Human Resources, Training & Recruitment
“From media to engineering and from banks to charities, pretty much every industry and company will need to hire the expertise of an HR professional.” Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD)
The sector, and related industries, employed over 200,000 people in more than 30,000 businesses in 2021, 6.5% higher than the previous year. (Recruitment Industry Trends Survey, 2021).
According to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), HR Officers can earn upwards of £24,000, HR managers can earn between £30,000 and £50,000 and HR and L&D directors over £80,000. Some employers will offer bonuses and commission.
Careers Advice
- Prospects: Recruitment and HR - includes useful articles providing an overview of the industry & how to get a job in HR
- TARGETjobs: HR and recruitment - includes careers articles, case studies and application advice.
- Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) - the professional body for HR & people development has a HR Careers section.
- Changeboard.com - articles and advice on a career in HR.
Making contacts
Making contacts is essential for success in this and other sectors. Many jobs in this field come through networking and speculative applications. You could start by speaking with the experts – find out what they did after graduation and contact them for advice using the Career Mentoring Scheme or Ask an Alum.
Events
Recruitment fairs, open days, talks, and events give insights and opportunities to make contacts. Use Handshake to find regular events organised by the Careers Zone.
News, articles, webinars & blogs to inform your research & understanding of current issues driving the sector.
Human resources
Recruitment
Training
A career in the 'people profession' offers long‐term options and a huge variety of roles. You could be involved in recruiting or coaching employees one day, or helping your company decide how employees should be rewarded the next.
The following job profiles include descriptions of typical duties, entry requirements and case studies.
Human Resources
Compensation and Benefits Manager
Equality Diversity & Inclusion Officer
Employee Specialists
Human Resources Officer
Human Resources Consultant
Organisational Development and Change Management
Recruitment
Recruitment Consultant
Head-hunter
Training
Training and Development Officer
- Prospects
- National Careers Service (in house)
- Learning and development roles | CIPD
- National Careers Service (outsourcing)
The CIPD set out twelve career areas and detail a Profession Map designed to evolve in line with the shifting landscape of the people profession. The core values and purpose driving the professional standards remain the same but as new roles, specialisms, priorities, and opportunities emerge, the Profession Map will provide an industry framework. Find out more about the Profession Map
Skills employers look for:
- adaptability, flexibility, and patience
- ambition and confidence
- business acumen and an entrepreneurial approach
- curiosity and the courage to challenge
- discretion and trustworthiness
- emotional intelligence
- excellent communication and interpersonal skills
- organisational skills and the ability to multitask
- strategic thinking
- the ability to work to deadlines and meet targets
- that you can work as part of a team.
See also TARGETjobs: What skills and competencies do you need for a career in HR?
Personal qualities, commercial awareness, and the development of practical human resources skills in areas such as budget management, coaching and teamwork are regarded as essential in HR and related professions. Therefore, most types of work experience or a part-time job in an office or administration role can impress employers.
Finding work experience
It may be worth asking your existing contacts (friends and family, via social media, LinkedIn etc.) whether they know any HR officers or recruitment consultants that you might be able to shadow, as many people’s current workplaces will have an HR department.
- Ask an Alum - advice on how to find and approach people for help with your career
- LinkedIn Find Alumni tool - see where Exeter graduates are working for inspiration
Try a tailored speculative approach to the HR department of a firm you have an interest in. You could approach local businesses and register to receive job email alerts.
Finding companies
Find organisations that interest you and get in touch, always with a named contact. Be specific about why you are writing to them and what you’re looking for. Show your enthusiasm for the sector and highlight any relevant skills. Don’t give up if you don’t get a reply – follow up with a phone call or email to show that you’re keen.
- REC: Member directory - search for a member agency by specialism or UK region.
- See CIPD for upcoming networking events you may wish to attend.
- Agency Central: Graduate Recruitment Agencies Directory - search for agencies by sector, level of skill and region.
For more information on how to find companies there are several useful tools on Handshake including:
- 'Employers' section - Here you can review company profiles, as well as look at the reviews that have been left by employees. You can also follow employers for job/event updates.
- Community pages - By making your profile visible you can network with alumni, students, and employers on Handshake.
- Browse and ask questions on the Handshake community Q&A forum.
Recruitment consultancies have offices in most towns and cities. Graduate Recruitment Bureau outlines the service that graduate recruitment agencies offer. Working for a recruitment consultancy often requires skills like those needed for sales, marketing, and public relations (PR) roles, so experience in any of these areas would also be useful.
All About Careers has some valuable advice on how best to use recruitment agencies.
Part-time work
In almost any part time job, you could build on your commercial awareness and gain an understanding of how organisations operate – knowledge vital to this sector. In larger organisations especially, you may be able to find out about the role HR plays where you work.
