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Route into HR

Bryan

Hello All,

I am presently completing my level 5 in HR. I plan and will be finished at latest in December 2020 however I am hopeful to be completed before then.

My background is as a duty manager, line manager, senior manager and business owner in sports, retail and food service industries which had given me 20 years experience as a manager with 9 years of it in a larger retailer where as a line manager and senior manager I had a lot of exposure to dealing with people management and HR within my roles such as recruitment and selection, performance management, people management, disclipnary and investigations etc which I am seeing especially now with completion of this course.

My question is how do I translate this into jobs I can apply for once the course is completed.

For example I have a lot of business experience so would I be considered for a HR business partner role? 

Thanks for your help in advance.

I am from Edinburgh and would be looking to commence a full or part time role in HR on completion of the course and I am flexible to what level I start.

Bryan

  • in reply to Gareth
    Thanks for your reply. Understand why you would need out of retail speaking from experience! Was great for providing loads of experiences but not for having a life outside retail.
  • Hi Bryan,
    I too have had a similar background, spent many years involved in HR around my role, but never held a HR title. Obviously your CV will need to identify the HR involvement you have had within past/ current roles. I registered with lots of agencies that specialise in HR but had to be prepared to take on both temporary roles and be willing start start at a low entry level to gain the hands on experience with a HR title. This is what I have done and been lucky to get a 16 mth temp contract that should hopefully help me move onwards and upwards, with my Level 5 and HR hands on experience.

    David
  • Hi Bryan

    I did my Level 5 qualification in 2016/17 hoping to move into HR. I have 9 years experience as a trainer and (now) have 5 years experience as a manager. The biggest problem I found was that any job I applied for wanted direct HR advisory experience over qualifications.

    For the last 17 years I have worked in a role that deals with implementing legislation directly (albeit nor HR legislation) but the idea is the same.

    Unfortunately I have been unable to find a role that can pay me something near to what I am currently on. I don't expect the same level of pay but, as other posters have said, I would need to take a pay cut of around £13k to get into HR and just cannot do this.

    Good luck in your search though.

    Craig
  • in reply to David
    Hi David, thanks for your reply it’s appreciated. If you don’t mind me asking what type of role have you secured now on the longer contract.
  • in reply to Craig
    Thanks for your reply it’s appreciated. Have you used your course to help your development in the industry in the company you where already based then as a manager?
  • in reply to Bryan
    Hi Bryan

    My manager knows HR is what I would like to do and I have been getting more involved in the HR side of things. The rest of the management team will also ask me for advice or refer things to me (I think they are secretly happy to be able to offload some of this to be honest). So yes, I have been able to develop my role more but the day to day job still take priority.
  • in reply to Bryan
    I have managed to get a role as Adviser / Administrator for a 16 mth contract covering maternity. When I applied i was still studying my Level 5 and only recently passed this in Dec 2019.

  • I agree with Robey that it can largely be down to luck. I don't know if it's useful, but I've detailed how I became an HR Manager below to show just how luck based my career has been:

    I fell into HR largely by accident (although I do have an educational background in social sciences, which has proved vaguely useful). I started off as an office manager, doing a business/admin apprenticeship, then worked for a council in an HR Transactional role for Multi Academy Trusts (more Payroll heavy than HR I'd say).

    Back end council functions were then bought out by a private company, where I was TUPE'd across. Their HR Business partner wanted an assistant and recruited internally from the HR Transactional team, and I was the best of the bunch at that time (if it had been advertised externally there is no way I would have got it). I was lucky enough to do CIPD qualifications during this time. I started as the HR and Communications Assistant and was was eventually promoted to HR Advisor - I was very lucky to get this role as we did many grievances, disciplinary, a huge redundancy exercise and I was heavily involved in the TUPE process - it was a crash course in all the knitty gritty stuff! I sat with the CEO and was quite involved with everything, including strategy (assisting the HRBP - I was almost her PA a lot of the time).

    The company folded unfortunately, so I jumped ship and worked in a law firm as an HR Advisor for a few years, which introduced me to working for private companies.

    I then had a baby, and at a baby group met a new mum who ran a business where I lived offering a software for schools (including MAT's). We became friends and I would give her HR advice on occasion. Their company grew to the point where a few years later she offered me the HR Manager role! My previous experience of HR for education really helped.

    So you see, all luck really and being in the right place at the right time. Most of my friends in HR have similar stories, none of us intended to go down this route really! I wasn't particularly 'going for it' but it's taken me a good 8 years to even get an HR Manager position, let alone HRBP! I'd say there is quite a bit of experience you need to get under your belt first...but maybe your transferable skills from other experiences and your qualification will be enough, fingers crossed!

    Good luck with it all.