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What type of degree? If you have one in HR or with an emphasis, you will have an easier time possibly getting a company to take a chance on someone who is brand new to the field. If you have a degree in another field, you will need to work your way up. Starting in a recruiting role is a good place....
What type of degree? If you have one in HR or with an emphasis, you will have an easier time possibly getting a company to take a chance on someone who is brand new to the field. If you have a degree in another field, you will need to work your way up. Starting in a recruiting role is a good place....
I'm currently pursuing my degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Leadership and Human Resources Management. Would it be better to begin internships now or should I wait till I graduate?
A lot of what goes on in Human Resources is simple number crunching and paper pushing. The more advanced stuff involves dealing with personnel issues as they pop up, some hiring and firing, legal compliance, and a variety of one-off studies (compensation, for instance).
I have seen people go into the Human Resource function from very low level positions (receptionist) and they have done fine. I have also hired out of HR into line positions, and those people were great workers.
No, you don't need HR experience to get hired in there, but it certainly helps. Do the Internship. Be literate, excel capable, have some knowledge of how to work with numbers, and a broad understanding of the HR functions and you will have as good a shot as the next person. Too much experience/qualifications and you will be bored in the entry level activities in HR. It isn't where rocket science was born, and most functional departments find them to be a serious PIA, but tolerated--like lawyers: you don't need them until you do.
I also agree with the intern advice. The field is pretty impacted. I am in HR, but I do the compliance stuff which no one wants to deal with and little of the benefits, payroll, etc. (I am the person who writes the handbook, but rarely the person who has to fire an employee for breaking a rule in it...at least this is how I describe my role)
1. Start interning now. Try to do more than one internship
2. Get a leadership position in some of your school's organizations
3. Start reviewing job posting weekly in the HR field to see what the common job titles are and the general qualifications needed. Get those qualifications.
4. Join some of the professional HR organizations like the Society for Human Resource Management. They have student memberships.
5. Go to meetup.com to see if there are any informal groups in your area for HR professionals. Attend the meet ups on a regular basis, network, get names and business cards, and try to find a mentor.
Last edited by charlygal; 11-14-2013 at 06:23 AM..
Will experience, even as an intern, make you much more marketable, your job search go quicker, and give you access to more jobs at higher salaries?
Yes, definitely.
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