Every career has a defining first step. In HR, that first job often lays the foundation not just for your professional path, but for your values, your leadership style, and the kind of workplace culture you believe in.

We spoke to five HR professionals across India — from CHROs to early-career managers — about their very first HR roles. What started as onboarding tasks, recruitment drives, or policy rollouts quickly became moments that shaped their future decisions.

These stories are more than nostalgic flashbacks. They are reminders that every HR journey starts somewhere real — often uncertain, sometimes chaotic, but always full of learning.

👣 1. From Walk-in Interviews to Workforce Strategy

Name: Neha Saxena
Current Role: Head – People & Culture, Razorpay
First HR Job: Recruitment intern handling walk-in drives in 2012

Turning Point:
Neha recalls running back-to-back hiring drives with no ATS and minimal tech. But she learned the value of documentation, patience, and saying no when needed.
“It was exhausting. But I realized early that HR wasn’t just about being nice — it was about being clear, fair, and consistent.”

🧱 2. The Compliance Firefighter

Name: (Anonymous)
Current Role: Senior HRBP in a leading FMCG firm
First HR Job: Assistant HR Executive at a manufacturing plant

Turning Point:
A sudden ESIC audit turned into a full-blown internal panic. She led a three-day compliance check with her manager, realizing HR is about anticipating risk, not just reacting to it.

“That one audit taught me more than any MBA class. I stopped seeing HR as policy work and started viewing it as risk management.”

📣 3. A Campaign That Went Viral

Name: Sushant Bhatnagar
Current Role: Employer Branding Lead, Swiggy
First HR Job: Campus engagement coordinator at a startup

Turning Point:
A quirky “Resume Wall” campaign for interns gained 5,000+ organic shares. The campaign wasn’t approved through a hierarchy — just executed well.

“It was the first time I felt like an HR professional could be creative and still drive impact.”

🎓 4. Onboarding, Alone and Underprepared

Name: Priya Mehta
Current Role: Head – People Experience, an edtech firm
First HR Job: HR Associate in a bootstrapped SaaS company

Turning Point:
Priya was handed 30 new hires with zero onboarding material. She built the full process in two weeks, learning the power of systems thinking and storytelling in HR.

“People don’t remember what forms you sent. They remember how you made them feel welcome.”

🌍 5. The Culture Listener

Name: Ananya Iyer
Current Role: Talent & Culture Manager, mid-sized D2C brand
First HR Job: HR Generalist in a retail chain in Bengaluru

Turning Point:
After noticing multiple sudden exits, she conducted informal listening sessions and created a simple monthly check-in ritual. Within months, internal team scores improved, and department heads began modeling the same approach.

“I wasn’t a leader back then, but I realized even junior HRs can shift culture when they pay attention.”

✨ Every First Job Has a Lesson

If you’re early in your HR journey, these stories are proof that:

• Your day-to-day work matters more than you think
  
  
• The most frustrating tasks often build the strongest muscles
  
  
• Growth comes from ownership, not just roles or titles
  
  

📢 Your Turn — Let’s Feature You

At HRsays, we’re curating real stories from real HR professionals — not just success, but sweat, doubt, and breakthroughs.

🎙 Want to share your own first HR job story?
Whether it was at a startup, a school, or a steel plant — we’d love to hear how it shaped you.

💬 Or maybe you’ve seen HR evolve across companies and want to share your "then vs. now" reflections?

📩 Write to us, tag us on LinkedIn, or simply submit your story — you might be featured in one of our upcoming editions.

Because HR isn’t just a role. It’s a journey — and yours deserves to be heard.