Second Job For Experience

[Almond_Joy]

Hi everyone,

 

I'm working on my MBA and should be done by the end of this year. All I've ever done is admin work but I want to get into HR. That's my program concentration and the career path I want.

 

A lot of admin asst duties correlate with HR job functions as they are both largely administrative, but because I haven't had a job in HR or a job with HR in the title it seems like I don't have experience qualifying me for well paying HR positions.

 

I'm also realizing that if I want to be able to retire before I'm 80 and have any semblance of disposable income I need to be making now at least twice what I'm actually earning. Based on my years of experience and what I do, the average for admin assistants in my area is about 15 - 20K more than what I make now. Entry level HR's about 10 -15K more.

 

I was talking about all of this with my bf yesterday and we kind of put together a 3 yr game plan for me. The idea is that I start looking for a part time HR assistant job, where I'm dealing solely with HR duties. Ideally I would like to get paid for the job but since experience is the priority I'd be willing to volunteer to do this for a small business. If I find a job that doesn't pay, then I only stick with that job for 3 - 6 months and find another job either full time or part time that does pay. Also during this time I try to pass the HR cert exam, since at that point I'll have the work hours qualifying me to sit for the test. So I find a paying/better paying HR job after the possible volunteer stint, either with the same company or with a new one. Do the new HR job for at least a yr to get more experience. 24 - 30 months from now I'll have at least a year of experience in HR in a legit position, an MBA, and the industry certification for leverage into a higher status HR position, something paying around what I need to be making.

 

I really like the company I'm at, but the chances of me getting a 15K raise or a change in title or duties to better align with my career path in the next 3 years is slim to none. When I took my current job I'd been unemployed for 5 months (longest period of unemployment of my life) and thought my unemployment was running out next month. I was stressed about finances and desperate to get income so I could get by. So even though this job paid less than my last job, I took it because it still pays close to what I was making before so I could definitely get by and as I said I like the company and people I work for alot. It was only after the pressure of finances dissappeared that I realized I probably should have negotiated for higher pay and how hard it will be to get where I want with this company from where I'm at now.

 

I want to keep the job I have now while executing the above described plan for HR experience until I find a FT HR position that at least pays equivalent to what I'm making now. But I'm not sure how feasible it is as the hours for my FT job and the hours for a typical HR job overlap (8 or 9 to 5 ish). I'd probably need to reduce or reschedule my hours at my current job to take on another job, which will bump me out of full time status or make me unavailable during the hours where I'm needed most at my FT job.

 

I'm posting this plan because 1) I may forget the details over time, so I need to write it down for reference, and 2) to get some feedback on pitfalls for this plan. I'm trying to assess if this isn't really feasible, or maybe get ideas for a contingency plan to my end goal? Anybody been in this position that can lend some insight? I'm realizing financially I'm well away from where I need to be to be financially secure later in life and it's kind of lit a fire under my butt to make some things happen before I'm 30 lol.

 

Any constructive suggestions will be greatly appreciated, thanks for reading.

[Balzac]

I'm working on my MBA and should be done by the end of this year.

 

Much of your logic doesn't make sense to me. Out of curiosity, is your MBA program a PT or online? I think you must have some level of peer association and career planning strategy.

[Almond_Joy]

What of my logic does not make sense? Not being snarky, I sincerely want to know how this game plan does not pan out so that I can plan something better/more attainable.

 

I am doing a lot of my classes online now because they are not available on site, and if I do have an onsite class I only go to school for class. The student and professional associations at my university in my region/campus are not very fruitful as participation is generally low.

 

I'm only doing one class a session now, technically it still qualifies as full time since that comes up to 2 classes a term but it feels part time compared to the course load I was doing before which was 2 classes a session.

[Balzac]

HaHa "snarky" hey it could be said about my queries so np.

Knowing the culture/structure of your program helps.

