Ways to advance my hr career?

In order to advance within HR within large organizations you will likely need to identify yourself as a specialist in a particular area of HR expertise - benefits, or talent development, as examples. If you choose an area of specialty it becomes easier to take extra training and education in that area, versus the very broad and general HR area. But most importantly, the HR person who can truly partner with the business and demonstrate an understanding of the company's business (and the implications for talent) is most valuable. Develop your business acumen in addition to continuing to hone your HR-specific skills.

Two words- add value. Most HR people are caught up in compliance activities which are hygiene factors. You need to see yourself as a consultant whose role is to provide thoughtful solutions to business issues.
Right now employee disatisfaction is at historical highs. We are losing trillions of dollars to turnover and "presenteeism" as well. By learning the business and contributing directly to solving issues you become a go to person.
In my corporate career I went from HR to the C level, running businesses. I understood the business and I focused on attracting, retaining, and deploying the right people at the right time.
Don't focus on getting promoted, focus on adding value and remember that opportunity is when luck meets preparation. Get out and support your "clients".

To advance in Human Resources today, I believe three things must change:

#1) Human Resources has traditionally focused on being the bridge between labor laws and employee relations. However, in today’s world, this bridge is becoming overrun by outsourced services that can perform them quicker and more inexpensively. Therefore, Human Resource professionals must move into more value-added services to maintain a robust and upwardly mobile career.

#2) Human Resource professionals need to become more business oriented, understanding the link between how labor is viewed as human capital (as a balance sheet asset) and income production (as a revenue producers). Labor is no longer a fixed but a variable item on the income statement, and when viewed as such, one can understand why loyalty and commitment to employees is conditional. Therefore, Human Resource professionals must understand how labor usage (both top talent to entry level) is related to financial issues and align strategies as such.

#3) Human Resource professionals advance their careers by having experience in operations and customer-facing roles. With business operations experience and a deep understanding of customers, Human Resource professionals add personal as well as professional value to the organization. No longer are top C-Suite executives tolerant of Human Resource services that are divorced from how business is run.

There could be anumber of variables that you should consider. I suggest you read a book by Goldsmith Marshall entitled: What brought you here: will never take you there. I also suggest that you should get a mentor who could help you with your career development. The most invaluable input is from both your direct leader and customers.

Good luck.

Understanding people in the context of their personal goals together with alignment to the organisation's strategy is key for forward-thinking human resource management. When HR practitioners begin to focus on people, they develop a keen insight into how human capital can continuously add value to the organisation’s bottom line (ROI).

Self-improvement and development leads to improved relationships. Gaining a better understanding of how business works will provide a platform for applying various applicable tools and techniques to problem-solving. As performance across the organisation improves, so too ought the value of the HR practitioner who has been working with clients and management toward those improvements.

A good book which I can recommend is ‘Leadership from the inside out’ by Kevin Cashman. Not sure where you are with regard to your studies but if you haven’t as yet done an MBA, consider doing one.

Another book: Play Like a Man, Win LIke a Woman, by Gail Evans, published in 2000. Might help to politically align you as well.