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Transition from Payroll to HR
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Transition from Payroll to 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 have been working in the field of Payroll for 16 years (the past 6 at a large pharmaceutical company). Payroll, in this company, is part of HR Operations. I have recently earned an MBA in HR Managem
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Forums » Topic Forums » HR Career Forum » Transition from Payroll to HR
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Transition from Payroll to HR
posted at 11/1/2006 8:33 AM EDT
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Posts: 4
First: 11/1/2006 Last: 12/12/2006 |
I have been working in the field of Payroll for 16 years (the past 6 at a large pharmaceutical company). Payroll, in this company, is part of HR Operations. I have recently earned an MBA in HR Management and am looking to enter the field, preferably at my current place of employment. Luckily, my employer offers an HR Management Associate Program with the objective of developing HR professionals that have the potential to become future leaders. I would love to enter this program. Although MBA candidates are normally recruited from college campuses, I have managed to secure a phone interview for this Friday. I need to prepare for the interview and submit a resume by tomorrow. I need help repositioning my payroll experience to look relevant to the HR interviewer. I assume I need to highlight my business experience to stand out among the young colleague grads that have not yet entered the workforce. What else should I highlight? I'm having trouble with the "first" and "second" lines of my summary. |
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Transition from Payroll to HR
posted at 11/1/2006 12:43 PM EDT
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Posts: 3870
First: 2/12/2002 Last: 11/2/2009 |
I think you just need to be honest. Chances are that the interviewer knows what Payroll does and how it fits in with the rest of the business. You run a very real risk of coming across like you're blowing smoke at the interviewer if you try to put too much of an HR spin on it.
No one expects you to have HR knowledge beyond what you have had in your college courses. Rather, highlight what your accomplishments have been in Payroll, preferably along the lines of: identified a problem, developed a solution, sold it to management, and implemented it with XXX results. That kind of experience is very transferrable across business disciplines, and I'll bet you that's what they'll be looking for. |
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Transition from Payroll to HR
posted at 11/2/2006 3:01 AM EDT
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Posts: 38
First: 9/29/2006 Last: 3/10/2008 |
I agree. Highlight your payroll-related accomplishments as well as coursework-related accomplishments. Your resume summary (based on the little I know about you) could read:
(line 1) 16 years of HR Operations experience (payroll) (line 2) is coupled with an MBA in HR Management To uncover your accomplishments, the basic Seven Stories Exercise is this: Brainstorm 20 accomplishments you enjoyed doing and also did well. ("There was the time when I ... ") Select the top 7 -- the ones you enjoyed the most and did the best. Rank them 1 through 7. Be able to talk about the most important relevant ones. You should find that the subject matter, payroll, is less relevant than, for example, the tiem you did an amazing analysis, or the tiem you were able to convince others to move a project along. Theres probably no reason to emphasize payroll, payroll, payroll. Your accomplishments are more transferable than that. Hints for a phone interview: Sit at a desk or table, clear the area, and spread in front of you your resume, a list of accomplishments, a list of questions you can ask, research on their program, and a blank pad of paper and pen. Take brief notes, especially of their concerns, so you can refer back to what the interviewer said and also so you can address those concerns in a follow-up letter. Ask them, "What would you like most from a new hire?" and/or "What has your experience been and what would you like new hires to do differently?" Find out their fears, their hopes, and what you can do to make them proud of their next hire. Having that information, you can address those issues during your follow-up letter. Your goal with the follow-up letter is to get an in-person meeting. Do your preparation and your panic will dissipate as you say to yourself, No one could be better prepared than I'm going to be. Let us know how it went!! Good luck, Kate Wendleton, President The Five O'Clock Club, a national career coaching and outplacement firm www.fiveoclockclub.com |
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Transition from Payroll to HR
posted at 11/8/2006 6:33 AM EST
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Posts: 4
First: 11/1/2006 Last: 12/12/2006 |
Well, I took your advice and managed to secure a second, in-person interview for Monday, 11/13. HR was impressed with my skills, but did note that I did not have any direct HR experience. Thank you for the tips and I welcome any other advice. |
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Transition from Payroll to HR
posted at 11/9/2006 12:25 AM EST
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Posts: 38
First: 9/29/2006 Last: 3/10/2008 |
Congratulations onsecuring your second interview. Your goal during that interview will NOT be to get an offer I know thats counterintuitive. Your goal is to stay in the race. You do that by getting information from EACH PERSON about his or her issues and concerns, and finding out who your competitors are and how you stack up against them. Passive job hunters just sit there answering questions as if they were on a TV quiz show. Active job hunters pay attention to the issues so they can INFLUENCE the hiring team later.