 

MBA is all about management and not exactly about learning the

pedestrian tasks of HR. Fussing about $15 grand seems odd. Not having

revealed much about your geographic location - or your willingness to

relocate it's a bit difficult to offer you useful critique. Off the

jump though I'd say being in the mindset of executive assistant just doesn't

fit.

 

I may be woefully biased from the type of program I'm familiar

with.

[Almond_Joy]

HaHa "snarky" hey it could be said about my queries so np.

Knowing the culture/structure of your program helps.

 

MBA is all about management and not exactly about learning the

pedestrian tasks of HR. Fussing about $15 grand seems odd. Not having

revealed much about your geographic location - or your willingness to

relocate it's a bit difficult to offer you useful critique. Off the

jump though I'd say being in the mindset of executive assistant just doesn't

fit.

 

I may be woefully biased from the type of program I'm familiar with.

 

 

Exactly! Based on my work experience so far I'm on the path to being an EA. There's nothing wrong with that position but that's not what I want to end up as. I'm tired of assisting individual people or departments. I'm really good at it, but that's not what I want to do for the rest of my life.

 

Financially I have a lot to learn. I come from a financially poor upbringing, being able to pay the rent was considered doing well. To even ask for a 15K increase and seeing that as anywhere near reasonable is only a recent revelation to me.

 

I'm indifferent about management but realize that I have to manage others to get where I want, so I do need to find a way to work in supervisory experience. Another idea that my bf proposed is going for an office manager position. I'd probably have to do a lot of HR functions in that capacity and I'd also be getting supervisory experience.

 

I'm kind of an open book right now - my professional career means a lot to me and I want to do well, so anyone reading feel free to give constructive suggestions!

 

I don't understand what you mean by structure. My MBA program is as follows:

 

16 course total for the degree.

 

5 program core course - Operational accounting, statistics, org leadership, IT fundamentals, and marketing

 

5 program-specific courses - Managerial accounting, econ, finance, business law/ethics, and my capstone/senior project/thesis course

 

6 elective course. In my case since I chose a program concentration 4 have to be in my concentration field. So 4 HR classes and 2 electives on whatever subject I want

 

I'm doing my last HR elective now and have my finance, marketing and capstone course left to take.

 

As far as relocating, I have no problem with that at all. My bf's moved around alot and is not originally from here. He would like to stay in California but is kind of disgusted with the cost of living out here. I was born and raised out here and I love it but I also am tired of the high prices.

 

Does this help you get a better idea to give some suggesstions?

Edited May 26, 2013 by Almond_Joy

[Balzac]

I come from a financially poor upbringing, being able to pay the rent was considered doing well.

 

This can serve you well. Never apologize for your humble beginnings and use it to your advantage. As an MBA candidate you've learned about

money. Knowledge is power.

 

Embrace any opportunity that provides you the pathway to

switch gears as it sounds as if your present company isn't receptive

to moving you to opportunity ~ read as no opportunity for mentoring.

Have you joined any professional organizations?

[Almond_Joy]

 

This can serve you well. Never apologize for your humble beginnings and use it to your advantage. As an MBA candidate you've learned about money. Knowledge is power.

 

Embrace any opportunity that provides you the pathway to

switch gears as it sounds as if your present company isn't receptive

to moving you to opportunity ~ read as no opportunity for mentoring.

Have you joined any professional organizations?

 

Yes I've joined ASTD but have not been active since I realized I'm not essentially going to end up as a corporate trainer. Going to start looking into professional general HR network organizations and if I find a big one with an active local chapter I'll join that and start trying to build a network.

 

It feels overwhleming to start that right now with work and school because I really have to invest a lot of energy to focusing in school and my job because my job is pretty busy - lots of projects and things to keep track of. But it's probably more feasible than finding a second job and juggling two jobs and school :-/.

[Balzac]

Is there an Economics Club in your city?

 

How about a local charity that offers the opportunity to meet n

greet other professionals?

 

I get your thought about leadership but I believe what you likely

need is access to mentoring.

