Use your human resources experience and the skills you have acquired to position yourself as an invaluable addition to a prospective employer. Draw upon the various duties you performed as an HR employee to illustrate how those experiences translate to other positions and responsibilities.
Speak in specific terms about your duties in your previous position. Use terms common to HR employees while describing your experience since you will most likely be interviewing with a person familiar with human resources staff responsibilities.
Avoid including the names of previous colleagues to protect sensitive information. As a human resource specialist you have dealt with sensitive information that must be kept confidential such as health care and taxes issues. Discuss the esteem with which you hold company confidentiality. Explain how you understand the importance of not divulging personal information, since you were privy to such information at your previous job.
Describe the challenges of your duties and how you handled those challenges while adhering to company policies and laws. Explain your experience managing employee records and how you ensured that employee matters were handled quickly and accurately.
Demonstrate your understanding of the recruiting, hiring and retention processes that are essential to maintaining an effective workforce. Explain your role in seeking new employees and attracting them to join your former company. Describe how your position as part of a hiring team taught you how different parts of an organization work together to meet company-wide goals.
Link each of the duties you performed in your previous position with the work you would be doing in the new position. If you are applying for a position outside of HR, bridge the gap between your previous duties and how they would serve you in your new role. For example, explain how you aimed to provide a positive and professional representation of the company when searching for and hiring new employees and how you would be able to maintain that attitude should your new job require interaction with customers. Make the connection for the interviewer.
