The ‘war for talent’ is not a run-of-the-mill catchy phrase for HR executives of today. It is an apt way to describe how companies compete for the most talented personnel to join their ranks, help them produce more or better products or services, and stay ahead of their competitors.
Why do jobs require new skills?
Market and economic dynamics mean the requirements from HR employees change fast. Jobs require them to do different things as their target market grows or changes. New developments in the field and changing trends in consumer preferences or other factors mean employees must adapt and stay up to pace.
How are new skills useful?
For the job at hand, new or upgraded HR skills are very handy. These help HR employees to use the latest tools and know-how in their domain, and boost their productivity and quality of work.
The other way in which new skills help is by making the person a more attractive candidate for a job. An upgraded skill set from an HR certification online or through any other mode positions a person better for wider responsibilities in the current job role, a chance to move up within the current organization, or for work opportunities outside of the current employer. In essence, an improved skill set boosts the chances of career success and growth.
Here are the benefits:
- Become a more attractive job candidate: Upgraded skills keep a person up to pace with industry requirements. It boosts employability as when employers peruse the candidature and find a skill match, there are more chances the person will get a call to continue the application and to ultimately be hired.
- Solve problems on the job: The employee becomes a more resourceful person who is able to offer better solutions to issues that may arise at work. An employer gets the chance to judge and appreciate these skills initially in behavioral interviews where the person must explain how the skillset has been actively leveraged, as well as on the job to tackle challenges.
- Grow in confidence: New skills help the HR employee take on new work tasks along with explaining and giving direction to workforce improvement efforts. Competent, knowledgeable, and proactive candidates can make a world of difference to HR management at any company, making them assets to their employers.
- Better career prospects: A limited skill set keeps the person from looking at new or more attractive work opportunities with the current or a new employer. Even learning something as simple as MS Word could put a person into a report writing and research role, as an example.
What is the best way to upgrade HR skills?
The following is a useful indicative roadmap to boost the skillset of an HR candidate or employee:
- Assess yourself: The candidate must look through his or her own skillset and judge which ones are relevant, which are no longer needed, or which need to be refreshed. There are several online tools for such assessments, or an HR candidate can just list current and targeted skills, and plan accordingly.
- Conduct research: It is important to assess the HR domain and understand the skills sought by employers from their HR personnel. Current HR job postings are a great way to understand what skills must be targeted and the qualifications that are sought.
- Plan next steps: There are several ways to upgrade HR skills. These could include the top recommended courses as well as choosing the best HR certification online. Additionally, there is the option to intern with good organizations as well as to take up volunteer work.
- Find a mentor: A good mentor or coach can give great advice and direction to skilling efforts of an HR aspirant. Such a person could be found from academia or within professional networks, and could share valuable perspectives from experience.
- Articulate skills: Just having the right HR skills may not be enough. The person must be able to show the same to an employer to take the next step in a career. A good candidature pitch or a strong cover letter and resume could do the trick!
