Hr 9 skills

9 Top Human Resources Job Skills Employers Are Seeking
here’s a strange dynamic at play
when applying for a position in
human resources (HR). You sit
on one side of the desk as an
applicant, but—in many cases—
if you land the job, you might
just vault right over that desk into
the hiring seat.
HR
Prepared by Phalla Ath (Mr.)

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O R G A N I C S C O M P A N Y
9In-demandhumanresourcesskills
Asyouconsideryourproficiencyineachof the
HRskillslistedbelow,thinkabouthowyoucould
representtheminaninterviewandonyour
humanresourcesresume.Thiscanhelpyou
frameeachskillinawaythatwillimpresshiring
managers.
2
9 In-demand hr skills

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1. Employee relations
Successful businesses thrive on secure
employee–employer relationships and
the professionals who support those
connections. Being able to identify and
resolve employee concerns as they
develop creates a more satisfying work
environment for employees and
employers alike. This is a relatively
broad area in the HR field—everything
from labor disputes to managing
employee benefits packages can be tied
to it. Fundamentally, it comes down to
your ability to manage conflict and be
an advocate for both your employer and
its employees.

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1. Employee relations
How to highlight this in a job interview:
Ask yourself if there was a time when you
were involved in a discrepancy between
two individuals in a professional setting.
How did you work to resolve their
differences in a respectful, empathetic and
efficient way? Be specific. Which soft skills
were important to use? How did you
address concerns and determine an
outcome?

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2. Onboarding
Employee turnover is expensive, and a
strong onboarding process can help
reduce it. Onboarding refers to the
process that allows new hires to
become adjusted to the social and
performance aspects of their new job
quickly and smoothly. Companies are
looking to hire HR professionals who
can bring new recruits “onboard” to
increase the chance that they will settle
happily and successfully into their new
jobs for the long run.

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Share occasions where you helped
someone feel at home or make a
transition. Specific examples of taking
initiative to prevent hard feelings and
promote open communication between
co-workers will speak well of your ability to
thrive in an HR position.
2. Onboarding

3. Human Resources
Information Software (HRIS)
HR Payroll Systems
defines HRIS (also known as HRMS) as “an
intersection of human resources and
information technology through HR software.”
This allows HR activities and processes to
occur electronically, making the workload
lighter and more efficient for HR
professionals. These specialized tools may
vary somewhat from organization to
organization, but most offer core functionality
that helps HR organizations run smoothly.

3. Human Resources
Information Software (HRIS)
This can be a tricky requirement to fulfil
if you haven’t previously worked in an
HR role. If you have any experience
working with an HRIS system, it’s
clearly a good idea to mention what
software you’ve worked with and how
you used it. If you lack experience with
this software, then your best bet may be
showcasing how you’ve learned to use
other software and tying it to your
eagerness to quickly learn.

4. Performance management
Performance management is defined as how a
company involves its employees in improving
effectiveness towards the accomplishment of
company goals, according to the U.S. Office of
Personnel Management (OPM). The OPM lists
performance management tasks that fall under this
umbrella, such as setting expectations for
employees, monitoring performance, developing
their capacity to perform and rating performance.
This skill relies heavily on strong communication and
interpersonal abilities.

4. Performance management
“If you’re pursuing a career in HR,
then you should have great listening
skills, empathy and emotional
intelligence,” says Sophie Lhoutellier,
HR manager at Badger Maps. “I
wish more HR applicants would show
great listening skills as well as
proactivity. People tend to forget that
they’re here to listen to the
employees and their needs, and to
do everything they can to make the
company a better place to work at.”

Talk about any experience you have
teaching, coaching, tutoring or
mentoring someone else. Think of
times when really listening to what
someone was saying helped you
solve a problem. Highlight these
experiences on your resume and be
prepared to discuss them in a way
that shows you’re open, tolerant and
versatile.

5. Teamwork and collaboration
“Because HR professionals are
focused on finding and creating the
best workplace possible, it is
extremely important that we find
collaborative team members who
believe in our mission,” says Vicki
Choi, director of HR at Course
Hero. You might think that
teamwork would be a given in a
field like HR, but it’s in-demand to
the point of making the top-five
skills on job postings.