For example, you had mentioned earlier that you needed to stand out among the young college grads who have not yet entered the workforce. Are they your actual competitors? You need to know that or you are unlikely to do a good job when you follow up after the interview. You will write a mini-proposal not a silly thank you for your time note to EACH person with whom you met, addressing (1) each persons issues, (2) the positives about you, (3) each persons objections to you, (4) your feelings about the job, and (5) the next steps. For example, the previous interviewer mentioned that you did not have any direct HR experience. Do you agree with that statement or do you have experiences and accomplishments that prove otherwise regardless of the formal area in which you worked? If you believe you actually do have some HR experience, prove it. (Its not enough to simply handle it verbally at the interview. Thats not strong enough. Put it in writing afterwards.) If your competitors are all young and inexperienced, this objection is easy. They dont have HR experience either, so thats no longer an issue. But unlike them, you know the company and its systems. Mention that in your follow-up and also say, I hope you are interested in hiring someone with stability and maturity and a base of experience in the company. I will email you a PDF on How to Turn Job Interviews Into Offers, which will go into this in more depth. (Readers who would like a copy should send an email to kate@fiveoclockclub.com, with the words Interviews into Offers in the subject line.) Good luck and let us know what happens. Regards, Kate Wendleton, President The Five O'Clock Club A national career coaching and outplacement organization www.fiveoclockclub.com |
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Transition from Payroll to HR
posted at 12/12/2006 3:01 AM EST
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Posts: 4
First: 11/1/2006 Last: 12/12/2006 |
I have finally received some news. Unfortunately, not good news. I've been told that "they have decided not to move forward with the interview process for this program." So, they say. I think they have decided I am not a good candidate. Why don't they just say so? How is an interviewee supposed to learn anything if we're given generic responses? Oh, well. I'll have a lot of practice soon. I found out last week that I have not survived the latest reorganization and that I will be leaving in early January. Anyone have any leads for a Payroll Specialist? Thank you again for all your suggestions and tips!
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Transition from Payroll to HR
posted at 12/12/2006 5:02 AM EST
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Posts: 38
First: 9/29/2006 Last: 3/10/2008 |
Dear Vanleth-
They may be telling the truth -- that they have decided not to move forward with the hiring process at this time. Our research shows that out of six to ten job possibilities, five will fall away through no fault of your own: they decide to hire no one; they hire someone who is very different from what they had expected; or they hire the friend of a big shot, for example. It's not your fault. Therefore, Five O'Clock Club job hunters are expected to have six to ten job possibilities in the works at any one time. I know that's a lot, but that's what we expect for best results. This measn that a job hunter does not turn down a job that seems inappropriate until he or she has other possibilities going. It means that a Five O'Clock Club job hunter does not go after one job at a time, hoping it will pan out. The discouragement that follows makes it difficult to get started again. It also means that a job hunter cannot rely just on search firms and ads, but must also consider contacting companies directly and -- of course -- networking. For more information about this proven technique, just go to the "How to Find a Job" section of www.fiveoclockclub.com. Be sure to look at the FREE mini-course at the bottom of the page. It should prove to be a real eye opener. Finally, don't forget to post your resume on the Workforce "Post Your Resume" section. You never know what will work. Good luck and keep up posted. Kate Wendleton, President The Five O'Clock Club A national career coaching and outplacement organization |
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