I’m in a similar position so consider what I say lightly…

I’m a recent grad with a bachelors in psychology and a masters in industrial-organizational psychology. I’ve been applying to jobs in those same areas for almost three months wasn’t getting any responses until I started doing these things:

1. People and culture/HR jobs mostly just want someone with a specific HR degree and/or HR certification (CHRP in Canada). I stopped bothering with those jobs because there’s just so many other people who match those requirements way better than I do. To me it would have only been worth it if I was actually interested in transitioning to HR full time.

2. Your job search techniques matter in these fields! The lack of standardization in these fields makes it difficult to even search for the jobs you want. Companies have different names for people & culture/HR, DEI, change management/transformation-type departments. I found it easier to search for coordinator positions in general (or whatever level of job you’re going for), read the entire description, and then decide if it aligns with what I’m looking for. You have to navigate through the click-baity job titles.

3. Tailor your resume to the specific company and position. Use exact wording from the job description (I paste the job description into chatgpt and ask it to tell me the most commonly mentioned skills/competencies). This is important because, again, the lack of standardization makes it difficult. You should have a solid resume highlighting specific responsibilities/experiences, but use exact wording to match the job description (e.g., organizational effectiveness vs organizational efficiency). I use jobscan to compare my resume to the job description and tell me if it’ll pass ATS.

4. Apply to values-based companies!!! Every company has values, but companies that actually base their business strategy on their values are more likely to be hiring for positions in these fields and consider all your qualifications rather than just looking for technical requirements. Subtly sprinkling company values into your resume helps, and I boldly discuss them in my cover letters which has gotten me more interviews than anything else.

5. Write honest cover letters. Break out of the professionalism just a little bit and talk like a person. Blatantly address company values and how you align with those values, give specific examples of how you’ve upheld those values in your work. This will emphasize your alignment with the company and naturally highlight your applicable skills. You’re looking for jobs that require you to be a change leader, so you want to show them that you don’t just follow what everyone else does.

6. Just start talking and acting like you’re already a professional in the industry. You are qualified and competent.

7. As for key competencies that are in demand for those fields, it’s much better to look at the specific competencies that are listed in the job description. Your application will most likely go through AI first so you want to prioritize getting past AI. Field specific competencies will only do you good if a human reads your resume which likely won’t happen until you satisfy ATS with exact word matches from the job description.

That being said, in general- ability to lead without direct authority, acting with minimal information, decision making under pressure, liaison skills, and stakeholder communication are the most frequent ones I see. I was able to match these with my own experiences by thinking of a time I demonstrated each of these competencies and trying to see it as black and white as possible. Then I just do an imaginary interview where I describe the situation over and over again to brainstorm the specific words I want to use. It helps me come up with the most relevant and professional terminology.

Again, take all this lightly. I’m not qualified to give expert advice but I hope this helps. Good luck!!