Sarah Cole - Norwich - Class of 1989

Human Resources and Personnel Management

I have pursued a career in Training and Personnel Management for the past 10 years. It began in the Hospitality industry, the field in which I gained my degree, and then moved to retail.  I completed my 4 year degree in Hospitality Management at Bournemouth University, the curriculum of which included HR.  After gaining a Management Trainee position with Hilton Hotels, I decided I enjoyed the Personnel Manager post the most and continued to train in this field.  After 3 years I moved to Tesco as Personnel Manager, increasing the size of those I was responsible for over the five years I was with them.

I am now a freelance trainer and HR manager, recently having been solely responsible for the running of a training consortium for hotels around the Bath and Bristol area.

I would be delighted to offer any advice to anyone thinking of a career in HR or Personnel Management, or any related field.

For anyone considering a career in Human Resources and Personnel Management, I would give the following basic advice:

1. Do some degree of work experience in the industry you intend to work in, so that you can understand the basics of what your staff are required to do.
2. You must be methodical and good at record keeping.
3. Ask yourself if you enjoy being with people and supporting them – if you are not a ‘people person’ this career may not be for you.
4. Most jobs in this field begin with either a training or administration position.  These are essential to get the basics and look for a boss who is willing to train you well.
5. Make sure your application form and CV are well presented and kept simple – you are going to have to judge others so yours must be good.
6. Look towards achieving an IPD qualification. This is not essential but will shine out over others without it.
7. Try to shadow a Personnel Manager if you possibly can.  There are many aspects to the job and this will help you to understand them.

If you would like any further information or advice, please feel free to contact me by email. Good Luck!