HR career advice.

[Rachel _B]

I completed my degree in 2018 and still having no luck in getting a role in HR, everywhere is wanting experience. I had an idea to offer free HR help or advice to companies to gain more experience. Can anyone offer any advice or does my idea sound terrible

 

[Scalloway]

I would make sure that you take out Personal Indemnity Insurance (PII). Even if you are giving free advice someone may sue you if it doesn't work out.

https://www.hiscox.co.uk/business-insurance/professional-indemnity-insurance

 

[Onthebrightside]

Have you tried hotels for work experience? I don't know where you are but you if you are in London you might want to go for one of the big names like the Royal Garden Hotel in Kensington. My son was offered work experience there in the personnel department. Hotels have a rapid turnover of staff and all sorts going on inc. staff/room ratios etc., so it's good broad experience and a good hotel name on your CV could get your foot in the door of somewhere you really want go... just and idea

 

[Mr D]

May be worth offering your services to the charity sector - simply in the name of gaining experience.
Jobs at the moment - lots of experienced staff presumably applying for every post you are going for.

 

[Rachel _B]

May be worth offering your services to the charity sector - simply in the name of gaining experience.
Jobs at the moment - lots of experienced staff presumably applying for every post you are going for.

I have already been interviewed for a charity volunteer in my spare time but loads are off with the 6 weeks holiday and haven't heard back. I have to work full time for my morgage etc so its fitting free work around my hours.

I never expected to do this after uni - I have loads of admin experience but none for HR

 

[Mr D]

I have already been interviewed for a charity volunteer in my spare time but loads are off with the 6 weeks holiday and haven't heard back. I have to work full time for my morgage etc so its fitting free work around my hours.

I never expected to do this after uni - I have loads of admin experience but none for HR

And anyone willing to give you the experience risks losing you once you are experienced.

It's the fun element with any graduate. Getting experience when places want experienced.
My sister in law struggled 7 years ago after graduating so went working abroad on higher pay...

 

[Rebecca_J_T]

I don’t think free advice is ever a terrible idea - as Scalloway says though, sensible still to make sure you’re insured in case it comes back to bite you. Did you have ideas about to who you’d make that offer or how you’d find them?

It must be frustrating struggling to get started in what you want to do, so credit to you for being creative (and resilient!).

I wonder what kind of level job you’re looking at currently? Sorry if I’m teaching you to suck eggs, but my observation is that these days, a degree won’t necessarily allow you to enter work in a higher starting position than if you didn’t have one. I think what it can do, if you’re also smart and hard-working (and in the right organisation) is accelerate your progression through those first few roles.

Know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but have you considered HR in the health service? Definitely an industry not in downturn!

 

[Chris Ashdown]

It raises the question of how big a companies gets before it establishes a HR department, I have in the past worked for companies with well over 150 staff and no dedicated HR department everything handled by managers and accounts department

for the OP Unions may be worth trying as no doubt they have quite a number of HR specialists

 

[Rachel _B]

I don’t think free advice is ever a terrible idea - as Scalloway says though, sensible still to make sure you’re insured in case it comes back to bite you. Did you have ideas about to who you’d make that offer or how you’d find them?


It must be frustrating struggling to get started in what you want to do, so credit to you for being creative (and resilient!).

I wonder what kind of level job you’re looking at currently? Sorry if I’m teaching you to suck eggs, but my observation is that these days, a degree won’t necessarily allow you to enter work in a higher starting position than if you didn’t have one. I think what it can do, if you’re also smart and hard-working (and in the right organisation) is accelerate your progression through those first few roles.

Know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but have you considered HR in the health service? Definitely an industry not in downturn!

I'm looking at entry level jobs, but some of the assistant jobs you need at least 2years plus experience. I just want to build up my experience and go from there, at the moment I'm in a job which has nothing to do with HR or admin but with current situation with covid 19 it was the only job I could secure.

 

[Mr D]

I'm looking at entry level jobs, but some of the assistant jobs you need at least 2years plus experience. I just want to build up my experience and go from there, at the moment I'm in a job which has nothing to do with HR or admin but with current situation with covid 19 it was the only job I could secure.

Doing well to get and keep any job at the moment.

Good luck.

 

[Rebecca_J_T]

Sorry to hear this has been so tough, Rachel. As Mr D says, you're doing well to have and be holding onto a job in the current context.

As I say, I think free advice has a place. And what about work experience placements? Getting a foot through the door of those companies big enough to have an HR department with the right sort of roles is a massive milestone. If you can do that through the work experience route (although set yourself some boundaries as far as unpaid work experience goes), and prove yourself there, opportunities may open up.

Don't give up, and also don't count yourself out just because a job ad specifies a certain amount of experience. If you believe you can do the job, give yourself a shot, and if the employer counts you out on the basis of experience alone, that's lazy recruitment and probably not an employer you'll gain much from working with anyway.

 

[Amelie Graham]

You can find jobs on different platforms like reed, totaljobs, Apply4U, etc I think you gonna find one.

 

[MBE2017]

Keep positive, you have a job, things change very quickly in life.

I might get flack for saying this...... but I would never advise offering free work or advice, it takes away the value you have earnt by your hard work. If you do not expect to get paid, expect the wrong kind of company to find you, and use you.

I understand it might be tempting, but stick to your guns, you have studied hard, something will come along sooner or later. My daughter got the last teaching position in our area, and she appears to have fallen on her feet. She had started to doubt herself as well.

All I can say is you are living in the most extraordinary of times, this year will be in the history books for many reasons.