Chasing a career in HR & People

Hi Eddie, congrats on passing your qualifications and good luck in your search. I'm hearing that the market is quite tough and competitive at the moment and so hope you don't lose heart when you face rejections. It only takes one to be the right one.

You've some great advice below. I'd add:
*Pull out all your people experience and position it front and centre on your business social media profiles - Linked In.
*Polish up that CV and position all thosee key skills, people experience and learning on it. Make sure it includes outcomes of what you have achieved for businesses you have worked for and have a cracking opening position/profile statement at the top. "Creative, committed, experienced professional, with recruitment and management skills, looking to use my CIPD qualifications in a dedicated HR role.....for example"
*Network - online and in real life. People buy people and it could be one of your existing connections can help facilitate some introductions if you let them know what you are looking for.
*Listen to career change podcasts and or read about making the switch to practice that sales pitch and interview qs. My Squiggly Career is a good one.

I didn't start my career in HR and navigating the switch from line, project and people management in quite a niche area into an HR/ people role was a challenge but it's possible when we focus on our transferable skills and experience and make that our USP. Good luck.

Hi Eddie, congrats on passing your qualifications and good luck in your search. I'm hearing that the market is quite tough and competitive at the moment and so hope you don't lose heart when you face rejections. It only takes one to be the right one.

You've some great advice below. I'd add:
*Pull out all your people experience and position it front and centre on your business social media profiles - Linked In.
*Polish up that CV and position all thosee key skills, people experience and learning on it. Make sure it includes outcomes of what you have achieved for businesses you have worked for and have a cracking opening position/profile statement at the top. "Creative, committed, experienced professional, with recruitment and management skills, looking to use my CIPD qualifications in a dedicated HR role.....for example"
*Network - online and in real life. People buy people and it could be one of your existing connections can help facilitate some introductions if you let them know what you are looking for.
*Listen to career change podcasts and or read about making the switch to practice that sales pitch and interview qs. My Squiggly Career is a good one.

I didn't start my career in HR and navigating the switch from line, project and people management in quite a niche area into an HR/ people role was a challenge but it's possible when we focus on our transferable skills and experience and make that our USP. Good luck.

Hi Sharon, Thanks so much and all of what you said is super helpful and I'll be sure to action these points. I've heard from some recruiters that the HR market is starting to gain a bit more traction but agree that it's definitely a tough one, and I know that I am up against lots of competition.

I couldn't agree more that 'people buy people' and networking is a passion of mine. If you know of anyone in your network that it would be worth connecting with please feel free to mention them to me. My linkedIn is www.linkedin.com/.../

Thanks for wishing me luck and hopefully I'll be able to write a post soon about my new role.

Thanks again for commenting.

So glad the market might be getting a bit more traction. It would be nice to see that and I know it varies across locations, disciplines and levels.

I'm so pleased you love networking. It's most likely that people who have worked with you - in the past or present- could hold the key to finding your employer of the future. That might be by introducing you to others, recommending you on Linked In or, if they have moved to a company you are interested in joining, provide useful information to you. They can be some extra eyes, ears and cheerleaders even to help you. You might then be able to help them in the future too.

Hi Steve, I appreciate that. Having worked in recruitment previously I'm not naive to the fact this could be a bumpy road to get to where I want to, but I have got this far right. Thanks for the encouragement.

Hi Eddie, Hope you are well. With regards to your CV have you tried using the Career Hub available through CIPD membership? Available here: www.cipd.org/.../
This has advice and tips for CV writing and interviews. It includes a CV screener to offer feedback and also interview practice. Might be a good place to get started. All the best with your job search!

Hi Emma, I'm going strong thanks and hoping I can get this career kick-started. I haven't used the Career Hub but will be checking it out. Thanks for taking the time to comment and hope all is well with you.

Hi Eddie

Just jumping on the end of this chat to see if you've had any success with the job hunt since your last post? I'm in a similar boat and have been applying for trainee roles like a madwoman but 99% of the recruiters I've spoken to have all said they worry I'd find entry level boring given my background (like you I have cross-transferable managerial experience but not formal HR).

I wondered whether you also had had this response from recruiters? It's a bit of a mind bender really. Surely whether a role is boring or not is not for them to decide and when an "overqualified" candidate clearly wants experience, then a trainee role is their best bet, why shoot them in the foot?

Hope you are having more joy than me!

Hi Hannah (and Eddie) there are places available on this webinar for jobseekers from our CIPD Trust team - well worth tuning in if you're free on 14 May: https://ow.ly/QLZV50RoYK6