Lessons From My First Job in HR

My husband recently found my first business card, while cleaning out the basement. I had not thought about my first job in Human Resources in quite some time, and I have no idea why I saved the business card. Maybe it was because I remembered while storing it away years ago, that my Dad was so proud of me, he had my business card placed in a lucite holder (which I am sure is the only reason it wasn't lost in the first place!) Maybe it was because, despite not being generally prone to nostalgia, that my first job meant something to me. Or maybe it was because I was fascinated by the lack of email address or website on the business card!

For whatever the reason, I saved it, and it is now on my desk at home. It serves as a daily reminder of how I started my career. UPS was a dream first job. I was able to work part-time for my last year and a half in college, starting as an intern verifying references for the hundreds of new employees hired each year. I graduated during a terrible economy in the mid-90s, and was thrilled to continue my career at UPS in Human Resources. Our location had 1200+ employees, and a team of HR specialists, representatives and managers that grew to more than ten. I learned to load and unload tractor trailers so I could train new employees how to to it, and with that I learned the value of doing what you teach and hire for, so you can truly understand your company and the positions that contribute to its success. I learned how to interview and make an informed hiring decision and not to second guess myself. I learned the value of teamwork, and working together to achieve a goal. I still remember, more than two decades later, the day that we achieved our staffing goal. Our district manager had previously promised a lobster dinner if we ever achieved our goal. It seemed impossible at the time, but we did it. I learned that no goal is impossible to reach if you work with your team to achieve it.

During the UPS labor strike in the late 90s, all managers had to take on different roles for the two weeks of the strike, in order to serve the customers as best as we possibly can. I rode with tractor trailer drivers. I delivered packages in the brown trucks, and I worked on a counter location. This was my biggest lesson of my early career. I learned to love business, and learned to truly connect my role in the company to the business.

I left UPS a couple of years later to take a role as a Human Resources Director in my home state, a job I held for many years. I learned that while large, global company experience was a terrific start to my early career, my home was truly in mid-sized, private companies. The role I left UPS for allowed me to have a seat at the table, and really truly make a difference at my company, something I was ready and eager for, and that would have taken me a long time at a large company.

I will, however, be forever grateful for the company that taught me to love HR. It's easy to be cynical with the laws, employee issues and the fight for respect that many HR professionals face today. But think about your first HR job, and your wide-eyed view of the world of work. I still love HR today, which is why I made a career of it. And when I have a rough day, I'm going to try to remember this business card, and the young woman who was full of optimism and eager to learn everything she could about the world of HR.