Is This Room Free?
Welcome to Is This Room Free? In this podcast I will be talking to HR professionals and listening to the stories of their careers. I will be finding out about the journeys they have taken and what they learnt along the way. The purpose is to help others in the profession identify and understand the various paths available and take inspiration from my guest speakers. Whether you are someone who is looking to get that first step on the HR career ladder or an aspiring HR Director, I hope you get value from these conversations.
Is This Room Free?
Amelia Bradshaw - Head of People (growing as a HR leader in Tech, navigating the job market, and personal branding)
The guest this episode is Amelia Bradshaw who has been in HR for over 20 years and working as a HR leader for over a decade, primarily working in the Tech sector.
Amelia is currently looking for a new role and we discuss the challenges of navigating the job market in the current climate. Amelia's regularly posts some thought-evoking topics on LinkedIn and we delve into how and why she started to focus on her personal brand. We also get onto the role of AI in recruitment, discussing its current limitations, and what the future may look like.
Amelia fell into HR through an Office Management route and her career progressed quite rapidly to being part of the Leadership Team and overseeing a large HR function with an international aspect. We discuss how she had to learn, grow, and influence to become successful in a HR leadership role as well as how you need to adapt when becoming exposed to sensitive commercial information.
Notes
🎙️ Podcast Introduction and Guest Background (00:38 - 03:03)
- Martin Drake introduces Amelia Bradshaw as the podcast guest
- Amelia is currently in Stevenage, previously lived in London for 30 years
- Amelia has 23-24 years of experience in HR/people function
🔍 Current Job Search and Interview Process (03:16 - 09:35)
- Amelia had a final interview recently, waiting for results
- This is Amelia's third final-stage interview
- Amelia has other interview processes ongoing
- Martin emphasizes the importance of staying positive during job search
💼 Career Progression and Challenges (10:26 - 16:51)
- Amelia's most recent role: Head of HR for a software company
- Amelia resigned from her role in September
- Reason for resignation: company shrank, role became standalone with mostly administrative tasks
- Amelia seeking a role where she can grow and flourish
🖥️ LinkedIn Posts and Personal Branding (16:52 - 30:07)
- Amelia's LinkedIn posts have been noticed for being outspoken and thought-provoking
- Amelia started posting more to build her network and personal brand
- Discussion on the importance of personal branding in modern job search
📊 AI in HR and Recruitment (31:16 - 45:45)
- Discussion on using AI for writing job applications and job descriptions
- Martin's perspective: AI not yet advanced enough for personalized, nuanced content
- Exploration of AI adoption in HR and its current limitations
👔 Career Journey in HR (45:50 - 58:45)
- Amelia's entry into HR: started at a small software gambling company
- Progression from office manager to HR advisor
- Significant career growth: from HR Manager to HR Director
- Growing from 30 to 260 people during Amelia's tenure
🚀 Strategic HR and Leadership Experience (58:46 - 01:09:13)
- Amelia's transition to strategic HR role
- Experience in mergers and acquisitions
- Challenges of being on the leadership team, including dealing with difficult colleaguesHR