Career Development and Steps for Becoming an HR Manager

This article discusses career development and the steps required to become an HR manager. It explores the stages of career development theory and highlights the skills needed for success in the field. The article also provides insights into the subjects and qualifications necessary for a career in HR management.

Professional development
and business communication

Table of Contents
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................3
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................9

MAIN BODY
Career development is said to be a life long process in which management of work and
leisure along with various transitions in life is used in order to move forward towards personal
and professional goals. The process of evolving of individuals also takes place along with career
development. There are a number of skills which are to be identified for successfully carrying on
career development. When considering point of view of an organisation career development
refers to finding best matches between jobs and human resource(Vondracek, Lerner and
Schulenberg, 2019). According to organisations career development is possible only when right
people are matched with a job which can be done by them with the present skill sets.
Organisations also consider the respective future paths and career of employees and provide
them with opportunities to progress in their paths. In order to become a successful HR manager it
is necessary for individuals to understand the steps required for career development.
Career Development Theory was introduced by Donald E. Super which considers an
“overall life-span view”. This model describes how personal experiences are combined with
professional preferences to understand self-concept. The theory states that career development is
a life long process. It also explains that the decision regarding selection of career is done after
evaluation of of a number of different decisions. There are five stages in this theory which are
mentioned below:
 Growth (0-14 years)- This is the beginning when one starts developing attitudes and
understanding preferences. There are a number of concepts such as identity and
understanding relation with others are developed at this stage. The idea of understanding
self faults and flaws is reinforced at this stage.
 Exploration (15-24 years)- Career development begins at this stage. The first step
towards career development is taken here. People are young adults at this stage they start
finding hobbies at this stage. They find out places where they can effectively gain
experience. Identification of new tasks along with grabbing various opportunities present
is done at this stage. They look for new tasks just after one task is completed at this stage.
 Establishment (25-44 years)- Things are getting more serious for individuals at this stage.
There are opportunities to develop skills at this stage along with gaining experiences and
reducing the uncertainties present. The decision on career path is made at this stage.

When an individual is sure about which path they want to choose they get started on
enhancing skills related to it and pursuing new learning.
 Maintenance (45-64 years)- At this point of time the individual is majorly concerned
about learning continuously and making required adjustments whenever the situation
demands for it from them. It is necessary to verify and confirm the past decisions which
are taken at this stage by individuals (Smith and Wood, 2020). It is often possible that
individuals who are dissatisfied with their career go back to exploration stage. The career
ladder is stepped upon at this stage by individuals. It is also necessary to hold own and
stand against competition at this stage.
 Decline (65 years and above)- At this stage the productivity is reducing. The contribution
towards various activities which needs improvement are reduced at this stage. The major
focus of individual will only remain on essentials at this stage. The only focus will
remain on essential tasks and reduction in working hours can be seen.
Further there are also a number of steps that are involved while an individual is
developing their career. Below mentioned are the steps to be followed for career development:
 Self assessment is the first step in career development where exploration of self takes
place. One is aware about there interests, values, skills and work style. They try to match
it to their preferences and various interests.
 In this step of Career Awareness search for job starts. It is required to understand about
career path at this part. They learn about the jobs they are interested and gain skills
according to them. In order to become an Human resource manager there are a number of
skills to be present in an individual. The race to address those skills takes place at this
stage. It is required by individuals to be knowledgable about career the are planning to
pursue. They need to know the qualifications required, growth in career, future
opportunities, reputation of organisation and so on. Next step is Goal Setting where the goals which are required by individuals are set after
self-assessment and information which is obtained about career. An action plan for career
development is prepared which also consist of short term as well as long term goals.
Other than this a clear vision for career is developed which reflects the requirements of
individuals regarding their career.

 Skill development is next step in which individuals are required to attain all the skills
required by them to successfully perform and even get promoted. It is necessary to take
these steps because employees are required to keep on developing as organisations can
only invest on employees who are continuously developing and also adding some value
to their business (Bonnici and Cassar, 2020). As per UC Berkeley it is said that 70.% of
development comes from on the job activities and active learning, 20% comes from
interactions and rest 10% is developed from theoretical basis.
 Last step is Career management for this it is necessary that individuals are effectively
building relationships. They can build relationships with boss, supervisors, co-workers
and so on. Networking is also one of essential skill for any kind of business. This will
also include setting up of new goals. It is possible that employees may want something
new and more all those are justified at this stage. There are also times when goals need to
be updated or changed all of which are included at this stage.
It is also necessary that individuals are developing various goals that include short term
as well as long term goals. The goal to become an HR manager is a long term goal as it is not
possible for an individual to gain the position which manages the entire department at once. They
are required to first achieve a number of small stepping stones. Being an HR manager is long
term goal. Short term goals include achieving a degree in HR management effectively in order to
be capable of joining a job in this sector. It is also required to make sure that the grades and the
in depth knowledge of all the subjects included are gained effectively so that while performing
the job there are no conceptual barriers. It is also necessary to list down all the job vacancies and
then decide on one (Tascioglu, 2020). After listing down vacancies the companies are to be
compared and selected. The basic goal will be to attain a job in the best organisation which will
help in personal as well as professional development of the individual. It is required by
individual to focus on the goal to achieve job. For this preparation of CV is required and all the
job roles and responsibilities are to be read and taken into practice. Some other short term goals
will include active participation in organisation which will help in personal and professional
growth. There are a number of organisations that provides employees with certain chances of
achieving awards such as employee of month and quarter. This a great way to encourage one self
as recognition brought by such awards motivates individuals to do better in the organisation.
Learning new skills and working in team can be another short term goal. It is necessary that the

