Why Is It So Tough for Experienced HR Professionals to Land a Job? Let's Discuss!

I will ask with the question in caps lock "WHY"....Is it so difficult to get an HR job in the market? And when you have good experience, you are not a fresher. Why do we, HR professionals, have to hear the same things that we say to candidates who are coming for an interview? I have gone through some interviews through consultants, and they say, "We will revert back to you soon" or "We will revert back to you by next week," but this 'soon' and 'next week' never come. Why? When we completed our post-graduation, we thought being a fresher and getting a job in corporates would be very tough. But today, even with experience, we are facing the same problem. It forces me to think, why is an HR job so difficult to get? We forward so many resumes to our contacts, but why does it happen that when we, as HR professionals, need a job for ourselves, it's challenging to secure one? HR is the foundation of any organization, and finding a job here shouldn't be this difficult—I did not know that. But I will say, never lose your hope; do your best. Today, while reading an article in Ascent, TOI, "The HR Career Guide," the article discusses where HR was 25 years ago and where it is now. HR professionals are getting recognition for the brands they represent. A senior person, Mr. Sanjeev Duggal, CEO & Executive Director of Centum Learning Limited, advises that HR professionals at the junior level should be open to various HR domains, not restricting themselves to one particular area, as they will excel in their career by specializing.

I totally agree with his advice and am moving on the same path. I am motivated by that article, so I thought I should share the same with my friends. Do they also think the same?

As we all know, getting a job in the HR domain will be tough, but it's not impossible to land a job in your desired field. All we need is patience and hope for the best. Let's see on what path we have to go ahead.

Hi Akangi, I totally agree with you. Having worked in BPO for 4 years, I decided to quit BPOs and do my MBA in HR. Now I think I have made a wrong decision. Any organization will not require more than 2-3 HR executives. Considering that there are so many people doing their MBA, I guess it's difficult...

Hi Akangi,

I totally agree with you. Having worked in BPO for 4 years, I decided to quit BPOs and do my MBA in HR. Now, I think I have made a wrong decision. Any organization will not require more than 2-3 HR executives. Considering that there are so many people doing their MBA, I guess it's difficult...

Hi Anjana,

I too agree. After my engineering, I thought doing an MBA in HR would be great for my career. But now I am unable to get a good HR job. I denied two campus placement offers during my B.E., one was from Wipro Tech and the other from Birla Soft.

Now, I am getting offers from consultancies with salaries ranging from 7-10k only.

Best regards,
Anjana

Dear All,

I totally disagree. One will get a job only if they are competent, have excellent communication skills, and can apply persistently.

Anand
Manager-HR

Hi, Anand,

I totally disagree with you. Many competent and skillful people are unable to get jobs just because there are very few requirements for HR roles. There is a need to establish an HR department in every company, and whatever we learn in books regarding HR needs and management should be implemented.

Pinki Solanki

Hello All,

Opportunities do exist in HR. Of course, I agree that it is difficult, but it's because of competition, and today companies are very selective in recruitments. Also, HR function today needs not just an MBA in HR, but more communication and analytical skills, the ability to stretch and work, and passion to deal with and solve problems.

Recently, I hired an HR Trainee after interviewing several profiles, and the selected candidate had what I wanted - passion for the job and a willingness to work hard. He consistently approached me and followed up for updates. Today, he is among the star performers, and he has earned a very good name among employees. He is just in his second month and a fresh MBA.

Right now, there is another opening in HR, and I have spoken to 3 experienced HR people, and still, they haven't shown that passion for the job - communication isn't satisfactory, and their only aim is compensation.

Regards,
Anand

Dear Sir,

I agree with your mail; a person should be competent enough. After giving an interview, we also follow up with the companies and consultants to know our results. But as usual, we hear, "we will get back to you." We know, as we are in HR, results take time, but we hear the same as we say to the candidates coming for an interview.

And dear all, my mail was to know your views: is it difficult to get a job in HR? I believe HR jobs are not impossible to get, and I totally agree with Anand's views.

