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Breaking into the HR Industry

Why would I want


to work in HR?
The Human Resources industry has undergone a significant
transformation over the last decade. Once considered to be
little more than an administrative or welfare role, human
resources (HR) has become a central function within an
organisation’s overall operations.
With organisations becoming increasingly aware of the need to
recruit and retain the best people for their workforce along with the
somewhat complex nature of employee welfare and employment
law, employers are turning to graduates and skilled professionals to
fill their HR roles.
HR professionals deal with all the functions of a business that relate
to its employees, such as recruitment and selection, training and
development, employee relations (contracts of employment,
complaints, employee rights), appraisals, and health and safety.
Whilst there are several specialist roles in HR, including employer
branding, HR business partner, and change management.
Some of the major reasons why people choose a career in HR – or
personnel as it’s sometimes referred – is the opportunity to influence
innumerable aspects of the organisation, to assist in the
development of its employees, and to play a part in influencing
strategic business decisions.
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At one end of the scale are HR Administrators and at the other sites
the HR Director, with a number of varying roles in between. Here are
a few examples of jobs from across the HR spectrum:
HR Administrator: an entry level position and acts as the first point of
contact for all HR-related queries and handling all personnel-related
paperwork and documentation, such as employment contracts
HR Officer: responsibilities cover a wide range of duties, including
recruitment, payroll, training, induction, disciplinary and grievance
procedures, redundancy settlements, equal opportunities and
establishing staff support systems
HR Manager: a strategic role involving a range of policies, processes
and practices relating to the overall business needs of the
organisation. Involved with all of the functions mentioned above in
addition to employee welfare, salary reviews, and employment law
Training Officer: identifies the training requirements among
employees within the organisation and then designing and running
appropriate training programmes for individuals or groups. In other
words, helping people do their jobs better.
Starting salaries are largely dependent on the size of the
organisation and the location but, the typical starting salary ranges
from £21,000 for a HR Administrator to anywhere between £35,000
and £80,000 for senior roles.
Normally you will work the standard 35-40 hour week, although you
may be expected to work a little longer at busy times, such as during
the key graduate recruitment intake. Most of the time you will be
based in the office except for when you may be called upon to visit
an employee on long-term sick, for example, or attend a training
course.

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What are the common


HR career paths?
The role of a HR professional can vary depending on the
size of the organisation and is influenced by how much
importance the organisation places on its HR function. For
instance, if you work for a large company it is likely that you
will specialise in certain elements of the job such as
recruitment or staff training, whereas if you work for a
smaller employer you will invariably have a wider range
responsibility covering many different areas of HR.
HR is mostly a graduate profession, unless you can demonstrate
relevant experience dealing with HR procedures or come from a
related field such as recruitment or employee relations. However, it
is possible to get into the sector without a degree although it should
be noted that this is a competitive industry and the more tools you
have in your armoury the better.
Depending upon whether you have a degree or not, you may start
your HR career as a HR Administrator or HR Officer.

Further Reading
- How can I choose the right company?
- What are my transferrable skills?
- Should I work part-time, temporary or permanent?

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Taking the HR Administrator path is one of the most popular routes


of entry into this sector for non-graduates and it is here that you will
gain an insight into the functions of the HR department and an
understanding of the role HR plays in the organisation overall. From
here your career will naturally progress into a HR Assistant role
where your responsibilities will increase and you will be expected to
play a greater part in recruitment, training or disciplinary procedures
At this stage, your career will follow the same path as a graduate
who enters the sector as a HR Officer. As a HR Officer you will be
expected to undertake professional study accredited by the
Chartered institute of Personnel & Development (CIPD). This will
help you to progress to the next step as a HR Advisor before
becoming a HR Manager and eventually HR Director.
But it’s not just your industry knowledge or professional qualifications
that will help your career to develop, your skills and attributes are
equally important. Your interpersonal and organisational skills
combined with your ability for diplomacy and persuasion are vital
ingredients that employers favour in their HR employees.
All types of organisations recruit HR professionals, from multi-
national corporations employing thousands of workers to smaller
organisations with fewer than 250 staff (SMEs). Each type has its
advantages and disadvantages and it is up to you to decide which
environment is right for you.

