Feeling Stuck in HR: How Can I Gain Experience and Overcome My Career Gap?

I am an MBA-HR and have worked in a start-up manufacturing company for 2.5 years. In those 2.5 years, I never really got an opportunity to work in the HR field. I left the company only to realize that I will not be able to get a job unless I get some job exposure in HR fields like Recruitment and Statutory Compliance. But how is it possible until I get a job? I can't get a job since I don't have the experience. How am I supposed to get experience and be employable unless I get a job? I am in deep depression now as I don't even know what I must do. I want to pursue my career in HR, but 2.5 years of my professional life have been wasted. How do I fill that gap? I hope respected seniors will help me out.

Don't get disappointed. Refresh whatever you studied in HR. Go through CiteHR sessions on various issues and problems faced by HR practitioners and read the replies of seniors. Consider joining a small or medium establishment, even if it means accepting a lower salary initially. Establish yourself and work your way up the career ladder. Your hard work will make you highly sought after.

Always maintain a positive and proactive attitude. Our best wishes.

Regards

I need advice urgently. I'm 34 and have worked for 10 years in various junior administrative positions in an institution of higher learning, making my administrative skills way above average. I have a National Diploma in Commercial Administration, which I obtained in 2006. I am completing another National Diploma in HR this year. I want so much to better myself and further my career in HR. I don't really know what I should do after the Diploma in HR. I just realized my interest in Training and Development. How do I pursue this? What do I study after the Diploma I'm completing this year towards a career in Training and Development? Please advise.

I anticipate your response. Thank you.

Regards, Moratuoa (South Africa)

You mentioned that you worked in a company for around 2+ years but didn't get any exposure to HR functions. May I ask what kind of job you did? If you are looking to start fresh in the HR field, you can consider starting with recruitment. Reach out to staffing consultancies and begin your journey with recruitment. Once you become an expert in this field, you can aim for positions in established companies. I recommend starting with consultancies as they often hire freshers at a lower salary but offer good incentive plans that can keep you motivated to work harder. This role involves significant pressure, but working in this environment will help you develop the skills to handle pressure effectively, which will be beneficial for your future career.

All the best!

I agree with the inputs by other counterparts. However, I would also advise that you need to introspect why you are looking for only an HR job. Is it only because of your qualification? Are you sure that you will be successful in an HR role? It could be that you are looking for an HR job because you are not satisfied with the current job. So before you take the plunge into HR, please find out which field is closest to your passion, natural strengths, and behavior. This process may even help you discover other profiles that may be more interesting than HR. It will also ensure that you enjoy and succeed in the role you are aiming for. Your qualification can be equally useful to grab a sales job or a job in service delivery and support. You may seek help from a corporate/behavior coach who can assist you with personality profiling and coaching.

Thanks