5 skills every HR manager must have
If you want to be a successful HR manager, then feeling like you’re good with people might not be enough. We have put together a great list of skills that you will need if you’re to work in the field of HR, giving you a chance to see exactly what you need to work on.
Numerical skills
Although you might not have signed up to this career with the intention to carry out maths each day, it is likely that you will need to do exactly this. You will write many reports, which need to use statistics, and you will need to learn how to calculate them as well as interpret them. In many ways, statistics are being used more than ever, meaning you will need a solid understanding of the necessary aspects of maths.
Work-life balance
If you’re to work in HR, you will need to learn how to keep your work and life completely separate. This is because if you don’t box off work away from everything else, you will find yourself consistently thinking of more and more problems that need to be solved – and in HR these rarely end. Therefore, the most successful HR managers are those who go home and completely switch off at the end of the day.
Be empathetic
You might not be able to relate to every individual that you deal with however you need to be able to make them feel as though you do. It’s important to be compassionate and to show that you’re listening at all times. This allows those you deal with to feel positive about you and your interactions with them.
An understanding of the law
You don’t need to be a lawyer to work in HR, however it is vital that you have a good understanding of at least basic employment law. This means that the decisions you make can be guided by where you stand legally, and you can provide the best possible advice for those who you deal with.
The ability to do several tasks at once
As a HR manager, there will be many things that you need to get done in a day, and this can often mean swapping and changing between tasks rather than doing one at a time. Your ability to do this will make a big difference, and the most successful HR managers will be able to switch between tasks seamlessly, returning to previous tasks at a later point.