You need to understand business. HR needs to know how companies work.

A good HR
person is a business manager who understands how to support the business by making
the people part work. But if you don’t understand productivity, profitability and other
business challenges you will not be taken seriously.

Communication is key, and you are right is is not easy. You need to be able to read the
individual, be sensitive to their needs, and diplomatic in your responses. So many people
are guilty of saying they listen, but they don’t hear what is being said. Delivery is of the
utmost importance and at times you have to deliver negative info/feedback, but being
tactful and sensitive in your response is a must.

HR pro should definitely be a master of communication. Sounds so easy – but it’s not. HR
pro should both communicate one’s thoughts clearly and should be able to listen to people
and really understand what they are saying. It’s also important to be able to deliver
negative information politely, without offending others

When we think of who a Human Resources professional is, we think about the
qualities, characteristics, and the skills he or she possesses. The qualities identified
below define the key strengths of a good Human Resources professional.

Knowledge and Expertise in Human Resources

You must have a core foundation in the many functions of Human Resources. An
ongoing requirement is that you must be able to deal with the daily challenges that
arise. You may have to resolve something as simple as an employee being paid the
wrong rate of pay. Or it could be a much more difficult issue such as a pending
sexual harassment investigation being conducted by the Department of Fair
Employment and Housing (DFEH). Whether the issue is something simple or more
complex, a good Human Resources professional must be able to resolve all types of
issues, calmly and fairly.

Communication
Human Resource professionals can’t survive if they don’t have excellent
communication skills. Communication skills encompass a large range; it’s not just
one specific thing, because there are many forms of communication. Being able to
listen and hear what the other person is saying is a real skill. Many people listen,
but they don’t really hear what is being said. What is the point? You must be able to
deal with people in a friendly and professional manner so that people can relate to
you easily. The majority of your communications will be verbal, but written
communication is also very important. It’s best to structure your written
communication like your verbal communication, and be friendly yet professional.
Everyone goes to Human Resources for assistance and advice, so being able to
communicate effectively is essential.

Time Management and Self Discipline

There are not enough hours in the day for a Human Resource professional to be
able to get all of his or her work done. As in any job, you have daily tasks that must
be completed, but we all know how that goes. When working in Human Resources,
you’re happy if you can get some of the tasks completed. More often than not, you
are faced with sudden issues that come up and require your immediate attention.
Some days you may only have one or two incidents to deal with, but other days
your whole time could be spent on these types of incidents. When this happens, the
daily tasks get put on hold. But at some point, you have to stop and play catch up.
For this, self-discipline is a must. It is imperative that you designate a time to
complete your most important tasks on a daily basis. Knowing how to manage your
time is necessary for survival. You will constantly have deadlines to meet and a
heavy workload that may require you to work sixteen-hour days. You’ll have to
learn to manage your time wisely so you don’t get burned out.

Trustworthy
This quality is probably the most important one that any good Human Resources
professional needs. People will only open up to someone they can trust. They must
believe that you will do the right thing and have their best interests at heart. Along
with trust comes confidentiality, because if someone is sharing personal
information with you, they need to trust that you will keep it confidential and not
share it with anyone else. Being known as a trustworthy Human Resources
professional gives you great credibility. If you lose your credibility, you will have a
very difficult time doing your job, since no one will feel that they can trust you.
Trying to regain your credibility is difficult, but not impossible. Make sure you do
your best to keep your credibility.

Impartial and Objective

As a Human Resources professional, you must be able to remain neutral. When
dealing with a work incident or employee issue, you must be able to be objective
and impartial. Your personal opinion does not count—these types of decisions
must be based solely on the facts presented. Having excellent problem-solving
skills is a must, and you’ll need to apply them in numerous situations. A big factor is
knowing when you are not able to be objective or impartial about a particular
incident or issue, so that you can remove yourself from the situation and have
someone else handle it. You must be able to perform well under pressure and be
able to make informed decisions based on facts, not emotions. This is especially
important when negative scenarios come up, and you have to come up with
positive resolutions. The good news is that you will get better at this with time and
experience.

Train, Develop, and Mentor

One of the many jobs of Human Resources professionals is providing training to
employees and management. Employees need to be kept up-to-date and educated
on the skills and training needed to perform their job. Helping employees develop
their skills to enhance their job knowledge and performance not only benefits the
employee’s career, but the company as well. There are so many individuals out
there who would do just about anything to have someone coach and mentor them.
When you provide these services, you help them to grow both personally and
professionally. Knowing that you have helped someone and made a difference in
his or her life is such a great feeling.

There are many other qualities that make a good Human Resources professional,
but these are the most important in my opinion. I think these are some great
qualities to have!