Move to Human Resources: Intern or entry-level?

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified)
in
Career Management

Should I pursue an internship or an entry-level HR position? 

I've seen success in my short time as a restaurant manager, and I'd love to switch to a strictly-HR role. I'm responsible for selecting/developing a staff of about 40 and love the HR-related aspects of my job. I dislike the "shift work" aspect of it and would love the opportunity to work for a smaller business (<150 ppl). I'm most interested in HR development and talent acquisition.

Thanks for keeping the forums effective,

David

Submitted by Cyndy Broekers on Wednesday September 4th, 2013 6:32 am

Hi David
As a HR professional in Australia, it's great to read of MT members wanting to get into (or are in) HR. It's going to be a great world to live in the more managers, individual contributors and HR are working with MT work ethics, values and professional ideals.
Apart from recruitment for the restaurant, how much experience do you have in talent management and general HR development? I ask as this may be a deciding factor in choosing between an internship and entry level position. Also affordability. I'm not sure where you live and I'm guessing that in the US, from what I've read, some companies don't pay interns or they pay very little. In Australia internships translate to graduate programs and usually centre around accounting and legal firms. Not so much HR.
If you're at the beginning of your career an entry-level position may be the way to go, especially if you already have some experience in general HR (even simply starting with recruitment for example). You'll be treated as an official member of the organisation and paid more than an intern I expect.  You'll also have the opportunity to learn from other more experienced HR personnel, with career progression a real option. 
If you find you like the variety of HR functions, you can then undertake some study in the area, either generalist or specialised (you could focus on talent, succession planning etc).
Let me know if you have any questions.
Cheers
Cyndy

Submitted by David Rennard on Thursday September 5th, 2013 2:17 am

I have zero experience outside of restaurants, haha!
I could afford to do an internship because I'd work part-time in a restaurant as well. In the U.S. there are internships for almost any job and some are paid. Another alternative is a master's degree, though I don't know if that is suggested for HR personnel who are just beginning their careers. I do think it would be helpful if I worked for a small business, though.
I'll continue using my High C preferences and analyze the situation further...
David