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Availability of Part-time HR Manager roles in London

Paula

Dear All,

RE:  Part-time HR manager roles in London.

I wonder if anybody has been through similar scenarios, and if so, how on earth did you manage to resolve it?

I am a seasoned HR professional with experience of working as part of a global HR team at a large multinational bank in the City, this was followed by significant experience of working in a stand-alone HR manager role at a niche Central London-based asset management boutique where I sat and professionalise their HR function from zero.  I am a Chartered Member of the CIPD, have an MSc in HR Development and Consultancy and I am currently doing a PhD in Organisational Psychology.  I am now looking for a part-time (2-3 days/week) role in HR (really....I would consider any role from: HR advisor through to HR manager/HRBP).  I am not afraid of rolling up my sleeves and putting together paper files and dealing with excel spreadsheets rather than custom-made databases, etc..  Quite happy to deal with transactional/operational work as well as advising senior management.  The challenge is that this type of part-time work appears to be like trying to find a needle in a haystack!  So much for HR coaching and preaching to the business on the wonders of working flexibly!

In addition to the above, recruitment agencies, their consultants, and their wall of silence do not make the process of part-time HR job searching very easy to navigate.  I have dealt with recruitment consultants both from an employer's perspective in which they are only too happy to phone you several times a day and meet up with you at the drop of a hat, and also as a candidate.  The latter scenario is a very different narrative to the former.  As a candidate, recruitment consultants are quite happy to phone you at the last minute to attend an interview at short notice, but then they completely ignore you, do not return your calls, not even meet with you prior to sending you for interviews with one of their clients...My question is: What is this behaviour all about?  At a very basic level, 'acknowledgement' is something that is at the core of our very own identity as human beings (i.e.: who we are).  These walls of silence are not only disrespectful but a serious professional concern that should also worry future employers.  Do they want to be represented by these people?  Do these consultants forget that at a certain point in their lives the shoe may move to the other foot?  If so, I wonder how would they feel about being treated like they treat job applicants? 

I would wholeheartedly appreciate to hear from colleagues that have experienced similar situations (seeking for part-time work in HR in London, dealing with non-responsive recruitment consultants) that have successfully emerged from them.  Also, does anybody know if recruitment consultants are regulated in any way?  If they aren't, they should be!  

Thank you in advance.

Yours sincerely,

Paula

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  • Hi Paula

    While I don't work in London I share your frustrations in looking for part time HR work - especially through agencies.

    I had a recent experience where I called the previous contact I had at a very large, and very well known agency to say I'd like to have a chat with the person doing HR recruitment in my part of the world as I was thinking about moving on.

    He told me they were on holiday but they would call me back - which the guy did, but it was 6 weeks later! He then basically told me I had no chance in getting part time HR work since "companies just don't offer that", but he would be delighted to come and see me in my capacity as HR Manager where I am to see what services they could offer the company, and to meet the management team.

    He went on and on about visiting my company and meeting the key players, which was always going to be a non starter as one of the reasons I'm here is to save the "key players" having to field agency calls all the time!

    By the end of the conversation, I had decided that not only would I not bother submitting my CV, I would never use that agency again voluntarily.

    It's just my experience, but I've actually noticed more part time HR jobs being advertised direct by the employer rather than agencies, so job boards and LinkedIn might be worth a try.

    I went part time in my old job after maternity leave, but I was extremely lucky to find another part time HR job locally when I was being made redundant a few years later.

    I hope that things work out for you.

    Ishbel
  • in reply to Ishbel
    Thank you Ishbel for your response and comments. One of the reasons why I was so hopeful to find a part-time HR role was because I saw several ads advertised in the public domain. However, on closer examination, these positions tended to recruit applicants for organisations based outside of the London or Greater London area (i.e.: Bristol, Cambridgeshire, Oxfordshire, Letchworth Garden City, etc.).

    As Keith (above) highlighted earlier, there are very few part-time opportunities available in London itself open to external candidates, particularly if one is not able to offer at least 4 working days per week. This is something that, at the moment, I am unable to do.

    Yes, I would agree that (where possible) it would be ideal to change from full-time to part-time working mode with a current employer. This, however, may be easier to negotiate in larger organisations. Niche/SMEs however (particularly, but not limited to, financial services) where the HR manager works on a stand-alone basis, tend to require that the individual works 4-5 days per week.

    I will keep persevering. It may be that as 'heavily qualified' and 'experienced' as I am as an HR professional I may need to do an admin/secretarial role somewhere (and, as much as I am passionate about it, forget about HR) at least until I finish my PhD. The problem is that for these roles... there is a strong possibility that, unless I deal with the hiring manager directly, recruiters and HR may consider me 'uber' qualified rendering me 'unemployable'. They tend to forget that people may apply for 'lesser' opportunities as a 'trade-off' for work flexibility.

    Alternatively, you may see me soon walking around Bank, St Paul's, or Covent Garden during the rush hour with a placard looking for work. Sad state of affairs, I always believed in the power of the combination of having education, work experience, and skill transferability. The latter is something that, in my experience and that of many candidates that I had interviewed myself as HR manager in the recent past and subsequently hired, appears to be rarely identified by recruiters and other HR managers. It would seem that they tend to go for the 'box ticking' approach, which I suppose is the one that delivers the targets that they need to reach (not criticising others, just trying to explain some of the challenges and also the frustrations).

    Thank you again for taking the time to respond to my post, and share your experience and thoughts. I very much appreciate you taking the time to do this.

