Why HR could be the right career path for you

When deciding your perfect career path, it can be just as important to know what you don’t want to do as it is to know what you want to do. What comes to your mind when you think about what you want from your career?

Perhaps you already know what you don’t want: high-pressure environment, tight deadlines, and 90% travel time, for example. Would you like to be at your desk most of the day or do you want a job that allows you to get away from your desk to interact with other professionals?

Since you already know what you don’t want to do, what about your “want” list? You might want a profession that offers a chance to help people, train, modify the companies’ policies, provide a strong opportunity for growth, deal with compensation of people, deal with a variety of tasks, understand the job market, want leadership roles and might even want flexible hours. If any of these things are on your “want” list, considering a career in human resources may be right for you.

We at IMT, Hyderabad provide you with opportunities to build your career with regard to all of the above. If you choose to major in HR, subjects like Human Resource Management, Organization Change and Development, Competency Mapping, Industrial Relations, Labor Laws, HR Analytics, Training & Development, Leadership, and Organizational Behavior that provide ultimate focus on HRM are taught through a span of two years.  Through these specific courses you could choose to become either an HR Specialist or an HR Generalist.

First, Students often ask that with AI being used in a big way, the days of HR are numbered. Right? Wrong. AI excels at tasks that rely on data processing and pattern recognition, completing many functions faster and more efficiently than human beings can, making it a valuable tool for automating many aspects of HR such as onboarding, time off management, etc. Organizations cannot ignore the “human” aspect of Human Resources Management. The role of HR goes far beyond these automated tasks--at its core, it’s ultimately about bringing the best out of people and helping them reach their full potential. HR’s role is to help their company’s people be the best that they can be and to give their people what they need to get there. That’s why HR is such a crucial (and ever-evolving) profession. Believe it or not, with worker shortages in a number of fields, human resources will become even more important, says Randstad, a recruitment company with a global footprint. In US alone HR-related jobs will rise nearly 10% in the next few years.

Secondly, Students also feel that Math has no place in HR. Right? Wrong again. You do require Math especially in courses like Employee Compensation & Benefits, Labor Laws or even in HR Analytics. For example, calculating long term impact of specific pay practice changes, calculating the before and after impact of downsizing, calculating and coming up with a plan to improve labor productivity.  What will be the productivity and the cost benefit if the organization decides to lay off a certain workforce, how would you make indemnity calculations were you to become a Labor Law expert? Sometimes you would also be required to understand and critically explain pre-defined data. So here understanding MATH can be defined as the activity of knowing the data, and also the ability to describe the data critically. Therefore, knowing basic Math definitely gives you an edge.  It also decreases dependency.

Thirdly, an HR professional cannot become a CEO. True? False. Many CEOs have past experiences as CHROs. For instance, Lisa M. Weber, MetLife; Mary Barra, General Motors, Nigel Travis, CEO of Dunkin Brands Group; Anne Mulcahy, CEO of Xerox; Bernard Fontana CEO of Areva, to name a few, all were HR Pros. Research shows not only CEOs but “CHROs are also very highly paid” because “they are hard to find”.

According to Randstad US, HR Manager is one of the most in-demand jobs. Next decade and a half is a good time to be in HR. Also remember, HR, is a profession that consistently ranks high on lists of best careers, based on job growth, earnings potential, creativity, flexibility, and other factors. HR therefore is the place to be. 

Finally, the courses Labour Laws and Industrial Relations, Performance Management, along with Strategic HR, International HR, and Cross Cultural Management will keep you both rooted to your origin and also give you wings. We hope that this article helps you gain a critical perspective on the field of Human Resource Management and also determine an ideal career path.