Route into HR

Welcome to the forums, Bryan.

To be frank, a lot of it is luck: applying for the right role at the right time, or knowing the right person. Generally speaking, a company wouldn't be well advised to take on an HRM or HRBP without direct experience in HR management, regardless of their operational management background. But it may be hard to find an operational HR Advisor or similar role given your management experience - it's going to be pretty obvious that you're only there to pad your CV on your way up the ladder.

Temporary roles are probably your best, most reliable option. No one cares that you're not planning on hanging around, and such roles often have a more pragmatic, "just-get-stuff-done" agenda that will suit someone with plenty of hands-on experience. In the event that you shine, you'll be first in the queue for a permanent job in the same environment. And if you don't, well, it's only temporary. You can spin the experience to a positive drift in your next interview.

Most people moving from one discipline into HR take a pay-cut to do so (heaven knows, I did).

Welcome to the forums, Bryan.

To be frank, a lot of it is luck: applying for the right role at the right time, or knowing the right person. Generally speaking, a company wouldn't be well advised to take on an HRM or HRBP without direct experience in HR management, regardless of their operational management background. But it may be hard to find an operational HR Advisor or similar role given your management experience - it's going to be pretty obvious that you're only there to pad your CV on your way up the ladder.

Temporary roles are probably your best, most reliable option. No one cares that you're not planning on hanging around, and such roles often have a more pragmatic, "just-get-stuff-done" agenda that will suit someone with plenty of hands-on experience. In the event that you shine, you'll be first in the queue for a permanent job in the same environment. And if you don't, well, it's only temporary. You can spin the experience to a positive drift in your next interview.

Most people moving from one discipline into HR take a pay-cut to do so (heaven knows, I did).

Thanks for reply appreciate time you have taken to respond.

Looks like a few people agree with your reply as it’s had a few likes.

Assuming your meaning a temporary role at HR advisor level?

Totally agree with Robey.

Yes, if you can get one. They are more common at administrator level. When I was in the same situation I was given a basic role that involved assisting a senior manager in re-writing people policies. Within a week it was clear that I was capable of re-writing the policies on my own given basic guidance. Within a month I was done and assisting an HRBP with data analysis. So they put me on casework for the next two months. They wanted to extend me, but by that point I'd been offered an HRBP role elsewhere.

Thanks for help really appreciated and insightful.
So what was your background before moving into HR where you a experienced manager and if so what industry and if not what did you do?
I assume temporary roles can be part time as well? To gain experience to get a permanent role feels like I might have to balance my present career with a temporary part time HR role for a while? Or even a permenant part time role for a while. Or consider that as a possibility to then open up permanent roles at a acceptable starting salary point as a full time role.
Yeah am not moving planning to move into HR for increasing salary as main focus it’s for lifestyle choice and doing something that interests me. As a operational manager was always good at the people management side of things and interested and good at HR side of things I completed as part of my role.

I was a British Army officer. It meant I had a great background in leadership and management, and because of the roles I'd done in the Army, I was quite happy finding my way around complex legislation and policy. But when I left, I found people reluctant to take me into an HR role because management processes in the military are, understandably, quite different to civilian ones (although not as different as you might imagine).

Circumstances aligned that it made sense for me to stay at home and look after the children and the house for six years, so my skills were seen as even rustier by the time I got back into the job market.