Thinking about retraining in HR, any advice very welcome.

[heatseeker14]

I would like to work in HR and am thinking of paying to do a CIPD course. I have looked at CIPD foundation and intermediate certificate/diploma. Would foundation be enough to help me get a job, considering I have no real experience in this area? Would I need to do foundation & intermediate for an employer to consider employing me? Also with intermediate level there is the choice of certificate or diploma, which of these is the most sort after by employers? I am guessing diploma, as this may be on par with degree level? These courses are really expensive, so I really need to make sure I am going the right way about this. Also I would love to know if you enjoy your job and if so why. TIA.

I have just completed my CIPD foundation in HR. Most employees prefer if you have this and if you are not currently working in the field then I would do foundation as intermediate you may struggle if you are not working. I would also advise that you get some form of experience whilst doing the course either paid or voluntary. Most employers prefer experience in either HR or admin

I used to work in HR (pre-babies), i would highly recommend that you try and get some experience before you shell out on on expensive CIPD courses. If you can get an entry level job in an HR dept you may be able to get them to pay for your future training if they like you.

This is much less easier said than done these days though, so presuming you are unable to do an unpaid internship(?), you could perhaps do the foundation level, which along with a little work experience should get you a decent HR assistant role. Most employers are looking for candidates to be at least part CIPD qualified, so it helps to show willing, but why pay for the whole hog yourself if they might support you to do it whilst employed.

Also - do think about chatting to specialist HR recruiter about what sort of roles are readily available in your area, and which sector you might want to go into. For example, if you're in london, legal HR is v well paid, but there is an expectation of long hours. If you go public sector there might be better benefits and more flexibility, but slightly lower pay. Worth thinking about this upfront, because it is hard (though not at all impossible) to switch industries mid-career.

Good Luck!

'much easier said than done' not sure where the 'less' came from!

To answer your question about enjoyment of the job

Best things about HR:

• lots of interaction with people around the business
• opportunity to really help people
• no two days are ever the same

bad things:

• dealing with difficult people. In any company there are always some arseholes, you'll get to deal with these people a lot.
• having difficult conversations with nice people e.g. sorry brenda, your team all think you have B.O. any chance you can have a shower and brush your teeth occasionally