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Overqualified but inexperienced?

Hannah

Although I've got a broad set of managerial skills, I've never worked in a HR department. 

I've jumped straight into CIPD at Level 5 and am loving every second. However, whenever I browse through job vacancies requiring Level 5 certification, all of them want proven HR experience; something I do not have. Entry level vacancies seem to be minimum-wage onsite administrative positions, which Level 5 immediately makes me overqualified for, and herein lies my problem.

Should I have gone for Level 3 first and got my foot in the door whilst I qualified, or is it possible to slide straight into a well-paid, meaningful HR role without climbing the ladder first? At 30, I feel like I'm already 10 years behind everybody else in the HR world and don't want to waste time in a position that doesn't challenge me. Following a recent interview, I was told by a corporate director that I was too dynamic for the role and should be applying for leadership positions.

If you were me, what would you do? Pare back your abilities in an interview just to get your first HR job or apply for an associate level position once qualified and persuade them to give you a chance despite your relative inexperience? 

Would love some feedback if anyone has any thoughts or been in a similar quandary.

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  • Hannah, good question and good luck. I agree with the points below. You have experience of being in the business and then moving to a specialist function. This is what many HR teams like to talk about when it comes to talent development, growing internal talent and creating an internally mobile workforce so it's disappointing to see when HR colleagues make the same requests and advertise roles narrowing the field and implying there's only one route into the profession.

    I moved into HR later too. I'd lots of transferable skills including leading and managing a team amongst other things. Moving into a specialist people role means I have a squiggly career and I found a coach a helpful means of prepping for interviews, pitching my CV and getting my foot in the door. It's probably why I value coaching so much as it's great at points of career transition.

    Keep going. There is rarely one route to your career goals. When you get there, you can bring in these thoughts, views and experiences so that it paves the way for others to follow and leaves the door open rather than closes it behind you. All the best.
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  • Hannah, good question and good luck. I agree with the points below. You have experience of being in the business and then moving to a specialist function. This is what many HR teams like to talk about when it comes to talent development, growing internal talent and creating an internally mobile workforce so it's disappointing to see when HR colleagues make the same requests and advertise roles narrowing the field and implying there's only one route into the profession.

    I moved into HR later too. I'd lots of transferable skills including leading and managing a team amongst other things. Moving into a specialist people role means I have a squiggly career and I found a coach a helpful means of prepping for interviews, pitching my CV and getting my foot in the door. It's probably why I value coaching so much as it's great at points of career transition.

    Keep going. There is rarely one route to your career goals. When you get there, you can bring in these thoughts, views and experiences so that it paves the way for others to follow and leaves the door open rather than closes it behind you. All the best.
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