4

a new start

Hi everyone

I live in Africa and i have the Organizational Psychology degree. I have worked as HR assistant for few companies but i did not get a chance to learn much. It was all about recruitment, keep HR files up to date, and some surveys related to job satisfaction and job evaluation, payroll, absence management.

I thought of moving to UK in order to find more opportunities in HR career, but before that i needed to find a job.

I just joined the CIPD Level 3 diploma in Human Resource practice to learn more about how to operate the HR department and at the same time i keep applying for jobs on HR assistant posts.

It has been really hard to have a response from the employers and i keep wondering what should be the reason: is it because of my resume or its because i dont live in uk.

i cant move to uk without any job due to my financial responsabilities. Shall i finish the CIPD course first before i start applying?

Thank you in advance for all the comments.

best regards

Sunena

606 views
  • Hi Sunena, welcome to the communities. It is a pity to see your post has not received any replies so here are my thoughts. You have my total sympathy, it must be really frustrating and you probably know there is no right or wrong answer but I recognise you are reaching out for some clarity. To answer your question about completing your course - firstly, I think it is worth giving serious thought to whether you want to pursue an HR career - at least for the next few years - and if you feel strongly about working in HR then you should continue your studies. Any CIPD course demands hard work and dedication so I would only continue if you intend to put your knowledge to good use and find a job. If there are any doubts I would not continue (provided this does not have any negative impact on you) since it is likely your interest in your studies will only decrease as time goes on. If you do feel motivated to complete your studies you will at least have a qualification and that could give you the edge over other job applicants.

    As for finding a job in the UK, that's a hard one and you're (probably) finding that no experience means no job, and no job means no experience. If it brings any comfort I also found it hard to get into HR and it took many job applications and tears before I got my break. There are plenty of other threads on this forum where others have vented their frustration as they face the same situation. I really don't have any answer for this but I did wonder if you would have more success by working for an organisation in your native country which has offices in the UK. It's a bit of a long shot but there could be opportunities to apply for a transfer or a suitable HR role as and when they come up. You would at least be a known quantity.
    Good luck with whatever you decide and please let us know how you get on. I really hope something I have written here helps. :-)
  • In reply to Clare:

    Thank you so much for your thoughts.
    Yes strongly motivated to study Hr as i have always loved this field i believe that whatever i have learnt from univ here is not even half of what i should know about this department.
    About finding a job i keep struggling everyday with job application, specially the ones that doesnt require experience, but still.. lets see.. well that would be a plan to look for uk companies in moz. I will try to do that. Thank u so much for all your support
  • In reply to Clare:

    Clare - Sunena only posted on Friday so its not that unusual that no one has replied yet apart from you - lots of posts take a day or two to get replies as you know.

    As to the crux of the question - I think you would need to be very lucky to get a substantive job in HR that you can afford to live on whilst (a) you are not in the country and (b) your experience is gained over seas.

    As a question do you have visa rights to work in the UK? If not it will make it almost impossible (I am afraid) to get a job at entry level

    As Clare suggests the best chance would be an internal transfer after getting a job in HR in your home country who work internationally, but I am not sure that many would look at the costs involved favourably.

    Sorry I know this is not what you want to hear but I think its a relatively realistic appraisal of where you are at the moment.
  • In reply to Keith:

    Regarding to the job: I know its quite hard as i have never worked outside of Moz. Still i decided to go for the CIPD course as i want to increase my knowledge about HR.
    About the permit: i live here with EU nacionality.
    Thank u so much for your comment