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Would this be the right move?

Kimberley

Last year I successfully completed a Level 3 CIPD qualification, and now I am very eager to enroll onto the Level 5 course. The problem I have where I am employed. I currently work full time for a local authority, within the HR department as an Administrative Assistant. I have always been very open and honest about my goals, and how passionate I am about developing within the field of HR, however, there are no opportunities to develop and learn new skills, and I am currently feeling at a standstill (a little stuck in a rut).

A few years ago, I volunteered within a HR team for a large manufacturing company, and at the time, I had very little HR experience. I found that when looking online at vacancies, that most HR roles required some payroll experience. This leads me onto my main question..

So where I am currently employed, a full time position has become available within the Payroll Department, and I am contemplating submitting an application form. I am not sure if this would be the right move for me, but what I do know is that I am ready to develop, and there are no opportunities to do so in the team I am currently in. I have seen lots of "payroll and HR" positions online which I've been unable to apply for as I don't have the required payroll experience.

So my question is, do you think this would be a good move? The salary is two grades higher and also they may consider it over four days meaning I could also afford to do my Level 5 and have the designated day off to study it. 

I really would appreciate views on this.. 

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  • I would not advise you to go for the payroll job as a career development opportunity. Of course, if it's a financial question then it is, perhaps, a different matter.

    When I worked in an LA, I did do some payroll work, despite payroll being outsourced, because the data had to be prepared for the outsourcing company every month. However, it was certainly not seen as a prerequisite to my recruitment that I'd not done it before. And although it proved marginally useful when I subsequently did a standalone HR/Payroll job for an SME, I suspect you're not at that stage yet.

    Overall, I would encourage you to stay where you are for as long as you can in terms of being well-placed for future opportunities. That you're on an FTC is unfortunate, because your job has a sell-by date, but if you make your enthusiasm for an opportunity to get out of admin and into operational HR clear I would hope you would be given the best chance you can get. If you do want to move (or have to, because of the end of your FTC), then the easiest move would be into another LA's HR team.
  • in reply to Robey
    Thank you Robey,

    I have time to think about this as the closing date is in 2 weeks time. I am really unsure about it, and normally when I am not feeling 100% about something, I simply cannot commit.
  • in reply to Kimberley
    If you do go for it make sure you have worked out what your likely route back into mainstream hr is. That’s the challenging step.
  • in reply to Keith
    That's actually my main concern. I don't want to step away from HR because it took me a very long time to get where I am today, and whilst this isn't as far as I'd hoped, I do know the struggle I faced getting there.
  • in reply to Kimberley
    Bear in mind that future recruiters will take a look at your CV and may well think, "she can't decide what she wants to do, I want someone who's sure this is the career for them". Of course this may be hugely unfair, but you won't be in front of them to explain, only your CV.
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