Think you are cut out for HR? Do you have these skills?

Hi Dear Friends!
Welcome to my blog!

Human Resource Development is an essential support function of every organisation.

There are millions of young people who would wish to choose HR as a career path, which is great! My attempt in the article 20 Myths about HR! was to give a realistic picture of what HR is all about. Just because the word Human is a part of Human Resources it doesn't mean that it is a 'Humane' profession. It is about being sharp and ruthless while recruiting the 'right' candidate or while terminating the services of a non performer. You would need to use your head not your heart.

For eg: If a person is well qualified and has experience but there are too many breaks in career, with short tenures, the HR would not consider that resume, unless there is no one else or they are desperate. Such a person would not be considered, because they have too many 'problems' in life. So, they would be told to sort out their lives before applying for a job. However, in fact, they are the ones who need the job the most, because they have responsibilities and people depending on them. They struggle hard to balance work and life, but sometimes life takes over, and they are forced to quit, out of their own conscience. The HR (organisation) does nothing to ensure that the employee can have some leeway to sort things out and resume. A little flexibility and understanding on the part of the organisation would help in allowing the employee to avoid the breaks in career.

I have heard several bosses say time and again, that you should not get your problems to work, most people would not like to. There are some situations that are so compelling at times, that, it is, at that time a sincere, performing employee expects some support from seniors or the organisation, but instead what is given is, a lecture about being professional and not complaining about working overtime, almost daily. The reality is since we are all human and not robots, life will happen, it is not a level playing field, some have it easy, and some have to move heaven and earth to get a piece of that pie. Allowance must be given for flexible work, and support, in terms of  decent daycare centers for working mothers, or some time off, for those taking care of their parents or the elderly or family members who may be terminally ill or handicapped. However, very few, may be fewer than 50 organisations world over, actually have these facilities. They are the topmost organisations, and that is why they are the topmost, where only a few privileged get employed. So, what about the others? This question has no answer! Their employees are left to fend for themselves.

Anyhow,  now that, that is out of the way, lets look at HR as a function, which every organisation needs, either as an in house department or as outsourced services.  It is a good career option like any other. You can climb the corporate ladder and achieve your dreams in terms of promotions and salaries and perks. Here are  some of the skills, you would need to demonstrate, on a daily basis to be successful in HR.

In my previous posts, I have already discussed 20 HR myths, and Ultimate cheat sheet for HR, here you can find out if you are cut out for HR, check the points below.

Check list of necessary skill set for HR:

1.You have a pleasant personality and are friendly and easy to talk to. You listen well and patiently without interrupting.

2.You are not reserved or nervous around people. You do not usually stammer or blush. You don't try to avoid people, you welcome them when they come to speak to you.

3. You are more interested in addressing the issues of people than telling them about yourself. You don't rush in to give your opinion, but rather wait for them to ask their questions. You like to be around people, understand them and their strengths and weaknesses.

4. You are able to think critically and evaluate a situation and then come up with the right fit to the problem. You approach situations with a solution in mind.

5.You can make great decisions, be it recruitment, grievance handling, conflict resolutions etc.
 You are able to choose the best option, out of the various solutions to a given problem.

6. You are business savvy, you know your people as well as the business very well. The main objective of HR function is to, align human resources, with the business goals of the company.

7. You are well versed with communication skills, almost 60 percent of HR function is communication skills, speaking, listening, questioning, emailing, meetings, presentations, training, interacting with employees, organisation. Therefore, you need to be a great communicator.

8. HR is always in the middle of situations that require sound judgement.  This is an extension of good decision making, a decision may seem good at the time, but it is the skill of good sound judgement that will add value to the decision taken. All aspects of the decision have to be tested virtually, before putting them into action.

9. You are an ethical person, ethics are very important in all professions, more so as an HR professional. Since it involves, directly interacting with people in the organisation. You must ensure that the organisation is ethical in their dealings, with employees. That they follow norms and values, that govern the actions and behaviour of the individual and the organisation. HR handles a lot of sensitive information about the employees and has to be discrete in what to keep private and what information can be made available to public.

10. You have great negotiation skills, negotiating with  people is one of the major tasks of HR. You need to arrive at a win win resolution in all situations. You need to keep the organisation and the employees happy and productive by negotiating well. Settle disputes, arrive at a compromise, avoid arguments while reaching an acceptable solution.

11. You enjoy multitasking, the ability of an HR to multitask cannot be overemphasized. You have to line up interviews, complete exit formalities or resolve conflicts, arrange for training programs and also be preparing for talent acquisition presentation, etc.. with top management at the same time. E.g. of multitasking is handling a call while leading a new employee to his workstation and signalling to your team to carry on with an instruction you just gave them some time back.

Here is a small quiz to give you a sense of what is required to start off  your career as an HR person.
Basic HR Skills Quiz

If you scored more than 7 then you are definitely cut out to start off as a human resource person.

As you climb the ladder you will need more strategic skills to succeed. The skills will be more and more towards deeper understanding of what each department in your organisation is trying to achieve. Linking all department goals to the common objective or goal of the organisation. This means that you should not only know how to deal with employees but be in touch with what each department needs to do to reach its goal. Now you would need to expand your scope from human development to organisational development.

In conclusion, HR is a profession like any other. It is has a vast scope. Life without HR would definitely be chaotic. People and organisations would not be protected against unscrupulous elements whose only aim is to take advantage and cheat. HR like all other profession is evolving. Be updated and in touch with the latest.

Hope this article was useful.

If you found it useful, please like, comment, share and subscribe and follow.

That's all for now. Till we meet in my next post, bye and take care!