You may have all the technical skills needed to be very good at what you do, but without soft skills, everything else is just noise. Soft skills are essential for every profession. However, if you’ve just completed a Graduate Certificate in Human Resources and are entering a workforce where you’re dealing with employees and operations within the organisation on a day-to-day basis, having strong soft skills is even more essential.
Most people think that soft skills are intrinsic. While it’s pretty common to think these skills come to people naturally and it’s something you’re either born with or not, you’ll be happy to hear you can actually put in the work to develop them. Perfecting your soft skills, like everything else in life, requires self-efforts. So, what soft skills are needed for a successful career in human resources? Let’s explore the necessary skills below.
1. Teamwork
Working in an organisation is the same as playing a sport where each player is focused on one single goal: winning! In an organisation, employees come from different backgrounds and ethnicities and have different perspectives. As an HR professional, it is your responsibility to bind every employee into one single unit.
A strong team increases the organisation’s productivity and helps achieve goals faster. Acknowledging this, HR professionals must focus on building a positive working environment that fosters workplace friendships and trust. You also need to encourage your team members to collaborate and interact with each other by conducting fun social events and activities. You are responsible for transforming your employees into teammates who feel connected to each other.
2. Organisational Skills
HR professionals have multiple responsibilities. This means that their minds will be engaged in various tasks simultaneously. Here, your organisational skills will come in very handy. Organisational skills include knowing how to handle documents, effective filing, and safeguarding confidential information.
In addition, you will be engaged in different organisational operations, such as recruitment, project budgeting, and financial management. So, when you have strong organisational skills and know how to manage your time, you can handle everything in front of you without failure.
3. Communication Skills
One of the crucial responsibilities of an HR manager is acting as a bridge between the organisation and its employees. Along with this, you also have to interact with different stakeholders at different levels of authority, including the organisation’s CEO. This is the reason why you need great communication skills.
From taking interviews and onboarding to conducting cultural events and even delivering important information across the organisation, HR does it all. Hence, knowing how to communicate clearly and effectively is a great skill to hone. In addition, if you can master public speaking and have excellent writing skills, it is an added advantage.
4. Negotiation Skills
How well you negotiate will determine how well you manage employee relations. Negotiation can help you resolve many issues without escalation. It can also help you achieve better contract terms when recruiting new employees and even help you keep the company’s budget in check.
Good negotiation skills require high emotional intelligence and the ability to read between the lines. They also require a close understanding of different human emotions to determine how to achieve the most favourable outcome.
5. Strategic Thinking
HR professionals need to reduce the organisation’s operational costs and invest in areas that will help earn profit. They also need to develop strategies that help them retain the top talent. This requires crafting strategies to help them identify areas where they can cut costs without impacting employee productivity.
Your ability to think critically and foresee will be very beneficial in ensuring that the company functions optimally.
Becoming a Skilled HR Professional
An HR professional, when conducting their day-to-day affairs, must consider the organisation’s short-term and long-term goals. So, having good soft skills and a close understanding of human emotions is an essential attribute. Only when you have good soft skills will you be able to make a substantial impact in your field.
Also Read: Chief Human Resources Officer to Mastermind Your Company’s Workforce
