Building HR Competencies

Often HR professionals are forced to make a choice - specially if they are employed in large organizations. They have to make a choice if they want to be a Generalist or a Specialist. If they choose to be a Specialist they have to make further choices - OD/Training, HRIS, Compensation and Benefits or Recruitment?

I've often felt that such decisions can go either way. A person might get stuck in a role that does not suit his/her profile, and it perpetuates unless one is very lucky to get an employer who shuffles you in different HR roles.

That's why I was pleasantly surprised when I interacted with HR folks of a client organization. They have a primary responsibility - like Employee Relations or Recruitment, and in addition to that they can take an additional reduced role. So, for example, the HR Operations person was interfacing with me as the Training Co-ordinator for a particular Training Program being rolled out for a year, and she was responsible right from interacting and briefing me to helping me with design of the program to getting nominations for the training and post program follow up.

Wouldn't it be great if most organizations introduced HR roles with a primary and a secondary responsibility? It would reduce the blame game within HR as well as build more 'well-rounded' HR professionals.


Checkout sales jobs in Chicago at ChicagoJobs.com.