What you need to know about HR Managers and HR generalists

If you are running an organization and on the verge of significant growth, you need to make the right decisions for that to happen correctly. Just about every company today has a functional Human Resources (HR) department in place. Since you have new hires coming in at an ever-increasing rate, it becomes imperative to have an HR department that sorts out the business processes and operations. Two integral parts of an efficient HR department are an HR generalist and an HR manager. If you are planning to become an HR manager but do not know how to become an HR manager, this article is for you. 

Who is a Human Resource Manager?

The HR manager is in charge of performing tasks to supplement the changing needs of the organization. 

An HR manager is typically involved in the interviewing and recruitment of new hires, developing strategies with senior officials, and acting as a link between the employees and the management of the company. 

What are the duties of a Human Resource Manager? 

HR managers are responsible for a wide variety of operations within the company. Here are a few of them: 

Employee Recruitment

Payroll Processing

It is the HR manager’s job to strategize ways to make sure that the workforce demands are attended to. Although the employment manager bears the responsibility of supervising the selection of new hires, the HR manager has to develop ways to recruit and keep valuable hires. This may include things like cross-training to make sure that the employees are competent in multiple departments and incentives to make the employees want to stay. 

Managing Payroll

The HR manager needs to make sure that wages, salaries, benefits, and everything else are efficiently calculated. This process must be made completely transparent, and salaries must be transferred on time. 

Maintaining Work culture

Here’s another important one. The HR manager needs to maintain a conducive work environment. A warm, safe, and supportive environment needs to be put in place to ensure employees work to the best of their abilities, thereby increasing the overall growth and productivity of the company. In addition to this, employees must feel free to state their opinions without compromise. 

How do you become an HR manager?

hr manager

Now that you have an idea of what an HR manager’s job is like, here’s how to become an HR manager:

Get a Bachelor’s Degree

A bachelor’s degree seems to be a way of filtering out most candidates. If you plan on becoming an HR manager, you may want to consider getting a bachelor’s degree, and specifically a degree in HR or business administration. You could also consider getting a degree that is specific to organizational behavior and change. 

Get Experience on the Job

While getting a bachelor’s degree can give you the edge, hands-on experience is really what counts. An aspiring HR manager would typically start with an entry-level role like an HR specialist or HR generalist and work their way up the ladder. Companies are known to be on the lookout for HR manager candidates who have been able to rack up years of experience in the field of human resources and management. 

Develop these skills

HR managers are expected to have these skills as prerequisites. 

Excellent Interpersonal Communication Skills

Being able to listen and empathize can do you wonders as someone who is trying to become an efficient HR manager. You can affect the lives of countless employees by modifying programs and policies to help them, which is why you must be attentive and take their feedback. 

Excellent Management Skills

You need to be able to think on your feet and become a problem solver. Considering how you will be expected to handle multiple departments, you will need to be able to handle your tasks with ease, which is something you can only do with good management skills. 

Who is a Human Resource Generalist?

An HR generalist is expected to handle a wide variety of responsibilities at a relatively lower level than an HR manager. These responsibilities may include hiring, compensation, administration, and so forth. Here’s what an HR generalist does: 

Employee Recruitment

It is no secret that organizations are constantly in need of fresh talent, which is why HR generalists are in charge of acquiring candidates, interviewing them, setting up employee interviews with the hiring team, readying the employment offer, finalizing salary negotiations, and conducting a background check. 

Handling Employee Relations

Employee relations tend to include a bunch of things. However, HR generalists primarily work with managers to make sure there is an improvement in performance. HR generalists must be aware of what happens in the company and ensure fair treatment of all employees. 

When the direct supervisor fires an employee, they need to be present as a witness. Managers cannot terminate anybody without consulting the HR. 

Also, if an employee decides to leave the company, the HR generalist needs to find out why the employee is choosing to leave and use that information as feedback. 

Conclusion

If you are planning to become an HR generalist and are getting your HR generalist resume ready, you ought to keep in mind the things mentioned above. To become an HR generalist, you could get a business degree with an emphasis on HR, look for institutes that provide certification, or at least have adequate training in compliance and management. 

About Carson Derrow

My name is Carson Derrow I'm an entrepreneur, professional blogger, and marketer from Arkansas. I've been writing for startups and small businesses since 2012. I share the latest business news, tools, resources, and marketing tips to help startups and small businesses to grow their business.

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