Administrative part time work in an office environment can also help develop relevant practical skills for HR and employment positions.
Recruitment positions tend to be very sales/target driven. A part time role where you use these abilities (such as in retail) could help you decide whether this is the kind of environment you would thrive in, as well as developing skills for your CV.
Part time tutoring roles can help develop skills and knowledge valuable to a future position in training & development– though any of the other HR related experience listed here is also relevant. See our pages on Education & Teaching & Aspiring Educators.
See Casual jobs for other sources of work experience.
Internships & Placement
Internships and placements are possible in HR and employment. You need to be aware that this area is popular, so paid opportunities quickly get taken up. Some examples of what's available include:
- Accenture - the HR Summer Internship is a four-week virtual programme aimed at students in their penultimate year of university.
- L'Oréal - the HR strand offers professional training and project work during the 3 to 12-month opportunity.
- PwC - its HR department, known as the HC group, facilitates 11-month work placements within one of its four HC teams - learning and development, student recruitment, global mobility and human resources.
Search for vacancies on Handshake and other helpful vacancy sites:
For further advice look at our Help with gaining work experience pages.
Once you've gained some form of HR experience, the CIPD runs numerous volunteering programmes for HR and L&D professionals to put their skills to use in a way that benefits others. This could involve presenting at schools or mentoring a jobseeker.
Competition is strong, especially for entry-level positions. Use the following resources to find advertised vacancies and research employers for speculative applications.
Vacancy sites
- Simply HR Jobs
- Careers in Recruitment
- Recruiter Jobs
- Changeboard.com
- PersonnelToday Jobs
- Monster.co.uk
- reed.co.uk - training jobs
Graduate schemes & entry level jobs
Some graduate training schemes exist in this competitive area, but places may be limited. Be sure to apply early to avoid missing deadlines.
- Search for vacancies on Handshake
- TARGETjobs
- Prospects
- Recruitment International
- People Management Jobs
Finding companies
Find organisations that interest you and get in touch, always with a named contact. Be specific about why you are writing to them and what you’re looking for. Show your enthusiasm for the sector and highlight any relevant skills. Don’t give up if you don’t get a reply – follow up with a phone call or email to show that you’re keen.
- REC: Member directory - search for a member agency by specialism or UK region.
- See CIPD for upcoming networking events you may wish to attend.
- Agency Central: Graduate Recruitment Agencies Directory - search for agencies by sector, level of skill and region.
For more information on how to find companies there are several useful tools on Handshake including:
- 'Employers' section - Here you can review company profiles, as well as look at the reviews that have been left by employees. You can also follow employers for job/event updates.
- Community pages - By making your profile visible you can network with alumni, students, and employers on Handshake.
- Browse and ask questions on the Handshake community Q&A forum.
Recruitment consultancies
You will find Recruitment consultancies in most towns and cities. Graduate Recruitment Bureau outlines the service that graduate recruitment agencies offer. Working for a recruitment consultancy often requires skills like those needed for sales, marketing, and public relations (PR) roles, so experience in any of these areas would also be useful.
All About Careers has some valuable advice on how best to use recruitment agencies.
Apprenticeship Opportunities
If you want to gain experience while earning a wage, then an apprenticeship might be the way forward. HR apprenticeships are available at two levels:
- Level 3 (HR support apprenticeship)
- Level 5 (HR consultant/partner apprenticeship)
To see whether this route is right for you take a look at HR apprenticeships.
Further sources of support
For further direction look at our Help with pages Finding a graduate Job.
All international students will benefit from looking at the career zone International pages for help with finding work both in the UK and globally.
To find jobs and additional vacancy source outside the UK use GoinGlobal. Login using your Exeter University email address. The worldwide country guides cover everything from job search resources and CV guidelines to cultural advice and visa information. Watch a brief (4:20) training video on how to get the most from GoinGlobal country career guides.
Professional bodies represent people working in the sector, providing training and networking opportunities. They often provide careers support for students and graduates. They also provide development for people already working in the sector. Follow them on LinkedIn or visit their websites for news, contacts, work experience and vacancies.
The main professional associations for this sector include:
Human Resources
A postgraduate qualification or CIPD qualification can improve chances of securing a HR position. But it is not essential.
Some graduate employers may fund or allow you to study for a postgraduate or CIPD qualification during training.
Recruitment
A postgraduate qualification is not essential to work in recruitment. The Institute of Recruitment Professionals (IRP) does offer qualifications in recruitment practice and management.
Further information on study & training
- Prospects: Professional development & training in HR & recruitment
- Prospects: Human resource management postgraduate courses
- Find A Masters
For more information on further study see our Help with applying for Postgraduate Study pages.