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Transitioning into HR
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Transitioning into HR
Discuss your job search, the interviewing process, creating the right resume, how the HR profession's changes require new job-search approaches and related topics.
I am a seasoned professional with 16 years of professional experience: supervision, fiscal management, etc. For the past 8/9 years, hr generalist duties have been a MAJOR part of my responsibilites. I
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Transitioning into HR
posted at 10/24/2006 2:51 AM EDT
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Posts: 4
First: 10/24/2006 Last: 11/4/2006 |
I am a seasoned professional with 16 years of professional experience: supervision, fiscal management, etc. For the past 8/9 years, hr generalist duties have been a MAJOR part of my responsibilites. I am wanting to move solely into HR. Although I possess a MSA/PA, I am pursuing a graduate certificate in HR Management. I want to learn different functional areas other than training. HELP!!! I need advise on the best way to move into this field.
Thanks, Marlo Thomas Watson |
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Transitioning into HR
posted at 10/25/2006 2:54 AM EDT
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Posts: 38
First: 9/29/2006 Last: 3/10/2008 |
Dear Marlo-
If your pitch the way you position yourself is wrong, everything else about your search is wrong. George had been trying for a year to get into HR, but he had been positioning himself incorrectly. He told prospective employers that he was an attorney trying to get into human resources when in fact his most recent job had been 90 percent human resources! He needed to position himself as a human resources manager who also had a legal background. After 8 weeks with his new positioning statement, George ended up with a terrific job in a small to mid-sized company as head of human resources -- and also as senior legal counsel -- and on the board of this small company. He landed the job of his dreams. How about the following as a pitch for you? The top of your resume (under your name, address, phone and email), centered and bolded would read: (line 1) 9 years of HR Generalist experience (line 2) is coupled with MSA/PA and strong fiscal management responsibility This is the start of the summary portion of your resume. Those two lines would be followed by bulleted accomplishments that highlight your HR experience. The top of your resume is the WRITTEN positioning on yourself. The Two-Minute Pitch is the VERBAL positioning of yourself, and they must correspond. In an interview, when an employer says, So, tell me about yourself, you could start out with a verbal version of your written pitch: I have 9 years of HR generalist experience, etc. One final point: Because your education focuses on public sector management, you may want to focus first on employers who would value that training. I will send you an email containing more information on the Two-Minute Pitch. Any reader who would like a copy should send an email to kate@fiveoclockclub.com, with "Two-Minute Pitch" in the subject line. Good luck, Kate Wendleton President, The Five OClock Club National career coaching and outplacement organization www.FiveOClockClub.com |
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Transitioning into HR
posted at 10/31/2006 2:41 AM EDT
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Posts: 17
First: 9/27/2005 Last: 7/10/2011 |
It sounds like you're already doing the sort of HR work you want, so your target as the first responder suggests needs to be very clear and focused on just that. Then networking and search techniques will get you into it. To add my two cents, I see HR as a variety of specialities and getting drawn into any one of them can be limiting. The most general skill is problem-solving. I spent most of my career thinking of myself as a trouble-shooter. I started in Labor Relations, never really learned to recruit really well (which tends to be a distinct trap for many people who do nothing but that) and learned the other pieces as I went, mostly from people who reported to me who were experts in the various pieces: health/safety, compensation, benefits, training, etc. I'd take the view that they were the experts and my only contribution was to ask good questions and give approval to what logically seemed the best solution to whatever problem we were facing. Most appreciated that. It's a good way to lead. And I also learned by watching, what and how they did it. Now on my own I can set up a comp plan, do job evalutatino, design a performance appraisal... because I learned form the best. My LR skills of trouble-shooting hot situations gave me the upper end management skills to lead a team and I more or less stepped over the speciality jobs into the top roles. I'm not saying that's the only or the best way, just that it's possible. Don't settle for a junior role to learn if you have the trouble-shooting skills to aim higher. With nine years of practical experience, you seem to have thoes skills. You can learn the rest from consultants and staff on specific projects. We're never "up to date" on the details anyway and have to learn constantly (and quickly) to succeed. |
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Transitioning into HR
posted at 10/31/2006 7:25 AM EDT
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Posts: 8
First: 8/1/2006 Last: 3/6/2008 |
As a recruiter, I often recommend job seekers to emphasize the particular skills that are essential to the job they seek. As an example, the below skills are frequently, if not daily, utilized by HR professionals.
