Navigating the Transition to HR: Professional Qualifications and Career Development Insights

Hi all,

I am working as an Admin Exec with a leading MNC in Gurgaon. My job responsibilities and my career graph thus far drift me more towards HR coordination than Administration. I find myself torn between two choices for development - a course in Logistics to grow in Administration or a PGDM/MBA in HR; but am definitely more inclined towards HR.

How far can the HR courses help me at this stage to get into payroll/policing/reimbursements in HR as I am not too keen to get involved with recruitment? For a working professional like me, a correspondence course could be the only choice - does that help??

Regards, P.D.

Hi,

Since you are a working person, full-time courses are out of the question. Since you are more inclined towards HR, the sooner you get a formal qualification in HR, the better for your future career. You will have learned the concepts, tools, and techniques systematically. What comes your way in your HR career and how you are able to configure your career choices and options will depend on how you manage yourself in the career.

In the given situation, you are ideally placed to consult Archana and Shyamali on the choice of courses as they are both (I suppose) from Delhi, but on my part, I will recommend SYMBIOSIS of Pune for distance learning courses. Frankly, I do not know about too many other courses that I can recommend!

I suggest you make up your mind, prepare yourself by acquiring proper qualifications, and manage to place yourself in a suitable job AND derive the happiness of doing the work you like!!

Cheers and best of luck for your journey to happiness.

Regards,

Samvedan

September 20, 2006

Hi Samvedan,

Many thanks for your reply! I read a lot about core HR and would like to understand what Core-HR means. Are there further specializations within HR? If that is so, maybe instead of PGDM/MBA in HR, I might focus on functional development within HR.

Hi Archana, Shyamali,

Appreciate your help on some information regarding HR courses from institutes that matter! Though I have time constraints, I would still like to try for a part-time course if possible.

Thanks & Regards,
P.D.

Hi,

HR is a specialization at the academic level and accepted by the industry. Within HR, there are many areas from Personnel Administration and Training & Development to Industrial Relations, Union-Management Relations, Collective Bargaining, Statutory Compliances, etc., all encompassing (in my humble opinion) HR.

It is at work that one develops expertise in any or all areas of the function to which they are exposed, attracted, or assigned to handle. The so-called "further specialization" within HR emerges thus. Anyone with exposure to the function, even from a distance, knows enough to select the areas they would like to excel in. However, to do so, they must enter the exciting field of HR.

If this entire journey is preceded by a formal assimilation of knowledge inputs, that would be the right path!

Regards,
Samvedan
September 20, 2006

Since my job responsibilities revolve around coordinating employee training and development, new employee setup, salary/overtime/incentive payout, domestic/international travel arrangements including hotel bookings, arranging forex, and taking care of forex and medical/fuel reimbursements - what chance do I stand in making a career in HR without a PGDM/MBA in HR?

Hi All,

With experience in HR, how important would a professional qualification like PGDHM/MBA in HR be to develop in the field of HR?

Thank you.

Hi Parichay,

Having a formal qualification is equally important for getting into HR nowadays. Only HR experience without a formal qualification will be helpful if you are in a senior position and have been practicing HR for a long time.

Most firms now require an MBA or PGDBM/PGDBA before considering a candidate for an HR position.

Activities undertaken by you should not be limited to database maintenance, recruitment, selecting and shortlisting candidates for various jobs, keeping track of time and attendance, coordination with other departments, but should also include supervisory and managerial responsibilities.

This involves deciding and designing KRAs, KPIs, conducting performance appraisals, managing payroll, benefits, introducing and implementing HR policies for smoother and more efficient operations, grievance handling, ESI, PF, determining benefits, and more.

I think MDI in Gurgaon offers an MBA, and you can also consider AICTE or a long-distance program at Symbiosis, as Samvedan suggested.

If you have decided to pursue a career in HR, I recommend enrolling in a professional course alongside.

Regards,

Sourabh

Thanks, Sourabh! That helps in clearing my doubts to an extent.

For the record, I had completed my MBA in Marketing from Symbiosis but decided to switch my field of operations to Admin/HR. Though this qualification might not hold value for me, is there any way I may be able to derive value from this?

My registration is now cancelled with the completion of the course at Symbiosis. So, is there any commendable institute that could help me get an extra specialization edging towards HR? A full 2-year course sounds like stretching the old bay again. I shall still go for it, knowing that is the only option available!

A little guidance from you all may be of great help here!

Hi Parichay,

Through the description of your profile, we understand that you cover a variety of HR roles. I believe pursuing a course in HR will be beneficial for you and will help you advance into more challenging positions.

All the best!

Regards,
Pooja

Dear Parichay,

MBA in Marketing and now you want to shift to HR. GOOD. :) What I would suggest is to take up a course, if possible part-time in HR, that will surely help you in the long term. Experience in HR is a good thing, but most companies prefer individuals with good professional degrees and diplomas. So, if you want, you can join MBA programs from reputable institutions like AIMA on Lodhi Road, consider Executive MBA from FMS Delhi, look into the IGNOU MBA, which also holds good repute, or explore the part-time MBA program at IMT Ghaziabad. Any reputable institute and degree will assist you in planning your career. Think about it!

Cheers, Archna

Thank you, Pooja!

Is there any way I might be able to leverage my earlier qualification from Symbiosis - MBA in Marketing? Since many subjects overlap with an MBA, is there a possibility for me to pursue an additional specialization from a "Reputed" institute, perhaps through part-time or correspondence courses, rather than going through the entire program again?

Hello Parichay,

You have to check from the different institutes if they will be providing you with benefits or if they offer any specialization in HR after an MBA in Marketing. Archana had listed a number of institutes; please get in touch with them.

Personally, I feel it would be a major plus to undergo a full course as there are many new things you will learn, and you can use that knowledge to advance your career in HR.

Regards,
Sourabh

I found the following link while searching for institutes offering correspondence courses in HR - I deem it's a useful link for anyone interested in correspondence courses: http://www.webindia123.com/career/co...dence/list.htm

From this link, I could draw two pieces of information:

• - PGDHRM from IGNOU
  - MHRM from Annamalai

While I search for more, I would really appreciate your opinion on the above two courses and institutes.

Thanks Archana, Saurabh, Pooja, and other seniors,

Your replies have silenced a score of questions in my mind and finally edged me towards pursuing a professional certification in HR!! I hope to strike good. With my current job requirements, I will not be able to keep up with part-time courses as they are all evening classes. I hope in the end what will matter will be my knowledge and my certification instead of the correspondence/part-time status - am I right?

Many thanks & regards,
Parichay Dewan.

Hi Parichay,

Most firms give first preference to candidates with a full-time degree/certification from a B-school along with work experience. Following them are all the other candidates. From my understanding, your experience will be valued more than your certification since the option of a full-time course is no longer available, so it makes little difference.

Regarding the courses you inquired about, I still believe you should reconsider the institutes, and either IMT, MDI, or Symbiosis should be your first preference for correspondence.

Regards,
Sourabh

Hi Saurabh,

I agree with the first paragraph that preference should be given to full-time institutes. I disagree with the second one, though. AIMA and IGNOU are better than IMT for sure.

Cheers,
Archna

Hi Archana, Saurabh,

I wonder if there are weekend classes at AIMA/IGNOU - I suppose that needs to be checked. Could you shed some light on the "Project Work" shown as part of the 2nd module at AIMA?

Regards,
Parichay Dewan.