Torn Between HR and Marketing: Will Choosing Both Help or Hinder My Career Growth?

Hi, I'm an MBA student in my 2nd semester. I'm at that stage where I need to choose my specialization, and I'm confused. My main focus is HR, and the second one I intend to opt for is Marketing. Will both of these fields help me grow in my career, or will they actually hinder my progress? Is marketing beneficial for HR in an organization because I'm getting my summer internship in Product Marketing? So, if I pursue marketing and later switch to HR after some years, will it be possible? Please help me out as I'm in a dilemma.

The Blurring Lines of Skills in Modern Business

In the modern business environment, the distinction between skills specific to a particular discipline is becoming blurred. For example, HR skills are all-pervasive. Even if you are a marketing professional or a technical expert on the shop floor, you need to have a fair degree of HR skills in people management, such as communication, empathy, team building, interpersonal skills, and motivation when you lead a team.

Similarly, an HR officer needs to know marketing skills to sell their company to new recruits, attract them from the competitive employment market, negotiate with them to accept the offer, and join the company. This includes selling HR initiatives to internal customers, who are the employees, supervisors, and managers. Thus, skills are becoming transferable.

Therefore, you need not worry much about the combinations. You need to know which career you love to embrace and what your strengths are that can help you progress in that career. You can sit, think calmly, and make a decision.

Hope this helps.

Regards,
B. Saikumar
In-House HR & IR Advisor

You need to know the area that really excites you. HR, Marketing, and Finance are all fields that deal with people. People management is mandatory in all these fields. Therefore, you need to analyze what really sets you apart. Do not choose a specialization just because you are getting an internship. You can still do the marketing internship and choose HR as your specialization.

Your dilemma is obvious. Usually, at the time of specialization selections, the situation creates confusion for almost all students. The only thing you should focus more on is your area of interest. I have done my PG in dual specialization in HR and Marketing just because both sections directly deal with people. It helps me to learn human management. Since my passion was to deal with human resources and understand them, both sectors have helped me till now.

Similarly, I will suggest you go with your area of interest and don't just opt for the course because you are getting any internship, as you can do a better internship in your area of interest with much more learning and interest.

As my personal experience says, you will get bored or will lose interest if you simply go for an internship without your interest.

Combinations to Consider

Although if you want to know some combinations, I can help you with the below points.

- **HR + Marketing:** Helps you to deal with people in almost every sector. It will help you to enhance your skills in personnel management.

- **HR + Finance:** This sector mostly deals within the organization. Usually, the combination of HR and Finance helps one to deal with compliance and related law issues better than anyone else. These types of people play a vital role in organizational financial management functionalities.

Hope this could help you.

Regards,
Tanay Singh Kulshreshtha

HR Executive

Thank you all for replying, and yes, it does help. Your suggestions are actually helping me to think on the straight path. However, having said that, there are queries I need to address to you all:

Query (1):

I have an inclination towards marketing because, given a handful of years, I wish to earn more and have a successful career (not that HR does not offer a great and successful career). After 6-7 years down the line, I'll settle for an HR job. Is it practically possible to transition to an HR job after a few years?

I chose HR because I have loved the HR stream right from the beginning. That is the only reason I took the HR stream instead of the general stream. I am getting internships in HR and Product Marketing, and I wish to choose Marketing, which is why there is confusion. If I pursue Marketing now, will I be able to switch to HR later on if needed?

Query (2):

If I take a Marketing internship, does it make me sound unstable with my career options because HR is my main stream, and in my dual specialization, I am taking Marketing and clearly opting for Marketing? Would this make me sound unstable in front of interviewers?

Query (3):

If I take a Marketing internship and later, immediately after my 2nd year of MBA, go for HR jobs, will this Marketing internship be a hurdle in getting HR jobs?

After completing 6-7 years in the marketing field, initially, no one changes their profession. Human Resources (HR) and Marketing fields, although both deal with personnel, are two entirely different segments. Even if you want to change fields at that time, it would be difficult for you because your experience will be counted in the marketing field. You would have to restart your career from the beginning, with a lower salary and no experience in the HR field. So, that's not a good idea.

For your second question, don't worry about the selection of the field. Choose a sector in which you are interested for the rest of your life and give it a try. Although questions may arise during the interview regarding your selection of the subject, it doesn't matter if you show your interest in the field you selected. Just provide a proper answer to the interviewer with confidence about why you chose that field.

The answer to the third query is that your internship plays a major role in securing a job. Try to opt for an internship in which you are very interested and willing to continue in the same field, as most of the questions the interviewer will ask will be directly or indirectly related to your internship and the level of knowledge you gained through it.

Regards