Aspiring HR Professional: What Key Qualities Should I Focus On Developing?

Hi,

I'm Santhi pursuing my MBA and thinking to specialize in HR. So, I need some information about HR.

What qualities should an HR person possess?

Thank you.

Hi,

The most important quality that an HR person must possess is good communication. As an HR person will be continuously dealing with different kinds of people, he/she must know how to communicate with different people differently.

Secondly, patience is one important quality. As human resources is the only resource that has a voice and gives feedback or a reply, reacting impatiently without thinking is not what an HR person should do.

Another quality is being polite.

An HR professional should have convincing power, possess leadership skills, and also exhibit general managerial qualities such as being disciplined, sincere, hardworking, committed, and creative.

I hope this helps you in making your decision.

Dear Sir/Madam,

I need some information on HRM models, types of HRM models, and the usage of models in an organization. Kindly reply as soon as possible.

Thank you,
Anila

Being logical, proactive, and thinking out-of-the-box, as well as being able to read between the lines, are also essential qualities for an HR professional.

Regards,
Vishwanath

Hello Lokamsanti,

In my experience, the following skills would go a long way in making an effective HR Manager or HR Executive who aims to move up the ladder:

1. Interpersonal Skills
2. Communication Skills
3. Conflict Management Skills
4. Change Management Skills
5. Ability to understand Business dynamics
6. Being informed about HR trends and effective practices
7. Being informed about changes in Legal requirements
8. Networking

I hope this helps.

Best Regards

Qualities of HR:

1) Passion = The most and foremost quality of HR is the passion for that profession. One cannot be a good and successful HR if he/she took up this profession just because they had no other option to choose. Because in the end, only passion will save you when the work gets more hectic and irritating. If you think you can run away from mathematical calculations and stay in a cool cabin and relax while you work, ask the HRs who work on framing policies and designing strategies. You will feel that any other job would have been better.

2) Listening Skills = A HR should always be a good listener. It's human psychology that people feel better when someone volunteers to listen to them, and that is where HRs come in. HR should always listen and act, rather than act and later listen. Listening skills also help us HRs in various other ways in our daily work life.

3) Communication Skills = HR is the face of the company and should also act as a role model for others in the organization, as we will also act as a mentor for them.

4) Interpersonal Skills = What's the use of being an HR if you are a shy guy/girl? An HR should always be social and interactive and always open to any situation.

5) Patience = HRs are known for their insane level of patience. No matter who pushes you down, tries to criticize you, or even tries to hurt you mentally or physically, an HR should be patient and deal with the situation with full consciousness. Of course, whatever profession you take, you will need this, but being an HR means you need a few bags of extra patience.

6) Ability to Learn Business Quickly = Well, to have full control over your employees, you will need to project that you have better knowledge than them; only then will they respect you. Being an HR means you will have to control more than one department or function, which means you have to learn the functions of other departments quickly so that you will be able to resolve conflicts easily and not look like a fool trying to understand what they are trying to say. If unable to do this, at least try to act as if you know some stuff.

Other common qualities that an HR should have:

7) Presentation Skills
8) Conflict Management Skills (This skill is required at a higher level as the issues usually reach the HRs if they are not solved at the bottom level with their team leads or functional managers)
9) Leadership Skills
10) Smile!! Just keep flashing it all the time :)

The complete passion, diligence, and continuous learning will make you a good HR professional. For any profession, skills can be acquired, but not the character. So, always shape your character with good deeds.

Regards,
Lawrence S.
HR

The qualities of an HR person are:

Judgmental skills: An HR person should exercise judgment carefully by analyzing the behavior of employees to determine whether they will fit into an organization.

Self-control: Practicing self-control will give an HR person a positive attitude to succeed.

Regards,
Neha

1. Strong in the basics of each function.
2. Good with numbers (it's better to know all formulas and stay updated with statutory norms and their formulas).
3. Be able to add value to internal and external customers.

Generalist/HR Business Partner is an ideal role, as the rest of the functions are outsourced. If you can join a 100 to 200-employee company as a generalist and understand the complete process of hiring until separation (which includes Recruitment, Training, Compensation & Benefits, Generalist duties, Statutory Compliance, etc.), then you can take on an assignment to add value in any organization. One thing you must remember is that most of the time your customers are seniors, and they want you to be able to connect to their thought process :). That's the beauty all HR folks enjoy... Wish you good luck!!