Sir, I am forwarding my resume to you for your kind perusal. If you find it relevant, let me know.

I agree with akangi.sharma. Also, I feel that most of the HR opportunities are filled through internal references, leaving very few chances for those without a strong HR reference. In the competitive world, most HR professionals are well-acquainted with the requirements, and rejections are not solely due to a lack of skills.

In my personal experience, I received an email from an HR manager to which I replied, and on the same day, he scheduled a meeting with me. During the 40-minute interview, it became evident that he was simply meeting candidates for the sake of it, as he provided feedback indicating little genuine interest in hiring external candidates. It seemed that he had already found a suitable candidate through his network. Ultimately, the day I spent with him felt like a waste of time.

Hi Akangi,

I read your discussion topic. Yes, I agree with your point to some extent. Akangi, in short and simple terms, I would like to say that to get a job, you should possess qualifications, experience, communication skills, and other prerequisites required for the job. In some interviews, even if you are suitable for the position and possess all the required qualifications, you may get rejected on other grounds like salary, or perhaps another person performs slightly better than you. It's not that you didn't perform well, and sometimes it depends on the interviewer.

Whenever you attend an interview, be confident that you are going to perform well and that you will get the job, even though you may face failures. Sometimes, after many failures, our confidence levels gradually decrease. So, don't lose confidence, be confident that you are going to get a good job somewhere else.

I have seen your resume, and everything looks okay, but I would like to ask you why you left the job after a year in both organizations despite having a good job profile.

Be positive, act positive, do your best, and hope for the best. Wishing you all the best.

Cheers, Sharma

Hi All,

As a Recruiter for several years (and a Corporate NON-HR person before that - Engineer with a Sales background), perhaps my views could be useful and encouraging to some here.

The issues pointed out by some here - fewer opportunities, internal references, etc., apply to pretty much all jobs (except, perhaps, for commission-based sales jobs). Of course, HR being a staff rather than a line function, the number of opportunities cannot match up to, for example, line functions such as production. But that is well known to any HR person, anyway, I suppose.

In my humble opinion, when you interview for ANY job (HR or non, really doesn't matter), the prospective employer is trying to evaluate:

- How well you will be able to do the immediate job at hand which needs to be done
- How stable you will be in the job
- Cultural/team fitment
- Price Points (salary, that is)

Assuming the opportunity/interviewer is genuine, if a candidate can address the above points to the interviewer's satisfaction, there is no reason why he/she shouldn't get the job.

So, if you can get a handle on the above aspects before/during the interview, you stand a far better chance than the other guys.

HOW to do this is a different topic altogether - perhaps for another day :-)

Best of luck, everyone!

Hardeep

Hi Anand,

I agree with you. It seems Akangi has written everything in frustration. It is good for everyone to express their views honestly with others to work through it. My personal experience has shown that getting a job in any field is relatively easy if one can effectively communicate with the interviewer.

Hi, I am sure this would be the case with every profession, whether it's HR, Sales, Operations, or Accounts. We have to view HR as being specific-oriented or need-based, where one HR professional is responsible for managing a base of 300-700 employees in any company. To handle these numbers effectively, you need to be highly competitive in your field and possess all the necessary knowledge in HR. I have observed many HR postgraduates who cease learning after their campus recruitment or first job. The moment you stop learning or upgrading your knowledge, you risk being expelled from this profession.

Today, consider the compensation that HR professionals from TISS or XLRI are receiving. If we are concerned about the remuneration attached to this profession.

Hi Akangi,

First of all, thanks for posting this discussion on cite hr. I am working in Future Group as an HR Executive. I have completed my MBA from IIMT college, which is an average college. I was a placement coordinator in my college and worked more than my placement officer for the selection of my batch mates, even though I knew I would not get an opportunity from my college for the position in HR.