* the ability to articulate details or attention to details * effective communication skills through writing and public speaking * critical thinking and problem solving skills * analytical skills * ability to work in a cultually diverse enviornment * ability to adopt, change, coach, listen, and lead If you have these skills, your future in HR will be very bright. Lisa |
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Transitioning into HR
posted at 10/31/2006 9:47 AM EDT
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Posts: 4
First: 10/24/2006 Last: 11/4/2006 |
I am thankful for the information that you all have provided me. I have pasted my resume into this text to get all of the critical pointers that I can.
Thanks, Marlo Objective To obtain a professional human resource management position, which will utilize my professional and educational experience to foster positive change within the organization and community Summary of Qualifications Contract/Grants Management-6 years Supervision, Community Development, and Program Management-16 years Human Resource Generalist and Fiscal Management-11 years Education Keller Graduate School of Management, Graduate Certificate HRM, currently enrolled Central Michigan University, MSA/ Public Administration Covenant College, BS, Organizational Management Accomplishments Northeast Kingdom Learning Services, August, 2004-August, 2006 Director of Adult and Workforce Education Managed subcontract for adult education and literacy programs under a statewide system Serve on state teams to monitor the outcomes of the sub-contract for the Northeast Kingdom; Oversight for all aspects of sub-contract: budgetary, evaluation, outcomes, process, purchase requisitions approvals, goals, reports, and amendments; Community Relations: managed relationships with government, state, legislature, and community members to provide on-going advocacy for adult education; Human Resource Generalist: employee relations, staff development, performance evaluations, grievances, and team building Provided leadership/supervision for all adult education instructors and management (2 management, 3 coordinators, and 10.2 instructional) Reason for leaving: Unstable housing in Vermont; returned South The Walker County Connection, LaFayette, GA July 2000 August 2004 Executive Director Managed federal grants and contracts (7 major contracts and 2 sub-contracts Managed annual operating plan for 30 (+) agency community collaborative Developed/organized policies and procedures, Developed accounting codes and departmentalized budgets Employee relations, human resource management, strategic planning, hiring/benefits, employee evaluations, organizational development Supervised management and certificated personnel (9), Hosted local television show educating community on economic development barriers Reason for leaving: Relocation to Vermont for husbands work Certifications Certified True Colors Personality Type Facilitator Executive Leadership (Center for Non-Profits) and Board Development Advanced Facilitation and Basic Mediation Senior Grants Management and Grantsmanship Center Certificate Memberships and Professional Associations Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) NA Society of Human Resource Management (NASHRM) Commission of Adult Basic Education (COABE) National College Transition Network (NCTN) Non-Profit Resource Center of Alabama (NRCA) |
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Transitioning into HR
posted at 11/1/2006 4:14 AM EDT
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Posts: 38
First: 9/29/2006 Last: 3/10/2008 |
1. In your Summary of Qualifications, list your HR experience first. Right now it says:
Contract/Grants Management-6 years Supervision, Community Development, and Program Management-16 years Human Resource Generalist and Fiscal Management-11 years 2. Priortize your list of certifications, listing first those that would be of MOST interest to HR managers. Your list has HR-related involvement interspersed with others that would be of little interest to HR. 3. Prioritize your list of accomplishments within each job, listing first those that would be of interest to HR. Do not list first those tasks you happened to spend most time on -- unless they are HR-related tasks. 4. Turn your statements into accomplishments. For example, one says: " Employee relations, human resource management, strategic planning, hiring/benefits, employee evaluations, organizational development." The question is, What specifically did you do? Did you manage those areas? (Then say, "Managed employee relations, etc.) For how many people? What impact did you have? Good luck, Kate Wendleton President, The Five O'Clock Club A national career coaching and outplacement organization. www.fiveoclockclub.com |
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Transitioning into HR
posted at 11/4/2006 3:04 PM EDT
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Posts: 4
First: 10/24/2006 Last: 11/4/2006 |
Kate, this is totally invaluable information. Your recommendations bring my resume to life and provide more clarity. I always thought that you do not give 'too' much information and I have not given specific enough information. So again, I say thanks! |
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