KK

Dear Shanti,

You need the passion and perseverance to deal with people, and whatever you do must be from the heart - sincerity, lip-service does not get you far. Dedication, being positive, commitment, and the heart to withstand negative comments and feedback. If you have got all of these, you will make the best HR manager. All the best with your MBA and a future HR specialist.

As per my view:

1. Be confident. Never look confused or talk in a confused manner.

2. Dressing should be perfect. (It reflects your personality)

3. Be bold when making important decisions.

4. Maintain a smile whenever you talk to a candidate/employee.

5. Stay updated about the latest updates, general knowledge, and news.

6. Always be professional and never maintain a personal relationship regarding office matters. Never mix your personal and office works.

Thank you.

Every body has covered all aspects of an HR professional, but you all have missed the most significant quality of an HR generalist, which is CONFIDENTIALITY.

Hi all,

Really great of you all for the wonderful suggestions and opinions expressed. It would be very prudent if all the aforementioned qualities are possessed by the HR professional. However, in practice, many HR personnel do not appear to have entered this field with passion, though it is not the reality. As everyone has said, the passion does not have to be within; it should be outward. Every empathetic and sympathetic feeling of an HR professional must reflect in their behavior with people around; only then will others understand that you have a passion for the profession. Merely claiming that you graduated from a certain university with a gold medal, attended international seminars, etc., does not seem practical when your orientation about the profession itself does not take a proper shape. I have observed many individuals in senior positions trying to manipulate things in various ways. When two HR professionals are discussing something and a stranger enters, they would immediately stop talking to each other and try to get rid of the third person to continue their discussion. Is this necessary? Can't you at least say something soothing to the person who entered, not sure of what the other two are discussing? The kind of behavior exhibited really matters in certain situations. Please don't take offense; this is purely my personal opinion.

Regards.

Hi Santhi,

According to me, an HR personnel must be people-oriented and a very good listener. I think it's not that important to be fluent in English, Hindi, or any other language for that matter; what is crucial here is the way you can relate to people. It's the way you empathize with them, understand their concerns, and solve them flawlessly. A good HR professional is present in all successful leaders. It's important to make people believe in you. HR professionals must be optimistic and motivational. Humans are the most important asset for an organization, and it's the duty of the HR department to retain and motivate them.

Dear friend,

I hope, after receiving many replies from experts, you now understand soft skills such as politeness, proactiveness, being a good listener, etc. In my experience, a person called to be an HR manager should have excellent subject knowledge and the ability to minimize recruitment costs in today's scenario.

Having participated in this discussion earlier, now it is time to hit "the nail on the head."

The term "qualities" is very seldom used today, the reason being if linked to "performance" and "results," there is no way you can quantify it. While quality is part of everything that we do in the business world today, any qualities so used must be able to be linked to "quantifiable" results.

The Profile of an HR Manager is the term I prefer to use. Then I find it easy to link this "Profile" to the "competencies" critical for performance at the level of this position. While a generic profile of the HR Manager may look the same, the specific competencies based on the "job content" will be different from position to position, industry to industry, country to country.

Hence my suggestion to use "Core competencies" that all HR Managers must possess + Specific Competencies relating to the specific role.

Why use Competency Profiles?

Knowledge + Skills + Attributes (qualities + traits + values + beliefs, etc.) = Competencies

KSA approach is process-related and is related to running the day-to-day affairs.

Competencies are "outcome-driven" and "results-oriented."

If anyone is interested in stepping up the HR function to the next level from Human Resources Management to People Capability Management - including talent management, knowledge, and all related pieces together, I would love to help.

I have the path I have walked through for anyone that would like to follow. I will start you off from where I am now and show you the way ahead!

I work for a non-profit agency; hence, I am not interested in making money from solving the problem.

I believe that I am here in this world for a purpose and I intend to do just that.

C. V. Mohanan
Human Capital Enabling Specialist
Canada
Email: chirayath.mohanan@gmail.com
Mobile: +966 567 599 014

Dear Lokamsanthi,

I recommend reading "THE HRD MISSIONARY" by Dr. T V Rao as it will provide you with a satisfactory answer. Good luck!

Regards,
Dr. K K Anirudhan