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Getting out of government
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Getting out of government
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 currently work in human resources for a local government. I want to eventually branch out and do consulting work. However, before doing so, I wanted to get some HR experience in private sector. I wa
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Forums » Topic Forums » HR Career Forum » Getting out of government
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Getting out of government
posted at 5/25/2009 2:16 PM EDT
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Posts: 1
First: 5/25/2009 Last: 5/25/2009 |
I currently work in human resources for a local government. I want to eventually branch out and do consulting work. However, before doing so, I wanted to get some HR experience in private sector. I was previously told to get my SPHR if I wanted to get into private sector (which I obtained in January of this year).
I have applied to a variety of places and was even interviewed a couple of times. However, the places I interviewed stated they needed someone with more experience in private sector. Help! What else can I do to demonstrate I am fully capable of handling HR management in private sector. Anyone have any advice? |
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Getting out of government
posted at 5/26/2009 8:40 AM EDT
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Posts: 2442
First: 2/12/2000 Last: 9/14/2011 |
You will have some tough selling ahead of you. You would have to be able to demonstrate that the issues and challenges that you faced and solved were the same as in the private sector.
The perception will be that the public sector has a much higer tolerance for "mediocrity" and is much slower to weed out incompetence. Further it will be assumed that the challenges were not as tough as those in the private sector. If you can develop your paperwork and your interview examples to demontrate that this is not accurate then you may have a shot. |
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Getting out of government
posted at 5/27/2009 4:12 AM EDT
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Posts: 237
First: 7/10/2007 Last: 8/31/2011 |
I know a number of HR professionals in this area who have jumped from public to private sector or visa-versa. Just as in changing from one industry to another, 85% of HR is the same and the other 15% may be different even within the same industry.
As Howard pointed out there are differences, and that will make it a tough sell in a candidate rich environment where employers can afford to be picky about job-specific experience. Id stress your experience in the basics (ER, staffing, compliance) and the areas the potential employer views as the most problematic. Good luck |
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Getting out of government
posted at 5/27/2009 5:21 AM EDT
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Posts: 3870
First: 2/12/2002 Last: 11/2/2009 |
To add another comment, you should target specific organizations which may be more closely aligned to HR practices in government. For example, large utilities, telephone companies, defense contractors would all have HR practices more close in nature to government than small private companies or, for want of a better term, progressive tech companies (ex Google or Apple). |
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Getting out of government
posted at 7/10/2009 4:31 AM EDT
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Posts: 42
First: 7/13/2005 Last: 8/5/2011 |
You have an uphill battle before you and I admire your desire to get out of government. If you can get some for-profit consulting under your belt, it will help; additional education will not. Perhaps you can find part-time consulting projects through Monster or Craigslist to bolster your resume, even if you do them on a volunteer basis. Several companies need contract recruiters or contractors to work on various benenfits projects. Sometimes the more corporate nonprofits, like American Red Cross, need help with projects, and that would look good on the resume. |
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