Dustin Hafki
2020 Global Human Resource Management graduate Dustin is a Business Consultant in People and Research at People Spark Solutions Ltd in Lancashire, UK.
Interview
Since graduating, what have you gone on to do?
Since graduating, I have joined People Spark Solutions, a recently launched consultancy firm. Day to day I engage in a diverse range of work, such as supporting clients in understanding more about their people, working with a team of organisational experts to help a client become more customer focused, as well as supporting transformational systems change as L&D and Change Practitioner. In addition, I have been certified in PRINCE2 project management and have been recognised in the People Management’s HR 30 under 30 list 2022.
Is the above what you planned to do before starting university?
Not exactly. When I started university, I did not appreciate the different roles and specialisations within HR. Throughout my course I became increasingly interested in Learning and Development, which is where I landed now.
What was your favourite thing about your course?
My favourite part about the course was the support all around, starting with the lecturers, a great peer-network, as well as the supporting structure and equipment provided by the university.
Where do you see yourself in five years’ time?
In terms of my future, I currently still feel very undecided. On one hand, I really enjoy what I currently do, and the skills needed in project management and consultancy and would love to build upon them. On the other hand, I have always felt strongly about returning to university for a PhD and potentially starting a career in academics. Therefore, my future and where I see myself in five years is very unpredictable. I hope to have progressed my research and management skills.
How do you see future technologies and new ways of working (Future of Work) affecting your sector?
In my opinion, it is important to stay up to date on research and technology within consultancy. My expectation for Learning and Development is that training environments and training journeys of the future need to be designed for a mixed audience of people attending from home and people attending “live”.
What one piece of advice would you give somebody studying your course for success upon graduation?
Find your own ways of working and preferences, there is no blueprint! What worked for me was high discipline to engage with the course content ahead of the lectures even when I had to push myself to do so, however I strongly believe you must find your own way.
Be smart about getting into your first role - use all the tools and networking events to build contacts. Take some time to identify where you want to be in the future, and don’t be afraid if your first role doesn’t match exactly what you wanted.