How Long Does it Take to Become an HR Manager?

Finding your first HR manager role can be a huge breakthrough in your career, opening many doors in the long run. That said, if you want to convince your company to give you HR manager training, then you’ll need to demonstrate that you’re right for the role.

Today we’ll be exploring how to become an HR manager, what the role entails, and how you could use your HR manager training to springboard a broader career. If you’re already an HR manager, then be sure to stick around to the end where we’ll be discussing an incredible opportunity that could transform your career.

Finding Your First HR Role

There are several ways of getting into HR but broadly speaking the two main paths are University and apprenticeships.

In terms of university, there are several courses that could get you into your first role. These include broad subjects such as psychology and economics as well as more HR focused courses such as business management and – perhaps unsurprisingly – human resources.

On the other hand, you could get your first role through an apprenticeship, earning while you learn. While this certainly has the advantage of directness, it could also make it harder to keep your options open where a university course might allow you to move into a broad range of fields.

Ultimately, while both approaches have their pros and cons, the important part to remember is that the hard work and dedication you put in at this stage is well worth it in the long run. Experience is always valuable, especially if you know how to monetise it – but more on that later.

Making It Into Management

Before you can become an HR manager, you’ll need experience as an HR officer. This should come as no surprise – after all, a manager’s role is all about keeping the team on track so you’ll have to know what it’s like to be a part of that team. You’ll also need to be able to demonstrate a track record of reliability and competence. You’ll need to be able to talk about your experiences and show that you’re able to make the right decisions.

But becoming a manager isn’t just about your experience. If you want to become an HR manager, then you’ll need to nail the interview process. Whether you’re being promoted internally or applying for an external role as a manager, you’ll need to be able to prove that you’ve got what it takes to responsibly head up a team.

How Long Does it Take?

If you’re looking for a concrete answer on how long it’ll take you to break through, then we’ve got bad news. As with almost any career path, the real answer is that it depends.

Generally speaking you’ll need a year or two of experience in HR. From there you can absolutely start applying for roles but how long it takes to nail that application process is all about you and the steps you take.

But what can you do to nail that interview process? And how can you best sell yourself to your future employer?

While there’s a lot that goes into a great interview, the most important step you can take is research. Put simply, you need to find out what those interviewers are looking for and what better way to do that than by working with a mentor.

With Career Navig8r, you could work with an experienced HR manager and ask them how they got their role. They’ll have insight into the interview process and they’ll be able to discuss what they did to get where they are today. Even better, you might speak to a head of department – someone who’s been a manager in the past and is now in a position to make those hiring decisions.

Imagine getting first hand training so that you can practise the perfect interview technique? What better way to guarantee yourself the role?

Crafting A Career

We’ve talked a lot about how to be an HR manager, but now let’s talk about what to do once you’ve received that HR manager training.

First of all there’s the classic career path, leading you to become a director and ultimately a Chief HR Officer. In some ways, this is the most challenging option open to you because you’ll have to constantly prove yourself and you’ll be up against some stiff competition. That said, if you’re passionate about HR, then it may be perfect for you.

Alternatively, you could use your training to move into other management roles. After all, while direct experience is valuable, managerial skills can translate across many different fields.

Your third option, of course, is to become a mentor! Many people underestimate just how powerful mentoring can be for their career. In the short term it’s a great way to make money while staying in control of your time. In the long run, it’ll help round out your CV and show that you have a wide and varied skill set.

If you want to make the most of your HR manager training, then today’s the day to sign up with Career Navig8r!