HR Careers: Which Way Do You Want To Go?

So you are considering a career in the field of HR?

Have you ever taken the time to sit down and think about what kind of a HR career you might be suitable for? Have you ever taken proper cognizance of you natural aptitude, skills, likes and dislikes? Do you think you are good at planning or execution or both?

If the answer to the above flurry of questions is a NO (and is probably is), then its time for you to assess yourself seriously and honestly, so that before you take the ‘plunge’ you know exactly WHAT you are doing and more importantly, WHY you are doing it.

Ok now you might want to know why you need to do that? Fair Question.

As any professional will tell you, the field of HR is a vast one. HR has evolved from being a largely ‘welfare’ based function, to a more comprehensive, complex and certainly a lot more strategic function. It encompasses a wide variety of skills and knowledge types. Human Resource executives today are finding a greater voice in board rooms across the globe as compared to a decade ago.

Yes, Human Resource Management today is no longer (largely) just about administrative and staffing duties.

So where in the HR field will you fit in best? You will and should find the answer to this question in rigorous self analysis and by being clear in your mind about the following general classifications which can be attributed to the various kinds of HR jobs:

The Consulting Side:

You could decide to go into Human Resource Consulting.

Human Resource Management (HRM) or Human Resource Development (HRD) consulting is a vast and dynamic arena.

HR consulting firms around the world provide a wide range of vital services ranging from Compensation & Benefits Management, General Administration, Recruitment & Staffing Services to Performance Management, Corporate Training & Development, Manpower Planning, Corporate Strategy etc etc etc.

But not everyone is suited to be a consultant. There are certain attributes that you need to have naturally (I feel), that would help you attain success should you choose to go for a career as a consultant:

a. Ability to communicate crisply and effectively (this is ofcourse needed in any type of job, but to a much greater degree if you are a consultant).
b. Ability to ‘connect’ fast with various types of clients (especially with really difficult types).
c. A superlative ability to negotiate and convince – an excellent ability to ‘sell’ the idea or suggestion.
d. A high degree of Presence of Mind – an ability to think constantly on the go and to come up with tactical (and practical) solutions and suggestions often in rapid succession and under tremendous pressure.
e. Ability to maintain a sense of calm and order when under fire by a client – and believe me this WILL happen sometime or the other!

f. A good memory and an ability to remember names, numbers, relevant and up-tp-date industry data (Read: the industry in which you are functioning as the HR consultant)

The Operative Side:

The Operative or Operations side of HR refer to jobs like a HR Manager, HR Executive, Trainer, Team Leader etc.

The main difference between being on the Consulting side and the Operative side is that in the former you usually give advice and support to the person(s) who is/are the decision maker(s) in order to help that person(s) make decisions (just like the American Secretary of State would help the American President make decisions), while in the latter, you are the decision maker.

Hence, as a manager or executive (any level) and not a consultant, you are in-charge of making the decision to take a specific action. The onus for the final yes or no after taking in all the available information and advice rests on you.

The basic attributes needed to be an ‘operative’ HR executive are:

a. The ability to be Decisive and Objective and take stable, practical and logical decisions based on the available information or a particular situation.
b. Good Leadership Skills – a tendency to take the initiative, an ability to motivate your sub-ordinates and to lead by example in all situations.
c. An Extrovert and Confident personality – the ability to deal with various kinds of people, from various backgrounds, the ability to assert yourself when needed.
d. Ability to analyze a situation objectively and with an open mind – an ability to separate the ‘wheat from the chaff’ and also to be able to ‘read-between-the-lines’ when needed.
e. The ability to handle a crisis from start to finish.The ability to plan both tactically and strategically

Ofcourse, irrespective of whether you go for the consulting side or the operative side, one factor remains irreplaceable: Sound Knowledge of HR Concepts, Trends and Processes.

This knowledge will ofcourse be largely theoretical in nature when you are starting out, but once it is supplemented by knowledge and skills derived out of practical experience, then you can consider yourself to be a true HR Professional!

In Part B, I will write about the difference between being an HR Generalist and an HR Specialist. Keep Tuned!