HR Graduates

[desperatelyjobless]

Hi everybody. I am quite desperate for a junior/graduate role in HR. I have been searching since May 4th. I have 1 years worth of experience but this is still seen as relatively inexperienced.

Junior HR roles are non existent. Graduate roles in HR are few and far between with extremely strenuous and long winded recruitment campaigns which aim to cull and eliminate you. HR Temp roles require experience.

I have been searching through The Next Step, HR Partners as well as seek, mycareer, careerone and even sent pleas to individual companies.

Its my 3rd month of unemployment and a new wave of graduates are coming in. I need help in securing (not being in the recruitment process) a HR role. I am a HR Generalist.

If anyone has any opportunities or can provide some insight into my situation, please do. I am willing and able to work for free.

[The Y-man]

Hi There,

Sorry to hear of your situation.
Unfortunately it is a common one. I teach in post-grad HR, and I suspect a portion of my class is made up of students who completed their degrees but were unable to find work.

Have you tried applying for jobs in other areas? Experience doesn't have to be strictly linked to the HR profession - it is more the exposure to organisational systems and structures that employers look for (eg punctuality, self motivation, prudence, etc).

I must say that many of the HR professionals I talk to (perhaps this is a "previous generaiton" thing) went into HR from another unrelated profession (i.e. they did NOT do an "HR" related uni degree). I know this is not sounding helpful, but perhaps you need to keep your mind open to working ANY job that you can get your hands on for now, and ALWAYS keeping an eye/ear out for opportunities and openings.

The Y-man

[Raynor]

Ulrich describes four ways HR generates value..

Two reactive ways
* Administrative expert (core process like training, recruiting, payroll)
* Employee champion (mediation, coaching, counselling, EA/Award interpretation)

Two proactive ways
* Change agent (bringing change management expertise to the leadership table to implement business objectives)
* Strategic partner (brining insights to the leadership table to define business objectives)

(Google "HR Champions" for more detail)

I lead a team of generalist HR Managers and Consultants. The entry level talent must have expertise in one of the two reactive ways to be considered for interview. For example exposure to advocacy, ER/IR advice, mediation, counselling, or experience as a recruiter, a trainer, a payroll officer. Even better is experience as a front line manager (the industry is irrelevant).

In addition to this entry level talent must bring sufficient influencing skills and commercial acumen to be able to form rapport and generate credibility quickly with front line managers, and then senior management over time.

[desperatelyjobless]

thats all fine and lovely Raynor, but i got rejected for 5 jobs today. its my personal best, hell i think it might be a world record in how much rejection 1 person can handle in 1 day.

i get to the interview stage. i get what i am doing, its just that employers want a number assigned to their candidate's experience. i cant get a year of experience without first being given the chance to prove myself.

but from what you have provided Raynor, I am both an administrative expert and an employee champion as I have some experience with internal recruitment, training and payroll as well as award interpretation. i have even gained some of these skills whilst working for free overseas.

[Raynor]

So what are you going to do to get a different result? What feedback are you receiving? You see yourself as an administrative expert and an employee champion but do the decision makers? Its very positive to my mind that you are getting interviews. How strong is the rapport you are generating at interview? Recruiting decisions are risk based emotional decisions for an employer. They don't just want someone who can do the job, but someone who can fit the team. There is little you can do to control team fit except be yourself and let your personality and strengths shine. If you are confident in your technical skills, focus on rapport has been my experience. Can you vary the opportunities you are targeting by geography, size of business, function? Many come to HR from having spent years in other professions. Could this be a strategy that will work for you? I may have some idea of how you feel; I spent a year looking for graduate entry to HR with no luck; I had 5 years in sales (started door to door); then line management and then HR. If you check your strategy and you are confident it is right then persist. Each letter may be the last.

[The Y-man]

D-Jobless,

Where are you located?

The Y-man

[desperatelyjobless]

Hi Raynor,

Yeah I am willing to move interstate, in fact, i have even been flown interstate for a graduate entry level HR role but was unsuccessful in the last round. i am extremely flexible in both geography, size of business and role. i have actually been working recently, but it is a contract role in hr that i had not interviewed for. i would like a permanent role in which i would be contributing to my career, not a short term assignment.

Y-man I am a sydney sider. i would not mind moving to melbourne, brisbane or canberra.

by the way, thank you both for replying my message.

[pallavikawale]

What you can do is build your experience with contract or part time positions and after a year or a two (depending on the contract) you can try for permanent positions.Since you are ready to relocate you can add a variety of experience to your resume and make it stronger. I agree that short term assignments do not provide stability but they do add value to your work experience.

[The Y-man]

Originally Posted by desperatelyjobless

Hi Raynor,

Yeah I am willing to move interstate, in fact, i have even been flown interstate for a graduate entry level HR role but was unsuccessful in the last round. i am extremely flexible in both geography, size of business and role. i have actually been working recently, but it is a contract role in hr that i had not interviewed for. i would like a permanent role in which i would be contributing to my career, not a short term assignment.

Y-man I am a sydney sider. i would not mind moving to melbourne, brisbane or canberra.

.

I was thinking more Perth and regional WA. It is the boom state (still) and I believe trying to get staff (for anything) over there is still an issue.

Might be worth havinga look.

The Y-man

[Moz]

Originally Posted by pallavikawale

....short term assignments do not provide stability but they do add value to your work experience.

As an old recruiter I would be inclined to agree with this advice

All relevant work experience is of value, regardless of whether it is temp/contract or permanent.

It's also surprising how much people can forget when they have not been working for a while, so it's worthwhile just staying in the workforce while looking for your ideal job.

[desperatelyjobless]

Hi Moz,

I agree, any work is better than no work. Finding jobs are also supposed to be easier when you are employed than when you are not as you are meeting new people or building established professional relationships everyday.

Thanks for replying my thread everybody.

[Taalib]

Hi everyone

I am a graduate in Human Resources from a university in South Africa and I am quite interested in pursuing a career overseas, I just read through the thread and I am quite surprised to hear that Hr is not a really a scarce skill in Australia,I would like to work in Australia and gain overseas experience

I've been on a internship in South Africa with a well known pharmaceutical company,unfortunately they could not keep on any graduates..

Could any one please advise me or put me in contact with any individual that is offering internships to overseas graduates?

Or let me know about any sites where they can advise me on any of the scarce skills in Australia?

Thanks guys much appreciated

[Job Media]

Taalib,

There is an abundance of local HR graduates in Australia, so I think you have very little chance of securing a HR internship unless you are already in Australia and have a visa which allows you to work. I know this is not what you want to hear but it is the reality of the current HR job market.

You can find the current "skills in demand" here http://www.immi.gov.au/skilled/sol/

HR Managers used to be on the list but I don't know if they still are.

[Taalib]

Hi all

Thanks for getting back to me, not to worry I can believe the high amount of HR graduates in Australia ,but I thought I'd take my chances and see what comes from it.

I'll just keep putting my feelers out there and see what happens in the mean time I'll be applying at companies within South Africa.

Thanks again