Exploring New HR Roles Beyond Recruitment: How Can I Expand My Skills?

Hello everyone,

My name is Senthil, and I work as an HR executive in a leading ITES BPO in Chennai. For seven months, I have been focusing solely on the recruitment process within the company. However, I am keenly interested in expanding my knowledge and skills by delving into new concepts in HR and exploring various HR roles and responsibilities.

Hi Senthil,

It's good to hear that you are working in a BPO because I am also working in the same industry. You can update yourself by surfing the internet. There are many new concepts in HR that you can find on Google. Regarding HR roles and responsibilities, please update me on the designation you are looking for. Each position has different roles.

Thank you.

Hi Senthil,

I was quite impressed with your urge to learn.

The problem in our country is that a majority of us are more interested in the 'qualification,' i.e., the alphabets after your name, rather than the education and knowledge which comes with that qualification.

While this could perhaps be overlooked in any other discipline, it just cannot help in HR, as by the very definition HR professionals are dealing with human beings. While the model has not changed since God invented it, there are infinite variations in the finished product! So no formula or mantra will work in every case.

As you are perhaps aware, the term HR itself is of fairly recent origin - give or take two decades, its more well-known predecessors being Industrial Relations and Personnel Management.

Even within the HR spectrum, it has now become necessary to sub-specialize.

Basically, you are looking at four basic functional areas - Planning, Induction, Training, and Development.

To look at only HR Planning as an example, in most organizations, this function has been relegated to mere promulgation of the annual training program and then chasing up line managers to send participants! HR Planning is a much more sophisticated and demanding function. It encompasses buying into the Corporate vision, familiarity with the "As is" and "where to" roadmaps, at the conceptual levels, and with the actual conduct of Training Needs Analysis at the directional levels. At the functional levels, the HR specialist would need to carry out much the same functions as say a Materials manager would do - viz, Vendor analysis, approval, and development, in respect of the Human Resource - At the results end of this process would be the campus interviews. HR Planning would also involve demographic profiling of the Human Resource - age profiling, qualification profiling, ability profiling, attrition patterns, etc.

So, there it is. HR is perhaps the most satisfying function in an organization - you can actually contribute to the feel-good factor in the organization.

Best of luck in your endeavors. I happen to be the Director of the Chennai-based Sanjivini Human Resources Institute. I would be delighted to interact with you further if you are keen.

With best regards,

Commodore S Shekhar

Dear Sir Shekhar,

Thank you for your suggestions, but I am in a confusion. As this is my first job as an HR executive, I am keen on developing a good relationship with my employees. However, the culture in my organization is different. Employees think that the HR department is against them, none of the employees' problems are solved, starting from the doorstep to the restroom, which results in attrition.

This is something in short. As an HR recruiter, I am always thinking of various ideas to improve my recruitment skills and the quality of candidates. However, the rate of attrition is 50% of the recruitment rate, and I don't know what to do to prove myself as a performer. I feel that in the absence of employee satisfaction, the roles and responsibilities of an HR person are not fulfilled.

Regards,
Senthil Kumar

Dear Senthil,

Thank you for your mail.

At the outset, let me reassure you that you are not alone in your feeling of confusion regarding the true HR scene and practices. The only thing is that being new in the field, and not suffering from any pre-conceived notions or inhibitions, you have been honest enough to express your misgivings openly. This indeed is the first step to improvement.

I have been a naval officer for 29 years. My last job in the Indian Navy was General Manager (Total Quality Management) of Naval Dockyard, Mumbai, dealing with some 8000 blue-collared workers, and half the number of supervisory staff. Since then, I have been in the corporate sector for 10 years, all in CEO or equivalent positions.

The problem of corporate India today is that the job market is exploding, and there are not really enough qualified people to man the vacancies. This is because Corporate India is not actually looking for engineers, and sales, marketing, accounts, finance, or HR personnel. They want people who can deliver results. This, in turn, needs dealing with other people - something no educational institution teaches formally.

The biggest cause for high attrition rates is because of the inability to convert raw young graduates, straight from the campus, into professionals with the ability to develop the necessary soft skills. As a result, young professionals, or for that matter, even those at mid-levels, can be easily poached by competitors just by flashing marginally higher compensation packages.

It is not for nothing that successful corporates - and by this, I don't mean those who have healthier bottom lines - have very strong HR policies, which encompass the inculcation of corporate values and culture, team building, and leadership, etc.

I can empathize with your feeling of frustration.

But don't give up.

You are in the most satisfying sector of corporate India.

If you apply your mind, you can shine as a star and develop yourself into an island of excellence in the ocean of mediocrity which surrounds you.

As mentioned in my earlier inputs in this forum, you are free to contact me as mutually convenient, and we can take this discourse further.

With best regards,

Commodore Shekhar

Dear Sir,

Thank you for your suggestions. Currently, I am planning to implement some internal online tests in my company and in the future through web-based online tests.

