Topic 7:
Career change to T&D/OD
Question 1: I have eight years of corporate, not-for-profit and magazine/newspaper corporate communications and editorial (writing, editing) experience. I am exploring the transition to training and development or organizational change/development. I have a master's degree in integrated marketing communications; strong interpersonal, presentation, research and communication skills; plus a strong interest in creative and intellectual learning. Do you have suggestions as to how to link the two career paths - how they may or may not overlap, would a master's degree in T&D or related area be necessary, any resources for further exploration, etc.?
--No Name, New York City
Answer: OD is considered an advanced area of HRD usually entered after obtaining some experience. It is not unusual for organization change to be a specialty of a consulting practice.
Advanced professional education options in addition to graduate degree programs are certificate programs and CEU seminars and courses. Deciding how to obtain further professional education depends on the outcomes you want, your personal lifestyle and responsibilities, and how much time you can devote to this activity. Some Websites for research education and training courses, including distance learning options are:
Trainingnet.com
Trainingsupersite.com
Ed-x.com
America's Learning Exchange
Gradschools.com
Seminarinformation.com
In addition to joining the Metro NY ASTD Chapter, consider the local chapter of the Organizational Development Network. Take some time to network and do some informational interviewing to become more knowledgeable about the field and what would be your best T&D pathway to OD. Consider attending the ASTD Annual International Conference being held in New Orleans, June 2-6 where you will meet and hear many terrific T&D/HRD specialists and learn about the issues and different perspectives of OD.
You have some excellent transferable skills for successfully transitioning into the T&D field: communications, interpersonal, and presentational. To increase your credibility, build on your communications expertise and look for positions in publishing organizations or other media corporations. Is it possible to explore a transfer to the HRD department with your present employer? This would be one of your quickest pathways for making the desired career change while pursuing the needed coursework. You may even be able to qualify for tuition reimbursement.
After acquiring some background in T&D/OD, think about writing about the field for submission to T+D (ASTD), Training (Bill Communications), an HR online newsletter or a business publication. Or think about developing training materials for a vendor, with some ISD courses. Another option is as an internal consultant marketing OD services.
Question 2: I want to know how to enter the field of Organizational Development. At present, I am an HR generalist with less than 2 years of work experience, and I have a MBA with a concentration in human resource management. As an HR generalist, I have done on a relatively small scale some management training and team building. With this background, what type of educational preparation do I need to enter the field of OD? How can I go about getting that first OD job?
--Interested in OD, Southeast USA
Answer: For general information about OD read the first three paragraphs of the above listed answer. You have a good start for this professional shift considering your MBA in HRM and your work as an HR generalist provides a solid overall background and experience. Regarding obtaining your first OD position, there are a number of things you can do:
· If your MBA in HRM did not include such courses as organizational behavior, organizational culture, organization management, change management, or strategic planning, future education preparation should do so.
· As you are already in a HR Department and have done some OD work is it possible to initiate the development of other OD-related projects that meet your employer's needs? The more experience you gain before seeking a fulltime OD position, the better are your chances for success.
· Review the online ASTD Job Bank, as well as your local ASTD or ODN Chapter job hotline. Local professional chapters provide great opportunities for networking and learning about available position openings.
· A sample of web sites that you can review for OD positions include:
hrjobnet.com
hrimmall.com
hrplaza.com
jobs4hr.com
hr-careers/career
wetfeet.com
--AR