Transitioning from Agency Recruitment to HR - Work experience, internships, mentoring - Careers Clinic

24 Transitioning from Agency Recruitment to HR

15 Mar, 2019 16:44

Hi all,

I'm currently studying my CIPD Level 3 coming from a sales and Recruitment agency background and looking to secure my first role within HR. A lot of the specialist agencies tend to disregard me even for HR Assistant and Administrator roles due to lack out of outright experience in HR and applications on job boards are ignored or rejected despite feeling I have a lot of transferable skills

I haven't had the best luck with jobs since finishing university 4 years ago having 5 within that time (3 i left voluntarily and 2 being let go from) so the course is helping me shape where I want to be and how I need to get there and develop professionally.

I've altered my CV to be more HR focused however all of my achievements are sales focused. Due to my job history I've also looked at temp roles and unpaid work experience but no luck.

I plan to attend the CIPD conference in London that's coming up on March 23rd 2019 to network as well.

if anyone knows where I can be looking directly for said opportunities it would be greatly appreciated

Thank you

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Claire | 0 Posts

19 Mar, 2019 15:22

Hi Busayo,

My background is agency recruitment (I was a divisional manager after years of consulting). I transitioned in to HR through a office manager position where I undertook my CIPD and helped alot with internal recruitment, on boarding and built rapports with colleagues so that they felt they could confide in me. On my CV I pushed my knowledge of employment law, compliance and the day to day dealing with workers. I am now in a HR Advisor role with views to transition to manager before the end of this year.

I would suggest that you do not jump in to the next role but rather make sure it is the right role/ company for you to ensure that you can somewhat stabilize yourself (being dismissed is beyond your control) but in a generation of job hoppers for whatever reason, really tends to go against you with more traditional companies.

Best of luck!
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Busayo | 0 Posts

19 Mar, 2019 15:50

In reply to Claire:
Hi Claire,
Sounds like you transitioned into HR later within your career as you were previously a manager. Seems a lot easier to do so at the higher level as opposed to someone in my situation who's at the entry-level.

I'm leveraging my recruitment experience (sourcing for candidates and identifying their specific skillsets) to possibly land a role within an internal recruitment function, targeting those medium-to-larger sized organisations as there is more of a need for support staff as well as greater opportunity to progress. Longevity and stability is key for me right now and the right role/company culture I'm sure will bring that, just need to demonstrate I'm willing to stick it out!

Been on the market now for nearly 3 months but have a few things in the pipeline & feel I'm doing the right things so I'm sure the right opportunity will come soon enough.

Thanks for your advice!
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Owen | 0 Posts

19 Mar, 2019 15:59

Hi Busayo

One other opportunity to get experience would be to volunteer to support a charity with HR work. That could be a straight-up volunteering role, or looking to become a trustee who brings HR knowledge to the board.

Best of luck!
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Keith | 0 Posts

19 Mar, 2019 16:12

I think (and sorry to be blunt) you have three big challenges:

1) You are in a sales function that isn't well regarded by some/many HR professionals
2) You have neither qualifications or experience in HR
3) Your career history is at best patchy and at worst concerning.

Having said all that people can and do succeed in getting into HR and with perseverance and a lot of applications you may well be one of them.

The best (probably only) avenue that I can see with a high chance of success is via getting an admin job in a recruitment team. Trying to leverage the external experience you have to an internal role then growing your career from there.

To do this you will need an excellent narrative around the three points above.

I would be targeting all my efforts at internal entry level recruitment roles and be prepared to be making a lot of applications. Good luck
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Busayo | 0 Posts

19 Mar, 2019 16:42

In reply to Owen:
Hi Owen,

Thanks for your help. Is there any specific websites you would recommend I could find HR volunteering opportunities? I've done a few basic google searches but unsure where in particular I should be looking

Thanks
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Busayo | 0 Posts

19 Mar, 2019 16:51

In reply to Keith:
Hi Keith,

I appreciate your honesty and transparency, the points you have made are ones I am fully aware of the 3rd being something I unfortunately cannot rectify. I'm curious to know exactly why those who come from a sales aren't well regarded by HR professionals? Correct me if I'm wrong but that sounds like a very subjective point of view.

I'm working towards the CIPD Level 3 qualification at the moment which I am self funding to show commitment to moving my career into a HR direction whilst applying for those entry level internal recruitment roles (temporary included) demonstrating the skills I can bring to such an organisation. I am by no means never one to shy away from hard work and feel I've learnt valuable lessons from patchy/concerning career history to date.
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Keith | 0 Posts

19 Mar, 2019 16:59

In reply to Busayo:
Hi

Many HR professionals do take a very subjective view of people in agency recruitment. Their experience of them isn't always the greatest and they are seen as performing (by many) a very different type of work and not always displaying the skills or attitudes that people perceive are needed in HR. But for many thats their reality. Its a prejudice (and HR people are people so do have prejudices) and one that you will have to fight to over come.

