Any human resources professionals or business leaders out there?

Question

I have a M.S. in Counseling, a B.S. in Psychology, and minors in Mass Communications & Sociology. I am wondering if I could use my education and experience (education, healthcare, mental health, customer service, local courthouse/human resources office, etc.) to transition into the corporate world. Any advice on how I could market myself or on what jobs I would be good for in the field?

Answer 1

HR or corporate training (learning and development) would be a great area to start. I work in training, and several of my colleagues have similar backgrounds to yours.

If you don't have a lot of experience in the corporate world, I recommend finding a local professional network to get you acclimated in the industry and familiar with the terminology, trends, and general landscape. For training, there's a group called ASTD which has local chapters in most cities. They have seminars, networking events, and conferences where you can meet like-minded professionals and possibly find out about job opportunities. I'm sure that HR professionals have a similar network; check online and look for local chapters. Online networking is good in the abstract, but I learn a lot more from meeting people face to face and talking about our jobs over lunches and wine tastings.

Getting additional certification in the field that interests you can also be helpful. Not only will you appear more qualified to potential employers, but you'll learn a lot in the process. There are plenty of certificate and certification programs, many of them offered through universities or technical colleges. Some take a few days, other take months, so see what fits with your schedule and area of interest.

I hope this helps - good luck!