Before embarking in a career in Human Resource Management it is important to ask yourself why do you want to work in HR?

There was a time when personnel managers concerned themselves primarily with employee welfare. Often they started their careers as administrators or secretaries and worked their way through the ranks. Today's Human Resources professional is a different breed. They are commercially focused, technically competent and place a high premium on strong interpersonal skills.

Therefore to develop a long and rewarding career within HR you need to be sure that you want to play a significant role in the development of, not just the employees of the organisation, but the organisation as a whole.

The traditional career path has changed too; HR is now seen as a profession with there own professional body - The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. There are a number of things that you can do to increase your chances of securing your first role within an HR department.

Positions within HR departments are fiercely contended - it is one of the most popular choices of career for University Graduates. It is important for you to gain as much practical experience as possible and summer holidays are a great opportunity to gain this experience.

You can consider many different ways to gain this experience, I would recommend two. Firstly register with a reputable recruitment agency who specialise in placing temporary administration staff, TMP Worldwide's Office Support division has a strong track record in placing students into their first office based role, they can be contacted on 0207 600 1709. Secondly you could contact companies directly explaining that you are looking for work experience within an HR department, most large companies will need to cover holiday's during this period and often they will ask you back summer after summer.

Almost all major companies will post their graduate vacancies with the Major Universities so it is always worth consulting your careers centre on site to discuss what opportunities they have. It is also worth writing directly to companies that you may consider will offer you the career you are looking for asking for details on their graduate recruitment programmes.

The future of the HR profession looks bright. The notion that business is only as good as the people that work for it has taken root and with the realisation that HR professionals can make a significant different to a companies profit. There are now very few companies that do not have an HR department and many companies are increasing the number of employees within this function. There has never been such a good time to launch your career but remember you need to think long and hard about your reasons for joining this thriving sector and be prepared to work hard and make sacrifices to achieve the chance to establish a rewarding career in a thriving sector.

A common myth is that if you have particularly strong sector emphasis throughout your career you cannot transfer your skills gained into another sector. Not true - HR is a universal function and although some aspects may change from company to company (ie. policies and procedures, and in different countries employment law), the core HR elements will remain the same.

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