 

You can likely join a Toastmasters group as a small step. Just

a mention.

 

I'm certain other LSers will chime in.

[Almond_Joy]

Is there an Economics Club in your city?

 

How about a local charity that offers the opportunity to meet n

greet other professionals?

 

I get your thought about leadership but I believe what you likely

need is access to mentoring.

 

You can likely join a Toastmasters group as a small step. Just

a mention.

 

I'm certain other LSers will chime in.

 

A few ideas I will definitely research, thank you!

[MsSmurf]

Almond_Joy, I don't think there is anything wrong with your plan and it is entirely possible if you're willing to sacrifice some of your free time. It sounds like you have your bf's support which is huge.

 

If I were in your shoes I wouldn't jeopardize the full time day job to take a second job that may or may not pay. I would definitely keep the day job and make sure that the second job is done around the day job. In fact I did this quite a bit when I was exploring hr, accounting, and other fields. If you can modify your hours from say 8-5pm to 7-4pm or 6-3pm that may help you fit in the second job and still maintain full time hours at the day job.

 

In addition to networking and looking for volunteer opportunities I would also suggest temp agencies. I was able to take on a lot of short term projects that helped me learn more about hr, executive assisting, etc and some of these projects were nights and weekends.

 

Also keep in mind that a lot of jobs that have many hr tasks don't necessarily have hr in the title such as: volunteer coordinator, research analyst, compliance analyst, payroll specialist, benefits coordinator, etc. So what is key for your resume is that you highlight the hr related duties you had or developed rather than fixate on the job title.

[Almond_Joy]

Almond_Joy, I don't think there is anything wrong with your plan and it is entirely possible if you're willing to sacrifice some of your free time. It sounds like you have your bf's support which is huge.

 

If I were in your shoes I wouldn't jeopardize the full time day job to take a second job that may or may not pay. I would definitely keep the day job and make sure that the second job is done around the day job. In fact I did this quite a bit when I was exploring hr, accounting, and other fields. If you can modify your hours from say 8-5pm to 7-4pm or 6-3pm that may help you fit in the second job and still maintain full time hours at the day job.

 

In addition to networking and looking for volunteer opportunities I would also suggest temp agencies. I was able to take on a lot of short term projects that helped me learn more about hr, executive assisting, etc and some of these projects were nights and weekends.

 

Also keep in mind that a lot of jobs that have many hr tasks don't necessarily have hr in the title such as: volunteer coordinator, research analyst, compliance analyst, payroll specialist, benefits coordinator, etc. So what is key for your resume is that you highlight the hr related duties you had or developed rather than fixate on the job title.

 

Oh completely forgot about temp agencies. I've gotten work through them several times and the agencies always say I'm a great candidate so if I'm not picky about pay they probably could find me something soon.

 

I am very worried about taking away time from my current job - I've only been there a few months and do not want to start rocking the boat too early - but I think my boss would be ok with a 6-3 shift for me. Maybe I can get a night supervisor job or something. Like 4 -8.

 

Thank you, this helps me fill in details for making this plan happen. And yes, I'm glad that my bf wants to engage and support me so much professionally. The support is really nice.

[clia]

I also am having trouble understanding your approach. Don't lose sight of the big picture.

 

If you are graduating by the end of the year with an MBA concentration in HR, doesn’t that at least partially qualify you for full time HR jobs that require an MBA after you graduate, as opposed to EA jobs? I don’t understand your “I’m on the path to being an EA” statement above. No, you are on the path to HR management (or whatever your MBA qualifies you for) after you graduate. I would think that even without having your degree yet you would be able to do better than an EA job in HR.

 

Most people who have just graduated don’t have a ton of experience (or even any) in a field when they first get a job in that field (no matter what their degree), and the pay initially reflects that. You may have to do EA type stuff or lower level type stuff initially. As you gain more experience and work your way up, your pay increases. You may have to take a few steps back now (i.e., take a FT job paying less than what you are being paid now) in order to reap the benefits in the future. I fear you are focusing way too much on pay right now as opposed to the bigger picture.

