Searching for the best way into HR...

SideWinder

SideWinder

SideWinder

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Following on from my CV thread, my aim is to try and get a low end HR job so i can gain some experience. After doing a bit of research, this popped up...

http://www.cipd.co.uk/mandq/routes/educate/

Is it honestly worth going for a course like this or leaving it until i finish University?

Anyone going into HR or is already working in this sector who can offer a bit of advice? :)
 
Load of my mates work in HR. the ones that want to progress are/have done some uni thing. 1 year full time 2 years part time.

Other than that no idea.
 
To gain an entry level HR job will not require you to do any courses usually. You should manage to get an HR admin role fairly easily. The next step would be HR assistant positions, which usually want you to be in the process of getting CIPD certifed. CIPD can be done in conjunction with a masters degree (one year) or on its own (9 months or so).

As a graduate as long as you are from a decent uni etc then there are numerous HR grad schemes. Your best bet is to get into HR in banking, where the money is best and the HR investment is high.

Be prepared for HR to be in reality a low priority especially compared to direct revenue generating areas.

As a HRA in a bank you can secure 25k fairly easily; a career in HR can be decent money - but only to a point/ glass ceiling. Many move into consulting providing the opportunity exists.
 
Peño said:
http://www.prospects.ac.uk/cms/Show...f_Job/p!eipaL?state=showocc&idno=402&pageno=6
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Thanks. :)

AcidHell2 said:
Load of my mates work in HR. the ones that want to progress are/have done some uni thing. 1 year full time 2 years part time.

Other than that no idea.
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If it's possible, could you ask them a few questions about how they got the job and any advice? :o

freshy said:
To gain an entry level HR job will not require you to do any courses usually. You should manage to get an HR admin role fairly easily. The next step would be HR assistant positions, which usually want you to be in the process of getting CIPD certifed. CIPD can be done in conjunction with a masters degree (one year) or on its own (9 months or so).

As a graduate as long as you are from a decent uni etc then there are numerous HR grad schemes. Your best bet is to get into HR in banking, where the money is best and the HR investment is high.

Be prepared for HR to be in reality a low priority especially compared to direct revenue generating areas.

As a HRA in a bank you can secure 25k fairly easily; a career in HR can be decent money - but only to a point/ glass ceiling. Many move into consulting providing the opportunity exists.
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Very useful, thankyou. I'm interested in the part where you mentioned a CIPD could be done in conjunction with a masters degree...can you elaborate?

jmhduck said:
Erm be a fit blonde :O.

edit:soz for that couldn't resist.
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I'm hot.
 
You need a true god like complex to get far in it and maybe some horns too.

Oh no wait, thats if you wanted to be an IT engineer :p
 
Develop a deep sense of self worth, be good at being completely inept, be a complete ********.

These are the only qualifications a person needs.
 
The other half is in HR. She used to work in a shop which is a high street retail chain and applied to work in head office as an HR assistant as they advertise jobs internally first.

She started as an HR assistant, her employers sent her to do her CIPD and Masters at Westminster Uni as its supposed to be centre of excellence for HR. She then went on to become an HR advisor, then as a stand in HR manager for her boss as she was on maternity. Her boss never came back so she became HR manager, couple years later she became regional HR manager looking after the flagship stores. The HR director left due to the sale of the company and the other half is now head of HR.

So the start point is as freshey says is as an HR assistant which doesnt really need any HR type qualifications but a lot of places will demand CIPD qualifications for senior roles.

As a side note, the HR director was on £80k plus benefits before she left so the money in HR is pretty good. The missus made head of HR in 8 years so if you're good then progress seems to be very good aswell.
 
SideWinder said:
Elaborate on how you got into HR please! :cool:
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Kicked out of my private school 6th form for low grades, then kicked out of a rubbish college for never going (I had to retake the year and I learnt everything the year before...). Bummed about for a year and then the job centre forced me into my CCNA course. I got paid while taking a free CCNA but I was winging it through getting 100% in all of the round-up online exams. Couldn't be arsed with it so I went for a crappy office job with Reed agency. They said I was probably aiming too low and put my CV forward to my current employers. Had an interview, got the job. First job I actually applied for.

