Being an HR manager is much more than what it looks like on paper.  Your role is to manage a comprehensive sequence of functions that enable the company to operate smoothly.  In a bigger company more HR staff will be required to handle these extensive responsibilities.  Also when confronted with a larger or growing company the issues that occur within each of your functions will become more complex.  These type of companies will regularly have a handful of HR professionals to manage these functions with an HR manager to supervise the team.

Today, you are managing all of the HR functions for a small company, and if you were to apply for an open HR job in a similarly sized company with an HR department, you would be a perfect match.  Not only there, but you could be a great match for an HR manager job with an employer looking to expand a one-person department to a manager and direct report as well.  The more experience you have with job interviews the better, so applying for either of these job types would be beneficial.

When you become an HR manager with direct reports, you could still be responsible for some of the hands-on duties, but your primary responsibility will be to delegate work and get it done through others.  Because of this, your success will largely depend on hiring and onboarding the right people as well as dealing with the myriad problems people management presents.  You will be ultimately responsible for other people’s work and success.

Your career will be better off by making the move into management in two steps: skill development and target job growth strategy.

For skill development you will want to stack the odds in your favor by becoming the best you can be in all of your current areas of expertise as well supporting that with SHRM credentials and certification.  After this you will want to search for a job as an HR generalist in a somewhat bigger company that offers an opportunity for professional growth.  Companies typically see their strongest growth period within the first 10 years, and this will be where you find the best opportunities as a professional.  Once you are in that new position you will want to develop the skills that are necessary to win a step up into people management. When pursuing a pathway to management you should focus on two specific areas of professional skill development: legal compliance as well as talent acquisition and management.  Both of these functions will be critical to your company’s survival.

One of the smartest strategies that you can employee in your HR career is to informally coach individual managers on how to hire effectively.  While doing this you should address a few critical functions of the job.  The first is why to use phone interviews as a time management tool and the questions you should ask that will quickly rule candidates either in or out.  Next you should touch upon how to leverage second opinions from other managers, and how to build selection skills in promising staff members.  This will be both motivational and self-serving as having someone ready to step into your shoes is integral for any manager looking to move upwards.  

If you have any questions regarding what it takes to become an HR Manager please do not hesitate to reach out to us.  You can find us at (610)-296-8550 or info@convergehrsolutions.com.  

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