Hi Simran
During your studies was there any aspect of HR you particular enjoyed? A career in HR provides such a wide and varied scope, so initially you may want to look at a generalist role that will give you exposure to all aspects of HR from this you can perhaps single out a number of specialist areas you would like to develop into and combine these with your generalist experience. HR also allows you to work within any sector, and business environment to have you considered what type of business you would like to work in? I have worked in in number of sectors - construction, defence, manufacturing, leisure, each one has their own. Not sure if this helps at all? but wishing you good luck in your future career!

Hi Simran

I would guess that the reason you have so few responses is that advice on getting your first job in HR is possibly the most frequently asked question in these forums. I suggest you try the search function and you will find pages of very practical and helpful advice.

Hi Simran,

Good for you for making a clear choice in studying HRM in preparation to progress in this line of profession! You're off to a great start already. I personally weren't so clear when I left school and (thankfully) landed in the HR field was almost by accident 15 years ago.

To your question, there is not hard or fast rule or method to help discover what type of HR role you like. I agree with Beverley on generalist roles where you should typically get to see a broad spectrum of HR responsibilities.

My suggestion would be to read through different HR role Job Descriptions, even ones outside of where you are based (just to get a sense of their scope) and see if you are able to shortlist from there. Another way is to consider what type of stakeholders do you prefer to interact with more? For example, in recruiting/ talent acquisition roles, you're more likely to be speaking with candidates and hiring managers than specialist HR counterparts and other employees, versus say a comp & benefits/ rewards role, you'll be collaborating with HR counterparts such as HR Business Partner more so than interacting with individual employees. Also, think about if you have specific interests, if you're more keen on project management, analytics and data, you may want to explore HRIS or even HCM consulting roles. I know I could be generalising what these roles are and I recognise different country and/or company may define their HR roles differently, but I hope this could help inspire you and others like you.

Best of luck in your final year and in your career search!