Transitioning from Academic Counseling to HR: Will My Experience Be Valued?

I have completed an MBA and have nearly 1.5 years of experience working as an Academic Counselor with ICFAI University. Now, I have decided to build my career in HR. Will my experience as an Academic Counselor help me in transitioning to a role in HR? And will my experience be considered relevant in the field of HR?

Hi, your experience as a counselor surely taught you something, so it should definitely be counted. You are more competent than a person who is just a fresher. You just need to give a hard shot by preparing for the exact profile for the HR job. It will also depend upon the position in HR you are going for. As a counselor, you must have learned to create good relations with humans. In this way, you can also excel in employee relations (HR). Good luck.

Hi Anju,

Your experience will not be counted for an HR job. If you show in your profile something that is related to HR (e.g., recruitment for internal staff, behavioral training for staff, students, etc.), then you can always claim your experience as HR.

Madhu 8) 8) 8)

Dear Anju,

You have experience as an academic counselor, which may not be of much use in the industry where other counseling competencies are needed. On that count, you may not be helped out for taking up an HR job. But let me add, experience is experience which helps in terms of exposure, maturity, handling people, confidence, etc. So, you are definitely better off than a fresher and stand a good chance comparatively.

Regards,

RGS.

Hi Anju,

The answer to your question apparently is "No." Counseling is not all about HR; it is a part of HR. Often, HR uses counseling to motivate employees in cases of low morale, low productivity, absenteeism, etc.

There are some academic institutions that are recruiting counselors whose main job is to sell their courses to prospective candidates rather than suggest the best alternative. They also have targets to meet. However, don't take it negatively, and don't lose heart. You can show your interviewer that from this experience, you have learned the basic behavior of human beings, which is crucial for being a successful HR professional. At the same time, you need to develop and enhance other HR skills.

Regards,
Anupam