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Where can I find out about


HR employers?
Statistically speaking you are unlikely to stay with your first
employer for the duration of your career but you still need to
make sure that you choose the type of company that is right
for you in the here and now and can help you in these early
stages of your HR career. So how do you find out about
these employers?
Large recruiters who run graduate training programmes will typically
shy away from advertising their vacancies. So that means that you
will need to do some research of your own. And one of the first
places you should look is your university careers service where there
are a number of graduate-specific publications that profile most of
the major recruiters.

Tap into your key contacts who may be able to help you in your
search. For instance, ask your former university or college tutors,
many of whom may have worked in the HR industry or may know
people working in the field that they can refer you to. And don’t
forget the contacts you made where you did your work placement as
part of your degree.

Without these ready-made contacts, non-graduates will need to take


a more proactive approach. Ask friends and family if they know of
anyone who works in HR who they can introduce you to and when
you finally make contact, ask them questions about how they started

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Breaking into the HR Industry

out: What constructive advice and tips they can give? More
importantly, are there any jobs going where they work?

Recruitment fairs are another good source of information and are


typically manned by representatives and recent graduates from an
organisation’s HR department who can give you the heads-up about
the organisation’s culture, their expectations and what it is really like
to do the job on a day-to-day basis – they may even be privy to
current unadvertised vacancies.

Once you have identified a select list of companies that you fancy,
research them. Look at their website to see what they expect of their
staff and the opportunities available. And type their name into search
engines to see what is being written about them.

There are a significant number of trade publications that will cover


the organisations making waves in the HR industry and will keep you
updated on the latest developments affecting the sector.

Finally, the Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development (CIPD)


is the HR industry’s leading professional body and can provide more
information regarding different career paths and employers.

Industry Associations
There are many associations in the UK covering almost every
job role and sector. To find out if there are any relevant for your
occupation, take a look at:

- Wikipedia: British Professional Bodies


- Trade Associations and regulatory Bodies
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What qualifications are


important in HR?
So far we have looked at the reasons why you may want a
career in HR, what paths are open to you, and the type of
organisation that you would ideally like to work for. Now you
need to make sure that you have the right qualifications for
the job you want right now and those that are needed for the
next position after that and beyond - if you have ambitious
plans to continue climbing the career ladder.
Depending on the individual requirements of the organisation, some
entry level positions, such as a HR Officer or HR Administrator, may
only ask for four or five GCSEs as the minimum entry requirements,
providing you have previous experience in an administrative role.
However, most HR Officer’s and Administrator’s will have a Higher
National Certificate or Higher National Diploma (HNC/HND) or a
university degree.
With increasing competition for positions, you will find that the
majority of HR roles will expect you to hold a degree (2:1 or above)
in any discipline, although a graduate in human resource
management, psychology, or a business-related subject will be
considered an advantage – but not a prerequisite.
For many employers, accredited professional qualifications from the
Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development (CIPD) are a must
for anyone who is serious about moving their career forward into a

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HR Advisor, HR Manager or HR Director role. These qualifications


signify that you are up to date with developments in HR and that you
are committed to best practice as a HR professional.
From the Certificate in Personnel Practice (CPP) or CIPD accredited
NVQs to the Post Graduate Diploma in HR or MSc/MA in HR, there
are a range of professional courses that you can undertake
regardless of whether you are just starting out in your HR career or
have a number of years under your belt and pushing for promotion.
All of these courses can be studied part-time, full-time, or via
distance learning and can fit around your existing commitments.
Previous work experience in any commercial environment will give
you a good insight into how organisations operate.
Approach employers directly and volunteer for an unpaid work
placement by making speculative applications to companies with
large HR departments. And who knows, if you impress your boss
this could end up in a job offer.

