Juliana’s journey in HR began with promise. She quickly advanced from intern to operations role. But after years of experience, Juliana decided to take a break to relocate to Europe and improve her language skills.
Coming back after 2.5 years away from HR, she saw a different HR world: new tools, new expectations, and a stronger demand for strategic thinking.
Before: Feeling a step behind after a career break
The break left Juliana questioning her momentum and confidence. She could deliver, but much of it was operational. “Being operational wasn’t enough anymore,” she pointed out.
Overseeing HR operations for a company of 800+ employees in Germany made it clear. “To progress in my career and jump into a new position, I needed to refresh my knowledge on the latest HR trends and gain a strategic overview of people and business operations,” Juliana reflects.
She needed clarity on modern HR and a path to a bigger role.
Bridging the knowledge gap with AIHR
Juliana was looking for a structured learning solution that covered HR practices across different domains. She found AIHR’s Full Academy Access License. It was a perfect fit with various certificate programs and courses. She then enrolled with motivated colleagues under a Team License.
She got right to work and mapped out a targeted learning journey to move into a more strategic role.
“First, I enrolled in the HR Generalist program to refresh the core HR knowledge needed for my current position. Then, I took the HR Business Partner 2.0 program to sharpen my business partnering skills and progress in my career.”
And she didn’t stop there. Recognizing the growing role of AI in HR, Juliana also completed the Gen AI Prompt Design for HR mini course, which instantly empowered her to integrate AI at work.
“The practical examples from the courses were invaluable,” Juliana notes about all the courses she took. “They not only helped me organize my work better but also allowed me to open my mind to new possibilities as a manager.”
She applied project management techniques from HRBP 2.0 to structure teamwork, set clear deadlines, and run meetings that led to decisions. She also used the Gen AI Prompt Design mini course to set up simple prompts for recurring employee questions, which saved time for higher-value tasks.
The practical examples in each course helped her organize work and see new options as a manager.
From operational to strategic with real results
The change showed up in how Juliana worked and led. Juliana’s new skills gave her a strategic mindset, empowering her to lead with intention and contribute at a higher level.
She now aligns projects to business goals, delegates work clearly, runs more structured and effective meetings, and makes space for problem-solving. Her team increases productivity. She uses data to track hiring progress and team output each week and then brings that view to leaders without waiting to be asked.
Her strategic approach not only increased visibility for her team’s work but also built her credibility with senior leadership.
“Being more data-driven has helped me shape organizational decisions and show the impact of our work. We can now track the numbers and clearly communicate that to senior management,” she explains.
A well-deserved promotion to Senior People Ops Manager
Juliana recently accepted a new position as a Senior People Operations Manager. It was more than a new job title, but a powerful validation of everything she had worked toward: rebuilding her career, overcoming the confidence gap after a break, and transforming how she approached HR.
She now leads confidently, connecting the dots between emerging industry trends, making data-driven decisions, aligning her team’s work with business goals, and driving the business outcomes that matter most. She no longer sees her role as simply supporting the organization, but helping to shape its direction.
Her story is proof that HR professionals can reshape their careers in a fast-changing world when they take learning into their own hands.
Keep your skills up-to-date
As Juliana steps into her new role as Senior People Ops Manager, she’s already looking ahead. “Now that I’m in a management position, I want to focus on strengthening my leadership skills even further,” she shares. With AIHR as her learning partner, she’s continuing to invest in her professional growth.
You can check out the preview lessons of HR Generalist and HR Business Partner 2.0 for yourself to see what Juliana loves so much about AIHR.
Are you ready to transform your own career? Browse our extensive course catalog and explore Full Academy Access, the plan that Juliana chose, and make your HR skill set future-proof!
Building your peer network? Connect with Juliana on LinkedIn.
