Using the CIPD Profession Map in Practice
Turning Frameworks into Growth
You’ve read about the CIPD Profession Map. You understand the knowledge, skills and behaviours it outlines. But what next?
This follow-up to the HR Survival Guide is all about using the map in real life — to guide your learning, shape your decisions, and support your growth as an HR professional. Whether you're building confidence in people practice, moving into a new specialism, or preparing for promotion, the map can help you focus on what matters.
And when used well, it’s more than a framework. It becomes a tool for reflection, action and impact.
Step 1: Get to Know the Map – Properly
Start by reading the CIPD Profession Map in full on the CIPD website. It includes:
Core Knowledge – The understanding every HR professional needs
Core Behaviours – The ways we act that build trust and credibility
Specialist Knowledge – Additional expertise, depending on your role
Each area includes a clear description, plus examples at three levels of impact: Associate, Chartered, and Chartered Fellow.
Tip: Bookmark the interactive version of the map. It’s updated and easy to navigate.
Step 2: Self-Assess — Honestly
Once familiar with the content, ask yourself:
Which core knowledge areas do I feel strongest in?
Which behaviours come naturally to me — and which don’t?
Do I have gaps in my specialist knowledge for the role I’m in (or the role I want)?
Use the descriptions in the map to rate yourself against each area. You don’t need a perfect score. The goal is insight, not perfection.
Example: You might feel strong in "People Practice" and "Valuing People", but less confident in "Technology" or "Commercial Drive". That gives you a clear place to start developing.
Step 3: Identify Development Goals
From your self-assessment, choose 1–3 areas to develop over the next few months.
Be specific. Instead of “get better at data,” reframe it as:
“Understand the difference between HR metrics and analytics, and how to apply these to absence reporting.”
Then ask:
What resources would help me develop this?
Who could I speak to or learn from?
Is there a course, project, or responsibility I could take on?
Tip: Use the Profession Map as a structure for your CPD log — and update it as you go.
Step 4: Reflect in Real Time
This is where the map becomes most powerful. It’s not just for appraisals or CVs — it’s for everyday reflection.
Try this after a piece of work:
Which knowledge area did I draw on here?
Which behaviours did I demonstrate?
What would I do differently next time?
Example: After leading an absence review, you might reflect that you drew on “Evidence-Based Practice” and “Situational Decision-Making”, but could have strengthened your “Courage to Challenge” when dealing with senior stakeholders.
That insight helps you grow.
Step 5: Use It With Others
The map is a great personal development tool — but it can also improve how you support others:
With managers: Use the behaviours to coach them through difficult decisions
With your team: Use the map to plan development conversations or stretch projects
With peers: Reflect together after ER cases, change projects, or initiatives
With mentors: Share your development goals and ask for feedback on specific areas
Embedding the map into your wider conversations helps build a shared understanding of what good looks like in HR.
Reflective Conclusion: Why It’s Worth Doing
Using the Profession Map in practice takes it from theory to action — and makes learning intentional.
We all want to be credible. Trusted. Thoughtful. And the truth is, those qualities are rarely built overnight. They’re developed slowly, through work that stretches us, conversations that challenge us, and decisions that shape us.
The CIPD Profession Map gives us a language to understand that growth — and a guide to support it.
Whether you're early in your journey or years into your career, returning to the map with fresh eyes is a reminder of the kind of professional you’re working to become.
It’s not about having every answer. It’s about asking the right questions, and using your learning to move forward — with clarity, consistency, and purpose.
—
Dibs HR
Practical HR. Thoughtfully done.
Reflection & Self-Assessment Tool
Using the CIPD Profession Map to Guide Your Development
Take 10–15 minutes to reflect using the prompts below. You might jot your answers in a notebook, use them in a CPD log, or bring them to your next one-to-one or supervision session.
Step 1: Self-Rating – Where Am I Now?
Rate yourself from 1 (not confident) to 5 (very confident) in each area:
Core Knowledge
People Practice [ ]
Culture and Behaviour [ ]
Business Acumen [ ]
Evidence-Based Practice [ ]
Technology [ ]
Change [ ]
Core Behaviours
Ethical Practice [ ]
Valuing People [ ]
Working Inclusively [ ]
Commercial Drive [ ]
Passion for Learning [ ]
Situational Decision-Making [ ]
Insights Focused [ ]
Courage to Challenge [ ]
Role Modelling [ ]
Step 2: Reflective Prompts
Which areas are my strongest?
Where do I feel least confident, and why?
How often do I use these behaviours or knowledge areas in my day-to-day role?
What feedback have I received (or could ask for) about these areas?
Step 3: Development Goals
Choose up to three areas to focus on over the next 3–6 months.
For each, consider:
What does good look like in this area?
What would progress look like for me?
What actions can I take to develop this — courses, shadowing, mentoring, reading, projects?
How will I measure or reflect on improvement?
Step 4: Commitment
Finish with this statement:
“Over the next [X] months, I will focus on developing my capability in [area/s], by [methods], so that I can improve my impact as a people professional.”
Revisit this reflection regularly. Real learning in HR is about staying intentional, responsive and open to growth — no matter where you start.