 

To me, your primary goal now, prior to graduation, should be to try to get the type of work experience that will lead you to the job you eventually want, as well as to line up a full time job in your desired field for after you graduate. While it sounds like you are trying to do that, I fear you are focusing too much on pay now (worrying about your current FT job, which doesn’t seem to be in your desired area) and your current job, as opposed to what the pay will be later, and the skills you will acquire in whatever type of work you will find. You have to consider the big picture. You also seem to be selling yourself short. You don’t necessarily have to have work experience in X, Y, and Z, to get certain jobs, provided you have the appropriate educational background (MBA) and desired skills of the potential employer as displayed in other ways. The employer will expect that you can learn and pick up skills as you go along, particularly with respect to managerial and supervisory roles, which come from experience. You will be graduating with an MBA – that means something.

 

I’ll caveat this by saying I’m not super familiar with HR career paths, but I seems odd to me that your focus right now isn’t on lining up an HR job that requires an MBA for after you graduate. Where do you hope to be at the end of your three year plan?

[pink_sugar]

My husband is in the same boat. Currently an admin asst. looking to get into HR. I believe admin experience is essential though to become an HR asst. I'm surprised you'd be getting 10-15k more than you do now. I live in an outrageously expensive area an if you're lucky to get full time, the average salary starting for an admin assist can be anywhere from 20k-35k a year. My husband only averages 12k on a part time basis. It's a joke. Where are all these decent paying jobs?

[MuscleCarFan]

This sounds a lot like me! I want to work in HR and I get my bachelor's degree this June, but I do not have much administrative experience.

[Almond_Joy]

Well, perhaps I am selling myself short. And my education short. The university I'm graduating from does not have a good reputation, so I'm working on the presumption that even though I have an MBA employers will not really value the degree as they would an MBA from a university with a better reputation.

 

I said I'm on the path to an EA because the job I hold doesn't bring me closer to HR mgmt. An HR asst job would be closer to my career path. Going from one admin asst job to another is a lateral move to me, not a progression. That's how I'm looking at it. If an employer had an opening for an HR job and saw my resume, full of admin jobs and duties, how qualified would they really consider me compared to someone that's had some experience with HR duties? A lot of admin duties and HR duties do overlap but there are certain areas of experience that I think are exclusive to each occupation. It's the HR exclusive duties that I need to find another job to acquire.

 

I worry about my ft job now because I want to build a good foundation with this company and come back to it in a position that's in my field. The only HR jobs available in this company are at the corporate office, which I don't work in, and there is no aspect of the position I hold with the company now that would get me to corporate.

 

I also worry about my ft job because of my student loan debt. It is tremendous and there will be no grace period when I graduate since most of the debt is from my ug degree and I have taken at least 6 months off of school since graduating. Once my loan payments kick in I will have no money at all after bills and loan payments. That will literally be my entire monthly income. My bf makes only a few thousand more than me so we don't have much room between our two incomes for emergency funds, savings, or disposable income as it stands now. Once I start paying my loans we will both be wholly dependent on his income for any emergency funds, any savings, any disposable income of any kind until I earn more. I do feel that's a large and unfair burden for him to shoulder and what if I don't find a better paying ft job in my field after I graduate? How long will he have to shoulder that? I'd rather not put us in that situation, which is why a second job for me seems like a good option right now. Yeah, I am worried about finances a lot right now.

 

I feel like my response is a bit scattered lol, sorry if so. I am trying to consider not just my long term career path, but our present financial stability. I'm not quite willing to sacrifice any of one for the other, if that makes sense. And I feel like that's what I'd be doing if I don't earn more once my loan payments kick in. The likelihood of me getting a 10 k increase or an entry level HR job paying 40 or 45k seems more unrealistic than keeping my ft job and getting a second pt job that will bring in 10 or 15 k a year. I suppose it's possible but my chances are still better if I graduate AND have work experience in the field, no? I'm trying to give myself an edge before graduation. In three years I want to be making at least 60k.

