HR Retraining - what do you think?

Hi everyone,

I'm retraining to move into HR, in the Geneva/Vaud area.

After a background in Customer Success positions with a strong focus on training, I earned the HRSE HR Administrator Certificate (Certificat de Gestionnaire RH) in 2026. For 3 years at a Swiss software company (bexio AG), I supported clients on the software as well as on payroll and social insurances (AVS/LPP/LAA), and I also ran training sessions on the basics of the software.

I'm now registered with the ORP (RAV ) and I'm targeting HR roles with a payroll component, or a generalist role to start with.

The issue: I've been unemployed for 6 months and haven't landed a single interview. I get the feeling recruiters don't see me as "job-ready" and would rather hire candidates who can be operational straight away.

My question for those of you working in HR in French-speaking Switzerland (or not):

is it worth aiming for the HRSE Payroll Specialist certificate, or would I gain more by training on payroll software (Crésus, Abacus, SAP) to reassure employers about the hands-on side? My ORP (RAV) advisor turned down the "payroll management with hands-on Crésus" zeteo course solely on the grounds that I already hold my HRSE certificate.

Any feedback or experience would be really appreciated, thanks so much 🙏