Interview

Without fail, every time that I answer the question “what do you want to do after graduation” and I say “HR”, I receive the following response:

 

“Oh, so you want to be the Toby of an office, huh?”

 

This question is a reference to a character, named Toby Flenderson, on NBC’s hit show The Office.  The said character is known as being boring and a kill joy.

 

After my 1+ year experience working in an HR position, I have come to realize that Toby is a far from accurate portrayal of an HR professional, or at least he doesn’t portray the kind that I want to be.

Interview with Josh Cheatham

What kind of HR professional would I like to be? I was recently reminded of this by interviewing Josh Cheatham, a former recruiter, current People Operations Partner, and my brother. His professional passions include intentional culture, employee engagement, and employer branding. He seeks the answer to the question, “what can a small company achieve if the employees are a priority to the company?” After multiple positions with an HR focus, he’s come to understand that

employees are the greatest asset to a company, and if they are prioritized by the company, they will prioritize the company.

HR is a field that needs many different perspectives and experiences, and so Josh believes his undergraduate degree in Sociology has contributed

to his career by being able to critically think about issues that are affecting the workforce today, specifically race relations and equality. But it’s not just the critical thinking that’s been valuable, it’s the application of that thinking that has brought value to his career.

 

This interview has reminded me why I want to go into HR in the first place. For the people, to build culture, and to be a business partner. HR is not just for “the Toby’s” but for people who are passionate about both business and people. And according to Josh, what kinds of qualities help HR professionals in the workforce? A passion for people, empathy, getting things done, and eloquence. These are qualities I’m striving to gain to be an asset to the HR community.