Experience or knowledge? - Working in HR - Careers Clinic

2 Experience or knowledge?

Ruth | 0 Posts

10 Jul, 2018 13:00

I have just completed my CIPD level 5 qualification and have level 3 under my belt. I have 3 years experience in HR but I am struggling to find a role. My current role is HR team coordinator, but it has fallen to a more PA role with little HR taking place.

I have applied for many different types of role, assistant, officer, adviser, trainee adviser and unfortunately I am getting no where. Unsuccessful application forms come back with not enough experience. Interviews I have had, I always receive positive feedback, I give good example, always answer the question but never quite get the grade to be offered the job.

Is it the same old catch 22? I need experience but I need someone to give me the chance to get it. I want to put what I have learnt into practice and have much more of a challenging role. I will be doing CIPD level 7 in September and want to be doing something much more fulfilling by then.

What else can I do? What am I missing? Would I better off going back to administrator level?

Thank you

Ruth

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Teresa | 0 Posts

16 Jul, 2018 16:00

Hi Ruth,

I'm with you on this, but from the opposite side. I have the experience but not the bit of paper showing 'knowledge'.

There are times when I feel that HR is a club to which I'm never going to be invited. I have many years experience running HR in small companies, the sort of company where titles are immaterial but being able to do almost any job is essential. This has given me an enviable 'cross-curricular' knowledge of all areas of business and how they interrelate, invaluable in HR.

I left to become a teacher, which I did for some years. I now want to get back into HR but am having absolutely no joy at all - because I don't have the bit of paper. I do, however, have years of experience, a BA(Hons) in ICT, qualified teacher status, and an MBA, but these are apparently not good enough for even the most basic role.

Regarding doing a level 7, I'd think hard before starting it. This is a Master's level course, and you may well find that having it works against you as people will think you're overqualified and will be bored with the positions you're applying for. It may well be better to do an L&D level 5, an adult teaching certificate, or even one of the excellent (and mostly free) FutureLearn or OpenLearn courses to fill in gaps in your knowledge and add to your CV.

If you get an HR job before me, will you introduce me to this select club? I'll do the same for you :)
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Keith | 0 Posts

16 Jul, 2018 19:59

Hello Ruth ( and Teresa)

There is no magic answer that will open the doors to a HR career for you. As with all careers it’s a combination of hard work, luck, qualifications, experience and being in the right place at the right time.

There are many threads on this so if you use the search you will get some good advice.

Here’s one but there are many more

www2.cipd.co.uk/.../267866

But also look at where and why you are failing. Ruth it appears your CV is getting you to interview stage but ( whatever the “nice” feedback) your interview performance is not getting you the offers. I would be looking at your examples and style and seeing how you can transfer the CV success into interview success.

Teresa my guess is people are confused about your journey. About the steps you have taken and how this now fits into a HR career. And when interviewers are confused they tend to reject. It might be worth thinking about your narrative and how this comes across.

But as others have said on the many threads in this - keep at it - you may have to apply hundreds of times but people do eventually get there.

Good luck.

Keith
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