Hi Aastha,

Good luck with the move and getting settled in Bristol. I'm not from the area, but recommend researching recruitment agencies and making some connections before you move. Recruiters will likely be very keen to work with you if you are open to job types and are a good starting point for getting feedback on how your skills and experience fit within the current job market.

All the best!

In reply to Paula:

Thank you so much, Paula for your inputs. I really appreciate it. Will definitely do that! :)

Hi Aastha
It looks as though you have some good experience, albeit in a totally different legislative system. This may make you look both over-qualified and inexperienced at the same time and you may need to downgrade the level of role you apply for. Truth be told, I would hesitate hiring someone without relevant UK experience for roles at officer or manager levels but would snap you up for anything below!

Did your level 5 cover UK employment law? I completed mine a very long time ago and it was not covered as a module but bits of it were included in other modules. So apologies if you have got a good understanding of it. If you havent, you could prepare by looking at the Acas website (https://www.acas.org.uk/) and, If things are unclear on there, you could look up references of particular elements that you want clarification on on the UK Government website, which is written for the general public and therefore in very simple language, with clarity in mind.
I would also stress with every application that you will not need a visum as many employers are unable to provide visa sponsorship.

Good luck!

In reply to Anka:

Hello Anka,
Yes, I understand what you mean. The diverse experience is an advantage whereas lack of exposure to the UK market and UK law is a disadvantage. So, if I understand correctly, anything below would be HR Administrator, Coordinator, Analyst or Advisor?

And yes, CIPD Level 5 did cover employment law (the module contained references from the ACAS website), but I think I'll get a really good understanding of it only once I start applying it at work.

Yes, thanks for the tip, I'll add it into my resume and/or cover letter.
Thank you for all your inputs!

In reply to Aastha:

As an obvious question could arise about UK employment law, I would put a lot of effort in getting as much information as you can. There are great resources such as Danial Barnet's newsletters and many other legal websites and in an interview reference the legal issues as often as possible to banish any doubts they may have.

I would also apply for similar level posts as you have already held or higher. I understand the logic of trying to get a 'foot in the door' but if you get an admin type role, the employer and you both know you will leave as soon as a better job is offered.

Depending on your circumstances, maybe contracting or consulting might be worth thinking about.

If Bristol is your chosen area then joint the local CIPD branch and actively engage with them. Posting regularly on their LinkedIn group pages (if they have one) is a cheap and easy way of boosting your visibility.

Good luck with your job search.

In reply to Steven :

Hello Steve,
These are all great ideas, thank you! I had figured it would be a disadvantage not being familiar with UK employment law but not to this extent. This is really helpful. Yes, I think its the CIPD West of England branch. I'll definitely get involved in it.
Thanks so much for your advice!

In reply to Steven :

Perhaps applying for both levels might be worth a shot, just be mindful of which level of role you have applied for with employers, so you aren't sending multiple applications to the same organisation. Last year I took a stab at securing a HR Business Partner role, leaving a small organisation with 10 years experience, primarily in the commercial side of the business and without any CIPD qualifications, but was confident I had the transferable skills, knowledge and strategic management experience for a BP role.

I applied for a mentor through my local CIPD branch and they were great support in helping me adapt my CV for my job search. I was primarily applying for admin/co-ordinator/advisor/office roles with organisations which had a strong connection to my values, but occasionally would take a stab at HR manager and business partner roles.

I had tried to get an interview for a HRBP role in the organisation I am with now through recruiters, but they wouldn't put me forward. In the end I was invited to interview for an officer role and secured the job offer, then I got a call to say they retracted the offer and were inviting me back for a HRBP interview, which was a success! I started the role on the same days as another HRBP who is Chartered CIPD and has 20+ years working in a sector that is completely new to me, which was extremely dauting at first, but our experience, knowledge and skill sets compliment each other so well.

Long story short, I applied for over 100 roles, met with multiple recruiters, interviewed for 8 different roles, got through to 2nd or 3rd round interview with 3 of them and had two offers at the end - Employee Experience Manager and HRBP. I was lucky to have a choice and it helped with salary negotiations. During the job search, I took voluntary redundancy from my previous organisation and picked up a role as a HR Co-ordinator in a local authority via an agency, initially I had 4 weeks work ahead of me, but they extended it to 5 months. This was great experience coming from a small organisation and afforded me the time to focus on my job hunt and CIPD studies without feeling overwhelmed. Knowing I may only be in the job for 4 weeks was very liberating and I treated as a fly on the wall exercise to soak up as much information as possible about how the department operated.

Keep your eye on the level of role you really want, if you knock on enough doors one will open!

In reply to Paula:

Hi Paula,
First off, congratulations on landing the HRBP role! The shot you took paid off. Yes, I'll keep this in mind while applying and yes, applying to roles with both levels would also help. Thank you so much for all of these tips, they're quite insightful and I'm sure will help me in my search. :)

In reply to Paula:

Thanks for sharing your story, Paula 

Good for you!