This could reflect a mindset of
HR professionals who look to
the overall vision of the
company instead of just the
rules and tasks that make up
their daily work. “I wish that
more applicants would be
oriented toward change and
growth instead of just working
with the existing HR processes,”
Lhoutellier says.

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Collaborating in HR often means
working with professionals from
many different departments, some of
which might be outside of your
personal wheelhouse. It’s important
to know what you don’t know—and
be willing to learn.

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“Candidates who stand out during
the interview process are able to
show that they communicate
honestly and are willing to be
transparent about their successes,
failures and progress,” Choi explains.
“We have found that candidates who
show these skills continue to create
value for our HR team and the entire
company.”

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6. Scheduling
Employers want HR candidates with
scheduling skills because many
positions require juggling and
prioritizing tasks on a team or
company calendar. It’s important to
be able to create a plan that allows
everyone to achieve their goals.
How to highlight this in a job interview: Ask yourself if
you have experience planning a multi-step project and how
you had to strategically organize and prioritize time to
complete each task along the way. This could have been
for a wedding, school project or even a vacation overseas.

7. Customer service
Human resources professionals need
plenty of management and leadership
ability to do their jobs. But customer service
skills are a huge part of resolving
workplace issues. HR professionals spend
lots of time in conflict situations. According
to Joe Campagna, owner of My Virtual HR
Director, simply being a people-person
isn’t enough to field discipline, mediation
and receiving complaints.

7. Customer service
“I prioritize candidates who have experience in
working with and helping people in some way,” says
Lhoutellier. She offers examples such as
volunteering, tutoring or coaching. “It shows that they
have empathy, which is at the heart of any HR
position. You can teach certain tasks of an HR role
but it’s much more difficult to teach soft skills like
empathy and communication.”

8. Project management
“Apart from day to day administrative
duties, HR is almost always in the
midst of some large project,” says
Campagna. “It can be writing a
handbook, installing a performance
management system, or any other of
a myriad of HR-driven projects from
HRIS to employee surveys.”

8. Project management
If you’ve managed even a small project
before—definitely include that information on
your resume. If not, showcasing assertiveness,
leadership and a great work ethic can be helpful
for this skill. “HR isn’t the picnic department,
it’s the productivity department,” Campagna
says. “If HR cannot align managers to goals and
ask the tough questions, then it is not worth
having in a company.”

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9. Worker’s compensation
HR handles any incidents of work-related
injuries or illnesses. Each company should
have a plan of action and compensation for
employees who are hurt on the job that is in
accordance with state and federal laws. HR
representatives need to understand the
laws regarding worker’s compensation and
how to help the employee and the company
navigate the compensation process.

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9. Worker’s compensation
How to highlight this in an interview: Since an
injury incident can be fraught with tension, strong
communication and professionalism are vital in
compensation conversations. If you haven’t had
experience with worker’s compensation, try to
showcase your ability to remain professional and
compassionate in conflict.
“The most important soft skills in a professional HR
specialist are conflict management and ethics,” says
Eva Winslow, HR manager at Careers Booster.
“Listening to others, resolving issues in a respectful
and appropriate way, all while handling lots of
sensitive information are the most common tasks for
this role.”

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Bonus skill: Technological aptitude
Though technology-specific skills
didn’t appear in the top-ten skills
employers are asking for in their job
postings, many of our experts
shared that being tech savvy gives
you an edge on the market. This
could be anything from data
analysis to virtual reality adaptations
in HR, according to Winslow.

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“HR applicants need to have love for
number and data, projections and
analysis,” Winslow says. “Many HR
professionals make all kinds of
decisions without looking at the
numbers—their job revolves around
theories and politics.” Winslow adds
that many job candidates get lost
when data analysis and projection
come into the conversation.

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Courses or certifications in data analytics
would be excellent things to include.
Definitely read up on what is happening in
the industry—as well as which technologies
are enabling the trends. “New employees
should be up-to-date on the latest HR
trends,” Winslow says. “Big data,
gamification, virtual reality in HR—it’s all
already here.”

Hr 9 skills

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