What is Human Resource or HR?

  1. What is Human Resource?
  2. What is Human Resource Management or HRM?
  3. Why build a career in Human Resource?
  4. Pros & Cons of Career in Human Resource.
  5. Qualifications of a Human Resource Manager.
  6. Courses & Certification.
  7. Human Resource Management Jobs in India.
  8. Roles & Responsibilities.
  9. Human Resource Professional Salaries.
  10. Human Resource Management Skills.
  11. Human Resource Management Tools.
  12. Human Resource Management Common Career Path.
  13. Tips To Get a Job in Human Resource
  14. Popular Human Resource Blogs.
  15. Popular Must Read HRM Books.
  16. Popular YouTube Channels.
  17. Human Resource Management Forums.
  18. Human Resource Management Webinars.
  19. Popular HR Companies to Follow.

In this blog, we give a detailed view of

  • what is human resources?
  • what is human resource management?
  • Careers in HR
  • Scope of a career in the human resources
  • Demand

and all you need to know before eyeing for a career in Human Resource.

What is human resource?

In financial terms, human resources are also referred to as human capital, where in every employee is considered to be an important part to efficiently run the productivity of a particular organization with his/her skills.

Human resource department

The human resource department is a department that is solely dedicated to organize, maintain & structure the workforce.

The human resource department oversees various aspects of employment, which include hiring process, mandatory labor law compliance, misconduct issues within an organization, implementation of POSH act, employee benefits and so on.

In other words, the human resource department deals with every aspect that is connected to each employee working within an organization.

What is human resource management or HRM?

Human resource management or popularly known as HRM is a structured strategy that is designed by HR managers to ensure effective management of the workforce.

This is a well-thought strategy as it can have a direct impact on the performance of an employee or employees.

HRM is put in place to enhance the productivity of an employee & thus have a positive business gain in the long run.

Various policies, procedures & practices are put in place to develop a desired professional culture within an organization.

Effective HRM depends on the right technological means which also helps in maintaining records & every required detail of an employee.

Human resource management systems:

Human Resource Management systems (HRMS) are defined as a set of digital applications that are developed to merge HR functions, keeps a tab on benefits enjoyed by employees, payroll organizing, training modules, performance track and much more.

What does an HR manager do?

Well, the name best explains the profile. HR Manager is a one-point contact for every issue related to employees or within the organization.

HR managers primarily ensure a healthy & positive working environment.

He/She is responsible to make sure that the ethics, protocols and culture of an organization are maintained meticulously within an organization.

HR managers are the spearheads in development & efficient implementation of HR policies which ought to be in sync with the organizational strategy.

HR managers act as a medium of communication between the administration & employees of the company.

HR manager overheads the hiring process & also maintains & monitors the overall growth chart of an employee.

Any issues related to salaries, misconduct or any other feedback, has to go through the HR Manager.

Posh Act

Sexual offenses have taken a new demonic form in recent years. It’s a challenge for every HR manager to ensure the safety to employees at the workplace.

POSH (Prevention of Sexual Harassment) is a legal act brought into force on 9th December 2013 to stop sexual harassment in the workplace.

It’s the duty of HR Manager to bring this act into motion in case any such incident is reported in an organization.

Why build a career in human resource?

Scope

According to a survey done in 2017 by Forbes, 69% of companies are on a constant trend to take steps ensuring maximum utilization of their respective human resource database.

However only a few have been successful in analyzing the data effectively to maximize output from their employees.

The reason behind this is lack of basic analytical knowledge or skill.

However, with positive growth patterns in every organization, it is of prime importance to make sure maximum output can be generated using employee-centric techniques.

This can only be done when the right skilled people constituent the HR team.

Scope of an HR professional is more than ever and is constantly on a rise.

Eyeing for maximum productivity at a cost-efficient ratio has created a need for Human resource management as an integral & important part of every organization.

Demand

India is one of the fastest-growing economy, with GDP constantly growing at 7.4% in 2018, the demand for talent never dies down.

