Starting salary for human resource related

Originally Posted by faber

Why would any honors degree graduate want to join HR?

Don't look down on the HR profession. My wife is in HR (private sector) and she makes double of what I make as an engineer, and has room to go up some more. Many of her peers are in HR consultant roles and make low 5 figures a month.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Don't look down on the HR profession. My wife is in HR (private sector) and she makes double of what I make as an engineer, and has room to go up some more. Many of her peers are in HR consultant roles and make low 5 figures a month.

Unfortunately, not many ppl look up to them either. This is the real world, dude.

[Liverpool]

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Don't look down on the HR profession. My wife is in HR (private sector) and she makes double of what I make as an engineer, and has room to go up some more. Many of her peers are in HR consultant roles and make low 5 figures a month.

HR consultants are in the management consultancy category... thats entirely different already... they deserve that high pay.

Originally Posted by Liverpool

HR consultants are in the management consultancy category... thats entirely different already... they deserve that high pay.

Exactly. Once you're in HR anywhere, there's a good chance you can move on to be a consultant, cos there's a lot of demand for HR work but little supply of talent. This is a place where foreign talent has not infiltrated much. Hint: government projects are very lucrative. People said Mercer was paid very well for helping with the ministerial salary review. From the report, you can easily tell the kind of work is not rocket science.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Exactly. Once you're in HR anywhere, there's a good chance you can move on to be a consultant, cos there's a lot of demand for HR work but little supply of talent. This is a place where foreign talent has not infiltrated much. Hint: government projects are very lucrative. People said Mercer was paid very well for helping with the ministerial salary review. From the report, you can easily tell the kind of work is not rocket science.

No, it seldom happens. I used to work in Towers Perrin (now merged to Towers Watson), competitor for Mercer, HR Consultants like mentioned by Liverpool are very talented people who most of the time are very Finance oriented, they can sell at Board presentation and yet be extremely technical when needed.

This is completely different from your typical HR person who is a numerical illiterate and can barely write a simple report without grammer errors, much less engage the Board. Some consulting partners are headhunted and parachuted to senior HR Directors, but a normal HR Manager or Director seldom switch to Consultant or Partner, the pace is too fast and intellectual power required is too much for them.

The switch between these 2 industries only happen at junior level where young professionals are still job hopping around to see which industry is more suitable.

HR Consultants (not recruitor) are completely in a different league compared to normal HR people.

Originally Posted by wike

No, it seldom happens. I used to work in Towers Perrin (now merged to Towers Watson), competitor for Mercer, HR Consultants like mentioned by Liverpool are very talented people who most of the time are very Finance oriented, they can sell at Board presentation and yet be extremely technical when needed.

This is completely different from your typical HR person who is a numerical illiterate and can barely write a simple report without grammer errors, much less engage the Board. Some consulting partners are headhunted and parachuted to senior HR Directors, but a normal HR Manager or Director seldom switch to Consultant or Partner, the pace is too fast and intellectual power required is too much for them.

The switch between these 2 industries only happen at junior level where young professionals are still job hopping around to see which industry is more suitable.

HR Consultants (not recruitor) are completely in a different league compared to normal HR people.

The prerequisite is you have to be smart. Saw Phaik Hwa can run SMRT for a decade coming from retail background. Army generals can lead non-defence ministries. Ex-engineer can head Temasek Holdings.

Originally Posted by wike

No, it seldom happens. I used to work in Towers Perrin (now merged to Towers Watson), competitor for Mercer, HR Consultants like mentioned by Liverpool are very talented people who most of the time are very Finance oriented, they can sell at Board presentation and yet be extremely technical when needed.

This is completely different from your typical HR person who is a numerical illiterate and can barely write a simple report without grammer errors, much less engage the Board. Some consulting partners are headhunted and parachuted to senior HR Directors, but a normal HR Manager or Director seldom switch to Consultant or Partner, the pace is too fast and intellectual power required is too much for them.

The switch between these 2 industries only happen at junior level where young professionals are still job hopping around to see which industry is more suitable.

HR Consultants (not recruitor) are completely in a different league compared to normal HR people.

Hi Wikie,

I’m now in Corporate HR in a German MNC for 1.5 years and the work is getting unbearable because it is very monotonous and admin based, one of the options I’m looking for is either joining HR consultancy firm or a recruitment agency.

Recruitment agency is essentially sales job and I’m not sure I want to go on a commission job now, so that leaves only consultancy if I still want to stay in HR related. In terms of company, any major difference in Mercer, Hay, TW, Aon, HRBS etc.? Career prospects is it different from HR?

I am also not good with numbers, is there a position in HR consultancy where I don't have to deal with calculation, spreadsheets, SAP ? I prefer doing things like engagement, leadership, recruitment of managers / directors etc.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Hi Wikie,

I’m now in Corporate HR in a German MNC for 1.5 years and the work is getting unbearable because it is very monotonous and admin based, one of the options I’m looking for is either joining HR consultancy firm or a recruitment agency.

Corporate HR is like that, go another company also the same thing.

Recruitment agency is essentially sales job and I’m not sure I want to go on a commission job now, so that leaves only consultancy if I still want to stay in HR related. In terms of company, any major difference in Mercer, Hay, TW, Aon, HRBS etc.? Career prospects is it different from HR?

Not much difference b/w different consultant firms, it’s like a musical chair and most consultants would have served in at least a few competitors before.

Career path is completely different. Corporate HR is standard from Exec to Manager to Director while HR consultant resembles more like management consulting firm from Associate to Consultant to Practice Lead to Partner. Most people at Practice Lead level already make much more than a HR Director in corporate.

Career advancement at consultancy is also faster. There are many people in their early to mid 30s already leading a practice whereas corporate HR usually to reach HR Director is some old auntie or uncle in mid 40s or early 50s. Of course work hours and stress much more in consultancy.

I am also not good with numbers, is there a position in HR consultancy where I don't have to deal with calculation, spreadsheets, SAP ? I prefer doing things like engagement, leadership, recruitment of managers / directors etc.

If that is what you want to do, I suggest you stay out of consultancy. All this strategy talk talk and engagement with top leaders only happen at lead or partner level. You have to earn the right to that by going through at least 5 years of junior roles which involve a lot of number crunching, research and analysis, technical modeling and chasing after info from clients.

You will not survive in that environment if you are not good with numbers and very fast thinking. Remember your peers are not the typical slack nice ladies, they are more like lawyers and bankers and there is little room for you to take it slow to figure out what’s going on. That’s why turnover high because a lot of people get burn out in a year.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

I am also not good with numbers, is there a position in HR consultancy where I don't have to deal with calculation, spreadsheets, SAP ? I prefer doing things like engagement, leadership, recruitment of managers / directors etc.

So with 1.5 yrs experience you don't want to do actual work but want people to engage you as consultant to teach them leadership? WTF, youngsters these days...

Originally Posted by wike

Human Resource is just a glorified way to say admin department in most companies. I think nowadays for fresh grad HR Executive should be around 2.2 - 2.4k monthly.

I am fully agreeing with you ,in the beganing years it like running errands for the seniors.
there is vast dif fin theory and practical ,on should be very careful before taking flunge in HR