The Carnival of HR–5th Anniversary Edition!

“So, where do you see yourself in 5 years?” I always thought that was a stupid question–because what could the “right” answer possibly be?

• This is my dream job so I hope to be doing this same thing in 5 years! Means you’re a slacker without ambition.
• I hope to be managing this position! Means you want the interviewer’s job so watch out because if you can stab me in the back you will.
• I want to continue to be in a function where my skills and attributes are utilized! Means that you’ve spent too long thinking about this question.
• I intend to go back to school and get my MBA! Means you’re a short timer and we shouldn’t invest in you.

So why do we ask that question? (And by we, I mean not me and not you, because we’re not that stupid.)

It’s been 5 years since I began the Carnival of HR. The very first one only contained a few posts and I had to beg to get those. Now, of course (thanks to the love and feeding given to it by Shauna Moerke and prior to her, Alison Green) it’s grown to a fabulous size with people from all over the world contributing. Marvelous.

So, where were you 5 years ago and where do you think you’ll be in 5 years? These posts are written to the theme, so they get top billing!

Ian Welsh at the Tool Box writes My HR 5 Year Flex Plan – Blog and All. Ian actually did make a plan 5 years ago, and this is a look back at the twists and turns that happened along the way. He sees the blog as a big art of it and I have to agree. Blogging changed my plans as well.

Sandrine Bardot at Compensation Insider writes A Few Career and Life Lessons From My Last Job in Italy.5 Years ago she accepted an “easy” job that turned out to be anything but. Sometimes you have to throw your current plan out the window and try something new.

Shauna Moerke at HR Minion tells us where she was 5 Years Ago. Oh my word, she didn’t even read blogs back then!!!!  Shauna, a social media queen did not even read blogs. Which tells me that we’re all clueless about the social media we’ll see in 5 years.

Nancy Saperstone at Insight writes Was Human Resources Any Different 5 Years Ago? The fundamentals have (or should have) remained the same, but other things have changed. She even dreams of a paperless HR society.

Ben at Upstart HR writes Five Years Ago. He was still in school and, like Shauna, wasn’t even reading HR Blogs. (This is why the first HR carnival only had a few participants!) He started a so-so job but still managed to learn from it. Reminding us that we should always be learning.

Tim at The HR Introvert writes 1,827 Days Well-Spent. I’m not checking his math to make sure that’s the right number, but he details his experiences. Life is far more than work and we need to remember that as part of our plans.

And Suzanne Lucas (that’s me) at Evil HR Lady writes Where Was I 5 Years Ago? Still anonymous and still working for the man. Boy, have times changed.

Not everyone stuck to the theme–which was expressly permitted. But, being somewhat controlling and demanding, I will manipulate every post to make it seem like it fits into the theme.

First up is The Thriving Small Business’s post on Managing Workplace Grief. Unfortunately, this is a topic we should all be aware of and prepared for. No 5 year plan plans for this, but it comes up more often than it should.

Jennifer V. Miller at The People Equation writes on Are You Cut Out for Self Employment? Sometimes people just jump into self employment without making a plan. Sometimes getting laid off pushes people in earlier than they normally would. But she makes excellent points and even has a little quiz. I scored a 5 out of 7, so I’m qualified to be  solopreneur, which is good, because that’s how I make my living now.

Naomi Bloom at In Full Bloom writes Reflections on a Long Career. She even includes a picture of Cher, but don’t let that scare you off from clicking. (Cher needs 5 years worth of fabric to have an outfit that meets dress code.) She reminds us that 5 years is merely a flash in the pan and that we need to spend a life time learning and growing.

And speaking of learning, Arunima Majumdar at Learn to Succeed writes about Gaining Insights to E Learning. In HR we’re not only responsible for our 5 year plans, but for those of entire companies full of people. If you can’t interpret the results from your training you’re in big trouble.

Jesse Lyn Stoner at Jesse Lyn Stoner Blog writes Are You a Team in Name Only? Her first question is “What do you want to accomplish?” which is a fabulous question, not only for teams but for developing your own 5 year plan.

Michael Haberman at Omega HR Solutions writes Social Media as a Knowledge Creation Tool. Instead of looking at social media as something people either do outside of work or is done by marketing, he takes a look at what implementing social media platforms in the office ca do to you. Add that to your 5 year plan!

Dan McCarthy at Great Leadership by Dan writes Top 10 Excuses for Being a Lousy Manager. Dan, himself, is a fabulous manager, but he’s counseled some lousy ones and he gives us insight on what needs to be fixed as you develop your 5 year plan for yourself.

The Tribe HR Staff at Tribe HR writes Hiring Effectively During Rapid Growth. One thing to think about, that few people think about when planning the future, is how growth will affect your corporate culture–for good or bad.

Alison at Recognition at Work writes Start With a Warm Employee Welcome. If you want your new employees to stick around for 5 years, make sure you do a good job of welcoming them to the team.

Wally Bock at Envisia Learning  writes Would John Glenn Make the Cut Today? I didn’t know that Glenn was outside the requirements for the space program yet was still selected. Wally asks if our hiring software eliminates the John Glenns of the world. Think about that when you’re hiring people to fulfill your future plans.

Hugh More at Humor’s Office writes Office Supply Art: 10 Examples of Art Made with Office Supplies. It would take me 5 years to replicate some of this. It’s awesome. Now get back to work!

And take what you’ve learned and write a plan that can be changed when life doesn’t go as expected. And order some extra staples for your office art.