As an HR recruiter, my role is to conduct interviews for walk-in candidates and coordinate further rounds; nothing more than that. I feel that there is nothing more to learn, and no one is there to teach us. Not only me, but my HR friends working with me are also in the same state.

Since the day we joined, the five of us have not been informed about our job profiles and responsibilities. With six months of experience and nothing behind our backs, it makes us feel bad. Therefore, we are seeking help to improve our understanding.

Regards,
Senthil Kumar

Dear Senthil,

Your mail.

Please remember that the HR function is like any other in an organization, in one sense - it needs to be marketed.

Why does anyone "market" a product?

The primary aim is to create awareness about the product in the minds of the possible customer.

Apply this principle to your function in your organization.

Try and find answers to the following questions:

Who are your customers?

What is the service or product you are offering them?

What is unique about it?

What benefit does your customer (internal) get out of using your service?

Does the customer enjoy utilizing your service?

Can your customer do without your service?

Do you have any competitors for this service?

When was the last time that you introduced some changes to your service?

Have you received any feedback from the customer about your service?

Sit down calmly in your spare time and answer these questions in your own mind first.

Then document it - i.e., put the answers down on a piece of paper.

Study the answers.

Rate yourself on a 5-point scale: 5 - excellent, 4 - Very Good, 3 - Average, 2 - Can do with improvement, 1 - Poor

Look at ways of improving your self-rating.

Execute things that are within your power.

Discuss with your colleagues.

Put your findings before your immediate superior.

Don't be discouraged if things don't work out to your entire satisfaction at the very first attempt.

Make people in your organization realize that you are a contributor and not a parasite.

Don't hesitate to contact me if you need any help in any of the above steps.

With best regards,

Commodore

Get a group opinion.

Hey,

These are a few new ways of recruiting:

1) Employee referrals with monetary rewards for employees whose referrals get recruited and stick around for more than 3 months.
2) Conduct campus visits and walk-in interview booths in campuses.
3) Target the retired and elderly; they make excellent and loyal agents.

All the best.

Dear sir,

Thank you for your idea. I'll answer the questionnaires and rate myself as soon as possible. Once I get a result, I'll share it with you, sir.

Sir, whenever I engage in an act, I think about the negative consequences of such actions and take steps to avoid them. I believe that something good is always good, but something bad is not. Is my approach a good idea, or should I consider changing my way of thinking?

Thank you.

Hi,

I am also facing the same problem, wanting to be more involved in the HR process, but I can't. For the last seven months, I have been doing the same as you. So, I have started to learn from the internet, books, and interacting with seniors.

I hope we will get the opportunity to learn more and do more.

Regards,
Apurva

Hi Senthil,

Sorry for this belated response. I was traveling and did not access my mail. Thanks for having accepted the suggestion that you will initiate a process of self-assessment. After all, this is the first step to self-awareness and consequently to self-improvement.

Coming to your observation about looking at negative consequences and taking steps to avoid them, that by itself is not an issue. As you yourself have rightly clarified, the problem is in the thought process.

I strongly recommend that you read Edward De Bono's "Lateral Thinking" to start off with. In a nutshell, this book teaches you to look at any issue from six different perspectives - one best-case scenario, another the worst-case scenario, and the third a flight of fancy, letting your imagination run riot. The other three views guide you towards the optimum solution, the resources needed, and the implementation plan.

Don't worry, it may appear to be heavy reading at the first attempt, but so for that matter is the Bhagavad Gita.

I am very glad that you are approaching your job with such a passion for learning and excellence - I wish more of our HR professionals will emulate you.

I reiterate my assurance that you can call on me for any guidance you may require. In case you are interested, I shall give you our Institute address in Chennai, as well as our website.

With best regards,

Commodore

Hi Commodore,

Thank you very much for your valuable inputs regarding HR. I must say thanks to Senthil for starting this topic.

Mr. Commodore, please give us your personal email so that we can be in regular touch with you for valuable suggestions. I am an MBA (HR) working as an HR in a software company in Bangalore. Many other HR friends are looking for valuable inputs from elders like you.

Thank you very much.

Kalyan :)

Dear sir,

I have answered your questions; I don't know whether they are right or wrong. If I was wrong, please give me the right solutions. Who are your customers? Candidates, employers, employees. What is the service or product you are offering them?

Candidates: career and job profiles that suit them.
Employers: quality employees who could perform.
Employees: job satisfaction.

What is unique about it? Satisfaction. What benefit does your customer (internal) get out of using your service? Satisfaction. Does the customer enjoy utilizing your service? Yes. Can your customer do without your service? Yes. Do you have any competitors for this service? Yes. When was the last time that you introduced some changes to your service?

A month before. Have you received any feedback from the customer about your service? Yes.

Hello Sir (Shekhar),

I am working with a software company in Pune as an HR Executive for 7 months and facing the same problem as Senthil. I am really interested in learning new trends and the whole responsibilities of an HR. Since this is my first job, I don't have a very clear idea about it because there is a vast difference between theoretical and practical knowledge.

I would like to learn the practical aspects from the seniors.

Thanks & Regards,
Manisha