Hi everyone! I am posting this after a lot of thought.
I have been working for almost 12 yrs now. With an MBA (HR& Marketing), I started my career as an HR Trainee in a retail company and quickly earned two promotions. After few years moved to the /'UAE, started as an HR Assistant and got elevated to Sr. Brand HR. The twist is - I took a one-year sabbatical and traveled before moving back to India.
Once back home, I started a small consulting (HR & Payroll solutions), working with brands like Maruti, Inshorts, Meena Bazaar to name a few. Then COVID hit. Despite trying hard to sail through, I had to wrap up but in the meantime, I had started writing (pre-AI era) and within a very short time received some good feedback along with long-term associations with companies like MMT, MagicBricks etc.
One such freelance opportunity with a journalist led me to where I work currently. I officially moved into content (with a major pay cut). Salary is considerably low, but with current changes all around, the work I do won't survive for long and was thinking to move back to HR.
Here’s where I’m facing a challenge. For HR roles, recruiters often tell me I have only 8+ years of relevant experience. For content roles, the conversation tends to end with “you have only 4+ years of experience.” In both cases, it feels like my profile is being evaluated narrowly. There have been instances where I’ve managed to convince the recruiters, only to be told later that the hiring manager isn’t fully convinced. Indian job market!
With my overall experience, I believe I am suited for mid-to-senior roles, but not quite able to break through. I’ve considered applying to companies that value cross-functional experience or exploring startup opportunities, but I feel I may be missing something fundamental in how I’m positioning myself.
Anyway, whatever the case may be, I am certainly missing out on something. I have connected with a few career coaches on LinkedIn, and unfortunately, a large number of them were concerned about the payments first, rather than discussing with me my action plan for the next 3-6 months.
So if you know anyone who can assist me - any career coaches, a mentor or an HR senior professional with whom I can collaborate, pls let me know. It would be of great, great help!
TL;DR:
12 years of experience across HR and content. Trying to transition back into HR but facing positioning challenges, recruiters view my experience in silos (8 yrs HR / 4 yrs content). Looking for a career coach/mentor who can help me build a clear 3–6 month action plan and reposition my profile effectively.