Even though many of our graduates will have progressed in their careers since completing a case study, they are still of interest to students who wish to gain an understanding of the world of work.

My role focuses on Learning and Development, specifically identifying, creating and recommending solutions to training needs identified throughout the business. These solutions may be in the form of courses delivered by external providers, for which I have an allocated budget that I must assign accordingly. Alternatively (and more frequently), the solution is a bespoke programme, designed and delivered in-house by myself or my colleagues. This training is then created to target a specific training need, which will in turn improve business performance.

My daily activities are incredibly varied. I mostly spend my days creating & delivering training which has been prompted by talent reviews. I then collect different types of data (surveys, interviews) to evaluate this training and use this data to continually improve the training moving forwards, ensuring the best ROI.
I am also heavily involved with communication and engagement with the business. This is mostly with regards to L&D but also other themes, such as talent, reward and organisational change. I manage & regularly update the company Intranet pages & blogs and the internal Plasma screens to communicate key messages, opportunities changes with the business.
Another large part of my role involves managing the Training Management System (e-learning), from adding and removing new starters and leavers, to allocating training. I also analyse the TMS data on a monthly basis to ensure everyone has completed their compliance training by company allocated deadlines. I also draw upon the TMS as an alternative training solution, when an online option may be a better solution than a workshop or training session, for example, and to use as inspiration for training which I am designing.

I love that my role is so varied. Although its focus is on Learning & Development, I have the opportunity to work with a spectrum of people across the business on many different projects. Additionally, delivering training for everyone in the business, from entry level all the way up to the Executive Team, has allowed me to network very quickly and learn about lots of different areas of the business.

It can be difficult creating training on topics which I might not have lots of experience in. Some examples of the training I have been called upon to design are: Emotional Intelligence, Objective Setting, Mentoring Skills, Line Manager Induction, Presentation Skills, Career Management, and Feedback. This is where my research skills come in very useful, as I have to sift through lots of articles and pull out the most relevant & practical aspects and turn this into an interactive workshop.
It can also be quite challenging working in a small HR team as you are often required to turn your hand to many different things to support other colleagues, sometimes on things you’ve never worked on before. Although this can be difficult, it is a great way of developing new skills and gives lots of opportunity for new experiences!

After graduating from my Psychology degree at the University of Sheffield I was really interested in Occupational Psychology and therefore chose to study this at a Master's level at the University of Leeds, back in my home town. Once I had graduated from this, I wanted a career where I could put all my theoretical knowledge into practice. My role allows me to use my extensive Psychological knowledge to make practical suggestions and changes to improve our workforce in multiple aspects.

I use lots of the skills that I learnt during both my undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, but specifically I use my research, report writing and data analysis skills the most and these have been the most useful in being proficient in my role.

Education:
University of Sheffield - BSc Psychology - 1st Class Honours 2014-2017
University of Leeds - MSc Organisational Psychology - Distinction 2017-2018

Work:
Miss Selfridge - Team Leader & HR Specialist - 2013-2018
Hallmark Cards UK & Ireland - Organisational Effectiveness & Development Advisor - 2018 - Present

I am really enjoying developing my knowledge of L&D but in the future I would like to develop my generalist HR knowledge more, perhaps by moving into a HR Advisor role.

I would also consider gaining my CIPD qualification along the way whilst working. My overall goal is to become a HR director one day but I know this is a long way off!

I would advise people to try and gain as much experience as possible whilst studying, whether this be through work experience, voluntary or paid work. Administration skills are a necessity to get into any HR work when leaving University and getting your first proper job. I found that if you couldn't demonstrate strong administration skills then you were unlikely to even get to the interview stage!
It is also really important to be incredibly personable to work in HR, as we essentially network with and look after everyone in the whole company, so if this isn't a strong area for you then this might not be the right career path!
I would also suggest that people try to apply for jobs before they finish their degree, rather than waiting until they have graduated. There are often lots of fantastic opportunities with smaller companies (rather than large graduate schemes) throughout the year, and if you don’t start looking early you can miss out on these. I didn't graduate from my Master's degree until October 2018, but I applied for my role at Hallmark in July 2018, and since they liked me they were happy to wait!