Meet Martinette Fortuin, Human Resources Manager

As a Human Resources Manager, Martinette is responsible for leading and directing an HR team to ensure they deliver the best HR services.

Martinette is a Human Resources Manager for an internationally recognised hospitality company. In this article, she gives us a glimpse into her job as she shares a bit about her career in hospitality.

Martinette’s career in human resources began after she obtained her HR degree from the University of the Western Cape. “I completed a B.Com (HR) and B.Com Hons (HR) and thereafter, landed my first job as a human resource officer at a telecommunications company. Thereafter I entered the more specialised field of recruitment and placement at Kelly Recruitment.  During my tenure at Kelly I completed my post-graduate degree,” Martinette explains.

In 2012, Martinette joined Protea Hotels by Marriott International and worked in various roles until being promoted to the position of HR Manager for the Protea Hotels Corporate Head Office in 2016.

A human resources manager needs to maintain and enhance an organisation’s human resources by planning, implementing and evaluating employee relations and human resources policies, programmes and practices.

In addition, the human resources manager leads and directs an HR team to enable them to deliver comprehensive HR services to the business.

Read the full job description of a Human Resources Manager here.

Martinette loves that her job gives her the opportunity to tap into the cutting-edge of new trends and developments in the human resources field. “As a result, I am able to participate in developing strategies and critical thinking that are world-class,” she says.

Another enjoyable aspect of Martinette’s job is the international travel. “Marriott International has hotels and head offices on every continent which is obviously a big benefit of being part of the company,” Martinette says. “I recently travelled to Dubai, where in addition to experiencing the sights and sounds of Dubai itself, I met with numerous HR colleagues from all over the world.

It was a great learning experience,” Martinette says, adding that, “we were able to share information about human resource issues and get a global view of the issues that affects HR Professional from one day to the next.”

Browse the latest Human Resources Manager jobs here

Martinette’s tips for people wanting to follow a career in human resources:

1. Research the HR industry: explore other opportunities that exist for someone with a human resources qualification. “For example, you can take up training and development as a career path, or a position in the infinite evolving BBBEE environment. New specialist opportunities are also becoming available in fields such as employee wellness and employee compensation and benefits.”

2. HR is not industry specific: “Which means that a person can use their generic HR skills in any private or public sector work environment. In this way, you’re able to learn new skills. It also creates an opportunity for you to work in another country.”

3. Make it your purpose to understand the business which you are employed in. “As HR professionals it is of the utmost importance to formulate HR strategies centered around business imperatives which help with gaining more traction with the rest of the business.”

Lastly, Martinette advises aspiring HR professionals to speak with a data-rich voice.

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