The role of an HR requires a lot more than just the knowledge of the domain.
They are responsible for making hiring and firing decisions, keeping a watch over employee welfare, and handling an organization’s sensitive information, and these decisions hugely impact the organization.
Hence, it is better to prepare yourself for the challenges.
If you are about to kick start your career as an HR, you should get an HR Certification and be worthy of the seat by developing some skillsets to gain an edge over your competitors.
If you want to prepare yourself to land a quick job in the HR role and work well to impress your employers, you need to identify and work on your strengths and weaknesses.
Must-Have Skillsets of an HR
In case you are not sure about the skill and competencies that you need to land a job in the HR role and go ahead in the career, this blog will give you a clear idea. Take a look at the points below to identify where you lack competence and work on them. Here are the top skillsets that you should develop as an HR:
Communication Skills
You might probably know about the importance of communication skills for an HR professional. It is one of the most critical skills for an HR professional as they link the company and its employees.
They need to advocate for both the company and its employees. They need to interact with several people daily.
Communication skill does not only mean the ability to talk nicely, but you must also master other forms of communication such as letter, email, over the phone, or during presentations.
To master communication skill, you have to train yourself in certain areas, such as:
- Handwriting – Develop good handwriting and make sure it is readable.
- Vocabulary – Along with good handwriting, you must also work on your vocabulary.
- Listen – A person with good communications skill is also a good listener. Learn to listen to people’s opinions to make better judgments.
- Motivation: Learn how to keep your people motivated for some tasks with only your words.
- Confidence: Be it for in front of a small group of people or hundreds of people, never let your listeners feel that you lack confidence.
Team Management Skill
If you land the coveted HR job, you will become one of those sitting in the interviewer’s chair. Now you will decide who should be hired and who should be fired. However, your role isn’t just limited to that.
After the hiring, you will be the one to manage those employees. Your duties will include several areas, such as employee leave, absence, an outflow of employees, and other such topics.
For any delay or downtime due to a lack of team management, you will be the one responsible. Hence, you should train yourself for such responsibilities and prove to your employers that you are ready to handle such tasks.
HR is also responsible for building an excellent employer-employee relation and create a more satisfying work environment for both sides.
Multitasking Skill
As an HR, you are going to deal with tons of tasks throughout the day.
One minute you are dealing with an employee’s issue; the next minute, you will need to develop a recruiting strategy for an important role. It is not just limited to these as you will be getting a whole host of other things at your desk, and you need to answer each one of them.
Hence, you must be completely attentive during your work hours and solve everyone’s queries without delaying their tasks. Companies are always looking out for people who can do their work in the fastest way possible.
In HR, they see someone who can handle everything, all at once.
Negotiation Skill
While being interviewed, interviewers will check how good you are at negotiating and convincing other people.
The basic rule of negotiation is to settle a deal so that both sides are satisfied. Though it might sound easy, most people cannot reach a middle ground where every participating parties are happy. Such uneasiness leads to an unprofitable deal or no deal at all.
A good HR knows how to close a deal to give them the maximum profit while the opposition parties are fully convinced that it was a great deal.
The art of negotiation will not only help you secure an HR job but also benefit you in several other areas.
Conflict Management Skill
You can never be fully prepared for an HR role.
New challenges will always come-up to shake up your daily routine. As an HR, you cannot complain to anyone, and you must deal with obstacles by yourself.
Whatever might be the source of the conflict, you need to create a comfortable environment for your staff, for them to work without being interrupted. If you cannot manage and solve conflicts effectively, your dream of being an HR will not last long.
Change Management Skill
Companies are continually changing their way of operating and coming up with new policies.
From production and marketing up to selling, everything is being done with new approaches. However, such changes can freak out the working staff, especially the old generation people.
One of the undervalued skills of HR is managing the change process in your organization. HR needs to help people adapt and embrace new changes, both personally and on an organizational level.
In the end, you must be able to develop an effective strategy to modify the old policies.
Time Management Skill
HR is responsible for looking upon tasks to be completed within the given period, assigned to specific staff or groups of staff.
They are responsible for meeting deadlines and comply with relevant regulations. Not being able to meet deadlines can put a negative impression in front of your employers and clients.
Develop your time management skill so that your employers can never have a complaint with you. Work to set yourself as an example of time management. Good time management helps staff to stay productive.
Conclusion
Any individual can learn the processes of HR management through an HR Certification. However, it will take time, a lot of practice, and experience to develop the skills and become a great HR Manager.
HR Certification is the first step to becoming an HR, since you learn to manage, negotiate, and even enlist new talent, making you the most valuable asset in the organization.
