Whether you are a company looking for HR specialists or a human resource graduate looking for work, it’s often difficult to determine what skills are truly necessary to succeed. After all, no two companies are alike and all of them require a different approach to HR management. Let’s take a look at several essential skills of human resource management which should find their way into each company’s structure in some capacity.

1. Candidate Interviewing

When talking about HR, it’s difficult to overlook the most obvious and worthwhile skill in their arsenal. Candidate interviewing is a delicate and useful skill which should be used by each company that values its core values. The correct questions from a seasoned HR manager can help determine which candidates are good or bad for the company.

2. Conflict Resolution

Conflicts are bound to rise in every company, no matter how small or tight-knit a group of coworkers might be. Instead of jumping to conclusions and sanctioning employees due to misunderstanding, the HR should be able to resolve these issues in an orderly fashion.

3. Teamwork Oriented

An HR manager should be a team player first and foremost. Besides the obvious screening and interviewing, the HR department is also in charge of internal culture management. Each HR employee should be willing and able to work with others towards the fulfillment of company goals.

4. Leadership Aspiration

Leadership aspiration is a very healthy addition to the soft skills set of each HR specialist. Ambitious employees are the best type of candidates to hire into your HR department. Those with professional goals and strict milestones in their career path will work twice as hard to fulfill their plans.

5. Multitasking Capability

Whether for good or bad, HR managers will always juggle several tasks at once. This requires a special mindset in order to be done correctly at the end of the day. Future HR managers and those looking for work in the corporate sphere should do their best to develop multitasking skills.

6. Organizational Skills

Events such as team building, seminars and corporate gatherings are commonly associated with the HR department’s employees. This means that the HR staff should be able to organize events of different scales, reach out to potentially interested stakeholders and handle the logistics of event organization.

7. Conversationalist

HR staff members often screen employment candidates and determine who would be a good fit for which company department. They should be able to hold a conversation with both low level employees and high level managers with ease and professional lingo.

8. Mentorship Abilities

Mentoring junior employees is not an easy task – that is why it’s commonly delegated to senior staff members of each respective department. However HR specialists can just as easily take charge of training and mentoring young employees if they see the need to do so.

9. Computer Skills

Not every skill in the HR arsenal is based on conversation and negotiation. Managerial software applications require a level of finesse and analytical thinking on the HR manager’s part. That is why computer skills are a top priority both for new HR graduates and those who consider hiring them.

10. Writing & Vocabulary

Corporate correspondence, cold emails and cross-company negotiation are a part of everyday life in the HR department. That is why HR managers need to poses a certain level of proficiency in writing and learn to work in tandem with platforms such as WoWGrade.com in order to constantly grow their vocabulary.

11. Performance Assessment

Ongoing employee assessment also plays a pivotal role in the skillset of an HR manager. If an employee underperforms, it’s up to the HR to determine what happened and how to course-correct the issue. That way, HR managers can maintain steady performance throughout the company to ensure corporate goals are met in time.

12. Discretion & Professionalism

Due to the nature of conversations that take place in the HR department’s offices, a certain level of discretion is welcome. It should go without saying that HR specialists in charge of employee satisfaction and interviewing should keep unnecessary information out of their reports, ensuring that ongoing trust is maintained.

13. Coaching & Development

Professional development of individual employees should be top priority not only for the company as a whole but for the HR department itself. That is why each HR manager should be able to coach employees, help them set personal goals and develop new professional skills over time.

14. Project Management

While not team leaders in a traditional sense, HR specialists are often charged with creating and maintaining project teams during the year. These teams focus on different aspects of company’s internal culture, team building and other quality-of-life benefits for everyone on board.

15. Thirst for Knowledge

Ongoing education and learning are a must for HR managers. This is especially true for human resource professionals who plan on working with millennials and large companies with a plethora of employee profiles. The best type of HR manager is the one that is up-to-date with current trends, lifestyle choices and corporate needs.

16. Daily Task Scheduling

Companies typically have rough outlines of everyday schedules outlined for everyone to follow as a part of their internal culture. These schedules and activities are commonly delegated to the HR department as they are best aware of the company-wide situation in regards to habits, needs and expectations.

17. Presentation Skills

Lastly, HR managers should be good presenters and able to communicate their ideas and thoughts clearly to the audience. This goes for public speaking, monthly reports, event planning and other types of presentation which require planning and addressing a crowd.

In Summation

In goes without saying that HR requires a plethora of skills in order to function correctly within a company. That is why it’s a good idea to hire multiple HR managers with different profiles and areas of expertise. Relying solely on a single HR specialist is a good idea only in startup environments with a handful of employees.