HR systems and management information assistant — Lauren Pickles

Lauren discusses her role in overseeing human resources (HR) systems at Jisc, providing valuable data insights, and her journey from sociology graduate to HR professional. Learn about her daily tasks, challenges, and career ambitions

What does your role entail?

My role includes overseeing our HR systems and continuously developing them to provide a seamless, automated HR solution. I help to deliver valuable data and insights that benefit both the organisation and key projects. 

What degree qualifications did you study and where? 

I studied sociology at the University of Bristol. I started at Jisc during the end of my third year, and initially worked part-time so that I had time to write my dissertation. This was challenging at times, but it helped me transition to full-time work because I already had a solid foundation in the organisation.

How did you get your job? 

I applied for my job through Prospects. The job market is huge, so I liked being able to specify my preferences for roles targeted towards graduates; this made it much easier to find opportunities that matched my level of experience and career goals.

What's a typical working day like? 

My day starts with reviewing our sprint board and deciding on key priorities for the day. My team follows agile methodology, which means we work in two-week sprints and commit to specific tasks to be completed during that time. Tasks can range from developing a new PowerBI report to creating workflows for our recruitment system.  

Once I have determined my top priorities for the day, I organise my calendar to allocate specific time slots for each task. We then hold a team meeting to review the previous day's progress and outline our plans for the current day. We then spend the rest of the day working on our tasks.

What do you enjoy most about your job? 

I love the flexibility of my role. As we work in sprints, as long as my work is completed by the end of the sprint, I can choose which order it is completed in. This takes off the pressure and allows me to work at my own pace.

What are the challenges? 

The biggest challenge in my role, which is also one of its greatest strengths, is the variety of work. Most of our tasks come in on an ad-hoc basis, meaning you might handle a task once and not see it again for years. Each sprint brings a diverse set of new tasks, which can be challenging due to the constant need for learning and adaptation. However, this variety also provides continuous opportunities for growth and development.

How is your degree relevant? 

Sociology applies to everything that has a social dimension, as it explains how individuals and groups interact, form relationships, and influence one another in a variety of environments, including the workplace.  

The workplace is a reflection of society, and being in HR means managing and shaping these complex dynamics to ensure a fair, inclusive and productive environment where all employees can thrive. This might include resolving conflicts, promoting diversity and inclusion or implementing policies that influence workplace culture.  

HR systems and management information (MI) supports this by analysing and interpreting data, allowing for evidence-based decision-making. For example, I have previously worked on ethnicity pay gap reporting, which identifies pay disparities across ethnic groups, which can help to develop strategies to address inequality and promote fairness within the organisation.

How has your role developed and what are your career ambitions? 

I started as a HR administrator, then moved up to senior HR administrator the following year and was promoted to HR systems and MI assistant this year. Alongside my role, I have been studying for my Level 5 CIPD, which is the professional qualification for HR.  

The next step in my career will be to move up to HR systems and MI analyst. But my ultimate career goal is to become an HR director.

What advice can you give to others wanting to get into HR?

• Ask questions. One thing I found myself saying a lot when I started working at Jisc was ‘I’m sorry to bother you’ or ‘I’m sorry for all the questions’, but asking questions and being intuitive is the best way to learn. It might feel awkward to begin with but contact your colleagues for support. I guarantee you that they will value you asking a question much more than they would appreciate you making a mistake from not asking.  
• Speaking of mistakes, it's perfectly okay to make them. While it may sound cliche, no one expects you to join an organisation and immediately be perfect or master everything right away. Mistakes are a natural part of the learning process, and you’ll grow and improve from them.  
• Your wellbeing is key. Moving from studying to full-time employment is a big adjustment so it’s important to prioritise self-care and maintain a healthy work-life balance from the start. Establishing these positive habits early on will help both your personal and professional lives thrive.

Find out more

• Search for graduate jobs in recruitment and HR.
• Discover what the HR and recruitment sector has to offer.
• Explore the role of a human resources officer.