Landing that first HR job

[Kerr1992]

Hi folks.

So I've been looking at career options over the last few weeks. I've looked into various things from hgv driving to the police but part of me doesn't like how easily they can bin us with medical conditions.

I got an hnc in business with hr so have been looking into using that. However even the entry level hr assistant jobs require experience so I'm stuck with the good old catch 22.

I 'm 22 and have 6 years experience working in the leisure industry but these skills aren't really transferable.

I've contacted an hr consultancy firm trying to get some part time temp work to gain experience but was hoping someone in this line of work my be able to give me some tips on landing one of these jobs?

Thanks
Craig

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[donnellysdogs]

All skills in life are transferable. Especiallywith business studies background.

Your CV needs to emphasise your abilty to manage change; wishing to be a team player but capabilitys to work by yourself with minimal supervision; your ability to learn quickly etc.

Yes, you are limited to actual jobs if T1 in some ways. However, it will be the composition of your CV which determines whether its termed correctly to change your current industry.

Personaly I was in retail management changing to trading standards to distribution management to my own business to also now doing a voluntary chairperson for NHS organisation.

Its the wording in your CV and your interview skills that will determine your ability to change the industry that you are in...

 

[Kerr1992]

No one ever tells you if your CV Is any good. I sent it over to that hr consultancy based in Glasgow but the never told me what they were gonna do. Just took the CV and that was it.

I should maybe tinker with it but regardless of how good it is if I don't have the experience then it just gets thrown out. I've applied for loads of jobs both in retail management and hr at entry level and get knocked back simply due to experience

 

[donnellysdogs]

Do you get to go to an interview ir are you being turned down after Cv?

Interviews- are you up to date with employment law? This doesn't need to be learnt at college, but wld be imperative if I was interviewing that you had taken time out to get a knowledge..

Also, are you able to talk about things such as disciplinary procedures, return to works.... You do not need to have learnt it at college.. But looking at your current employers terms of employment, contracts etc

You would be able to say.. For example... Although no direct ecperience I am aware that contracts of employment have to be offered within xx weeks. I am aware that there are minimum holidays for all employees but would just need to confirm your Companies actual
Policies etc....I am aware of the need for Return to Work Interviews, disciplinaries etc but these details are all within the scope of companies to manage their own policies...

You need to be able to bluff your way through non experience by researching what Companies would like their employees to be capable of.

 

[AndBreathe]

No one ever tells you if your CV Is any good. I sent it over to that hr consultancy based in Glasgow but the never told me what they were gonna do. Just took the CV and that was it.

I should maybe tinker with it but regardless of how good it is if I don't have the experience then it just gets thrown out. I've applied for loads of jobs both in retail management and hr at entry level and get knocked back simply due to experience

Where are you based geographically, Kerr?

 

[Kerr1992]

I'm based in broxburn near Edinburgh. And I'm not getting any further than my CV.

I need to work on my CV though as I don't have a covering letter which I'm going to work on this weekend while I'm off.

I have knowledge of the recruitment process, health and safety and some of the employment law such as the ones related to discrimination.

I'm also aware of the all the above but didn't put it in my CV. Good thing my weekends free.

 

[donnellysdogs]

You need to have different cv's for different jobs and aim specifically for what they say the skils required are...

 

[AndBreathe]

You need to have different cv's for different jobs and aim specifically for what they say the skils required are...

Totally agree.

I have several CVs, in a couple of different styles; the traditional chronological and a skills based one too. The skills based version is particularly useful if I want someone to look past the titles and other corporate stuff, or if I'm looking to engage in an area where I may not have huge amounts of expertise.

It's sad you feel you have few transferable skills, because I bet in reality you have them in shed loads. In my experience we sometimes look at things in too much granular detail. Try thinking about what is, or will be required in a new job and think how you could express things you have done to reflect that.

If you're getting a bit frazzled, somewhere like this could just help a little: http://career-advice.monster.com/re...ical-resume-or-functional-resume/article.aspx

When I made myself and 340 others redundant a couple of years ago, the company spent a mahooosive amount of money on outplacement consultants for us all (every one of the 340, albeit on a sliding scale of intensity). It was excellent, and I have kept all the resources. They suggested we (who were in my category of support) each downloaded their complete resource library. It's an absolute goldmine from CV writing, covering letters through career changes and so on.

