Need Help

[Brett_C]

Hi,

I been a reader for a little while now but have decided to do my first post. Sorry if I have posted in the wrong thread.

I couldn’t see an introduction thread so I posted here as it is relevant to my discussion.
My name is Brett; I'm 28, married and have a 6 month old daughter. I recently move to Brisbane from a rural area and want to work in HR/Administration.

Basically I need mentoring in every aspect of getting into a HR role. I have been in Administration for about 5 years now and have an excellent understanding of computer hardware and software. I have a B.Business majoring in HR and also a Dip.Business majoring in Business Management.

My situation is that I need some guidance in my job search, from my Resume to canvassing to interviewing. It would be a great help if anyone here could give me some advice. I know people on this forum are professionals who have a great wealth of knowledge and I would like to learn as much as I can.

My ultimate goal would be to find a HR Manager that was willing to mentor and teach me all there is to know about HR. I find HR to be very interesting as it’s so diverse. I would have to say my favourite HR topic would be L&D and Change Management.

At present I have mainly been applying for Administrative roles and this has proven to be a difficult path as typically, Administration is a female role. I say this as I have been through a few recruitment companies who have actually told me that most administrative roles are female is requested.

Sorry I don’t mean to stir discussion with the above but this has been my experience. I have been employed as a recruitment consultant myself and have been asked many times from employers to only send resumes of female applicants.

Anyway, I’m willing to learn and grow and any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Brett

[HeidiC]

Hi Brett,

I am very surprised at the request for only female applicants as that is illegal to specifiy such a thing. But in regards to getting into HR - it is very difficult and depends on the industry you wish to work in. HR is quite specialised to an industry and most companies look for experience within their own industry (even if they then loose out on highly skilled applicants) or something very similar. Brisbane is very construction orientated and would suggest that you focus in that area. You will need to present your CV in a professional light as you can imagine that you need to show your skill in this area. Keep is short, sweet and to the point. Address factors that will matter to the employer - your school band award is not relevant and will be seen unfavourably.

But mostly I suggest persistance. It is a bit of a closed circle to break into with out any experience but once your in, you can move in many directions (Recruitment, Generalist, Rem&Ben, OH&S, Consulting, Strategic etc). I suggest, with your agency background, that you look for internal recruitment positions or positions that focus heavily on recruitment and build on your experience from there.

Heidi

[Moz]

Originally Posted by HeidiC

Hi Brett,
I am very surprised at the request for only female applicants as that is illegal to specifiy such a thing.

In my past life as a recruiter I have been asked on more than one occasion to discriminate on behalf of an employer. Just because it's illegal doesn't mean it doesn't happen, they just get someone else to do their dirty work.

However, while still not legal, what Brett might be encountering is a perception on the part of the recruiters that their clients don't want a male in an admin role. They've probably never tried putting a male forward for the role.

Good luck with it Brett, just ignore the knock backs and keep trying!

[Brett_C]

Thanks Heidi! Very good information!

Thanks Moz I will keep trying. However, it’s been very frustrating.

I have spoke to a HR manager of a council to get some feedback on my application. This too has been very frustrating as the response was quite unprofessional. I phoned this particular HR manager on 3 occasions:

First time: Phoned saying that I have applied for 6 positions over the last 10 months without any success and asked questions about another Admin position that he had available. After speaking with him he confirmed that I had the skills for the position, so I applied.

Second time: Phoned after I applied for the position and see the status of my application. I got his PA and she said she would pass on the message.

Third time: Phoned around the time I would assume that they would be finished short listing. The HR Manager said unfortunately I didn’t get through the short listing. I then asked for some feedback so that I could enhance my chances of obtaining an interview in the available position.

Conversation with HR Manager:

Me: “What are the key skills, or experience, that you consider lacking to be successful in obtaining an interview for this position?”

HR Manager: “Oh... I... I think your lacking in IT skills”

Me: “I’m the Network Administrator for ******* Services which requires a high level technical knowledge and skills in computer hardware, software and systems.”

HR Manager: “Oh... I meant skills such as using Excel.

Me: “One of my first points in my resume is that I have utilised MS Excel to develop a rostering system that has increased efficiency by 21% in building rosters.”

HR Manager: “........ I......I consider you more of a HRO...... you could do half of my job!”

I won’t go any further into the conversation as I’m sure readers will understand the overall substance of the conversation. I didn’t mention to the HR Manager but I did apply for a HRO position 6 months earlier without any success.

What frustrates me is that the HR Manager had a period of 2 weeks and 3 phone calls to allow him to produce a response that would be meaningful and constructive. It felt like he hadn’t even read my Resume and didn’t put any effort into providing reasonable response. I do understand HR Managers are busy but this particular position was headed by the HR Manager.

Anyway, all I can do is keep trying!

[HeidiC]

Hi Brett,

Don't loose hope. Not all HR Managers are that bad (although, I have had some really bad ones in the past!). Persistance is the key to getting the job you want, especially in this climate. It took me almost a year to get the right role for me. It shoulds like you are being really proactive - keep it up and network as much as you can.

Heidi

[Brett_C]

Thanks Heidi!

The two things that are keeping me going, my little girl, and that I'm confident in my skills and the ability to learn quickly.

Yeah I'll keep up the networking. I was hoping that this forum would enhance my networking capabilities.

Thanks,

Brett

[HeidiC]

I know what you mean!

I suggest joining LinkedIn.com as that is a professional networking site that has a large amount of Human Resource Groups, and if possibile, joining Australian Human Resources Insititute. It's about $380 per annum. This forum can be a little sleepy sometimes but AHRI is great and has a lot of workshops, training resources and possible job networks.

Heidi

[Brett_C]

Thank you!

Have signed up to LinkedIn and will look into AHRI.

[kevinh]

Brett,

Make sure you set up a professional looking profile on LinkedIn, because prospective employers may use it to check you out!

Kevin

[HeidiC]

Great Advice Kevin!

My current employer checked out my profile (I gave it to them) as I have a few recomendations on there from previous employers.

Heidi