Hi Hayley

Does your employer not have many cases, or is someone else in the department doing this work?

I hear, feel and understand your frustration Hayley , I think doing the level 5 is a good idea.
Where possible I would try to do your best to get as much experience as you can in your current role - volunteer to take notes in ER meetings, ask if you can monitor sickness basically anything that gets you exposure to the next level.
I am not sure whether you are experiencing the same but what I have found is that people are asking for HR Administrator/Coordinator/Officers but actually expecting someone with either theoretical knowledge or experience at more in depth level so if you do get the opportunity to do one of these roles, dont discount it just because of the job title. Check the JD as you may be surprised to see that the scope is much broader.
Good luck

Hi Hayley

It is one of those really annoying aspects of HR where the advice / feedback is 'you need more experience' but then they don't give the opportunity to get the experience!

Firstly, I would contact your local Employment Tribunals service and request a list of cases for the month. Explain that you wish to sit in on a case as an observer. Employment Tribunals are public and so observing one is always beneficial to understand the level of detail. A good judge sometimes allows you to review the bundle too (although the GDPR may stop that!). You could do with finding a misconduct / dismissal type case, or a disability one, that you can listen to both sides of the situation from the lawyers. I did this in my early career and it helped me really understand the implications of getting things wrong during the process leading up to dismissal.

Secondly, make contact with a HR Consultancy company, a local one, even a one-person band. They will no doubt be busy and you could offer up voluntary admin / assistant support to them in exchange for sitting in on things they get involved in. The HR consultants I know (and I was one myself) would probably bend over backwards to have some 'free' assistance support, sometimes just typing up hand written notes from grievances which are 30 pages long), or drafting letters for the HR consultant to take over, will help you gain a better understanding of what is involved in case management from start to finish.

Finally, do not let the feedback dent your confidence. Clearly you have managed to work your way up to HR Advisor and that is by no means easy. Tell me your 10 best skills that you possess? How did you obtain those skills? How do you use those skills? How do you develop them? Writing these answers down will help you articulate what you are actually good at. Don't underestimate that you have transferable skills that will be beneficial to any organisation.

Criticism is never easy to take but sometimes, you have to take it on the chin. Remember the people giving you feedback are doing so to make you self analyse and reflect on your development areas. You recognise them now, that's good, move on. Don't let them get you down. Ultimately, you also need to remember, they've met you for all of 60 minutes in a fake setting, exerting some control and power - not necessarily going to be shining bright in these situations (I hate interviews for this very reason and make it my mission to relax people in them, because they aren't performing monkeys who must answer a question the right way!). Dust yourself down and pick yourself back up. You know yourself better than anyone else, including those interviewers.

I wish you all the best
Lynsey

Hi Hayley

I know it can be difficult getting this exposure when you work in certain sectors.

Have you thought about becoming a trustee for a charity or school? There are always Trustee opportunities available and they will often ask for specific experience, e.g. HR. You will then have the opportunity to sit on a panel at HR hearings.

Thanks

J

In reply to Lynsey:

Hi Hayley

I can endorse Lynseys advice to contact consultants.
It is hit and miss whether or not you will be successful securing voluntary work but it can also be a way of networking too and who knows where that will lead to :-)

In reply to Elizabeth Divver:

Hi Elizabeth

Thank you for your response,

My last contract finished in December so I am currently looking for new opportunities. Initially my contract was only meant to be for 2.5 months and with the case work the organisation had, it was felt that I wouldn't be able to see anything through to conclusion.

Your comment makes perfect sense and would be the logical approach I take wherever my next opportunity maybe.

In reply to Lynsey:

Hi Lynsey

Thank you for your response.

That's exactly it Lynsey. It's seeing that I am an opportunity with other attributes I could offer in order to gain experience!

Would I presume that this would be the courts themselves that I make contact with as when I have done a search on employment tribunals it brings up the court but also a local solicitors? Great tip though Lynsey and I will be definitely looking into that, even it means travelling to a bit further to watch a misconduct or dismissal case.

Again, a great idea with the local HR consultancy company to gain some experience in and something else which I know I can look into, even if i was in work, it's still a great learning opportunity and would broaden my network.

I think my confidence has been knocked for a number of reasons. Lack of a permanent role to really get my teeth into in the last 18 months, a position made redundant where I was happy in, short term roles that haven't stretched me.

I know that I have to look at JD's that may be at a lower level but cover the experience I am wanting to gain and I am comfortable with that. I've also realised that it is being honest with the recruiter about a role and tell them about the experience I have and ensuring that it's clearly communicated to the hiring manager. I think that's appreciated and shows integrity on my part without selling myself short and managing everyone's expectations.

I will review the questions you have suggested and write down the answers as I have found the more I dissect and review my own experience or write down the examples on a JD, the more confident I feel once at the interview.

Your final comments are so true in relation the interview process and criticism. I am very much a reflector and am self aware, As you rightly state, no one knows me better than me!

It's a refreshing viewpoint you have regarding interviews and I wish other interviewers took your approach as it would make this process a lot easier !

I really appreciate your comments and feedback, thank you.

Wishing you all the best.

Hayley

In reply to Jolene:

Hi Jolene

Thank you for your response.

I think for me it's not so much exposure in sectors as I have worked in a variety, its because my CV is more recruitment and on boarding rather than the ER exposure. I do have some but it is limited despite seeking opportunities when working. Others have either had the lead on ER or there hasn't been the opportunity to develop. All of which are learnings I know take with me.

I will look at Trustee opportunities for a charity or school although where I live is small, I'd have to look further afield and would want to ensure that I was able to commit once I was in employment.

Many thanks

Hayley