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HR Needs Advice
I've worked in HR for 5 years for a small (less than 100 people) financial company in California. I've gotten a lot of valuable experience running HR and have even gotten two HR certifications and a Master's degree in Psychology while working full-time. Even though I have only 5 years of experience in HR, I now get paid about $150k/year.
The problem is that now that I'm trying to move on to another opportunity, I can't seem to land a role with a large company with a similar salary. Either I'm not experienced enough, or they're worried that I'm overqualified since my current title is HR Director. Between my title throwing people off and working for a small company, I can't seem to find a job. Any advice welcome!
Gwenevere Crary
44
05/01/20 at 5:52AM UTC
As others here have shared, I have experienced the same and decided in order to move my career forward, I had to take a step back on the salary. It was worth it because that decision lead to the ultimate dream job a year later with better total comp.
I would ask yourself what your ultimate goal is, because going from a small company where you may be doing it all to a larger company where you are focused on one or a few parts definitely can cause a gap in pay.
One item that has helped me in the past two jobs is providing a 90-day plan of what I would do in the role, based on what was shared with me during the interview process, to show how I can bring value to the team and company. If they think you are under qualified, this might just be the tool you need to crush that thought.
PS: I am in California too (SoCal), feel free to connect if you like, happy to help network and support you in your search.
Jennifer HajeReal Estate Agent
212
04/28/20 at 10:30PM UTC
I have had the same issues. It makes it difficult on the person interviewing not to look desperate. Confidence is the key when it's time to sell yourself and your credentials.
Patti Working in tech in Colorado
465
04/28/20 at 5:29PM UTC
It really sucks and I found myself with the same issue. I think it is important to make them understand why you are a good fit for the job. Why you think you are not overqualified or under qualified, how your skills and experience fit with their needs. Tailor your resume and your interview answers.
Barb HansenStartup Product, Growth & Strategy
6.66k
04/29/20 at 12:41AM UTC (Edited)
Moving from a smaller company to a larger company was difficult for me as well.
My experience in 2008
- I had worked in tech in startup land for more than 10 years,
- I had held roles of Director, Sr. Director and VP
- Then the 2008 economic collapse happened and money dried up in startup land and I started to look for a job in a more stable (read: larger) company
- I applied to A LOT of jobs (because of the economic conditions in 2008 there were a lot more people looking for jobs than jobs to be filled)
- I finally got a serious bite -- a Senior Manager role at a large international business information company.
A Senior Manager role? What? I hadn't held a title of Manager since the late 90s.
I took the job for a number of reasons:
- it was early 2009 and there were not many jobs to be had and bills needed to be paid
- I was starting to realize that titles at small startup companies didn't mean anything to a large company (in that economic climate). This company had hired ex-CEOs of other large companies as Senior Directors so I wasn't the only one faced with taking a lower job title.
- the role was critical to the companies success even though the title didn't reflect that. I did a quick interview with the CEO (which was completely unheard of in this company) and he signed off on my hiring.
- I wanted the experience that a larger company would give me (more layers to their reporting structure, working at a publicly traded company, working at a matrix'd organization, honing my management skills - this company had management training paths)
- And I wanted to have a non-startup company on my resume.
The job paid less than my last position (by about 30K a year), but I was able to negotiate a sizable bonus for my first two years of work (this company was having a lot of problems in their digital team, and I was being hired to solve those problems. I was use to having a large range in my salary because of working in startup land and negotiating alternatives to salary is quite familiar to me)
After I was hired, I asked a VP (who had grown into my unofficial mentor at the company) why I was not able to get a job title at the company what was closer to my last role and here was her response, "Company ABC didn't care about my title, on top of my experience they cared about:
- the number of people I had managed in the past and the reporting structure above and below me
- the size of my annual budget
- the role I played in determining my budget
- and my experience in dealing with corporate structure.
FYI - I do not have a so-called top school on my resume nor do I have an MBA, both of those factors may have increased my chances of getting a different title when hired or getting promoted more quickly at this particular company.
My only advice (if you haven't done this already), is to adjust your resume to focus on budget, # of direct reports, and where you sit in the corporate structure of your current company.
And I would spend some time to figure out why you want to work at a larger company (again, if you haven't already). That might help in shaping your job search to companies that offer you what you want from your next career move.
Kathleen BeemanEmpowering people-centric leadership.
182
04/27/20 at 4:56PM UTC
We often get applicants from smaller companies with different titles and what helps is to put in numbers. Numbers of employees, hires, cases, whatever it is to give them a view into what that company does and how big it is. It helps a large corporation understand the scale you were working and will help with the under/over qualified because they can better scope it to their roles. It is hard going from a small business to a larger one because the roles do not always have a one for one, often in larger ones they are much more specialized so it also helps to get more background on the role and structure so you can highlight how you are perfectly qualified for the role versus putting the burden on them to understand the differences.
Laura McCannDriving results through people engagement
325
04/27/20 at 9:12PM UTC
@katiebeeman, this is great advice! I worked for the US division of a huge global company and there were only 4-5 HR Directors for 25,000 employees. I know co-workers who moved to smaller companies to take on VP level roles, based on the experiences gained at a larger company. Quantify the numbers as much as possible, especially any business impact to bottom line. If you can account for cost savings, org design that led to increased productivity, etc, they can figure that into salary. I also suggest looking for the "guts" of the role as opposed to the title. Does the role itself appeal to you? You may need to go back in title to an HR Manager but at the right company, you could still get a higher salary. Best of luck to you!
Kelly BrennanLeadership Consultant/Coach, Writer, Founder
143
04/27/20 at 7:30PM UTC
I agree with Katie, quantification, where possible, provides a framework for the hiring manager. Another suggestion is consider expanding to another field in HR. If your experience is in Banking, perhaps try Hospitals or Higher Education. Those fields tend to appreciate those with corporate experience. Best of luck.
Jennifer FingerThinking with both sides of my brain!
621
04/27/20 at 4:27PM UTC
I have experienced a lot of the same. It's a pain and can really feel like a jerkaround. If employers are worried that you're "overqualified," you could offer to take on more responsibilities that are in line with what you would ordinarily do until they are convinced that you would be worth the $150K salary. If they think you are "underqualified," however, I think you should move on.
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