 

[Kerr1992]

I have two cv's but one is for driving jobs and the other for managerial/HR jobs.

I'm a lifeguard at the moment so I do have some transferable skills which are mostly social. this might be good skills to have I suppose in an HR role.

Even with a good CV and transferable skills I'm still in a situation where companies won't even look at me due to lack of HR experience other than college work. One part of my college work which was in recruitment actually discussed the usage of essential and desirable skills. If you don't meet the essentials then you are probably getting scrapped at the 1st hurdle then they compare the applicants with the desirables.

As I said I'm going to look at my CV over the weekend. when I look at it now it does look a bit rushed and I've not got much information down there about my skills from this workplace or the skills I gained in college.

Hopefully I'll here something back from the agency as well as temp work might be my way in. Haven't heard from them though other than when they asked for my CV. Will also do some studying on things such as employment law so I can show I have more knowledge.

Cheers
Craig

 

[jodysd6]

I got my job by doing work experience in a company, 8 weeks unpaid but I was unemployed at the time and I did it for recent experience in a different area to what I had done before, once I got in though I got to know the company so when internal vacancies came up I was allowed to apply, I actually interviewed for my job a week after the work experience finished and I got it, I had had no other experience in this field apart from that work experience but now I can't imagine not doing this job!

My manager did actually tell me to declare the diabetes on the application as a 'disability' as the company has a policy of gauranteeing an interview if you met the necessary criteria for the job if you ticked that box. It may be a bit controversial but I was advised to do that then I could tell them about everything I could offer at interview.

 

[Kerr1992]

I'm not too worried about the diabetes. It's actually not really a big deal in my work but I think I would still keep it to myself until I needed to tell them.

I did look at doing unpaid but I can't seem to find anywhere that will do it and it would have to be part - time so I can still do my main job.

Thanks

 

[AndBreathe]

I have two cv's but one is for driving jobs and the other for managerial/HR jobs.

I'm a lifeguard at the moment so I do have some transferable skills which are mostly social. this might be good skills to have I suppose in an HR role.

Even with a good CV and transferable skills I'm still in a situation where companies won't even look at me due to lack of HR experience other than college work. One part of my college work which was in recruitment actually discussed the usage of essential and desirable skills. If you don't meet the essentials then you are probably getting scrapped at the 1st hurdle then they compare the applicants with the desirables.

As I said I'm going to look at my CV over the weekend. when I look at it now it does look a bit rushed and I've not got much information down there about my skills from this workplace or the skills I gained in college.

Hopefully I'll here something back from the agency as well as temp work might be my way in. Haven't heard from them though other than when they asked for my CV. Will also do some studying on things such as employment law so I can show I have more knowledge.

Cheers
Craig

Whilst I don't want to rubbish your college work, it conflicts directly with the outplacement consultants I used, and my own experience; personally and as a hiring manager.

As a hiring manager, I would far rather have someone who wants the job and is keen to learn than someone who has it all already/ Someone who is already fully skilled for the job is unlikely to be challenged, and without potential for growth, where's the added value to me, as a line manager? I have rarely appointed anyone ticking all the boxes, and to be honest, on candidate lists I have worked through, only a small percentage of applicants will have all the skills; even "essential".

Regarding your trasferable skills being mainly social - Do you mean things like empathy, listening skills, information gathering skills? These are far more difficult to train than processes of mechanical skills. teaching someone to tighten a widget is easy. Teaching someone to listen to the noise as a widget is tightened for strain or fatigue isn't so cut and dried.

If you're not getting your CV into a strong, marketing position, and not applying for jobs, then of course nothing will come of it. As they say in national Lotteryland, "You've got to be in it to win it".

Good luck.

 

[Kerr1992]

When I say social skills I mean dealing with the public, building a rapport with regulars etc. Good old customer service. So yeah listening, and dealing with issues. as for information gather you could say that as I was responsible for making sure the pool plant was working ok. Testing the water and reporting back as well as doing other bits and pieces.

