full image - Repost: Rant: Why I'm giving up on a (failed) HR career. (from Reddit.com, Rant: Why I'm giving up on a (failed) HR career.)
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It's made me feel better writing this and posting it somewhere. It's long so don't worry about reading it. My self-perceived failure has been weighing on me for years and finally now i'm saying no, it ain't me!Tl;DR: Incredibly difficult career to get into even at entry level, even with CIPD Level 7. Nowhere wants 'transferrable skills'. Most places don't even have the courtesy to respond to your application and after years of being told 'you were great, you just need someone to give you your break', the thought of the industry makes me sick.Full story: (for context, I'm based in Liverpool, UK - had to stay local-ish, couldn't relocate to London which was a lot of peoples' solution).I decided I wanted to get into HR probably in 2015. By this point I'd had 5 years' restaurant industry experience, 1 year in a supervisor position, and had just finished a fairly useless undergrad degree. I had been unsure what career path to take, and chatting with careers people made HR look perfect to me, a driven justice warrior with great people skills. Already having an undergrad and needing to work to fund living, a masters seemed the way to go. I first started applying for HR jobs too around that time and was not having much luck.I started a HR Management Masters in 2016 (part-time) with CIPD level 7 included, certain this would be what I needed to get through. I did well on the course, made friends and connections. There's no placements on a masters, no time for it, but I kept applying for jobs at the time and also emailed countless companies asking for voluntary experience. No dice.Came out of the degree in 2018 and threw my all into applications in my time outside of my job role (at this point working in a call-centre). I was applying for near 100 jobs a week. Completely rewriting and tailoring cover letters for at least a third of those. Across the whole time I probably heard back from 1%, vast majority being sorry but no. Recruiters wouldn't touch me. They said all their clients will want at least a year experience in a HR role.I have Dyspraxia, and so have the 'luxury' (lol) of being able to apply for roles under the guaranteed interview scheme (interview guaranteed providing you meet minimum spec). Unfortunately, pretty much every job out there required experience of working within a HR environment. Not interested the qualification, not interested in transferrable skills.I got invited to interview probably 10 times across a few years of applying. I worked hard at it and even went through mock interviews using the careers service for alumnis at my old Uni. They said I came across great, just need that chance. When it came to the interviews, they largely went brilliantly, but the response of course was always no. Each time I was given feedback the response was 'You did great, you're doing everything you need to be doing, you just missed out to someone who has already done this job before. But hey! You just need someone to give you your big break now mate!'. From probably the 2nd time you hear this, despite the fact they intend to be reassuring, it does nothing but infuriate you. What can I do with that information.18 months on from graduating then. End of 2019. I'm at my wits end. Applications fill me with dread, the whole process is gruelling, demeaning and making me miserable. By this point I'd exhausted connections I had. They'd all tried their best and it always ended in 'christ I'm sorry, I had no idea it was so hard to get in now. They just don't want anyone without experience'. I am chatting in forums, still fighting for this, and someone mentions about how they got experience they needed by volunteering as a school governor.So end of 2019 I became a school governor. Granted it doesn't seem to utilise the knowledge I'd gained in the field from my masters, but it's felt good to give back. Applying for HR roles into 2020. No dice. I decide to take a break from the applications.In 2020 I was moved onto a digital team in work, providing tech support for customers and colleagues. I was also made the 'colleague council representative' for Liverpool for my company, representing colleague voice for around 2000 colleagues. It's voluntary on top of my current role at this place, and involves me negotiating with and reporting to directors, senior leaders, the CSO (and people at that level). I champion colleague voice, run workshops and have set up a network across my area to ensure I have an effective way to communicate. I probably do now have the most experience I'm ever going to get without literally having a HR job title.But now I don't want it.I received an email last week - June 2022 - to say 'Sorry your application was unsuccessful'. This is for a job I applied for probably 2 and a half years ago, and they've emailed me now. It just filled me with rage.On top of that, despite my success in the voluntary role, I've found it incredibly stressful dealing with airheads at the top. Slaving away on projects and getting their buy-in on things only to find they decided to do something else last minute without telling me, or had someone else working on something different that negates it without thinking to keep me in the loop. Raising some real concerns with the directors of whole areas only for them to say 'I know for a fact that's not happening, and that if I speak to my leaders they'll say it's not and so these colleagues must just be trying to cause trouble'. Constantly walking the tight rope with 'saviour' on one side and 'persona non grata' on the other. I've had enough.I've been paying for CIPD membership all this time. Wasted nearly a grand probably. Scared not having it will negate my qualification and screw up all hopes of getting in to HR, but I don't want it anymore. It shouldn't take 7 years (in your 20s) to get into an entry level position when everyone's telling you you're doing the right things.I have an interview for a Web Developer apprenticeship (paid at my current wage at my company) on Tuesday. Wish me luck.
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