As they expand, companies have begun to recognize the importance of having a Human Resources (HR) department in place. One of the key positions in the HR department is that of the HR manager. Given how there are many positions in the department with overlapping responsibilities, it is not surprising that people tend to confuse the HR manager job description with that of the HR generalist, for instance.
Defining a Human Resource Manager
In a nutshell, the HR manager has the responsibility of taking care of company operations in accordance with its continually changing needs. In other words, an HR manager oversees the process of interviewing and recruiting new hire candidates, working with senior officials to design strategies to propel the company, and acting as a bridge between the employees and the company management.
What skills do you need to become an HR manager?
There are many things you ought to know to become a competent HR manager. However, these are the primary prerequisites:
Excellent Management Skills
As an HR manager, you ought to be prepared to act quickly and effectively in the face of pressure. In other words, you need to be an effective problem solver. A lot of work and responsibilities come with the position of an HR manager. You will be required to tend to a multitude of departments and get things done.
Above-average Interpersonal Communication Skills
You must be able to listen with empathy if you want to get the best out of your employees. By listening to them and being attentive, you can help them by changing policies and programs as per their needs.
What does an HR manager do?
Here are some of the key responsibilities of an HR manager:
Recruiting employees
The HR manager is in charge of coming up with strategies to ensure the workforce requirements are taken care of. While the employment manager is responsible for the supervision of a few new hires, the HR manager has to design ways to recruit and retain promising employees. This can be done in a variety of ways, including cross-training and incentives, to make the employees want to stay and work to the best of their abilities.
The management of payroll
The HR manager is in charge of ensuring the employees get their wages, benefits, salaries, or anything else that they are entitled to. The process of payroll management must be transparent and be done on time.
Maintaining Work culture
It is vital to maintain a work culture and an environment that is conducive to productive work. In other words, the HR manager must make sure that employees work in a safe and supportive environment where they can freely express their opinions.
Becoming an HR Manager
If you want to become an HR manager, you can cement your chances by getting a Bachelor’s degree and experience on the job.
- Having a bachelor’s degree can set you apart from your competition since the degree acts as a filter. Getting a degree specifically in HR or organizational behavior can further your chances.
- However, nothing beats on-the-job experience. Merely having a Bachelor’s degree will hardly help you secure the position of an HR manager considering the responsibilities that come with it. You can improve your chances of becoming an HR manager by racking up as many years of experience in the HR department as you possibly can.
Human Resource Generalist
If you are an HR generalist, you will need to handle a multitude of responsibilities, but at a lower level than the HR manager. The HR generalist job description includes recruiting new hires, administration, compensation for employees, and so forth.
What are the responsibilities of an HR Resource Generalist?
HR generalists have a bunch of things on their plate that they have to handle. Here are a few primary duties of an HR generalist:
- HR generalists are in charge of recruiting duties that include getting, screening, and interviewing new candidates, scheduling interviews for new hires with the hiring team, giving the accepted candidates the employment offer, informing them of their salary amount and payment terms, and conducting a background check to ensure the safety of the workplace.
- HR generalists also handle employee relations that include a bunch of activities. Firstly, they formulate plans with managers to boost performance. For this, an HR generalist must be acutely aware of whatever happens within the organization and make sure that every employee is treated right. When an employee is to be fired, the HR generalist must be present as support and serve as a witness to this. Managers are not allowed to terminate an employee without consulting the HR.
- Additionally, when an employee chooses to leave the company, the HR generalist is required to find out the reason for departure. This information will be used to improve the company.
Becoming an HR Generalist
There are a plethora of ways to become an HR generalist. An excellent way to go about it is by studying organizational behavior and getting trained on the job. Otherwise, you can opt for specialized courses in HR to get started.
Given the importance of HR in this day and age and the effort it takes to secure a high-level position in the HR department, be sure to get as much hands-on experience as you can.