I was aware and determined that I wanted to pursue a career in HR, so after leaving college, I joined a consultancy to gain an understanding of one aspect of HR. I worked there for 6 months and then got a chance to work with Future Generali in the Zonal Office North Zone.

I shared this story because many of us aim to secure top-level jobs without facing any struggles.

Ask yourself a few questions (for any fresher):
- Do we know how to manage leaves? Do we understand PF and ESI calculations? Are we familiar with the forms used for PF and ESI?
- Do we know the V-lookup function in Excel? Without it, you will not be able to prepare your MIS report, which is an integral part of HR.

Therefore, we need to develop our skills, and most importantly, we should be prepared to learn first before earning.

All these points may help fresher candidates in securing a job.

Regards,
Amit
9311742899

Hi all,

I totally agree with akangi. I am going through the same situation. I have experience in HR, but I have not been able to get a job yet. I go for interviews, and they ask so many questions, but in the end, they say they will call me in 2-3 days, and they don't call. It's really frustrating. I am very new to this site.

Thank you.

Hi all,

I too have done an MBA in HR because I simply love the HR field. However, the current scenario is different; companies do not prefer hiring freshers as they have very few vacancies and many options available. I had a negative experience at a consultancy working as a recruiter since that job was similar to a sales role. Now, I am looking to transition into the teaching profession as an HR Lecturer. I would appreciate hearing your opinions about my decision.

Regards,
Ashwini

Hi Akangi,

I do not agree with you. Firstly, just look back at why you never got a new job that you like. What were the situations and reasons? Did you deny their offer, or were you denied by them? If the company denied you, then try to find out the reasons and make yourself a strong contestant. Will you ever achieve any goal to make your organization comfortable? Remember, in life, nothing is impossible. Improve your skills to settle things, whether related to your personal life or your job.

I am just a commerce graduate and have worked as an HR head for six years with different companies like Nilkamal, Asian Electronics Ltd, and Parle Group. I started as a Trainee. If I could get a position in HR without doing an MBA or MPM, then why shouldn't you? Currently, I have been working with a private limited company for two years and have even had two interviews in the last week. I turned down the offers because I am getting more than they offered. Additionally, maintain your relations with government authorities (which we HR people always have to do); they can provide opportunities and references to companies for you to secure a new job. Often, they may even place you in roles for easier tasks. The key is to maintain and utilize your relationships.

Feel free to revert if necessary.

Regards,

Ravindra Kulkarni
Email: ravi.k457@rediffmail.com

Hi,

I guess everyone knows that it is not easy to get suitable vacancies in HR. Many organizations do not give HR the required importance and feel that any non-HR person can do the job of an HR professional. I have worked across various regions and have been aghast to face this ignorant notion of 'top managers' of the HR department itself.

Bye

Hi Hemant,

Sorry to say, but I have not written anything in frustration. I want to know the Cite-HR members' views. Although these days I'm struggling to get a new job in the HR domain, I am not frustrated. I am doing my level best to interact with my seniors to seek help through their references. In HR, we all know our relationship with our seniors plays a very important role in how we communicate, express ourselves, and manage everything.

My article expressed my views so that I can understand from which aspect I am thinking and from which aspect others are thinking. To get a job is very easy, but to get a job in your desired domain, I will say it's a little bit difficult but not impossible. We just have to keep patience and wait for the right time.

Hemant, I'm not arguing anything, just writing my views. I hope you will not mind what I said.

Dear Ravindra,

Thanks for your valuable suggestions. I respect them. I know nothing is impossible. What we have to do at this certain time is just to wait for the right time. As I mentioned earlier, to get any job is very easy, but to get into your desired domain is a little difficult, but not impossible. Thanks to all who gave their valuable suggestions.

Hi Akangi,

I do not agree with you. Firstly, just look back at why you never got a new job that you liked. What were the situations and reasons? Were you denied their offer, or did they deny you? If the company denied you, then try to find out the reasons and make yourself a strong contestant. Will you ever achieve any goal to make your organization comfortable? Remember, in life, nothing is impossible. Improve your skills to settle things, whether related to your personal life or job.

