How Can I Transition to HR When Every Job Requires Experience I Don't Have?

I have been working in the hospitality industry for 9 years and have been working as a secretary to the General Manager for the last six years. I would like to pursue my career in HR, and for that, I have completed a PGDBA in HR as well. Whenever I apply for an HR role, they ask for experience, even though I have undergone training in HR and possess basic knowledge of the functioning of the HR department. I would like to request your advice on how I should proceed.

If you have been working as an Executive Assistant to the GM for a long time, you have likely grasped the dynamics of the hotel industry. However, what you may not be familiar with is how the HR department operates. Given this, you could consider approaching your GM to request an internal transfer to the HR Department. Before doing so, you might want to ask for permission to spend about 1-2 hours observing the HR Department.

If you are interested in pursuing a career in HR, it would be logical to seek a departmental change within the same hotel. Just as the hotel industry values experience, many other industries place a similar emphasis on it. Furthermore, other industries can be just as insular as the hotel industry. I am suggesting this to help you overcome the initial entry barrier.

It is important to note that completing a course in HR does not necessarily mean that you should exclusively pursue a career in the HR Department. The management concepts you have learned can be applied in various other departments. For instance, you could consider joining the banquet department. From there, you could transition to banquet sales and eventually to hotel sales. I am making this recommendation because, in comparison to HR, opportunities in the banquet office or banquet sales may be more promising.

All the best!

Regards, Dinesh Divekar

Hi all, this is Amar Bhavsar, HR Executive at Arfin India Limited. The same thing happened to me as well. I completed a PGDHRM and applied for a job as an HR Executive in a hospital, but they said that I didn't have any experience in HR, so they couldn't hire me for an HR profile. Instead, they offered me a position as a Guest Relations Officer. At that time, I needed a job, so I accepted the Guest Relations position.

After 2 years, I applied for an internal transfer to the HR Department, but there was no vacancy available in HR at that time, so the management denied the application. I then opted for the secondment policy of the hospital, where you can work in two different departments. I worked 4 hours in HR and the remaining 4 hours in the Guest Relations department.

After 6 months, one of the HR executives resigned, and I was transferred as a full-time HR Executive. Currently, I am working in the HR department.

I recommend checking for the secondment policy in your company; it will help you advance your career in HR.