Working in human resources may look simple, but it is more complicated than meets the eye. A successful human resource professional or even an average HR professional requires a gamut of traits to work effectively. These traits are necessary to smoothly navigate the HR function.
Let’s introduce you to six skills that will help you stand out as an HR professional
1. Knowledge of human resources
One of the traits that employers look for in HR professionals is the ability to deal with daily challenges. This can’t be done without proper knowledge of the department. One day you could be dealing with the wrong payout, while the next day you could be overseeing the investigation of a pending sexual harassment case. Whether an issue is simple or complex, a competent HR professional will be able to resolve the issue fairly and calmly.
2. Communication skills
This skill can’t be emphasized enough. It’s nearly impossible for an HR professional to survive in the industry without communication skills. Every aspect of the HR career demands good communication skills. However, communication skills don’t mean just one form of skill i.e verbal skills. Instead, an HR professional must develop multiple forms of communication skills. Verbal and written communication, both, are important.
The ability to relate to employee problems and being able to hear what an employee means is a crucial trait. Many people just listen, but can hardly understand what the employee intends to say. Employees turn to HR professionals for advice and solutions, so HR professionals should be able to express themselves effectively.
3. Time management and discipline
HR professionals are the torchbearers of organizational culture. So they must be punctual and strive to propagate the same throughout the organization by setting an example. As with any job, hr professionals are expected to complete daily tasks. However, in the wake of urgent matters, daily tasks take a back seat. At some point, hr professionals have to play catch up and complete their tasks. You must designate a time and complete your tasks. To become a successful HR professional, you must learn to manage your time. Human resource professionals constantly have deadlines and sometimes require them to work more than usual working hours. So you should learn to manage your time well else you will be burned out.
4. Trustworthiness
Can employees trust you? Do they trust you enough to talk about their problems? People open up to persons who they can trust and rely on them that their problems and knowledge will not be shared with other people. As a trustworthy person, you instantly gain credibility. Gaining credibility takes a long time for professionals. Losing credibility will make it very difficult to do your job since employees would have a hard time trusting you.
Rebuilding your credibility is a difficult task, so ensure that you don’t lose credibility.
5. Impartiality and objective
Sometimes HR professionals can be caught in situations where they need to play the role of a judge. Thus, HR professionals must stay neutral at all times. Your personal opinion shouldn’t matter – you must decide based on the facts presented to you. You must have excellent problem-solving skills. The ability to be objective and impartial at all times and especially in situations will take you a long way in an HR career. What’s even more important, is the ability to know when you are being biased, so that you can remove yourself and let some else handle the situation. Working under pressure and being able to make informed decisions based on facts and not emotions especially in negative situations is a strong trait for HR professionals. Most human resource professionals aren’t good at it but gradually become better with time.
