How to get into HR

Good afternoon Shevonne,

I started as a finance assistant in a large multi-national. My manager knew that I had my HR degree and this is where I wanted to work. In a nutshell they heard that the HR Admin Assistant was leaving and I was put forward to the HR Manager as a possible replacement. Needless to say I haven't looked back.

As a way to get into HR, are there any agencies that you could register with locally who are able to champion your desire to get into HR?

If you are not currently working, could you offer to volunteer in a HR department; whilst not paid it would get you valuable exposure to the day to day working of a HR department. And it may put you in the right place should a paid vacancy be available

Hi Shevonne

What aspects of HR appeal to you? Have a think about what you might enjoy doing and think about what skills you already have that could be transferable to HR. You'll need to really sell yourself and your passion for HR to find a role - it's a competitive field to get into so your CV will really need to show how well suited you'd be to a HR role. Volunteering is a good idea if you can. or maybe take some time to build up your office and admin skills and work your way in that way. Another great route would be to look for a HR Apprenticeship where you could gain a qualification and work experience at the same time.

Kind regards

Jackie

Hi Shevonne,

I fell into HR through my job in retail. I had no qualifications but more or less worked my way up and when the HR manager was going on maternity leave I was asked to cover for her. I loved it so much I signed up to a short taster course in HR in the local college.

There are lots of short (3mth) courses online for a small few that would be really beneficial to you. I was never good at school but I got a distinction I’m that course because I was so interested. I’m now on my way to a Diploma in HR.

There’s always a way and get in touch if you want any more info.

Good luck!
Sharon

Hi Shevonne,

It's great that you find HR interesting. As someone who just realised that's what I want to do, and I'm slightly older than you i decided to reply. If you have a chance start working on your base as soon as possible. By that I mean search for interesting books, articles, essays, online courses. Finding an office job would be an advantage too because you could have regular hours so it would be easier to study, and you could gain some necessary skills. When you get a financial stability then you could potentially invest in doing level 3 HR cipd (they do monthly payments as well). Maybe your employer could support you with that? Worth checking. Last but not least, it would be worth to find a mentor who could guide you and support you in your studies. Maybe make a post in LinkedIn and see if you get any answer.
It's great that you already know what you what to do, and I'm sure learning it will be more interesting for you. Use the time you have to explore and gain as much as you can from many options around.

I hope that helps.
Joanna

I regret I didn't learn all of that when I was younger but I simply didn't know that's what I want to do :)

Hey,

Thanks so much for replying :)

What sort of agencies would you say I should look into?
I've actually started working for NHS track and trace, it's obviously just temporary at the moment and not something that I could do forever or make a career out.

I just want to be able to have something to work towards but I think I do just need a little bit of guidance on how to do that

Hey Joanna thank you so much for your reply :)

I just have a couple of questions if thats okay

I don't mean to ask like dumb questions but when you say working on my base by reading interesting books etc, is there anything specific that you would recommend or just things in general that I would find interesting?

Also there's quite a lot of levels that you can do, I don't fully understand the differences between them, so what exactly is a Level 3 CIPD and how would that level be most beneficial?

I've also started recently working again but its just a temporary job so I doubt my employer would support me but I never even thought about LinkedIn so will definitely have a look at that, thank you, I found your response really helpful!

Shevonne

Hi!!

Oh wow thats great!

What course would you say is the best to do to like get into HR? If I'm being fully honest I learn best in a working environment rather than a learning one but I'm 100% willing to go back to school if that's what I need to do

Thank you!

Hi Jackie!

Thank you for your reply!

Honestly I don't really know what does fully appeal to me I suppose for now I just like the idea of it, and I like the growth that comes with it. I'm a big people person and not very much one for doing the exact same job everyday so the fact that I wouldn't be doing the same thing day in, day out appeals to me very much.

Where would you say the best places are for me to volunteer?

Thank you
Shevonne

Hi Shevonne

It's hard to suggest where you could volunteer, not knowing where you're based or what sort of organisations there are in your local area. Volunteering as a school governor is usually always available wherever you are and that will give you exposure to a lot of HR related issues. You could also look for small charities and community groups (for example my son's out of school club is a charity and always looking for new committee members).

Kind regards
Jackie