New to HR with an MBA: Should I Pursue Further Studies or Focus on Learning First?

Dear all seniors,

My name is Viren. I am new to HR. I completed my MBA in HR and recently joined a company. I want to know a few things from all of you.

1) I want to pursue further studies to advance my career in HR. My question is, what should I do to achieve this? Should I consider doing LLB or any other course?

2) As I mentioned earlier, I am new to this field. What should be my learning phase? Where should I start in order to learn about HR?

Thank you for your guidance and support.

Best regards,
Viren

Dear Viren, Welcome to the HR Fraternity. Now, to answer your question, "What now?" Frankly speaking, HR is a very vast field, and learning is a continuous activity. To take up Law, Psychology, or anything else will depend on where your interest in HR lies. So, first analysis is very important to determine which aspect of HR you would like to excel in - whether it's Training, Compensation & Benefits, Employee Relations, Industrial Relations, Strategic Management, Employee Hiring, or any other. I have just named a few.

First, settle down, then analyze, and then learn. Learning is an ongoing process.

Regards, Ashutosh Thakre

Thank you for providing your valuable response.

I am interested in legal compliance. How can I analyze this? What steps can I take to strengthen my understanding in this area? What should I learn to improve my knowledge?

Do you have any notes or useful links that could help me begin learning about compliance?

Thank you,
Viren

I have around 1.2 years of experience in HR, and from what I have observed, around 80% of learning comes from your day-to-day work and business as usual (BAU). It is crucial to learn every day about various HR functions within your organization. While academic and theoretical knowledge is important and should be kept updated, the way each company operates can vary significantly. There is a substantial gap between theory and practice. Therefore, focus on developing practical tools and skills of the trade. Utilize academic knowledge when necessary, but you will soon realize that it may not be very helpful at junior and executive levels. Keep working hard, and good luck.

Thanks,

Nikhil