Case studies : Training and development officer: Anne

Anne completed a degree in human resource management and now works as a training and development officer. She advises that you work on your communication and interpersonal skills and be passionate about the job.

I completed a MSc in Human Resource Management at the London School of Economics, and after a year of work experience, I was headhunted for the training and development officer position at one of the leading consulting firms worldwide. I chose this career path as it was very relevant to my studies and because of the opportunities for future career progression.

My bachelors degree was in business administration and finance, so it is very relevant to my role. It has helped me to have a better understanding of how a company works so as to identify the areas for growth and development. During my MSc in Human Resource Management, I realised that I was more interested in training and development than recruitment or general HR. My first job was at a small consultancy that organised corporate training. My role there involved lots of administrative duties which are also essential to my current role. Therefore, I had a good mix of studies and relevant work experience.

My role involves identifying training needs for analysts and looking after their development for the first two years. I also organise training for recruitment staff. Additionally, I look after inductions, appraisals and professional learning. There is lots of administration involved in my role too, as I have to arrange courses or away days. Some of these are abroad (e.g. Italy or Austria). I have only been in my role for about a year, but within this year, it has developed a lot. I have a lot more responsibilities now. For example, my responsibilities regarding the recruitment team’s training were given to me after I started in the role..

What I enjoy most about my job is the feeling that I contribute to analysts’ professional development as well as the fact that I work with different people. I have also learnt a lot myself, and I feel that I actively contribute to the organisation's development and strategy too. What I enjoy less are the long hours from times to times as well as the amount of stress. However, I love my job. My careers aspiration is to develop my career within training and development and maybe work as a consultant after a few years of experience. In the meantime, I would like to do a secondment in one of our offices abroad.

If you want a job in training and development, I would advise you to get some generalist experience first in order to make sure that this is what you really want to do. Also, work on your communication and interpersonal skills. Finally, be passionate about the job.