The rapid expansion of business units & startups has paved the way for the absorption of talent.

Thus the demand for human resource professionals has also grown. To acquire the right talent to maximize growth, the office of human resources plays the most vital role. According to the latest report by KPMG.

Wherein 1200 global HR executives from almost 64 countries took part in, about 39% of them are constantly aptly utilizing the resources to revamp obsolete models & put in place analytics & artificial intelligence technology.

Employment engagement strategies have gained immense priority within organizations.

As per ,G2 Crowd’s report, it was projected that most businesses are expected to increase their employee engagement spending by 45% in the year 2019.

Pros & cons of career in human resource

Pros Cons
Harnesses confidence & public interaction skill Huge workload
Talent gauging ability & right acquisition Constant problem solving
Shaping policies of organization Stressful work
Better growth prospects Lot of paperwork
Harnesses confidence & public interaction skill Being upto date about every happening with in the departments of an organization
Understanding human psychology Completion of legal norms within the set deadline
Holds an authority in an organization Conflict of opinions

Qualifications of a human resource manager

Human Resource is a vast & versatile field. However, to grow in this field it is important to have the right experience & knowledge.

Here are some of the qualifications required to become a human resource manager.

Bachelor’s degree: The first step towards eyeing a career in HR is the completion of a graduation degree from a recognized university.

A bachelor’s degree can be in any stream depending on the interest of an individual.

Master’s degree: To kickstart your career in the field of Human resources, it is considered important in modern times to get a master’s degree in the field of human resource i.e. MBA (HR).

Since the specialization of an individual is in human resources, it makes it much easier to find a relevant job in the same.

Diploma in HR management: Online certification courses can also be taken up, these courses help in providing an edge while seeking a job in the field of HR.

Confident & strong communication skills: HR managers should be confident & possess strong communication skills.

These are some of the most important responsibilities that HR managers needs to possess to guide his/her career path towards a bright way ahead.

HR managers interact with countless people on a regular basis, hence a clear communication pattern is a must to ensure smooth communication.

Since they are responsible for keeping in place, the decorum and ethics of a work culture within an organization, they must sound confident in their tone & body language.

Courses & certification

Website: Alison
Course: Diploma In HR
Price: Free
Format: Online

Website: Oxford Home Study
Course: HR Course
Price: Free
Format: Online

Website: Future Learn
Course: HR Fundamentals
Price: Free
Format: Online

Website: Massachusetts Institute Of Technology
Course: People & organization
Price: Free
Format: Online

Website: US Small Business Administration
Course: Introduction To Human Resource
Price: Free
Format: Online

Website: Open Learn
Course: HR- Recruitment & Selection
Price: Free
Format: Online

Website: Coursera
Course: Preparing to manage HR
Price: Free
Format: Online

Human resource management jobs in India

Here is a list of human resource jobs in India.

Jobs Naukri Indeed Monster LinkedIn Total
HR Manager 5k 6k 1k 3.8k 15.8k
HR Consultant 22k 4.5k 325 942 27.7k
HR Administrator 6k 431 8 739 7.1k
Recruiting Manager 4.6k 6.8k 392 2k 13.7k

Roles & responsibilities

Role Major responsibilities
HR Manager Overall designing & implementation of HR policies, increasing employee engagement, performance management & ensuring legal compliance
HR Consultant Providing advice to top management to develop effective ways to administer various HR policies.
HR Administrator Maintaining a record of employees, reviewing company policies, conflict management, documentation & editing of HR documents when required.
Recruitment Manager Overlooks the whole hiring process, documentation of new joiners & looking for the right talent to hire whenever required.

Human resource professional salaries

Salary packages can vary depending upon the organization, skillset & experience of the Candidate. However, here are some usually salary trends in Human resource careers.