    Kind regards

    Paula
  • in reply to Paula
    Hi Paula

    It's really frustrating, as there must be so much talent out there in HR and other fields that isn't being used because people just can't find the work patterns that suit them in the areas where their skills lie.

    Hopefully in the not too distant future with more jobs becoming automated and technological advances meaning that working from home is a much more viable option for many people this will change, but I think it's a mindset thing as much as anything in many organisations at the moment.

    I'm not nearly as busy as I'd like to be in my current job which is frustrating, but I really can't fault the company at all on the flexibility they have shown me while I've been here.

    My normal work pattern is 10 - 2 every day so I can take the kids to school and pick them up again, and I also get every second Friday off as we work a 9-day fortnight - for no less money, and no compressed hours! Everyone loves it, and it really helps with work/life balance.

    Good luck with your endeavours.

    Ishbel
  • in reply to Ishbel
    Hello Ishbel,

    Many thanks for your message. Indeed it is frustrating, particularly for those who are really passionate about making the workplace a better place for everybody, and are equipped and prepared to do that.

    It is with sadness that I regularly hear from employers that they are unable to fill the experienced/highly skilled vacancies that they have because apparently they are unable to find the "talent" they so badly require. That begs the question: Why is this really happening? and Who are they asking to search for that talent?

    There are plenty of candidates available in the market armed with robust hands-on experience and qualifications coupled with 'transferable' skills that can't get a foot in the door (to put it quite bluntly) because they don't quite 'tick all the boxes', or their 'experience does not exactly match' the required. There is some food for thought....

    On a different and more positive note, I am really thrilled that you have found a good employer that has offered you (and others in the organisation) the flexibility required. Absolutely brilliant news!

    Thank you again for your thoughts and for sharing. I really appreciate it.

    Yours very sincerely,

    Paula
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  • in reply to Ishbel
    Hello Ishbel,

    Many thanks for your message. Indeed it is frustrating, particularly for those who are really passionate about making the workplace a better place for everybody, and are equipped and prepared to do that.

    It is with sadness that I regularly hear from employers that they are unable to fill the experienced/highly skilled vacancies that they have because apparently they are unable to find the "talent" they so badly require. That begs the question: Why is this really happening? and Who are they asking to search for that talent?

    There are plenty of candidates available in the market armed with robust hands-on experience and qualifications coupled with 'transferable' skills that can't get a foot in the door (to put it quite bluntly) because they don't quite 'tick all the boxes', or their 'experience does not exactly match' the required. There is some food for thought....

    On a different and more positive note, I am really thrilled that you have found a good employer that has offered you (and others in the organisation) the flexibility required. Absolutely brilliant news!

    Thank you again for your thoughts and for sharing. I really appreciate it.

    Yours very sincerely,

    Paula
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  • in reply to Paula
    Hi Paula I found a parttime role in London on mumsnet. Have you used the websites Capability Jane and we are in the city. Goodluck!
  • in reply to Andie
    Thank you Andie! I have placed an ad in 'Nappy Valley' (equivalent of 'Mumsnet') offering HR generalist/advisor/manager/BP services on a part-time basis. I had a couple of preliminary enquiries, so we'll see. Thank you for suggesting this.

    Yes, I have dealt with 'Capability Jane' previously. As a business - I understand that they were sold to another company a while ago and they delayered their ranks. Last time that I needed to speak to one of their consultants regarding an advertised position, I phoned them but they've told me that nobody could speak to me on the phone. They explained to me that the process was that - whether I had questions or not about a role - I had to apply for it, and then wait to be contacted (or not)...

    Thank you so much though. I very much appreciate your response and suggestions.

    Kind regards

    Paula
  • in reply to Paula
    In my opinion the best service in this area for HR candidates is currently coming from Oakleaf (other recruitment agencies are available). They have a dedicated part-time desk run by two lovely ladies - Jane and Harriet - who operate a job-share.

    When I spoke with Jane earlier this year she told me her next step was to monitor the CVs of her candidates to see whether there was any potential for job-share for full-time roles and then to work with her colleagues on the full-time desks to try and make this happen. So being really pro-active in this space.

    Of course Oakleaf don't have a monopoly on part-time HR roles so it's best to keep your options open.
  • in reply to Anna
    And of course I forgot to say that if anyone is looking for a job-share partner you can always start a thread on this Community board with a title such as "Seeking job-share partner - London area". That way you may be able to set up your own job-share before approaching an agency/employer for an advertised vacancy.
  • in reply to Anna
    Mmm...thank you Anna. This is really interesting.

    My most recent experience with 'Oakleaf' is that you send your CV and then (so far) I received an email thanking me for the CV submission but explained that their client had already identified candidates that they wanted to see. This is absolutely fair enough, but why do they continue to advertise the position as 'active' then? Mmm... Alternatively, CV submission... but no response at all. They do now have a disclaimer though saying that applicants that do not hear anything within 48 hours of CV submission have not been successful on this occasion and should continue to keep and eye and apply for alternative roles that may be of interest/suitable to them in their website...

    I continue to keep my options open and, where possible, I try to apply where direct employers advertise...

    Thank you Anna, very much appreciated.

    Paula x
  • in reply to Anna
    Dear Anna,

    That is a brilliant idea! Thank you for that. The only point is that I am not entirely sure that we can start a threat on this Community on those basis. Perhaps Steve Bridger can advise? Thank you again.

    Thank you both.

    Kind regards

    Paula x
  • in reply to Paula
    Hmm... interesting question. This forum vs the LinkedIn group? I'm not going to frown on anyone who posts something like that here. It's people advertising jobs we frown on.