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Is HR a suitable career choice for me ?

Chris

Hello everyone,

I am very glad to have joined the forum and thank you in advance for reading.

I am considering a change in career and i am wondering if HR is suitable for me? I have a degree in Business form 17 years ago but i didn't pursue a career in Business. I have worked in caring roles in Mental Health and i now run my own Taxi Business. I have always shyed away from office work and the mundane admin roles as i am quite entrepreneurial and can get bored repetitive tasks.. I love the idea of supporting and developing people in business, and i find leadership and Psychology fascinating. Are there specific area of HR that focus on these areas and how would i approach this ?

  I am a prestigious learner when i find a topic in which i am interested and i am considering  Studying either an MA or CIPD course. How do these routes of study differ and which is more relevant to the work place ?

 I don't have any HR admin experience but i have a lot of active listening and Counselling skills. My Brother in Law may be looking for some one to take over the HR role in in his 30 employee Law and i have emailed my interest. What HR areas would i need to look to develop if i get an interview. The firm is growing and how would one grow the HR function ?

Thank you Chris

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  • It sounds like you're well placed to respond to the less process-driven aspects of HR, but the problem is that a lot of HR - especially for an SME and the standalone HR person supporting it - is process-driven. The traditional pathway is HR Admin -> HR Advisor -> HR Manager -> HR Director (throw in HR Business Partner somewhere along the way). A lot of people short circuit this and drop in at a higher level, but typically after having had a good deal of exposure to at least some aspects of HR practice, such as employee relations, redundancy/TUPE or payroll.

    Your taxi business is the area most likely to have given you the necessary technical exposure. What's your experience with recruitment, contracts of employment and Health & Safety? How many drivers were working and under what conditions? If it was just you as a sole trader, you're not likely to have the technical skills to take on a standalone role without significant coaching.

    CIPD courses, whilst excellent in their own way, often don't touch upon the everyday "crunch" of HR practice which can be hard to learn without actually doing it, ideally under the leadership of someone who can guide you through it.

    Before deciding if HR is for you, I recommend reading further through this forum. There's a lot of excellent technical and legal advice but, more than that, it is a great illustration of the range of knowledge demanded in the field. If it doesn't send you off to sleep, then maybe it would be worth giving it a try as a career.
  • in reply to Robey

    "There's a lot of excellent technical and legal advice but, more than that, it is a great illustration of the range of knowledge demanded in the field. If it doesn't send you off to sleep, then maybe it would be worth giving it a try as a career."

    ...and don't have nightmares ;)

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