Job role Average annual salary (0-3 years of experience) Salary Range (LPA)
HR Manager 1321k 273k-2362k
HR Consultant 385k 168k-1188k
Recruitment Manager 1152k 581k-2422k

Human resource management skills

Here is a look at typical skills required to have a successful career in Human Resource

Core Skills

| Skill | Details|
| ------------- |---------------|---
| Communication Skills | Should have strong communication skills & should be assertive whenever required.
| Organizational Skill | Maintaining systematic practices to ensure healthy working culture within an organization.
| Decision Making | Ability to make strategic & quick decisions
| Training | Ability to train HR executives to ensure positive implementation of HR policies
| Empathetic Skill | An empathetic approach towards solving problems of employees

Soft Skills

Leadership, problem-solving ability, calm body language, planning, team building.

Human resource management tools

Some of the common HRM tools have been mentioned below:

Job role Tools
HR Manager Paychex, Workday, MS OFFICE,Google Forms, ADP
HR Manager OSClass, Workable

Human resource management common career path

Here are some common paths that can make your way to start a career in Human Resource.

Career Path 1

Complete your graduation-----Get a post-graduation degree in Human Resource ----Get an internship ----- Get a job & become a Human resource professional.

Career Path 2

Complete your Graduation---Get an online human resource management certification---- Start following popular blogs on human resource management----Apply for an internship---Get a full-time job as a human resource professional.

Note: The above career paths are just examples of common career paths. There is no fixed career path to start a career in human resource management. The career steps can vary as per the background, interests, and skills of the individual.

Tips to get a job in human resource

1) Details about the company

Before you take a leap towards building your career in human resource, make sure you are well aware of the practices that are followed by a particular organization & where there is any room for improvement. Pitching such ideas shall give you an edge over others during an interview.

2) Harnessing required skills

Human resource is a field of extreme empathy & decisiveness. Before looking for a job in HR, ensure polishing or acquiring necessary skills, including, technological knowledge, team management, work ethos, decisiveness and so on.

3) Complete online certification courses

A lot of reputed universities recognize human resource as a strong futuristic career & thus have come up with certification courses for the same.

Some globally recognized universities such as MIT, Oxford have come with online certification courses for human resource management.

Many other websites to offer online HRM certification courses.

4) Be an intern

While you on your path of acquiring theoretical knowledge, it is also important to have a taste of practicality too.

Apply for an internship & make sure you get hands-on experience.

Popular human resource blogs

Here is a list of popular human resource blogs:

  1. The Kazoo Blog

  2. The Blue Bird Blog

  3. The Snack Nation Blog

  4. Tiny Pulse

  5. Get Hppy Blog

  6. Namely Blog

  7. The HR Capitalist

  8. The Bonusly Blog

  9. Workology

Popular must read HRM books

Here is a list of popular HRM books:

  1. Human Resource Management

  2. The Leadership Pipeline: How to Build the Leadership-Powered Company

  3. Managing Human Resources (with InfoTrac 1-Semester Printed Access Card)

  4. Human Resource Management

  5. Becoming a Person of Influence: How to Positively Impact the Lives of Others (Paperback)

  6. The Boundaryless Career: A New Employment Principle for a New Organizational Era

Popular youTube channels

Here is a list of popular Human Resource YouTube channels you must follow:

  1. Recruiter Talk
  2. My HRCareers Community
  3. HR Whiplash!
  4. Recruiting Innovation
  5. HR.com
  6. TechnologyAdvice

Human resource management forums

Some of the popular human resource management forums are:

  1. CHRM Community
  2. HR Exchange
  3. HHR.BLR.com
  4. CLC HR Social Media Discussion Forum
  5. Human Resources Forum

Human resource management webinars

Here is the list of most popular Human Resource Management Webinars:

  1. SHRM
  2. Human Resource Today
  3. Webinara
  4. Compliance Prime

Popular HR companies to follow

Here are some of the most popular HR companies in India:

  1. SutraHR
  2. ABC Consultants
  3. Adecco India
  4. Career Net
  5. IKYA Human Capital
  6. Manpower Group India

Take a step towards a promising career, grow in it & succeed in it.

Best Of Luck!