 

I'm not entry level admin, I've been doing this work for nearly 8 years now. Even though I'd be going into a new field, since the duties of each capacity seem to parallel each other in a lot of ways, I don't think I should be getting entry level pay. If I take a ft entry level HR job after I graduate that pays only what I make now , I would still see that as a lateral move. I don't want to give an employer any justification not to pay me more. If I've got a masters, work experience, industry certification, and a portfolio showing that I'm a great person to work with and very competent.....they don't really have good reason not to pay me what I'm asking for do they? The only option would be to just not give me the job in which case I keep looking.....

 

 

I'm sure there are pitfalls with this line of thinking and I'd like to hear them, really. I know I can get tunnel vision with my goals so outside perspective helps. Thank you for your post clia.

[Almond_Joy]

My husband is in the same boat. Currently an admin asst. looking to get into HR. I believe admin experience is essential though to become an HR asst. I'm surprised you'd be getting 10-15k more than you do now. I live in an outrageously expensive area an if you're lucky to get full time, the average salary starting for an admin assist can be anywhere from 20k-35k a year. My husband only averages 12k on a part time basis. It's a joke. Where are all these decent paying jobs?

 

 

Lol I thought the same thing when I started doing salary searches. I thought ....I don't know ANYBODY that gets paid that kind of money for this job. Most people I know think 'm doing really well. I guess in comparison to the economy I am, because I have a ft job and I can live off of the income from the one job. But compared to the salary ranges I saw, I'm getting paid below the average for an entry level version of my job! And with as many years of experience as I already have I am at an intermediate level.

 

I figure someone must be making more money doing this job for these ranges to be what they are.....and I need to be on the higher end of the salary range, not the low end lol. I'm an above average admin asst, I do above average work and give above average effort. I should get above average pay.

 

I'm just not willing to take a pay cut or even maintain the same pay in a new position. I'd rather keep this job and get extra money on the side for now.

Edited May 30, 2013 by Almond_Joy

[MsSmurf]

I think the reason we see those higher salary ranges is because they include only some levels of hr assistant positions. I've seen companies have an hr assistant, a senior hr assistant, and an executive hr assistant. The latter would be getting closer to the top of that pay scale, the middle closer to the bottom of that pay scale, and the former usually far below the bottom of that pay scale. Since hr assistant work is often lumped in with admin asst jobs whoever does these salary ranges is probably only looking at mid-high level hr assistant jobs.

[pink_sugar]

Lol I thought the same thing when I started doing salary searches. I thought ....I don't know ANYBODY that gets paid that kind of money for this job. Most people I know think 'm doing really well. I guess in comparison to the economy I am, because I have a ft job and I can live off of the income from the one job. But compared to the salary ranges I saw, I'm getting paid below the average for an entry level version of my job! And with as many years of experience as I already have I am at an intermediate level.

 

I figure someone must be making more money doing this job for these ranges to be what they are.....and I need to be on the higher end of the salary range, not the low end lol. I'm an above average admin asst, I do above average work and give above average effort. I should get above average pay.

 

I'm just not willing to take a pay cut or even maintain the same pay in a new position. I'd rather keep this job and get extra money on the side for now.

 

Do you know why exactly your school doesn't have the best reputation? I am graduating from a small private school most people won't even know of, but as long as the school is accredited, it shouldn't matter how big or small or the overall reputation as long as it meets accreditation guidelines. Unless it's a huge prestigious university, you shouldn't have any more difficulties finding a job than a regular state university student.

[MsSmurf]

Actually the reputation of the school can be important. Where I live there is a large university that is well known for a particular major. Although fully accredited and high retention rates it has a poor reputation because its graduates don't do well in the field. Therefore companies see candidates from this particular school, with this particular degree and are less likely to consider them. The school has made a lot of changes, but is still having trouble moving past its reputation.