Do you want to get a position in an HR department because you like working with people and for people?
Such desire is praiseworthy by itself, but it’s not enough.
To become a truly successful specialist, you must master some HR knowledge and skills. Be prepared for the fact that even experienced and information indirectly related to the recruiting sphere may be needed. But, anyway, all the below mentioned tips are very helpful for the work of the HR manager.
Mathematics.
Maybe you have been told that mathematics is not needed for a career in the human resources department.
Perhaps that’s the reason why you chose HR instead of accounting. Sad but true: it’s impossible to escape mathematics in HR.
Since you are not an accountant, you will not have to deal with complex calculations, but all your duties related to compliance with legal requirements will somehow involve close acquaintance with math and statistics.
You will need basic math skills in order to understand what is stated in the lecture on the support of equality, to draw up a report on staff turnover, to determine wages and to interact with entrepreneurs who communicate only in the language of figures.
Today, the effectiveness of HR methods and programs needs to be supported by specific data.
Most likely, you won’t need knowledge in higher mathematics.
But basic mathematical skills should be mastered.
Ability to relax.
It’s necessary to divide work and personal life so that they never intersect. It’s unlikely that you will be able to completely abstract from the labor issues at home and vice versa.
But if you want to succeed in HR, it’s worth trying.
Why? Because the personnel issues will never be completely resolved. There will never come a day when you can say: ‘The deal is done. All the employees are happy. Corporate policy and all processes meet the requirements of the law. All managers have been properly trained. Everyone works very well with colleagues.’ Do not even dream, it will not happen anytime.
Therefore, when you return home, you must forget about work problems. Otherwise, you just risk losing your mind.
Empathy.
It is not necessary to love all people. But one of the most important HR improvements is the ability to empathize. As an employee of the personnel department, you are obliged to listen to other workers. In a way, you even have to be a psychologist – at least in order to convince a person to seek professional help.
The inability to empathize can lead to serious consequences.
For example, company Walgreens had to part with $180,000 to satisfy the suit of the employee who was fired for eating a pack of chips without paying for it. Was Walgreens wrong? Why? Because the employee suffered from diabetes and her blood sugar level decreased dangerously at that moment.
If the company’s executives were more attentive to their subordinates, they would understand that the employee did not steal chips – she just needed to eat something in order not to lose consciousness. Instead, Walgreens had to pay compensation in accordance with the US Law on the Protection of Persons with Disabilities.
Knowledge of laws.
No one requires the HR manager to be a lawyer. Nevertheless, in order to succeed, it is necessary to understand the labor legislation. As can be seen from the above-mentioned example, HR specialists often have to make decisions on the move.
For example, when it’s worth interacting with a person and when his request can be rejected? Why should a certain employee be fired? In addition, a good HR manager should know when to seek help from a specialist in the field of labor law.
Multitasking.
In large companies, each employee of the personnel department deals with one sphere, for example, employee training or salary. Nevertheless, in most cases, HR managers must perform several duties at once. You need to be able to instantly switch from one task to another because human resource experience involves frequent work with crisis situations. You can read some useful topics on our productivity section, do check it out once.
Medical insurance and other elements of fringe benefits.
Medical insurance is one of the key elements of the compensation package. HR is the face of this program. Of course, insurance companies are always ready to help their clients.
But you must understand different insurance programs in order to explain how they work to employees. If you hold a managerial position in the human resources department, you must help your company to choose fringe benefits for employees. Accordingly, a superficial acquaintance with the features of health insurance and other benefits will not be enough.
Recruitment and hiring.
Recruiting is not limited to finding the right people. It also performs the function of public relations. Why? After the interview, each applicant will have a certain impression of your company. If the recruiter does not know how to communicate with the people, the candidate will have an unpleasant ‘aftertaste’ and, even if he suits your company perfectly, he can turn down a proposed job because the HR manager did not cope with his task.
People management.
Even if you do not have direct subordinates, it’s necessary to know how to manage the team properly. Your responsibilities include the preparation and support of managers.
In some companies, HR specialists act as managers de facto, although they do not have to compile annual reports on employee productivity.
Confidentiality.
Although you are not a lawyer, a doctor or a priest, you will have to deal with confidential information. Let’s say an employee has health problems and this negatively affects his work. How to inform his manager about it? Or, for example, you know that a person will be dismissed next week and he is just about to buy a new house. What will you tell him? HR managers often face such problems. You need to know how to solve them.
Talking and writing skills.
The last and most significant qualities are talking and writing skills. An HR manager can achieve many impossible things by improving their talking skills. It should be like magic because you could really convert someone’s No into Yes just by talking.
The same thing applies to your writing skills as well. But if you are so busy you can opt for some expert business writing services. If you want to enhance your writing skills with zero errors, then utilize tools like free tools like Grammarly, it will save you all kinds of errors.
The best thing is that you can use it for free (however, paid plans are there too). They both offer browser extensions for universal access.
These are some tips on how to become an HR Professional.
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