Learner Stories: Hayley Walke

What were your goals at the start of the program?

At the beginning of this process, I wanted to expand my knowledge within HR as I had only touched on the subject when completing my business management degree. In addition, I found that most HR job advertisements wanted the applicant to have some form of CIPD HR qualification, therefore, I completed the course to make myself more applicable to employers and hopefully build my career in HR faster.

How did you achieve the qualification in just four months?

I found that because I had just finished my degree, I was very familiar with the concept of writing reports and referencing materials, so therefore did not need time recapping and relearning these aspects to begin the first assignment. Furthermore, because of my recent finish at university, I found that I could easily understand the assessment criteria and exactly what the tutor wanted from the assignment. As well as this, I only work part time at the moment so had at least a few hours each day that I could work on the assignments and complete the e-lessons.

What are your top study tips?

1. Set yourself a time limit for each module and the course to give yourself motivation to open your laptop and do the work!
2. Try not to over think what the examiners are asking from you, if everything from the criteria is in your piece of work, you should be on to a winner!
3. Do not be afraid to ask the tutors for help, they are fast to reply and always happy to provide you with their support or forward you on to someone who knows more about the topic so that you get the best help possible!
4. Don’t be afraid of the content! If you go in with an open mind, you will find yourself enjoying learning the new aspects of HR and wanting to research them further.
5. Join a CIPD Level 3, 5 or 7 social media group, they are great for new ideas and are always willing to help you.

What would you say to anyone thinking of starting the program with DPG?

You won’t regret it! DPG are so helpful if you are ever stuck with an assignment, so never be scared to ask them for help. They will get back to you 7 days a week with the best support they can offer. If you have any questions about how the course is run, just get one of their representatives to give you a call and they will answer all the questions you need. I am so glad that I went with DPG over the other companies providing the course and don’t have anything negative to say.