Cher Forman
"Ask Cher"
Cher Forman has over 20 years of domestic and international Human Resources experience in organizations ranging from startups to $3B. As Director or Vice President, she has managed Human Resources groups at Applied Materials, Stanford Telecom, Ask Computer Systems, Teledex and Tri-Data Corporation and consulted on H.R. philosophy, values and infrastructure with many start-ups as well. Cher has managed several of these firms through rapid expansion and significant organizational challenges. While at Applied Materials, she led her business unit as the company grew from 6,000 to 16,000 employees in three years. Ms. Forman has specific expertise in employment, corporate legal compliance, development of cost effective compensation/benefit strategies, organization development and international HR management. She has a degree in Organization Behavior from the University of San Francisco and has participated in advanced training at several other colleges and universities.
Dear Cher:
Someone told me the other day to never trust an H.R. person….that you have to be very careful around them. I’ve heard this before. My guess is you won’t agree. But, is it ever good advice for a job seeker?
Unsure
Answer:
Dear Unsure,
Your guess is correct. I don’t agree. And I’d like to think you’re just kidding. But, if you are really not sure, I’m happy to provide an answer.
Human Resource professionals are many things to many people. To some they’re the people who hire you; to others, they’re the folks who screen you out. From admired to avoided, or genius to jerk, many people have strong opinions about HR people!
As a Human Resources Executive with many years of experience in companies large and small, I can tell you one important piece of information. The overriding goal for HR people in most organizations is to support the success of each employee at every level.
What does this mean to a job seeker? It means a lot! Human Resources is usually your first contact with any organization when you’re looking for a new position. The HR person you meet can be responsible for anything from reviewing resumes to conducting phone interviews or from in-house interviews to recommending the one top candidate to a hiring manager. Their only goal in the process, however, is to find the best candidate with the skills, knowledge, and demeanor relevant to the job. They understand that part of their value is in the successes of the people they bring into an organization.
What that means to you is that if you concentrate on showing you are qualified for the job, understand the key role HR plays in recruiting and treat everyone you meet respectfully, you will likely be recognized as someone the organization would be fortunate to hire, which means that regardless of the outcome of the interview, they may consider you for future positions. After all, your success is their success as well.
All the best, Cher
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