The lessons you have learnt from your career history are part of the narrative and part of trying to persuade someone to give you a chance in what they see as a total career change when you have been 8/10 months in each of your five jobs so far.

As I say its doable but will be tough and you will need to be very resilient and persevere through many applications till you find that opportunity. It could well come in a short term / fixed term placement and I would be looking at those as a starter.

Good luck
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Peter Stanway | 0 Posts

19 Mar, 2019 17:12

In reply to Keith:
They are also primarily sales roles so even if they have transferrable skills, they are still seen as 'just a salesman/woman', a bit like an estate agent.
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Cat Jones | 0 Posts

19 Mar, 2019 17:22

In reply to Busayo:
Look how Google autofills "recruiters are..." or spend 5 minutes on LinkedIn!

I also made the transition from agency recruitment to HR. I moved into a sales admin role and grew this position and showed my abilities in many areas. Luckily, my company invested in me and my CIPD qualification.
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Busayo | 0 Posts

19 Mar, 2019 17:22

In reply to Keith:
What do you believe are the skills/attitudes required for HR that can or cannot be obtained from working in agency recruitment and are you speaking from personal experience?

I can probably think of a few if I'm honest, but guess it boils down to the individual and what they perceive the industry to be,what it actually is from the experience they've had or whether they're intrinsically or extrinsically motivated.

Exactly that, I could not agree with you more, I however believe actions speaker louder than words. Why would you describe my direction as total career change?

I definitely feel it's doable and continue to look at the wider picture despite being on the job market for what is now coming up for 3 months. I'd rather be judged on what I'm doing in the present, future goals and achievements. Short/fixed term placements are what I'm targeting at present
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Busayo | 0 Posts

19 Mar, 2019 17:32

In reply to Cat Jones:
The google auto-fills I must say are no surprise to me. As for LinkedIn, there's not a day that goes by I don't see someone bashing them for one reason or another, most of them I've experienced as a job seeker and unintentionally done as a recruiter.

That's great! to be honest, I just "fell" into sales probably due to the entry barrier being so low, it's only with being in such a role and my own further research I discovered what HR was
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Elizabeth Divver | 0 Posts

19 Mar, 2019 18:34

In reply to Busayo:
Your problem is that their are many recruiters who are out-and-out sales people who chase a one-off commission without building a relationship. There are also some terrific recruitment consultants who take time to learn your business and only put forward candidates they believe are perfect for the vacancy. Your problem is that we have all met too many of the first.

There is a cross-over between sales and HR, and I speak from experience as someone who went the other way, although in a different industry, and came back again. HR people need influencing skills as do sales people. We need to build credibility to gain influence with our "customers", as do sales people. Also, the first time you meet a customer and initiate a conversation about their business and what their needs are, you are using the same skills as you use in a recruitment interview.

I think you are bound to encounter the difficulties outlined by Keith and Peter, but I really liked Catherine and Owen's suggestions and think you are more likely to get where you want to go if you plan the journey in several steps rather than one bound, as Claire suggests.
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Owen | 0 Posts

20 Mar, 2019 09:36

In reply to Busayo:
Hi Busayo,

I'd suggest you join your local CIPD branch and attend their meetings if you aren't already.

The other thing I'd recommend is to look at charities that deal with things you care about. As an example for me, I'm a big fan of supporting young people into the workplace and helping them understand the work environment and how it differs from the school environment and I'm a trustee in a small, local charity that support young people do just that. Search for charities local to you and see if they are looking for any sort of volunteering opportunities, or for trustees.
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Claire | 0 Posts

21 Mar, 2019 15:16

In reply to Busayo:
Hi Busayo, Unfortunately it doesn't get any easier whatever your level as the higher you are in an agency the more you are deemed as a sales demon. Agencies do get bad rep and now I am the otherside I don't touch them often. Anyone can be a recruiter, to me it seems that the industry has changed and now it is just a race for the commission rather than the traditional approach of making a great match between employer and employee. I am inundated on a daily basis with script reading consultants with bad attitudes it has just changed so much over the years.

I think volunteering would be a great start or I have seen lots of ads for HR people to help on a contract basis for the common wealth games, maybe something like that will give you a kick start. Alternatively, with the new HS2 happening and I read an article in a rail magazine (my org is in the rail industry) of the HR manager who is building her teams and is crying out for people.

Persevere, make sure your CV is at its best and hopefully soon you will be able to get fixed in to a place.
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Jerry | 0 Posts

21 Mar, 2019 16:47

In reply to Claire:
For volunteering ops Google around, you can find a lot, for example found this:
www.charityjob.co.uk/.../human-resources
it's a start, you're on the ground getting skills, meet people, move up, hope this helps
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