• Replies 26 replies
  • Subscribers 14 subscribers
  • Views 16976 views
  • Users 0 members are here
Options
Related

Late career change to HR

Alasdair

Hello all,

This is my first post on a CIPD forum, so hello world of HR!

I will keep it brief(ish). I am 49 years old, in transition from a completely different area to HR, and in the middle of CIPD level 5. I have many years of team-side implementation of HR policies, a lot of recruitment/interviewing behind me, project management, team leadership etc. I believe skills mean more than job titles, and all the skills required to be an HR professional are in place, but I lack the job titles on the CV.

I am well and truly stuck in the "you'll be bored"/"need more experience" trap with respect to getting started.

So in your experience, how do people in my position kick things off? I feels like aiming for a vanishingly small sweet-spot at the moment, which is frustrating, knowing how much I have to offer. I'm an unconventional candidate, and it looks like people don't know how to handle me!

Thanks very much all, I really look forward to hearing your thoughts, and I know it takes time to post, so thank you so much in advance for your time.

Alasdair

Parents
  • What is your previous industry sector Alasdair? I ask because I think it could be a way to give yourself an advantage at interviews, if you target those roles and bring the sector knowledge and experience that other applicants may lack. Understanding the business is so key to doing a good job in HR, so it may help you mitigate the risks!

    Good luck.
  • in reply to Nina Waters
    Hello Nina, my sector was/is oil and gas/energy. I think much of the experience transfers to any other complex engineering setting, international negotiations/staffing, scientific settings for example. However, the sector is heavily in retreat at the moment which means HR roles directly in oil and gas are hard to come by, which would be the best transfer of my experience which is why I am forced to look at my experience in rather a generic sense. This is interesting advice that I have also considered with a recruiter who had some suggestions that I will be following up. All a bit oblique to HR/People Practice but it would still have relevance. Thanks very much for your thoughts, I will continue to think about other ways to take this approach.
Reply
  • in reply to Nina Waters
    Hello Nina, my sector was/is oil and gas/energy. I think much of the experience transfers to any other complex engineering setting, international negotiations/staffing, scientific settings for example. However, the sector is heavily in retreat at the moment which means HR roles directly in oil and gas are hard to come by, which would be the best transfer of my experience which is why I am forced to look at my experience in rather a generic sense. This is interesting advice that I have also considered with a recruiter who had some suggestions that I will be following up. All a bit oblique to HR/People Practice but it would still have relevance. Thanks very much for your thoughts, I will continue to think about other ways to take this approach.
Children