Getting into HR can be a real struggle for man

I read with interest your article on the struggle people face trying to get into the HR profession (Personnel Today, 12 September).

I am part-CIPD qualified and for five years I have struggled to get back into the HR field. I have had interviews for junior HR positions and, while I would usually find myself in the final two, I was always rejected on the basis of lack of experience. But how am I supposed to gain experience if I am not being given the opportunity?

So I find myself taking a pay cut to become an HR administrator, where I have recently been told that I will not be getting any development or support for continuing my CIPD studies as the HR administrator role does not need it.

I am therefore once again back to where I started, with no more experience to take to potential interviews.

The article also mentions graduate entry and states that graduates may get stuck on £35,000 to £40,000 through lack of commercial or operational expertise. I would have appreciated a discussion about lower-paid, non-graduate entry and ways in which these employees could best progress.

It’s about time that HR departments realise the potential in candidates, rather than relying on experience when recruiting for junior positions. And shouldn’t HR departments develop their own teams to boost morale and encourage loyalty?

When will large companies offering graduate programmes start to think of offering similar schemes to non-graduates who can satisfy a number of criteria?

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Krissy Durbin

HR administrator