3.

4 ORGANIZING PERSONNEL DEPARTMENT

3.4.4. Qualifications
of
Personnel Manager

Reporter: Karen P. Dollete

MAS 104 Personnel Administration
 What are the qualities of a
successful personnel manager?
 Intelligence
Communicative Skills

Decisiveness

Educational Skills
Human Skills

Leadership Skills Executing Skills

 What are the qualities of a
successful personnel manager?
Q UALI FI CATI O N #
1
Personal Attributes
A. Intelligence ­- like any other manager,
a personnel manager must be intelligent.
He must have the competence to perform
activities relating to personnel better
than his subordinates. He must have a
long-term perspective, so as to map out a
future for the organization 15 to 20 years
ahead and even beyond.
 B. Communicative skills - the
personnel manager should have
command over language, ability
to express correctly, listening
skills, ability to explain and
interpret policy and programs
etc.
 C. Decisiveness - the
personnel manager should
have analytical ability, sound
judgement, foresight etc.
 D. Educational skills -
personnel manager should
possess learning and teaching
skills as he has to learn and teach
employees about the
organizational growth, need for
and mode of development of
 E. Human skills - the most important
quality of a personnel manager is his
ability to deal successfully with people
who have likes and dislikes, whims and
fancies, who favor some and are
prejudiced against others. He has to
deal with workers who refuse to see
reason and who believe that violence
pays and nothing else does.
 F. Executing skills - a
personnel manager should have
adequate executing skills which
refer to ability to implement
policies and programs speedily
and accurately.
 G. Leadership skills - leadership skills
include ability to inspire confidence and to
win cooperation, ability to create
enthusiasm, initiative, unbiased attitude,
organizational ability etc. The personnel
manager should be resourceful too. He
should have an open mind, objectivity and
adjustability to tackle different matters
from different angles.
 H. Knowledge of labor and other laws -
the personnel manager must possess a
sound knowledge of the constitution
and other acts that influence labor
interests. He must be aware of the
government’s policy towards labor and
the general economic conditions
prevailing at a given time.
 I. Broad Social Outlook - it is also
desirable that the personnel
manager should have a broad social
outlook and contribute towards the
betterment of quality of life of the
employees and those who live
around and beyond the company.
Q UALI FI CATI O N #
2
Experience And Training
Training in industrial psychology,
labor legislation and industrial
relations is very useful for a
personnel manager. Previous
experience is an advantage provided
the experience was in an appropriate
environment and in the same area.
Experience in an organization in some
other executive capacity can also help
towards an appreciation of the general
management problems and a practical
approach in meeting personnel
problems. To some extent, personnel
management is an art where practice
makes a person a successful manager.
Q UALI FI CATI O N #
3
Professional Attitudes
Personnel management is fast
emerging as a profession. A
professional approach to the
management of human resources is
required in the global environment.
Personnel management requires an
interdisciplinary approach.
He should possess technical,
administrative and behavioral skills.
Knowledge of different disciplines like
sociology, psychology, management,
engineering, philosophy, economics
and law is required to develop such
skills and approach.
Q UALI FI CATI O N #
4
Academic Qualifications
Keeping the diversity and elasticity
of the personnel manager’s job in
mind, the following educational
qualifications may be necessary to
achieve success, in addition to the
qualities already discussed:
I. Degree from a recognized university.
II. Post graduate degree /diploma in HRM/
HRD/ Labor welfare/Social work/Psychology/
Industrial Relations / MBA with specialization
in HRM.
III. Degree in law (desirable/additional
qualification)
IV. Knowledge of local language.
Why is it important to be qualified?

Qualifications show your knowledge and

skills building in a specialist subject. If you
achieve a qualification in a specialist subject like
engineering, employers know you have
developed not just the life skills but also the
concrete knowledge they need to offer you the
job.
Why is qualifications important in job position?

Job requirements are used to communicate

employer's expectations from job seekers. By
laying out clearly defined job requirements, employers
can attract the right type of candidates. Over or under
qualified candidates will be turned away from
applying, thus saving employers a lot of time and
money in the long run.