Hi all, looking at changing from a primarily management field to HR and would also like to move to a larger organisation. Having looked at a range of available jobs, I am concerned that HR is a very closed off job market - the majority of positions require previous experience in that role. Although I have some HR experience in my current role, I am uncertain whether this is sufficient for the majority of positions.

For the last 3 years I have worked as a manager in a small organisation (28 employees), during which time I completed a Level 3 Diploma in Human Resource Practice (CIPD) as the organisation has no individuals with HR experience - effectively leading me as the HR professional responsible for the majority of HR activities including recruitment, payroll, appraisals and employment law, alongside advising other management of any HR issues. Although my job title is Team & HR Manager I feel my experience is perhaps more relatable to that of an HR generalist due to the size of the organisation limiting my potential opportunities. Another concern is that I have no experience working with bespoke HR databases as the organisation does not have one and this seems to be a requirement for many roles.

I am happy to make a step down in regards to my career - I have looked at a range of HR administrator roles but these all appear to require previous experience working as an HR administrator.

If anyone has previously made the change from management to HR and could provide some advice or could otherwise shed some light on my situation then this would be much appreciated.

Laurence