Skills All HR Managers Must Have

Kathy Amato

Do you have the skills to shine in an HR position?

Human resource is a discipline that requires leadership and management training necessary to build the skills that business executives are looking for. HR practitioners who have a deeper knowledge of relevant areas and more practical skills generate more opportunities in the corporate world. The following are the fundamental skills every HR manager must have.

Communication skills.

As an HR practitioner, you must be able to express yourself clearly, both in oral and written communication. The human resource field requires a lot of talking as the team is in charge of recruitment that entails a series of interviews. Aside from that, the HR manager deals with a lot of people day in and day out, listening to their issues whether work-related or not. Through these interactions, they gain the trust and confidence of the employees, thereby improving interrelationships in the workplace. The HR manager also designs and produces the policy handbooks and releases memos for the benefit of all the employees which call for the need of good writing skills.

Organizational skills.

HR entails a lot of functions including but not limited to recruitment, training, performance appraisals, individual development plans, and employee relations. An HR manager oversees all these functions and must have a systemic way of going through all the processes. For example, there must be a standard employee training platform for each role in the organization. On the other hand, HR involves a lot of paperwork that must be filed systemically such as employee profile and legal documents. With all the processes and administrative tasks involved, keeping organized will help increase your efficiency as an HR manager, being able to handle multiple tasks simultaneously.

Decision-making skills.

There is a lot of decision making involved in HR. One good example is during the recruitment process where they have to decide whether an applicant is the right fit for the role or not. Recognizing good talent is not something you can easily learn. It requires strategy, experience and intuition. This is something an HR manager must have. Another instance is when facing the dilemma of downsizing. It will be part of HR's role to get the message across efficiently even in the midst of a crisis. As such, all HR managers must be sound decision makers to support critical organizational functions like these.

Training and developmental Skills.

Another function of human resource is training and development. HR managers are responsible for giving employees development opportunities in order to maximize performance and increase value. Organizing sessions on leadership and management training, for example, will provide more diverse skills to the employees. This allows them to assume added tasks and support their career growth at the same time.

Budgeting skills.

Compensations and benefits all go through HR. The same goes with training and development, social activities, performance appraisals, etc. These activities have to be incorporated into their organization's strategic planning and budgeting, taking into account each department's projects and their individual functions. The primary role of the HR manager is to limit expenditures and not overspend on unnecessary activities.

Empathetic skills.

The HR team deals with a lot of people and their concerns, from workload to salary complaints to a conflict in the workplace. As a manager of human resource, you need empathetic skills to ensure you understand where the person is coming from before you make any judgment. It could be that the employee just needs to get something off his chest and only needs a listening ear. Or he might be airing his grievances so he can get help. Whatever the case, it is the HR manager's responsibility to listen to the employees and ensure they got their message across clearly.

HR is a terrific field with a lot of opportunities. But, you have to have the proper skills to succeed as an HR manager. If you're a real “people person,” this just might be the career for you!

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