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Career move... after nearly 20 years

Deborah Brooks

Hi

Looking for a little advice.  I have been with my current employer for nearly 20 years during which time I have trained in HR and gone from a stand-alone role to a team of 6 and moved to the title of HR Director reporting to the Board

A change of management and financial difficulties in the last 18 months there has been a massive culture change in the organisation to the detriment and my role is becoming increasingly untenable.  I’m currently considering options as to whether to stay or whether to look at alternatives.

I’ve never worked in HR anywhere else which leaves me nervous about expectations and particularly I’m not sure the Director role I am in is comparable elsewhere in terms of responsibility etc.  I have applied for a few jobs as HR BP and HRM but not getting to interview stage and I’m not sure whether it’s CV (not done one for 20 years!) or whether it’s seeming odd applying for lower grade role even though I am explaining situation.

Any advice welcomed

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  • Hi Deborah,

    It's a shame the change in circumstances has led you to question what you want to do, but you firstly need to make the decision as to whether to pursue another opportunity or whether to stick out the current one. Once you're clear on that you can put a plan together that suits. Otherwise, your questionning of yourself will detract from the possibilities depending on your decision.

    If you do decide to pursue a new job:
    - Stop doubting yourself until you know for certain. You have 20 years' experience - that's great.
    - Working for one company for so long shows loyalty - some companies value this greatly
    - You will know plenty about HR within your industry for this company, and have seen first hand the trends that occur - this can be a great dicussion for an interview
    - The responsibilities you've undertaken at your role will determine whether the title of HR director is accurate or not. Review job adverts for this role and see whether your responsibilities match or not. If they do - you've pitched yourself too low applying for HRBP and HRM. If the responsibilities match HRBP or HRM more closely, you need to review your CV
    - Your CV will need to focus on your skills and achievements first and foremost. That's what makes recruiters/hiring managers interested. Results, figures, projects, etc.
    - If you want to keep your search quiet, you can ensure your Career Interests page on LinkedIn is live, without putting anything on your profile which only allows other recruiters to see your information, it's not made public to your network
    - Contact a couple of recruitment agents/headhunters that specilise in HR roles - they can also give advice on your CV/social media presence as well as put you forward for any roles they have
    - Consider looking for some career coaching - there's free apps, paid for coaches etc so you can investigate what may suit you better.

    It's scary going to something new - but the excitement soon takes over and it is likely to be so refreshing!

    Kind regards,
    Laura
Reply
  • Hi Deborah,

    It's a shame the change in circumstances has led you to question what you want to do, but you firstly need to make the decision as to whether to pursue another opportunity or whether to stick out the current one. Once you're clear on that you can put a plan together that suits. Otherwise, your questionning of yourself will detract from the possibilities depending on your decision.

    If you do decide to pursue a new job:
    - Stop doubting yourself until you know for certain. You have 20 years' experience - that's great.
    - Working for one company for so long shows loyalty - some companies value this greatly
    - You will know plenty about HR within your industry for this company, and have seen first hand the trends that occur - this can be a great dicussion for an interview
    - The responsibilities you've undertaken at your role will determine whether the title of HR director is accurate or not. Review job adverts for this role and see whether your responsibilities match or not. If they do - you've pitched yourself too low applying for HRBP and HRM. If the responsibilities match HRBP or HRM more closely, you need to review your CV
    - Your CV will need to focus on your skills and achievements first and foremost. That's what makes recruiters/hiring managers interested. Results, figures, projects, etc.
    - If you want to keep your search quiet, you can ensure your Career Interests page on LinkedIn is live, without putting anything on your profile which only allows other recruiters to see your information, it's not made public to your network
    - Contact a couple of recruitment agents/headhunters that specilise in HR roles - they can also give advice on your CV/social media presence as well as put you forward for any roles they have
    - Consider looking for some career coaching - there's free apps, paid for coaches etc so you can investigate what may suit you better.

    It's scary going to something new - but the excitement soon takes over and it is likely to be so refreshing!

    Kind regards,
    Laura
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