Related Posts
Who’s hiring in San Fran?
Pro
More Posts
Pro
Additional Posts in Human Resources
Rising Star
New to Fishbowl?
Download the Fishbowl app to
unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.
unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.
That was just a preview…
Sign Up to see all discussions
Sign Up to see all discussions
- Discover what it’s like to work at companies from real professionals
- Get candid advice from people in your field in a safe space
- Chat and network with other professionals in your field
Sign up in seconds to unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.
"" is an unusual email domain. If correct, please proceed to the next step
Messaging rates may apply
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
New to Fishbowl?
Download the Fishbowl app to unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.
Share
Embed this post
Copy and paste embed code on your site
Preview
Download the
Fishbowl app
Scan your QR code to download
Fishbowl app on your mobile
Sign up for free to view this conversation on Fishbowl
Sign up for free to continue using Fishbowl
Messaging rates may apply
I started out as an HR Coordinator and in 5.5 years made it to Director level. My advice would be to target smaller companies that are fast-paced and lean with a lot of exposure to the executive team. Also, it may be beneficial to keep your experience general and avoid specializing in one certain area of HR, unless there is one that you really like (like talent acq., etc.)
I second this! Smaller companies give you a lot more experience and responsibilities a lot faster. General experience is good to start (coordinator, generalist) unless you already know how you want to specialize. It’s easier to go from full-spectrum to specialized than it is to go from specialized to full-spectrum
I started off as a recruiter
i just took any offer and got my foot in the door
Start off as anything in HR. It’s all about how you tailor your resume. It doesn’t always have to be at the bottom. What kind of coaching did you do. Account management- translate that to HR responsibilities. Client experience- pull skills from there that would translate to HR.
I started as HR Coordinator, an hourly administrative role that exposed me to basic HR operational functions. Moved into an HR Rep. role the next year and then up the exempt ladder in Generalist and Management roles.
Like HRC 1 says below, try and tailor your resume, and hopefully interview, to highlight those experiences you’ve had that are people oriented, which has basically been all of your experience thus far. You can learn the day to day HR stuff on the job in an admin role and gain experience as you progress, but it looks like you’ve already nailed the hardest part, relating to people!
I’ll echo a few of the comments. My general recommendation would be to become a recruiter in the industry that you came from- whether internally or at a staffing agency. From there, it will be easier to transition to other HR positions. Director of Talent / Recruiting is a path to HR leadership.
I also agree that you should tailor your resume to the position, so that you don’t need to start at the bottom.
Chief People Officer in 5 years is aspirational, but possibly attainable at a smaller company.
To echo what people above have said, I think the easiest way to do this would be as a recruiter. Generally smaller companies (SMBs of 25-250) will allow for more opps. I would look into the industry you are trying to target and go from there.
Personally I know that the smaller accounting and consulting firms are looking for internal recruiters right now, so that may one option to look into.
Try starting in an entry level role in a small or start up business. In these types of businesses you tend to always have to pick up more and get great exposure to many things. It may be attractive for the CV to swing for a ‘big name’ but early in your career it’s actually most important to gain the exposure and experience rather than the name.
I wanted to get into recruiting. No one gave me a shot