How did you get into your career?

I returned from travelling around Australia and decided that it was time to  embark on my career. I studied my Level 3 in HR Practice whilst working in a call centre, once I had completed this I then entered my first HR job as an HR Assistant, whilst in this role I completed my Level 5 HR Management qualification.

In my HR Assistant role, I did general HR Administrative tasks including system administration. I really enjoyed the system part of the role and decided that this was the area which I wanted to specialise in and step away from general HR practices after completing my Level 5.

The company I worked for at the time used Phase 3 Managed Services and I had noticed they were advertising some new roles, I then applied to join the team and then joined as an Assistant Consultant working in the Sage People Implementation team, after 2 years in this role I was promoted to a Implementation Consultant.

I look forward to seeing where the rest of my HR tech career will take me at Phase 3 whether this is working towards becoming a Lead Consultant or going down the Project Management route.

What are the key responsibilities in your role?

Building good and trusting relationships with customers, meeting and adhering to deadlines, organisation and diary management and ultimately making sure that the customer has a successful implementation.

Describe a typical day

I start my day by checking my diary to look at what calls I have booked in, check my emails and make a list of tasks which I need to complete that day. Mid-morning I usually take my beloved black Labrador Luther out for a walk, once I come back I hit the road running, completing tasks (UAT queries, configuration, development time, customer calls and catching up with colleagues). At the end of the day I check to see if there are any tasks which I  haven’t completed and need to pick up the following day.

What are the skills needed for this role?

Strong communication skills in all aspects, the main one being able to present/explain the system or how things work to people who have different abilities of HR Systems and/or IT.

What challenges do you face in this role?

It is sometimes hard to remind customers that implementing a new system is a long process and not something that can be rushed. This usually happens when the customer has no previous experience of system admin so it is important that I am honest and clear with the timelines from the start. 

What keeps you motivated to come to work everyday?

Being able to work with the best colleagues, who no matter what will help each other out. 

What advice would you give someone considering a career in HR tech?

You will never know everything about a system! Sometimes you will need to go away to test/research before being able to give a definite answer.

Helen Skuse is a Implementation Consultant at Phase 3

Our team of HR tech and Payroll experts cover all aspects of HR & Payroll systems consultancy. If you’d like to learn more about our team or more about our business and what we can offer, you can contact one of our specialists today. 

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