Want to get back to HR after a break (worked for 7 years as an HR Generalist in Dubai) - What courses/certifications I should do?

Hello, I have completed my Bachelor's in Business Administration and worked for 7 years as an HR Generalist in Dubai. I came to Mumbai to pursue my own business. After 7+ years, I am now looking to get back into an HR role. What courses/certifications should I consider?

Thanks in advance.

Dear Coelho,

Just because you have an HR background in Dubai does not necessarily mean you should pursue a career in HR.

When you enter the job market, you will face competition from those who have a full-fledged MBA in HR and from those who have worked in HR departments in India for the last 7-8 years. How to compete with them will be a challenge for you. Nevertheless, if your communication skills are good, you may also consider entering Customer Service. Recently, data science has been gaining prominence, so if you wish, you can explore opportunities in Business Analytics and Data Science as well.

Given your background in HR, you must have experience in office management and record management. Therefore, you could also consider Administrative roles.

Lastly, due to your HR background, I would advise against entering recruitment as it may not fully utilize your skills.

Thanks,

Dinesh Divekar

Dear Mr. Dinesh,

Thank you for your input. While running my own company, I have had to wear different hats - customer services, sales, branding, admin, and HR. I wanted to go back to HR as it is familiar to me, and I do understand the level of competition I may face; hence, I wanted to do some courses and get some certifications.

I would have to start from scratch for any other profile as well. And no, I am not looking at getting into recruitment. Would you be able to guide me on what certifications I would need if I am making the career change?

Kind regards,
Ms. Coelho

There are many courses and certifications, but before that, I would suggest brushing up your existing HR skills through various materials available on CiteHr itself, and applying for a few jobs. More than a degree, it is your experience that counts. For degrees/certificates, you can check the government website Swayam for various courses and certificates as they are mostly free. Additionally, you can do some certificate courses from IIM/XLRI, etc.

Brush up and check your HR and other management skills here too: [QuizMantra: Management Quizzes](http://www.quizmantra.com/2012/06/management.html)