Human resources generalist or HR generalist handles regular tasks such as employee recruitment, employee relations, compliments, payments and other benefits. In short, their work enhances a company’s culture and employee performance. He/ she typically reports to an HR manager, who manages the human resources department. HR Generalist is one of the various HR roles we come across in a company. If you have good communication and employment management skills, this would be a promising career. Read this blog to understand how to become an HR generalist.
HR generalist job description
Before we understand how to become an HR generalist, it is essential to understand their role. Typically an HR generalist role involves the following duties:
- Interviewing and hiring appropriate candidates
- Managing employee relations and assessing their overall performance
- Establishing new employee policies and analyzing areas of improvement.
- Organizing and conducting employee training programs.
- Educating employees about occupational safety and welfare.
- Communicating with employees about company events.
Skills required for HR generalist
HR generalists can acquire the required skill set through an HR generalist course. Most companies look for candidates with the following skills.
- Candidates applying for this role must have strong verbal and written skills for effective communication. In addition, they also need good listening skills which will help them analyze the candidate before recruiting.
- They must have fine interpersonal skills to communicate effectively with employees and make them comfortable.
- Since HR generalists must manage the records of all the employees working with the company, they need excellent organizational skills to sort and manage all their information.
- They must have strong decision-making capabilities to judge the placement of a suitable candidate
- They should possess the capability of resolving issues between the employees as well as train employees properly.
- Above all, discretion is an important quality an HR generalist must have. Since, they have access the all the information of employees such as salaries, performance, and contact details, they must keep it confidential.
How to become an HR generalist
After earning a master’s degree certification such as an MBA, the candidate must work in an organization with a human resource department to gain expertise before getting into a specialized role. If you are keen on becoming an HR generalist, the below-mentioned steps will guide you through the process.
1. Work with different sectors of the HR department:
Working with various departments in human resources gives you experience and a strong skill set to become an HR generalist. Moreover, HR generalist is not an entry-level job; therefore, certain skills are essential to be a successful human resources generalist. Hence, if you are in the early phase of your career, consider an internship which gives you scope to understand all the departments in HR.
2. Earn an HR generalist certification:
Enrolling in a certification program enables you to gain all the essential skills to work as a Human resource generalist. Most importantly the course programs briefs you well about the HR generalist role. However, earning certification from a reputed institute is crucial. To the best of my knowledge, Kodakco is one of the finest ed-tech companies to receive HR generalist certification.
Why Kodakco?
Kodacko is one of the leading Ed-tech companies that provides up-skilling and consulting services. They provide world-class training services utilizing top-notch technology and course material. HR generalist course is one of the best courses provided by Kodakco
Course Benefits:
- They train you to excel in skills like talent acquisition, payroll, Human Resource management, and statutory compliance.
- You will learn about employment laws such as FMLA, ADA, COBRA, FLSA, IRCA, and more.
- In addition, you will acquire knowledge on managing administration policies through HR metrics, Reporting, and Benchmarking.
- Furthermore, you will learn about Labour Law compliances such as contract labour, trade unions, and more.
- Most importantly, you get to learn about HR policies like attendance, LTA & reimbursement, and effective retention.
3. Constant skill-development:
Upskilling yourself constantly is the key to being successful in any field. Keeping yourself updated with HR skills can help you grow in a great way. Besides skills like recruitment and employee data management, an HR generalist must also know business acumen and commercial awareness. In addition, they must have soft skills like communication and active listening along with digital and data literacy skills.
4. Prepare an outstanding resume:
Customize your resume according to the role you are applying for. Make sure to mention and highlight the skills and qualifications you recently mastered. Convince why you are an eligible candidate for the HR generalist position in that company. Do not forget to include any previous work experience you have.
5. Prepare well for the interview:
Ensure you are thorough with all the aspects of the human resources department. Prepare yourself with potential questions that could be asked. Most of the interview questions are role-specific, problem-solving and motivation-focused questions.
The average salary of an HR generalist
The Payroll in HR generalist depends on the experience of the candidate. In addition, factors like the size and location of the company also contribute to deciding the salary. For instance, an HR generalist who associates with 50 people is paid less when compared to the HR associated with 150 people.
Conclusion
To sum up, an HR generalist role typically involves handling employee activities and other processes within the organization. An effective HR generalists is of utmost essential for the company as he/ she helps in recruiting the best candidates and maintains harmony between employees and the organization. However, certain skills are crucial to carry out the job effectively. Therefore, one can enrol in an HR generalist course to get well-equipped with such skills.
