MSc in Human Resources Management, 2010
HR Manager, General Electric
I completed my first degree in Psychology & Sociology at the University of Bath. During this time, I worked for almost 2 years, gaining experience in Training and Development in blue chip companies such as Daimler and Siemens. Upon graduation I started my career in a local recruitment consultancy in Paris for 2 years. After an 8 month travel gap I joined Google in Paris, where I created a sourcing and recruitment team to accelerate the internal candidate pipeline in Sales and Engineering during the fastest growth period of the company.
Having worked in HR for a number of years prior to completing my degree, I really wanted to gain more in-depth expertise and knowledge in my subject matter, and also more credibility towards future employers. I think a Master’s degree is even more valuable when you already have some practical experience under your belt. LSE’s MSc in Human Resources Management also offered the opportunity to complete the dissertation in collaboration with an external company. I completed mine with a colleague student in conjunction with a large publishing company and this was probably the most valuable experience of my entire time at LSE – putting theoretical knowledge into practice within a real organisation.
After graduation, I was hired to join GE’s HR Leadership Program. This is a fast track rotational program that enables participants to gather 5 years of experience in a 2 year period. I completed 3 rotations across a variety of businesses and locations (France, UK and Italy) and completed an extensive training program in parallel. For the last year I have been HR Manager for the GE Power Conversion business, supporting 3 global functions and driving their HR strategy, organizational structuring, performance management, salary planning and leadership development and coaching.
If I had to give one piece of advice it would be to try and get some real experience as early on as you can. Internships, placements, summer jobs – anything to get you on the career ladder and prove you have already managed to integrate an organization and learn some practical skills will serve you immensely as you start looking for graduate jobs. I also really see the value in extra-curricular activities and achievements. Driving projects, volunteering and showing curiosity are all attributes that employers appreciate when people are starting out on their careers.
Finally, I would say: network, network, network! Building strong networks are absolutely vital, both for developing your career but also your personal life…surrounding yourself with great people will make you more proficient in any role you take on, and will open doors that you didn’t even suspect existed.