Recruitment & HR Careers for Young People

Connect people with their perfect roles and help organisations thrive. Recruitment and HR offers fast-paced, people-centred careers with clear progression from entry-level to leadership.

This kind of work is usually people-focused, fast-paced, sales-driven and built on relationships and trust. It can suit you if you like work that has a clear purpose, gives you room to grow, and connects your strengths to real tasks.

1. 1.Explore your strengths.

Think about whether you prefer creating, making, fixing, analysing, organising, supporting people or working with technology.

1. 2.Research realistic pathways.

Look at apprenticeships, college courses, traineeships, volunteering, entry-level vacancies and local employers.

1. 3.Build evidence.

Use school, college, work, volunteering or personal projects to show what you can already do.

1. 4.Learn the language of the sector.

Read job descriptions, follow current developments and notice the skills employers mention repeatedly.

1. 5.Apply before you feel perfect.

Employers do not expect beginners to know everything — they look for potential, reliability and willingness to learn.

Where people often start

Opportunities include talent acquisition, HR administration, onboarding, learning and development, payroll, employee wellbeing, people analytics and early careers work. Communication and organisation are key.

Where it can lead

Recruitment and HR supports people through work — from hiring and onboarding to wellbeing, training, payroll, employee relations and career development. Roles are about communication, trust, organisation and understanding what people and employers need. With experience, you may move into specialist, supervisory, management, consultancy or leadership work depending on the pathway you choose.

What employers value

Helpful skills include communication, relationship building, negotiation, organisation, commercial awareness, empathy and digital literacy. You do not need to be perfect at all of them straight away — these are strengths you can build through projects, volunteering, part-time work, courses, apprenticeships or simply practising.

Helpful skills include communication, relationship building, negotiation, organisation, commercial awareness, empathy and digital literacy. You do not need to be perfect at all of them straight away — these are strengths you can build through projects, volunteering, part-time work, courses, apprenticeships or simply practising.

• Communication
• Empathy & Care
• Organisation
• Initiative

You do not need to be a finished expert to belong in recruitment & hr. Start with curiosity, build evidence through small experiences and explore the pathway that fits how you work best.