Hi baccardisprite, I've been following your thread for quite sometime now. And i must say you've done a gr8 job with it :)
I'm a Telecom professional, graduated from NITT in 2009. I wrote my GMAT in June 2009 and scored 720. Originally had planned to wait for 4-5 years and then target B-Schools abroad. But now that option doesnt really hold so i've shifted focus to MS. I'd love to specialize in HR, starting off as a HR generalist. Later moving on to niche roles like performane management and appraisal or L&D; or the HR division of M&A.; I plan to stay in the workfore for a long time, so I know that a couple of years down the line my MS will lose its appeal to employers. I have it in my mind to go in for a late carrer MBA to offset that problem.
Now, cutting straight to the chase. 
My biggest concern is if I'm taking the right decision to go abroad for a HR degree. Quite a lot of the people I have spoken to have told me that HR positions are usually filled with ppl who understand the pulse/culture of the country they are practising in. And that foriegn national are usually not entertained. I am targeting US universities like Cornell, Illinois, Ohio, Purdue, West Virginia, Penn State, Minnesota and maybe Brigham Young. Another concern in job availability post graduation. Though the uni sites and some students I have spoken to say that almost everyone gets a job, I'm not really convinced abt the authenticity of the claims. Its what EVERY uni claims isnt it?!?!?
A little deviation here.. I dont mind coming back to India post MS. The tuition investment is manageable for me and I would have no or minimal loan post MS. But the quality of HR roles in India is a concern again, plus whether employers are open to hiring graduates from abroad. I dont really have much information about this.
Oh and my profile goes something like this:
10th - 91
12th - 83
BE - 7.1/10:banghead:
GMAT - 720
AWA - 4.5
EC - President of Student council body for 2 years in Senior School, Member of lots of org committies in col, rotaract member, some voluntary work (nothing registered, self start)
I have ample foreign exposure, if that counts for MS admission. I did my schooling in Kuwait.
Would really appreciate your insight on this.
Thanks for the positive feedback, glad you find the thread useful.
You have correctly surmised in your post about HR being a local career, for exactly those reasons.
HR is an important function in large companies, so much so that many fortune 100-200 global corporations run independent HR Leadership Programs with international career opportunities. These opportunities are available only after you have achieved 5-7 years of solid local experience reflecting:
- adequate professional / leadership or specific HR functional experience
e.g - you have specific, applicable & transferable experience related to recruiting mid-level management talent; and / or have managed a small group of HR professionals.
- solid understanding of the business, corporate culture and key HR related policies of the company (applied and in practice)
e.g - you are an authority on Personal Development Plans for employees, managers and executives and have the relevant experience to show for it; or you're an expert in competitive compensation planning!
- solid experience in HR led projects or business projects
e.g - you have contributed to / led a major HR Information System upgrade for the local subsidiary of the company; or have successfully managed the HR aspects of integration of a major acquisition (including sensitive areas like employee retention or termination when that needs to happen)
Alongside and perhaps above all this, you need to be seen as a sensitive, empathetic yet assertive leader, and flawless communicator. HR personnel are normally the least understood (therefore the least liked) people in a company because they're often seen as the messengers of unpopular change, hold senstive information about employees and compensation and the like! It makes your job somewhat secretive in what you can say / not say to your colleagues, and that breeds some resentment. You need to strike the balance in maintaining the good relationship with your colleagues in the company - and that's the part which takes longer and is absolutely needed for you to move your career scope international.
You'll need all of the above on your resume to convince an employer abroad (including international assignments within the same company) to choose you above other HR professionals.
All of the above takes time, on average 5-7 years if you start young.
If you to go abroad to study, you'll find it hard to get jobs abroad because you wouldn't yet have any of the above on your CV / persona to convince an employer in the US (example) to hire you. You could come back to India after the education, but HR recruiting for young talent / leadership programs (aged 22-25) tends to happen on b-school and college campuses in India - again the locally educated talent is preferred. As such, while you would find it financially manageable, I think going abroad for your studies would be impractical; to be frank a waste of your time and family's (?) hard earned cash. As for the schools you refer to - again they're second tier in their countries. Least you can do with your GMAT score is apply to more well regarded schools.
If you're very clear about an HR career, I recommend targeting entry into XLRI's PM-IR program next year - pretty much the top school in India for HR, and then getting to a major corporate HR Leadership program
or the CAT and one of the IIMs
or Bajaj, MDI or similarly reputed school. A close friend of mine did just that, she graduated XL in 2006, joined a Fortune 50 telecom company, worked 3 years in India and is now working in the Far East for the regional HQ of that company.
Hope this helps you with your decision
All the best
Baccardisprite