Find Courses
- UCAS
- The Open University
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What skills are HR


employers looking for?
In the business world, companies that attract investors are
valued for their potential, not just what they are worth in the
here and now. Equally, you should value yourself in terms of
your potential worth to a new employer.
But employers need to see some evidence of this potential,
especially if you have never worked in the HR sector before. And
this means that you have to identify the key skills and qualities that
HR employers will be looking for when they are contemplating
making their potential investment in you.
The people who thrive and make a successful career in HR all have
a common set of skills that are highly regarded, both technical and
personal qualities, including:
• strong communication & interpersonal skills
• numerate
• good administrative and IT skills
• commercial awareness
• highly organised
• diplomatic and objective
• trustworthy and discreet

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• teamworking and supporting your colleagues


• patience, integrity and sensitivity but also assertive
• flexible and adaptable
• good at building relationships and able to influence others

If you can demonstrate that you have most if not all of these key
skills, you are half way to getting your foot in the door to your new
career.
And if you lack some of them, then make it your mission to acquire
them as soon as you can so that you can boost your chances of
being taken on.
Remember, some of these skills you will have gained through non-
work related activities, so don’t get hung up in the fact that you
haven’t had the opportunity to use them in a work situation – you are
selling your ‘potential worth’ not your current value!
As you gain more experience you will invariably take on additional
responsibilities which will further develop your skill set. For example,
as a HR Advisor you will learn how to manage staff, project manage,
and advising senior managers on strategic matters. Whereas as a
HR Manager, your skills will be further enhanced to include
budgeting skills and the ability to interpret and explain current
employment legislation, among others.

Further Reading
- What are my transferrable skills?
- How can I improve my skills on my own initiative?
- Should I become a specialist or a generalist?
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What makes a
good HR CV?
There is something a little ironic about applying for a job in
Human Resources. After all, when you are eventually hired it
will be you who is sat on the other side of the fence. But for
now you are the applicant and you need to make sure that
your CV distinguishes you from all others applying for the
same job.
The key to writing a strong CV is to show an employer that you can
do what you claim you can do. Most people fall into the trap of
simply listing all their skills on their CV, but that’s not going to make
your application stand out from the crowd.
Think of the first page of your CV as an A4 poster that offers at least
half a dozen key pieces of evidence that match you to the job and
the ‘essential requirements’ stated in the job description, which can
be found in the advert itself or by obtaining a copy of the full job spec
from the HR department.
Then you need to show how you have used these skills in a practical
setting – whether you have work experience or not. For instance,
substitute ‘Strong communication skills’ for:

‘ Further Reading
- How can I tailor my CV to an audience?
- What are my unique selling points?
- What are the classic CV mistakes to avoid?

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As President of the university football team I effectively


communicated the objectives of the club to all players, committee
members, and university officials’.
Similarly, instead of ‘Excellent IT skills’, change this to:
‘Proficient using various Microsoft Windows packages, including
Excel, Powerpoint and Word, with a proven ability to learn new
software packages quickly’.
By showing how you have used your skills you are providing an
employer with insight into your potential. And although the
connection between being President of your football team and your
potential suitability to the HR job in question may not seem like an
obvious connection, knowing that an important part of a HR
professional’s job is to be aware of- and effectively communicating-
the organisations’ objectives, it soon becomes clear.
Finally, consider who will be reading your application. Avoid using
abbreviations, technical jargon or job titles that may be confusing to
someone reading your CV who has little or no knowledge of the
sector you are coming from.

Remember that CVs are often read at great speed so make sure it is
clear and concise for the reader.

