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9 months in a role isn't a very long time and you are probably still finding your feet and learning about the role. Make sure you are gaining as much experience and exposure in your current role as possible

I am not sure if you are working in a recruitment firm or in-house. If the former then the obvious next step might be to move in-house and see the role from the other side and then use that as a means to move on within the company.

L7 is both a blessing and a curse early on in your career. It is not a golden ticket to bigger and better jobs without the experience to back it up. Good luck.

Funnily enough, I was answering a question very similar to this one on Reddit the other day, except in that case the individual hadn't begun their CIPD training.

Working for a recruitment company isn't really seen by anyone as a first step in HR. External recruitment and internal recruitment are very different disciplines, with the former more akin to being a sales agent.

As Keith says, having a Level 7 CIPD qualification with no actual HR experience is a double-edged sword as you'll often be considered over-qualified for entry-level roles but under-experienced for roles where a Level 7 is called for. HR is an in-demand field at the moment, with most entry-level jobs being over-subscribed with candidates, which is having a depressing effect (in every sense) on salaries.

If you are determined to move into HR, though, the best route I know if is via the temp market. As you'll probably be aware in your current job, because temp admin roles tend not to pay well, finding someone with the skills to quickly pick up admin tasks, perform them competently and turn up reliably in return for wages barely above minimum wage is surprisingly difficult. But when you do find someone, they will rarely lack for offers of work. People in this position are best placed to begin expressing preferences for, in this case, HR admin roles. And that's generally the first step into HR for most people.

At this level, being enrolled in a Level 3 course is generally considered to be desirable. Being qualified at Level 5 is fine. But a lot of internal recruiters are going to think that someone at Level 7 isn't going to be happy working at an admin role for 2-3 years. And, as many HR Managers lack Level 7 qualifications, may not be willing to take on someone better qualified than they are.

That said, I don't want to come over all doom and gloom. There are wiser and more enlightened minds in HR who are more than willing to take on someone with paper qualifications into a role where they can build experience and even mentor them for greater things. But... they are the exception more than they are the rule.