Human resources is the backbone of any company’s social structure. It is due to human resources that employees can settle disputes or raise concerns fairly with upper management. HR is the people you go to when a co-worker repeatedly intrudes on your boundaries.
It’s the people that will notify you of staff events, and serve as a liaison between the employees and other parties in the company.
Human resource workers do a lot. They are planners and mediators, but above all, they’re people who love other people.
Before you go booking an on-campus or online Master’s in Human Resources, let’s take a look at seven signs you might be the perfect candidate for an HR career.
1 – You’re A Bit Of A Psychologist
The human mind is interesting, and while you find what makes people tick incredibly fascinating, it might not necessarily be your vocation. However, a career in HR will allow you to stretch your interest in psychology, as you’ll be dealing with a lot of people who often have confused thoughts, frustrated emotions, or require assistance.
Even when helping your company find new hires, an interest in psychology will help you understand what questions will be effective yardsticks for a person’s employability; as well as whether or not their answers are reflective of a prime candidate.
As well as psychology, a career in human resources allows you to flex your anthropology and sociology, as the workplace is a social microcosm that has its dynamics. Understanding this culture and the role everyone plays in it is paramount to being a good HR employee.
2 – Strategy Is Your Middle Name
If you like a well-oiled machine you’ll love HR. If you often find yourself as the person constructing a plan for a project, taking the lead in collaborative assessments, or the crafter of itineraries, then HR is for you.
The element of the strategy is hugely important in HR, as they assist the company with important decisions, rostering, and weighing up interests and priorities, you need to be able to understand if an assigned budget to a task or event is realistic, and what such an undertaking might require in terms of manpower.
Not only this but your expertise may well decide the core elements of your company’s marketing. Marketing is how your company represents themselves and their products to the world. As an HR representative, you’ll be overseeing the tone and appropriateness of your company’s ads, and dealing with any fallout that may occur if it’s not well received.
3 – You Are A Powerful Presence
One of the most powerful and important jobs of an HR worker is to make sure that everyone is being treated fairly. As a result, you’ll be frequently approached by workers who trust you to handle grievances with tact and care. You will be put at the forefront of many personal problems, as well as sensitive issues. Your ability to communicate, to command respect, and to be effective in advocating for others is paramount.
As an HR worker, you may be handling complaints about sexism, racism, harassment, and disciplinary actions. Through all this, you will have to remain unbiased, and unphased should things get personal, and you’ll have to know your company’s policy and any legality of the situation to recommend the best course of action.
4 – You’re Also Approachable
Friendliness and a kind demeanour cannot be understated in the world of HR. People are going to be coming to you in a state of vulnerability. To be an effective HR rep, you need to be able to meet these people with patience and compassion. If you’ve often heard that you’re easy to talk to, a good listener, and generally free of judgment then HR could be your calling.
5 – You Know How To Deal With People
You’re a people person, and that’s great. But you can’t be a people pleaser. HR professionals are often saddled with the responsibility of dealing with difficult situations and even problematic members of staff. Sometimes you’ll be dealing with pushback, aggression, or even violence.
It’s handy for an HR rep to not only be sensitive to the emotional state of the people they work with but also be able to subtly influence and guide that person back to a regulated emotional wavelength.
Getting the best from your co-workers is a huge aspect of working in Human Resources, and your ability to effectively influence people onto a wholesome or effective trajectory is a prized skill in this discipline.
6 – You’re An Effective Communicator
You know how to talk, and what’s more, you know how to talk to different people. When someone needs news broken gently, they come to you. When someone doesn’t know what to write in a birthday card, it’s your door they’re knocking on. If a family member is being difficult at the family gathering, you’re the one who talks them off the soap box.
As the name suggests, Human Resources employees work with a lot of humans. Communicating effectively, with respect for the situational and emotional context, against the application of law and company policy, is a tremendous skill to have.
7 – You’re Interested In Business
If you’re the type of person who gets overwhelmingly interested in anecdotes about other people’s careers or companies, that’s a huge advantage in the world of HR. Constantly evaluating and re-evaluating business dynamics and models against your own company is a chief aspect of the HR sphere, and it’s an important aspect in convincing higher-ups to change certain unconstructive policies.
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HR is a singularly demanding but rewarding job. You’ll have your irons in all the fires, you’ll have a little touch of you in basically everything that goes on at your place of employment. Throughout the day you’ll wear many hats, counsellor, business person, policy writer, marketer, and more. People will come to you for support, with complaints, or disputes.
If this sounds like you, then why not give HR a shot? It could be the role of a lifetime.
