Human resource management is a strategic approach that focuses on the adoption of principles, methods, and technologies to increase the productivity of an organization. It is designed to maximize the utilization of employee performance to elevate the productivity of the organization. This work is generally carried out by well-trained HR professionals who have accurate knowledge about human resource management.

HR professionals are often said to be the driving force of an organization. This is because they deal with the ultimate power of the business, that is, employees. So, an HR professional needs to possess certain traits so that the organization works fine.

Human Resource(HR) Professional Qualities and Skills

This article will help you understand about the traits a prospective needs to build a fruitful career in HR management.

You Are an Organized Person

Human resource management involves a wide range of tasks. It is not just related or restricted to managing recruited employees efficiently but instead focuses on several different areas, such as:

• Recruiting and staffing
• Compensation and benefits
• Training and learning
• Labour and employee relationship
• Overall development of the organization

Since the work is diverse, it is necessary for the person doing the work to be organized. This helps manage and carry out the job more efficiently. Apart from taking the help of task management software, you can invest in sticky notes or make a to-do list to keep you on track to meet your goals.

Great Communication Skills

No matter which field you work in, having good communication skills is a must. This is more important if you are placed in such a position where you need to communicate with others constantly, just like an HR professional is required to do.

Human resource management is a people-facing role and requires constant communication. From interviewing a candidate to solving issues around the office, it all involves communication. Being able to express your ideas and decisions verbally will help you tackle whatever comes your way.

You Relish Resolving Problems

You will never hear an HR professional say that they had a dull day in the office. Whether it’s resolving workplace conflict or educating the new employees on the benefits the organization offers, there is always something exciting.

HR professionals need strong problem-solving abilities to make the right decision at the right moment without wasting time. They also need to be comfortable while making decisions that involve risks. Since human resource management is a vast area of function, it involves taking many decisions that affect core parts of the business. And when working on core parts, you have to embrace the unknown, even if it means you end up making a mistake.

However, remember that employees make mistakes, but an HR professional never treats them as a failure. The mistakes are treated as an opportunity to iterate on their ideas and grow professionally and personally.

Treasure Data

If you love working with data, you will indeed have a lucrative career as an HR professional. Since the work involved making presentations for higher management, it is crucial to know how to use data.

However, today HRs have access to all of their company’s employee data right at their fingertips, all thanks to the various modern software. However, even though these software make it easier to work, ensure you know how to operate them to ace your next senior leadership presentation.

Great Multitasker

From administration to recruiting strategy and even employee engagement, there is hardly any task that an HR doesn’t do. Any HR professional needs to be an excellent multitasker to keep up with all the responsibilities their work brings an unexpected one arising without notice.

This profession demands wearing different hats throughout the day while staying calm and on track with their everyday duties.

If you plan to be a part of the human resource management team, make sure you are good at multitasking and carrying out everyday jobs with ease. You can even take up XLRI HR courses for working professionals to ace the multitasking race.

Have Strong Ethics

Human resource management involves dealing with quite a lot of sensitive and confidential pieces of information regularly. And HR professionals are responsible for keeping them safe to prevent them from falling into the wrong hands. This means you should possess strong ethics so that no one can influence you to leak out the information.

You would also need to work closely with your IT team to ensure your security practice is up-to-date and safe from phishing scams or other security risks.

You Enjoy Learning

HR is a field that requires constant updates, and so do HR professionals. Adapting to new compliance laws, employee expectations, and benefits are a few of the ever-changing factors of the HR industry.

That’s not it. Every firm requires keeping up with the developments, like headcount changes, new senior leadership, and mergers or acquisition occurring within the company. This can be tough, just like adapting to a whole new world of the living. So, you should enjoy the process to ease up the challenges.

You would also need to keep your ears open to stay up-to-date on the industry’s newest laws, ideas, and benefits.

Lead by Example

A quote says, “HR professionals are born leaders, even if they don’t view themselves as a people’s person”. This is true because they generally find joy in helping people grow around them and reach their full potential.

Whether you see direct reports or help employees around the office, you need to lead by example as an HR practitioner. You also need to ensure that the talent in your company has everything they need to grow their career at your company.

You can even arrange for XLRI HR courses for working professionals to ensure your employees receive every possible resource needed to grow as an HR pro.

Ending Note

Since HR professionals are the driving force of an organization’s management, they need to possess the qualities mentioned here and have proper educational qualifications. This includes having an accredited course in human resource management and a general bachelor’s degree in any discipline from a recognized university with at least 50% marks in aggregate.

More Information:

All About Building a Career in HRM

Guidelines For Formulating A Career In HR

How to Find Human Resources Job Opportunities?

Professional Certificate Programme In HR Management And Analytics from IIM KOZHIKODE/UPGRAD