Pivoting To A Career in HR? Bring These 8 Skills With You.

While attending virtual events and networking, I had the good fortune of meeting numerous people who are making a pivot to a career in Human Resources. Some driven by their self-discovery of interests that drew them to this profession. Some are testing the waters and exploring different career options where they can transfer the skills they already have. Selecting HR as a first stop.

During the coaching conversations, the question I’m approached with consistently is this one. What are the most transferable skills that I can bring to HR?

Having spent over 15 years across multiple disciplines in this field and now running a business focused on designing programs to bring new skills to HR leaders and teams, there’s a lot to share. The one that jumps out first for most people are probably interpersonal relationship skills. Or, sadly, administrative skills. Although they are both relevant and applicable, I see it as much more layered than this.

Here are 8 transferable skills I identified to be most applicable for HR professionals. Across all disciplines, industries and roles. Included are some examples that you can provide while interviewing to demonstrate your proficiency of the skill.

1. Problem Solving

The problems you will face working in HR have a wide range. From, transactional problems such as how to fix a small wellness reimbursement error in a system record. To, large systemic problems such as how to address gender bias and inequity in a company’s pay practices.

Example you can provide:

A time you were caught off guard by a problem that was brought to your attention by a customer, client or partner.

·      How did you respond or react to the person who brought it to your attention?

·      What did you do to understand the full scope of the problem?

·      What did you do to solve the problem?

·      What resulted from the action you took?

·      What did you learn?

2. Active Listening

Active listening is the ability to focus completely on a speaker, understand their message, comprehend the information and respond thoughtfully (Indeed). This skill is critical to effective problem solving and understanding what employees need. It involves listening to both what is being said and not said.

Example you can provide:

A time you were approached by a dissatisfied customer, client or partner.

·      What was the situation that led them to feeling dissatisfied?

·      What did you uncover from active listening?

·      What did you do with this information?

·      What resulted from the action you took?

·      What did you learn? 

3. Analytical Thinking

Working in HR will give you exposure and access to an immense amount of data. Qualitative and quantitative. Qualitative data is collected through conversations or observable behavior (e.g. employee reactions to a leadership announcement). Quantitative data may be collected through a tracking system, surveys or counting. Represented in the form of a number or statistic (e.g. employee turnover rate).

Analytical thinking is the process of identifying patterns from a set of data. Using this information to identify trends, tell a story, or make a decision.

Example you can provide:

A time you had to develop a solution to a problem by analyzing data.

·      What was the problem you were looking to solve?

·      What type of data did you have access to?

·      How did you analyze the data?

·      What did the data tell you?

·      What solution did you develop based on your analysis?

4. Communication

Across the entire function everyone, from the HR coordinator to the chief people officer, will utilize and practice communication skills daily. Written, verbal, presentation, descriptive, straight-to-the-point, 1:1, group, formal, casual, virtual, live. Whichever style or format it’s in, the expectation is always consistent. It must be executed effectively by addressing the key message, showing empathy, utilizing the best delivery method and being timely.

Example you can provide:

Expect to be evaluated on your communication skills based on how you perform during your interview. Some tips to consider:

·      Stay on topic with your answers (also a way to demonstrate active listening skills).

·      Be succinct with your answers.

·      Check for clarification if you’re not 100% sure you understood the question.

·      Ask if your response is sufficient. If they need more, elaborate on your response or provide another example.

5. Relationship Building

Another aspect of the organization that you will gain immense access to is people. And it comes with great responsibility. A responsibility to nurture those relationships by building trust, practicing empathy, being available, being responsive and gaining their confidence.

Example you can provide:

A time you had to develop and nurture a new relationship with a client, partner or customer.

·      In what ways was this relationship important to you?

·      What steps did you take to develop and nurture your relationship with them?

·      What resulted from the action you took?

·      What did you learn?

6. Process Improvement

A high functioning HR department is built on a strong foundation of effective and efficient processes. Everything from recruiting to hiring to onboarding to performance management is effective when the process is clear, scalable, and absent of friction. This contributes to a positive experience for employees and leaders. The ability to bring new ways of doing things and constantly improving processes is a valuable skill.

Example you can provide:

A time you improved an existing process.

·      What made the existing process inefficient, ineffective or broken?

·      What improvements did you bring to the process?

·      What did you do to test the new process?

·      What resulted from the action you took?

7. Adaptability

Things happen. Plans change. Timelines are disrupted. An unforseen global pandemic occurs. All are outside of your control. The ability to remain calm, flexible and adapt to the changes as they arise is essential.

Example you can provide:

A time when something unexpected occurred that caused you to adapt your approach or plan.

·      What caused a disruption to the original approach or plan?

·      What steps did you take to adapt your original approach or plan?

·      What resulted from the action you took?

·      What did you learn?

8. Prioritization

HR professionals who achieve mastery of skills 1-7, will find themselves in the position of being in high demand. Demand for their time, advice, support, participation, input, ideas or coaching. It creeps up. Quickly. Taking the time to reprioritize things and manage your time effectively helps to sustain that level of proficiency. And avoid burnout.

Example you can provide:

A time when you had to juggle multiple priorities, projects and deadlines.

·      What method did you use to evaluate the priority level of each item?

·      What choices did you make to reprioritize your workload?

·      What resulted from the actions that you took?

·      What did you learn?

Making a career pivot is equal parts exciting and scary. Telling a compelling story about why you decided to make a pivot and demonstrating your proficiency in these transferable skills makes you an asset to any HR team.  

Ready to take the next step and turn your career pivot into a reality? Check out my coaching offering or learn more about what to look for in a career coach.