Free CV Templates
We’ve put together a range of free CV templates that will help
you start your document off in the right way.
Find and download them for free now.
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What does the job interview


process consist of?
Understanding what format your interview will take is vitally
important so that you can prepare properly and anticipate
what will be thrown at you. After all, you wouldn’t approach
your bank to ask for a loan with the attitude of ‘I’ll just turn up
and see what happens’ would you?
For large employers who run graduate training programmes you can
expect to take part in an assessment centre where you will be
surrounded by all the other candidates who have been short-listed
for the same job.
Lasting anywhere between a few hours to an entire day, the agenda
not only includes an interview but also the opportunity for you to
demonstrate your potential, skills and attributes by undertaking a
series of tasks, such as group exercises, presentations, competency
or personality tests.
This will normally be held at the company’s head office or in a
dedicated training centre.

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Smaller companies, however, tend to take the traditional two-stage


interview approach. The first will normally be run by the department
head or line manager, and the second could involve a panel of two
or more people, but rarely more than four interviewers – usually
made up of a line manager, senior manager, and someone from HR.
Your interviewer(s) will be looking for evidence of your skills and how
you can relate them to the requirements of the job. They might say
‘You claim you have skill X. Tell me when you have used this skill
successfully.’ Or, ‘How would you apply your ability to do Y in the
following scenario?’
And anticipate the ‘strengths and weaknesses’ questions that
inevitably be asked. The aim is not to trip you up but to find out how
you cope under pressure. Interviewers will want to find out about
how you have overcome challenges in the past, how you coped and
what lessons you learned from your experience. So prepare some
ready-made examples so that you are not caught off-guard.
And don’t forget to find out as much as you can about the company
itself and expect to be tested on this and your wider industry
knowledge. If you understand what they are looking for and you can
provide evidence of past achievement, then the interview soon
develops into more of a negotiation.
Once you receive the job offer, make sure that what you are being
offered is in line with your expectations and that the company is the
kind of place that you will be happy working in.

Further Reading
- How do I make a good first impression?
- What should I wear to my job interview?
- How can I calm my job interview nerves?
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What career goals should


I set myself?
Getting a job in the HR sector is a significant achievement in
itself with competition for places steadily intensifying in line
with the higher value being placed on the contribution that
HR makes to the overall success of an organisation. So now
that you have stepped onto the first rung of the HR ladder,
where can you go from here?
In most cases your first experience within the industry will be
working alongside a HR Adviser or HR Manager where you will play
a part in most aspects of the HR function, whilst attending various
courses to help develop your knowledge of the sector.
Graduate training programmes offer the opportunity for fast-track
career development, where you will enter the sector as a HR Officer
before progressing quickly through the ranks as an Adviser before
becoming a Manager.
The progression into management for non-graduates may take a
little longer but is still achievable after a couple of years working as a
HR Assistant and gaining promotion to HR Officer. Indeed, this is a
sector where movement between employers is commonplace and
often necessary for career progression.

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But regardless of which route of entry you take, you must be


prepared to undertake further study accredited by the Chartered
Institute of Personnel & Development if you have aspirations of
reaching the top of the HR profession.
However, what happens if your job doesn’t turn out to be what you
expected, does that mean that HR is the wrong industry for you? Not
necessarily.
Perhaps you work in a large department and your specific job remit
is focused on learning, training and development but your interests
lie in the recruitment and selection side of HR? This doesn’t mean
that HR isn’t right for you; it just means that your particular role
doesn’t match your interests.
Conversely, suppose your department is small and you are involved
in all aspects of the job, would you prefer to specialise in one key
area such as equal opportunities or Health & Safety, for example?
And that’s one of the great things about the HR industry – the variety
of roles and opportunities to specialise that are available. All you
have to do is figure out which one is right for you.

What Next?

If you’re still looking for advice on finding the right job, creating a
great CV or tips on job interview, career-advice.monster.co.uk
contains everything you ever wanted to know, and more!

If you’re ready to apply for jobs, upload you CV to Monster and


then take a look through the latest roles.
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They say that the grass isn’t greener on the other side, but
often it is. Our series of eBooks brings together expert advice
to help you secure the job you want and build a successful
career.

For more career tools, visit career-advice.monster.co.uk.

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