Career Tips

Help Me Transition to HR


I'm an attorney hoping to change to a career in Human Resources.  I have the benefits of a legal education and I'm also highly organized, detail oriented and customer service focused.  Any ideas how to get someone to notice me even though I have no direct experience in HR?

Here's my honest opinion (there's a shocker).  This is going to be VERY difficult if not completely impossible.  Although you have an education, you have no education or background in HR.  If you've been doing law related to HR (labor issues, etc.) then there might be something you can build on.  Otherwise, I don't think anyone is going to look twice at you.

The problem is that HR is hard to get into and to get your foot in the door, you're going to have to start at the bottom of the food chain, like Admin Assistant in the HR department.  I can't see that anyone is going to hire an attorney to work as an Admin Assistant because a) you'd be crazy to take it and who wants to hire someone crazy and b) you'll be working well "beneath" your education and training and be bored, have an attitude, whatever, in a week.  Someone with your background should be at a manager sort of level but an HR manager needs 10 years of experience in the field.  Another way to get experience that can translate to HR is through non-profits.  But again, no one is going to hire an attorney to work for $24K a year as a Volunteer Coordinator or some similiar non-profit title.   See the conundrum?

You MIGHT be able to work your way into where you want by either taking HR related courses in school or perhaps by going into Corporate law and then specializing in HR related issues (or doing that kind of law privately) for a while.  There would be no guarantee however that those routes would land you where you want to be because you'd still have a lack of direct experience in HR.

 

Tess

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