By Eleanor Kilgallon, Head of Human Resources at Intersoft
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eleanor-kilgallon/
What do you do? What is a typical day/week like?
I am the Head of Human Resources at an information technology company called Intersoft. Intersoft (Part of the Royal Mail Group), has led the market in providing quality delivery management software since 1993 with smart and simple multicarrier solutions that exceed customer demands. Our success lies in cutting-edge technology, a talented team, and the ability to stay one-step-ahead of the delivery process.
Within my role as Head of Human Resources I work within a generalist HR capacity, covering all aspects of the full employee lifecycle. I report directly to the C-suite working flexibly, autonomously, and pro-actively to support, challenge and influence senior leadership. A key part of my role is that of a HR Business Partner, partnering with senior leaders and external stakeholders to champion individual business unit growth and development.There is no typical day or week within my role, every day is different, and every day brings a new set of obstacles, challenges, and highlights.
When did you start thinking about applying for jobs in HR?
After experiencing aspects of HR during my role as a People Operations Manager back in 2015, I was intrigued and wanted to learn more. I shadowed the HR Director and recruitment agents at the business as they ran recruitment events and career days. From this experience I learnt that HR was something I wanted to get into and learn more about, I took on more responsibility and learnings from this business until I moved externally to my first full HR role as a Human Resource Assistant in 2016.
What advice would you give to future students who are keen to work in HR? What do you wish you had known?
The best advice I would give to future students who are keen to work in HR would be to make the most of activities, panel talks and extra curricula learning whilst at University. Gain as much experience and insight as you can, and make sure you detail it all within your CV. When it comes to applying for your first roles, which more often than not will ask for prior experience even for entry level roles ensure you tailor your CV to the role and sector you are applying for and talk through the extra curricula activities you have completed. In terms of what I wish I had known; I would say the biggest area would be that employers are looking to hire you for entry level roles based on your potential. You don’t need to have all the answers, skills, and experience. However, you do need to show willingness to learn, to go the extra mile and most importantly passion. Employers can teach skills, but they can’t teach passion.
Any good resources/websites to share that you found helpful when job hunting and applying?
When I was job hunting, I found Linkedin to be the most valuable site to search and apply for roles. You can also receive a free trial to use Linkedin premium, this allows you to utilise job insights where you are able to see where you sit compared to other candidates who have applied for the same role, access to LinkedIn Learning which offers virtual training from industry professionals and much more.