HR 3.0: What strong up-and-comers need to know

2016 brought a shake up to conventional industries as we knew them. Finance, auto, education, insurance, and retail all got a good dose of digitization, from brand-new ventures like Otto, the self-driving truck company acquired by Uber, to General Electric’s brand-new digital vertical. How will this change HR?

Acquisitions loom large. Last year, non-tech companies set their sights on tech startups, and acquisitions hit an all-time high (see: Jet.com and Walmart, Chariot and Ford, Dollar Shave Club and Unilever). We’ll see more of this in 2017 as legacy companies make acquisition-plays to keep pace with their tech-minded competitors. Talent management and culture integration are going to be at the top of hiring manager’s wish lists as companies continue to redefine their product and values.

Tech spreads to even more sectors. Take the food and beverage industry, for example, where Starbucks made headlines recently for hiring new CEO Kevin Johnson from Microsoft/Juniper, while Dunkin Donuts and Absolut Vodka both unveiled new technology at CES, an event previously reserved for hyping new phones, smartwatches and TVs. And it’s not limited to Food & Beverage. Agriculture, government, consulting, health services, and everyone in between are hiring not only engineers, but also G&A employees from tech companies. Entrepreneurial HR execs will be given the room to break and rebuild something from scratch.

Thinking about tweaking your career plan? Email ben@fplpartners.com to speak directly with one of our consultants.