I recently came across an article from Software Advice’s HR blog on how HR professionals can earn a seat at the C-suite table. It offered a few great tips for HR folks looking to climb the career ladder. While HR professionals aren’t often thought of as key influencers in organizations, they certainly can be. Here’s some of the advice offered in the article:

Learn how to crunch numbers.

The article discusses the value in an employee who is business-minded — especially those who aren’t expected to be, such as HR employees. The article suggests tracking certain metrics on employees in order to be able to show the exact impact the HR-related functions have on the company. It would be helpful to learn, for instance, how to create an employee benefit benchmark report to compare your company’s benefits with those of other companies. As HR develops a more strategic role, being able to perform this kind of workforce analysis will be critical.

Further your education.

Joining HR organizations and obtaining certifications can really give you an edge in the business. As an HR professional, you should learn everything you can possibly learn about your field in order to make yourself stand out from your peers. Furthermore, you should learn everything there is to know about your organization. By sitting in on sales meetings, for instance, you can begin to learn how and why your company’s sales department works the way it does. Gaining this kind of understanding of how your company works as a whole is important for anyone who wants to occupy a place at the C-suite table.

Build important relationships.

As an HR professional, you know all about dealing with people. But sometimes in the midst tending to other people, you can forget to tend to the relationships that can actually help you move forward in your career. Relationships with your team are valuable — they can directly correlate to promotions and pay increases. Since people who develop strong relationships with their teams are more likely to do well in their careers, it’s important to devote proper attention to nurturing these relationships.

For more tips, go check out Software Advice’s blog, The New Talent Times, and read the full article.