FridayBlogPost: Discussion

This week's topic for discussion came from our Facebook Friend Yolande H. Her  request was:

One issue you could tackle is the opportunity for young persons to be afforded the opportunity to get HR experience. It is quite a challenge as organizations want to hire people with HR experience but the big problem is how do young people get that direct HR experience?

Let's get the ball rolling!

It is true that young persons find it difficult to acquire this work experience, however there are some avenues they can try to gain experience in the field of HR. Firstly they can apply for an internship during the holiday periods of summer and Christmas. These are perfect times to get experience because they are outside of the school semester. Parents can be of assistance to find organizations that are willing to take on young persons for an internship. Also they can identify persons that they know who work in the field and offer their services. While this may not be a paying job, and may only require them to do small things, being in an environment where you can observe the ins and outs of the field should be a welcomed opportunity. Identifying someone in the field who can serve as a mentor is another option; someone who can guide you as to the rudiments of HR.

The key here is for them to make themselves available to a possible employer or mentor and be willing to offer their services for free as it is difficult for many organizations to take on young persons for a paid internship in this economy. Volunteering can give these young persons the opportunity to impress possible future employers with their work ethic, potential and insight as a young person entering the field.

Also if these persons are university students studying HR, they can find out if the HR Management Department is in need of any help, whether during the year or the holiday periods. This can give them first hand experience in HR in a large institution as well as give them the opportunity to impress their lecturers.

Join in the discussion and tell us where you stand. It begins with us, it begins right here.

The Human Resource Management Association of Jamaica

“Enhancing the Value of Human Capital for Growth and Development”