I am just a commerce graduate and have worked as an HR head for six years with different companies like Nilkamal, Asian Electronics Ltd, Parle Group, etc. I started as a trainee. If I can get a position in HR without doing an MBA or MPM, then just think why you should not? Currently, I have been working with a private limited company for two years and have even had two interviews within the last week, where I declined the offer because I received a better one. Additionally, maintain your relations with government authorities (which we HR people always have to do); they can provide opportunities and references to companies for new job opportunities. Most of the time, they can even place you for some easy-going work. The simple key is to maintain and utilize your relationships.

Feel free to revert if needed.

Regards,
Ravindra Kulkarni
ravi.k457@rediffmail.com

Dear Friends,

Organizations give preference to HR candidates from the same industry. For example, a manufacturing company looks for HR candidates with a background in manufacturing. Some organizations have distinctly differentiated HR functions such as recruitment, compensation management, training, etc. They seek HR experts in these specific areas. Some organizations explicitly mention an MBA from top B-schools as a requirement. Therefore, we need to analyze our competencies and identify our strengths. Based on this analysis, if we choose companies for employment strategically, we increase our chances of getting an opportunity. Instead of feeling disappointed, we should have a strategy that will guide us through.

Regards,
Bhavan

Dear Mr. Anand,

From your comment, I can see that you have never faced such a problem. If, in case, you were in their place, does that denote that you are not capable? If the answer is YES, then I am wrong. But if NO, then your point of view is wrong. People have earned and been placed in good reputed organizations before pursuing an MBA, but after specializing in HR, they are complaining about the opportunities in the market. Anand, in which you don't require competent people...

So, understand their pain, don't disagree, and jump to conclusions.

Dear All,

I'm also facing the same problem of not getting the desired job. I have close to 2 years of work experience as an HR executive in HDFC Bank on a contract basis. There, my profile was mainly focused on recruitments. Therefore, now I am receiving job offers only from HR consultancies for recruitment. However, I want to transition to an HR Generalist profile to explore more aspects of HR. Unfortunately, I am not getting any opportunities due to my past experience in recruitment.

I have completed a one-year diploma in HR from YMCA, New Delhi. Do I need to pursue any short-term courses like Ajax/HR House to secure an HR Generalist role? Are these courses genuinely beneficial? Please suggest.

Thank you,
Alka

Hi friend,

I am a fresher pursuing PGDM in HR and currently in my 4th semester. Many friends have mentioned that it can be very challenging to secure a job in HR, as companies usually prefer only two to three HR professionals. However, I firmly believe that nothing is impossible. I am now in my last semester and actively searching for a job in HR. Despite not having found one yet, I am convinced that self-belief and confidence are crucial when facing interviewers. I am confident that I will land a good job in a reputable company. For now, everyone needs to be patient and optimistic, as there is no room for disappointment. Remember, "Every dog has its day."

Hi, this is Piyal Biswas aspiring to become an HR executive within a few months, but the tagline of being a fresher is the biggest tragedy of any aspiring HR.

I somehow agree with your point about the difficulty a person faces when moving out for a job in HR. I can tell you, my friend, it hardly makes any difference whether you are experienced or a fresher because you get the same response. I am Piyal, pursuing PGDM-HR course from one of the renowned colleges in Pune, Sinhgad Institute of Business Management & Research. I had the same aspirations that the market is going through a recession phase, but it will regain the opening very soon as all days are not the same. But believe me, seeing myself in the same industry within a few months from now, I feel ashamed. Despite many motivational articles covering the maximum space in TOI, people still can't understand who and what motivates others. The only successful achievers who feel that new blood should flow in the industry for higher innovative growth are the ones who, during interviews, feel we can minimize the cost of the company by hiring an experienced person. But you are experienced and still unsatisfied with your domain, right? So it's all about change; one needs the perfect candidate for their company, but how perfect are the companies with their hiring strategies, a big question?