Been here for 4 years but I'm content just to chill out. I'm still young and living my my mum's house so I'm not exactly strapped for cash. There have been two managers, a support manager and three team leaders jobs been filled in this office and I didn't apply for any of them. My point is that I'm not exactly stuck in a dead-end job, but I just lack motivation to do anything. I work for TfL which is sort of a large organisation and they have a massive pool of jobs to chose from. Since I work in HR I can pretty much see them as they come up.

I would hardly call it a career. An office job is an office job is an office job. It's fine by me though and I do my part in helping OcUK staff keep their jobs ;)

I'm talking about Human Resources here. Unless I'm talking about the wrong HR, I don't see what the problem is here?
 
Bear said:
The other half is in HR. She used to work in a shop which is a high street retail chain and applied to work in head office as an HR assistant as they advertise jobs internally first.

She started as an HR assistant, her employers sent her to do her CIPD and Masters at Westminster Uni as its supposed to be centre of excellence for HR. She then went on to become an HR advisor, then as a stand in HR manager for her boss as she was on maternity. Her boss never came back so she became HR manager, couple years later she became regional HR manager looking after the flagship stores. The HR director left due to the sale of the company and the other half is now head of HR.

So the start point is as freshey says is as an HR assistant which doesnt really need any HR type qualifications but a lot of places will demand CIPD qualifications for senior roles.

As a side note, the HR director was on £80k plus benefits before she left so the money in HR is pretty good. The missus made head of HR in 8 years so if you're good then progress seems to be very good aswell.
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Just wow. How well educated is your other half to get so high so quickly? :) Also, which high street place did she work for you?

Clown said:
Kicked out of my private school 6th form for low grades, then kicked out of a rubbish college for never going (I had to retake the year and I learnt everything the year before...). Bummed about for a year and then the job centre forced me into my CCNA course. I got paid while taking a free CCNA but I was winging it through getting 100% in all of the round-up online exams. Couldn't be arsed with it so I went for a crappy office job with Reed agency. They said I was probably aiming too low and put my CV forward to my current employers. Had an interview, got the job. First job I actually applied for.

Been here for 4 years but I'm content just to chill out. I'm still young and living my my mum's house so I'm not exactly strapped for cash. There have been two managers, a support manager and three team leaders jobs been filled in this office and I didn't apply for any of them. My point is that I'm not exactly stuck in a dead-end job, but I just lack motivation to do anything. I work for TfL which is sort of a large organisation and they have a massive pool of jobs to chose from. Since I work in HR I can pretty much see them as they come up.

I would hardly call it a career. An office job is an office job is an office job. It's fine by me though and I do my part in helping OcUK staff keep their jobs ;)

I'm talking about Human Resources here. Unless I'm talking about the wrong HR, I don't see what the problem is here?
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Thanks for the insight, it is useful to see how people get into HR...my Mum has been saying it IS mostly women that are involved with HR...as a guy, how true is this?
 
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I'd think that's fairly accurate.

Maybe it's because they like to be portrayed as the more friendly gender and you need to have people skills, or maybe it's because other lads don't want to fall into this stereotype of being a girl. I didn't really think about it myself. I just wanted a job.

In my section there are about 12 people, 3 male. I guess this is a good thing in the summer, but you don't really think about stuff like that unless you want things to get really weird in the office.
 
SideWinder said:
Just wow. How well educated is your other half to get so high so quickly? :) Also, which high street place did she work for you?
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She had a degree in Sociology before she went into HR. She started working in Acessorise/Monsoon firstly at the stores whilst she was doing her degree, then as a manager of the store for a year when I was finishing my MEng, then she went onto HR. Im an engineer so have nothing to do with retail or HR.
 
At the NHS I'm classed as Central Functions > Human Resources > Project Support Officer/Teacher.
Qualifications = none
Experience = none
Right place right time.
When in the office I work with around 20 women.
 
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