Human Resources is a stable field to consider for a career. While you may already have the skills you need to succeed, you must think beyond formal skills to stand out from the rest and land the HR role of your dream. Essential HR skills include soft skills and role-specific skills. But there are many other skills to help you further develop your profession and contribute to the organisation's success.
Below, check out some skills you need for a successful HR career.
1. Good Communication Skills
Working in HR requires communicating with people from different walks of life. As an HR professional, you must be comfortable starting and holding conversations. For instance, those working in recruitment will conduct interviews and talk to potential candidates. Sometimes, your job requires you to screen candidates over the phone. You should be able to communicate well face to face or through other modes of communication.
Remember that as an HR professional, you will be the source of information for employees. You should be able to handle their concerns and appropriately address issues and complaints. In some instances, HR professionals may need to communicate with the management team, stakeholders, CEOs, and other people of different levels of authority and influence, which requires different tones and language. The ability to connect well with different kinds of people and leave a positive impression is an essential skill for HR professionals to succeed.
If you often get jitters at the thought of having to talk to people in higher authority, don't fret. There are many things you can do to work on your communication skills and get used to talking to different people, including those in higher authority. Consider joining a public speaking organisation, speaking up more often than usual, or volunteering at lead meetings. Eventually, you will be less afraid and build the confidence to communicate well with others.
2. Strong Time Management
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Time management is crucial for HR professionals to succeed. Many of the tasks of HR are time-sensitive, which means proper time management is incredibly essential to meet deadlines. Without a strategy in place for time management, it can be impossible to accomplish tasks in a given period without compromising on quality. If you are good at time management, you can manage your schedule and make the actual process at work.
Time management also allows HR professionals to achieve a healthy work-life balance, giving them the flexibility to respond to "surprises" within reason. Another benefit of time management is higher work quality. Quality work needs more time and effort. Rushing things will make you more likely to commit mistakes. So, allocate enough time and attention to tasks to achieve better results. But you can only do so if you manage your time.
Another reason HR professionals need time management skills is to facilitate productivity. If you manage your time well, you can remain focused on tasks even with disruptions. You will be more efficient and productive, resulting in higher productivity and an improved success rate.
3. Interviewing Skills
Consider working with specialist HR recruiters who can help with networking skills and improve your interviewing skills, one of the most essential skills for a successful HR career. When equipped with interview skills, you will have a solid foundation to properly assess the skills and capabilities of candidates and increase recruitment rates while optimising recruitment costs for business.
Interviews are a crucial aspect of the recruitment process. It helps recruiters identify candidates whose values align with the company's goal and culture. HR professionals can evaluate the candidate's skills, qualifications, work experience, and industry knowledge by asking targeted questions in an interview. The candidate's responses allow recruiters to gauge who among them has the background that aligns best with the company's culture.
Having the right interview skills will allow HR professionals to determine a candidate's soft and hard skills. You can ask questions about problem-solving, communication, and teamwork to help you assess their soft skills. For positions requiring technical skills, you can incorporate hard skills to gauge a candidate's ability to carry out specific tasks. Since interviews offer HR professionals the opportunity to analyse a potential employee's skills, experience, and professional background, they can choose the best qualified for the roles they are looking for.
4. Adaptability
Being adaptable as an HR professional is essential for many reasons. Unpredictable circumstances can happen at any given moment. An example is when an employee holding a significant role in the company will suddenly leave. The HR team should be able to adapt, adjust, or predict these changes.
Along with adaptability skills is change management. As part of an HR team, you should know when to modify policies, establish new ones and help employees embrace these changes. HR professionals should also be able to think big and consider themselves business partners who must be part of the strategic planning and decision-making process.
Part of adaptability skills is self-assessment and improvement. One of the keys to a healthy work environment is to avoid being too comfortable. HR employees with an improvement mindset can help keep the workplace modernised through creative benefits and perks, which help retain the best employees.
5. Teamwork Skills
HR professionals will be part of a team, so it just makes sense to have teamwork skills. Having the skills to work cohesively with colleagues and support each other on the daily tasks of running the HR department is integral for HR. In addition, working well as a team helps improve workplace morale and satisfaction.
By encouraging teamwork within a team, HR can effectively improve work productivity and efficiency, which means they can work faster and accomplish large tasks in only a few days instead of weeks. With teamwork, HR professionals with diverse experiences and skill sets can combine their skills and establish fresh ideas to achieve a common goal.
Working together as a team can undoubtedly lead to improved productivity. If you divide challenging tasks and share responsibilities, the team can accomplish more in less time and commit fewer mistakes. Not everyone is a jack of all trades. But when a team works together, they can bank on each other's skills.