 

[AndBreathe]

When I say social skills I mean dealing with the public, building a rapport with regulars etc. Good old customer service. So yeah listening, and dealing with issues. as for information gather you could say that as I was responsible for making sure the pool plant was working ok. Testing the water and reporting back as well as doing other bits and pieces.

So, there you have, inter personal skills which I would say are fundamental in HR. Listening is about information gathering, non? Dealing with issues could be resolving conflict, building solutions, "making sure the pool plant was working ok", could translate into governance, and so on.

Pick out a company you would like to work for. Look at their website, mission statements etc., and be creative in your lateral thinking. The things you mention are labelled to suit the job you were in, so try to bring that labelling up a notch or two to more generic.

 

[Kerr1992]

I suppose I just never looked at it that way.

I have a lot to think about tonight

 

[the_anticarb]

Hi, I work in HR. It can be hard to get that first foot in the door, most people go in as HR administrators. Do you have good admin skills and can demonstrate an understanding of HR? It's quite a broad field, and covers many activities eg training, recruitment, employee relations, employment law, management information, reward to name the main ones.
The other route I've seen people go in is via a sideways move if you've managed people before, then get your HR qualification you may be able to go in as an advisor.
I work as an advisor and spend my time coaching managers on how to deal with people issues, usually involving performance, conduct, sickness or redundancy. I love it, each day is different and it's about problem solving and building relationships with your client base.
But that's just one tiny part of HR, there are many other specialisms.
What is it that attracts you to working in HR and do you have an idea of what kind of HR work you eventually want to do?
It can really help to go in via the temp route, there are a fair few temporary contracts in HR the advantage being you can build up your skill base and exposure to different industries and companies in a relatively short space of time.
I'd advise you to apply for HR admin temp contracts until you eventually get a break, the economy is much better now so it's not as hard as it was. Then do contracting for a couple of years to really build up your experience -you can go for something slightly more challenging each time. If you're able to be flexible over when and where you work that will stand you in great stead. Feel free to pm me if you want more info.

 

[Kerr1992]

Isn't HR admin the next step up? I thought the HR assistant was the entry level?

And I'm not sure what attracts me too it specifically. I took it as an option at college and really enjoyed it.

I've no official managerial or supervisory experience despite doing it on a daily basis with the newer staff at my current work. I guess they just don't want to pay me for an official position.

Even the entry level HR assistant positions are a step up for me so ill take whatever position I can get but unfortunately I can't afford to do full time temp positions as I don't want to leave my current job incase I end up with nothing.

 

[AndBreathe]

Isn't HR admin the next step up? I thought the HR assistant was the entry level?

And I'm not sure what attracts me too it specifically. I took it as an option at college and really enjoyed it.

I've no official managerial or supervisory experience despite doing it on a daily basis with the newer staff at my current work. I guess they just don't want to pay me for an official position.

Even the entry level HR assistant positions are a step up for me so ill take whatever position I can get but unfortunately I can't afford to do full time temp positions as I don't want to leave my current job incase I end up with nothing.

"I've no official managerial or supervisory experience despite doing it on a daily basis with the newer staff at my current work. I guess they just don't want to pay me for an official position."

That your role profile may not stipulate supervision, if you do it every day, you have experience, non? You need to write a big list of things you do and think of it in this way.

A true instance I will never forget is a friend of mine who is a Six Sigma consultant in a big global conglomerate. She was continually asking for more challenge, but her boss seemed to like her hemmed into a role she executed extremely well, but was no longer sufficiently challenging. At a performance review she told him she would be applying for new jobs, but he didn't believe her.

Within a couple of months she had applied for the role of Head of Marketing in this outfit. When she told me this, my eyebrows raised and I mentioned that I hadn't realised she had a marketing background. Her response was that she could clearly do the "Head of" role, and marketing was just the subject matter; and she could learn that. Shutzpa? She didn't get that job, but she did get a lovely promotion shortly afterwards.

Sometimes in life, you have to think outside the box and be bold. The saying "fortune favours the brave" is very true, in my view.

 

[Kerr1992]

I've had a tinker with my CV. Don't suppose anyone here would be able to look at it for me?

 

[the_anticarb]

I've had a tinker with my CV. Don't suppose anyone here would be able to look at it for me?

you can send it to me if you like!