profession is self-doubting, poorly regarded by others and stuck in reactive, operational and compliance modes - despite much rhetoric about the need to be strategic. There are instances, however, where it has broken out of this low level work, and successfully become business partners at the ‘top table’. This paper explores the career trajectories of HR professionals that are at senior levels of their organisation, are influential, strategic and are at the top table. What characterised these non-traditional HR careers was extensive experience outside of HR, different titles such as “people and capability”, mentors, and close working relationship with CEOs. Successful professionals tended to have unitarist outlooks that helped resolve many tensions and ambiguities in the HR role