Looking for break in the H.R Field -Help from any Member welcome.

[James]

Hi All,

Good day to all of you.

I have tried hard to enter the HR field.

I have International Experience. I have worked for a Top Multinational Company, which is world renowned. I was looking after the entire operation of the HR Department of the Company.

But am finding it hard to crack the Australian Market.

I have a Masters Degree in H.R. I have a Cert IV in Work Place Training and Assessment.

As I did not get any break in H.R ....in order to survive...I landed in Administrative Jobs and am stuck very badly in the same for a few years now.

I am ready to work as a Volunteer in the HR Department of any organisation for a few hours in a week..

Also would be greateful to any member who can suggest ways of entering the Recruitment Market.

I would be ever grateful for all help and suggestions.

Cheers.

James

[Midaz Coaching & Consulting]

Hi James, I am assuming that you have joined AHRI and attend the regular meetings that are held in your area? If not, that is the first step so that you can be meeting people and building relationships within the field. HR people by nature love to help people so leverage off those people you know and ask for advise from them.
Does your previous company have a division here in Australia? Perhaps you could get in contact with them and ask for introductions to some of their suppliers, customers or business partners.
If you have a particular industry or specialisation that you work within, find out what industry association represents those people and start going along to their association functions i.e. if you are a specialist in hospitality, talk to Australian Hotels Association or the Restaurant and Catering Association; if you have a manufacturing background, try and connect up with Australian Industry Group. The industry associations will put you into contact with managers within the industries and you can leverage of any relationships you form there. Another option is AIM - they are active in all major centres and some regional areas too. Join the chamber of commerce in your local area as you will meet small to medium sized businesses who may look at having someone from an international background but didn't think they could afford one, or they may consider the option of voluntary assistance as they don't have the money that other companies have to have an HR person so any assistance will be appreciated.
As for the recruitment market, see who is hiring in the area you would like to work in and give them a call to see if they will give you some time to talk and share their experiences.
Hope those ideas from the top of my head help.
Good luck
Mary-Leigh

[Moz]

James,
I beg to differ with Mary-Leigh, on one point. While membership of AHRI may help it does not have to be the "first step".

Before spending several hundred dollars required to join AHRI I would make some enquiries to ensure that they do in fact have regular meetings in your area that you can attend.

If you haven't done so already I would suggest that you study the new Fair Work Act which came into force at the beginning of last month. A good knowledge of this new legislation can only help you.

Also, consider approaching companies directly. Find out who the HR Manager is and send them your CV and a good covering letter. Sometimes being in the right place at the right time can make a big difference

Cheers,
Moz

[Midaz Coaching & Consulting]

Hi Moz/James, sure it doesn't have to be the first step but it is a good place to start plus you don't have to join to go to the functions and while you may pay a slightly higher entry fee you can still go along. There are also a number of AHRI networking events and special interest forums that are free and non-members can go along to "try before they buy" a couple of times before they are asked to join up or pay up (as the case may be). AHRI isn't the b-all and end-all however it is an opportunity to talk to people that are already in the industry to find out what is relevant and causing them problems (that you might be able to help out with).
Oh, and I thought I might add that I am not on any committees with AHRI and in the past have found them to be lacking. However over the last couple of years they seemed to have raised their game and so as our they are supposed to be there to represent us I think we should continue to support them (and put pressure on them) to perform.