I Ithink approaching the internal recruiter is exactly the right thing to do. Either they will want to develop you internally or frankly it’s probably a lost cause. Therefore I personally wouldn’t spend a lot of time trying to massage your CV. They know you and will either think you have the potential and are worth investing in or they will need somebody with prior experience.

Good luck hopefully they will be willing to invest in you

Internal applications come with distinctive pros and cons.

On the "con" side, it's obvious that it's a step up and there's nowhere to hide when it comes to articulating your experience as your colleagues know exactly what you do and how you do it.

On the "pro" side, though, you are also a known quantity in terms of being already on the payroll, but also already being known by the quality of your work, reliability, cooperation and suchlike. Assuming these are good things for you (and they surely must be, as you're a CIPD associate member!), then you will hold these as an advantage over external candidates whose qualities in these respects are unknown.

When it comes to aligning your CV, focus on process rather than detail. Many issues in HR are dealt with through a similar mental and process lens even if the details are different. So the ability, for example, to apply your knowledge of equal opportunities legislation to a situation doesn't matter whether it's thinking about maternity leave, setting salary for a new role or a disputatious grievance investigation. However, you should aim to focus on what advising you have done.

if you're in the Bournemouth area perchance I'd be happy to look at your CV for an HR advisor maternity cover that I have had little to no interest in externally. Happy to support development and growth and have done so with current colleague about to take mat leave.