Transitioning from Cabin Crew to HR: How Can I Overcome Experience Barriers?

I have been working as a Cabin Crew Incharge with an airline. I completed my MBA in HR in December 2012. I am looking forward to a job change in HR.

Mostly, my CV is rejected because of my current job package, wherein I am ready to negotiate, and secondly because of no experience in the field of HR. Please let me know if there are any job opportunities available for me.

I have attached my CV along.

Regards.

You already have 7 years of experience in airlines and must be receiving a good salary package. As rightly observed by you, in HR in any industry, you shall be treated as a fresher since you do not have experience in the core HR area. In such a case, there shall be a drastic cut in your compensation package. Are you willing to sacrifice a sizable chunk of current emoluments for an unguaranteed possible gain in the future?

Advisable Career Options

What would be most advisable seems to be to look for opportunities in your airline in HR. In case they have an upper age limit for in-flight crews, they may already have an outplacement plan for such job progressions. A second viable option would be to seek out BPO/ITES companies where the work process relates to customer interaction; they might prefer an HR professional with your background who can manage teams comprising customer-focused executives.

Warm regards.

Dear Neha,

Following up on Mr. Raj Kumar Hansdah's inputs, which were clear and concise, the suggestions I'm attempting to give you are aspects you can consider:

Approach to Seeking a Job

There is a difference between "fishing" and "hunting." In fishing, you drop the net in the high seas where you know you will be able to catch fish, so you meet your purpose. When the net is drawn up, it comes with all types of fish—big, small, brown, silvery, etc.—and each has its unique quality. Where they go and what happens to them depends on several factors (which we will not broach for the time being). This is what most IT recruiters do when they are in the market searching for high-volume hires, and that's how they fulfill their numbers. On the other hand, hunting is slightly more focused, requires special skills, and is very challenging. It requires perseverance, tact, patience, and many things to come together to get the "prize" the hunter is looking for.

So, I suggest you apply the same principle here. There are many companies doing various things, but for you to succeed, look at the profiles of companies that can engage you with the skills you have. As pointed out by Mr. Raj Kumar Hansdah, you may prospect BPO/ITES (which are mainly transaction-oriented). Your skills and previous experience will be especially useful, as any company that wants to be successful in business would like to keep the "customer happy," so there is a role. What may be needed is good initial training to understand the company's business. Another area could be training on soft skills or a role where you connect people of the company spread across geographies to facilitate the softer aspects of processes, usually called "employee connect" programs. If you are a voracious reader and also good at writing, another option would be to work in the area of "employee communication," which are all roles with potential in very large organizations where, apart from qualifications, skills, and experience, the emphasis is on attitude, articulation, etc.

Casting a Statement of Purpose (SOP)

You should draft an SOP—what you can do with the qualifications, experience, and skills you've acquired in terms of the contribution you can make and the value you can add to the company you want to join.

Creating a Video Profile

This is very radical and is, of course, in vogue. There is something called a video profile, where you make a small presentation to prospects about who you are, what you want to do, and what you can do. This will give the prospective employer a good idea on several aspects even before you are called for the face-to-face interview or the company's selection process.

Now I go back to your first posting: "Please let me know if there are any job opportunities available for me. I have attached my CV along."

And I respond, "Is there anything I can do?" and I do it with this post...

Sometimes there's nothing you, I, nor anyone can do, and we all know about it. But still, we offer—our mind, our thoughts through words—written or by speech. And in your offering, you will find everything you need.

Let's hope for the best and just keep trying. My best wishes to you anyway.

Regards

Dear all, compliments of the day! I have been working as a cabin crew in charge with an airline. I completed my MBA in HR in December 2012. I am looking forward to a job change in HR. Mostly, my CV is rejected because of my current job package, wherein I am ready to negotiate, and secondly because of no experience in the field of HR. Please let me know if there are any job opportunities available for me. I have attached my CV.

Advice for Transitioning to HR

"Waste a year and get a diploma from any branded college by paying 2-3 lakhs, and you'll be the queen of HR. Only this can help you to get the same salary HR job."

Good luck

Dear Members,

I ran into some technical issues that affected my last posting: "I've been an active member of the community CITEHR since 2009." I am now happy that I am back on track.

On the Topic of Ms. Neha's Job Change

Following up on my posting, Ms. Neha, who was flying out of Mumbai on Friday morning on duty to London, called me a while ago upon returning. She communicates well, listens well, picks up things well, and was able to catch on to what I was saying. Above all, she makes a good impression of someone with a great attitude.

Now, whenever I've been trying to hire resources for the positions I wanted, these are the attributes I look for, apart from the main skill sets of the job description.

Reasons for Sharing

I write this here for two reasons (this is a voluntary appeal):

• One, as a community at CITEHR, we are supposed to network strongly and be of help to one another in whatever way we can.

• Two, when we come across people like Neha and if there is anything we can do, I believe we should. I gather that she is looking to be in Mumbai and will be prospecting job changes in Mumbai. She should lay out a plan for charting her approach to make this happen.

Let's see if we can use our contacts to ensure she gets a call to meet them, and then I guess she can manage her way through. At this point, she doesn't even get a response, and that's the biggest issue she faces.

Let's do our best. Best wishes to you, Neha.