individual is learning to work in a team. This will help improve communication skill and also
prepare for a long term goal to become a leader. Various other short term goals will be enhancing
communication skills, time management skills, generating empathy, enhancing listening skills
and so on.
All the above mentioned short term objectives are helping to conquer the long term
objective. Short term objectives of an individual help in forming the pillars and base for the long
term objectives and vision towards which an individual is moving. The long term goals include
setting self as Human resource manager in a huge organisation. This might require a lot of efforts
and patience from an individual, they need to develop leadership skill as a number of sub
departments and employees are to be managed by an HR manager. Long term goals also achieve
successfully developing various policies and procedures in organisation related to HR. These
includes working on compensation policy for employees. Various laws and rules must be applied
in organisation to make sure that equality prevails and there is no discrimination amongst
employees. Creation of such policies and procedures affectively and their implementation on th
organisation successfully is long term goal.
The major vision is to generate a positive, healthy and happy working environment in the
organisation. This can be described by motivated employees who are successfully fulfilling all
their jobs roles and responsibilities. The management also needs to motivate employees with
various monetary and non- monetary benefits (Dahlbom and et. al., 2019). All these together
comprise to be the vision of an HR manager.
In order to work as a manager in human resource field there are a number which are to be
studied by an individual. These subjects include management process and organisation theory,
behaviour of individual in an organisation, managerial economics, business environment, human
resource management, skill development and training, management of interpersonal and group
processes, human resource development and planning, human resource information system,
compensation management, factory and labour laws, management of human capital, human
resource audit, international and cross cultural human resource management. In order to move on
the career as a human resource manager qualification required is master in business
administration in field of human resource (Kamoche, 2019). While a 2 years of this course all
these subjects which are required to become an HR manager are affectively taught in MBA. It is
necessary that individual have proper knowledge regarding a number of different laws which are

applicable on human resource of an organisation. These are practical subjects which will be used
throughout the career of a human resource manager in every organisation.
There are a number of skills that will be required to develop a career as an HR manager.
Some of these skills are common soft skills whereas there are a number of specific skills that will
be required specifically by a HR manager. The basic soft skills include various interpersonal
skills which can be easily developed by individuals through making continuous conversations
with each other. It is necessary that proper gestures and postures are maintained while taking
care of verbal communication and skills related to it. In order to develop oral skills for being an
HR manager it is important to practice in order to develop professionalism while making
communication to an individual or a group. It is necessary to attain business writing skills that is
necessary to address to various employees by the manager. They need to issue a number of
notice letters and documents to employees as well as to senior managers (Succi and Canovi,
2019). They are required to study and practice all the necessary writing pattern and drafts which
might be essential for there job. Team working skill is also to be developed in order to
comfortably work in a team. In order to work in team it is required to learn about various models
such as Tuckman's Team building theory and Belbin's job roles and responsibility theory that
will enable an HR manager to work in a team and understand various steps required to be taken
while managing a team. They require basic research information and presentation skills. Having
required presentation skills will enable individuals to set up standards as leader and managers. In
order to start working in an HR team it becomes necessary to successfully attain a job. This job
can only be attained once the job interview is clear. For which individual might require resume
writing skills as well as job and interview skills. They also need to understand how to create their
own resume so that the first impact on their employer's can be such that they can easily secure
their job.
Their are a number of specific skills required for the role of an HR manager. The most
common skill that is interpersonal skill is required by all but it is necessary for an HR manager to
be excellent in these skills. They need to be empathetic to employees while listening to their
problems and issues as they are required to solve them by creation of policies and procedures in
organisation. Management skills are another important skill set which generates problem solving
skill and abilities to think critically (Park, Bae and Hong, 2019. There are various sub
departments of HR department which are to be managed by HR manager. In order to effectively

see the impact of various policies and procedures management skills prove to be of great help to
them. Another important skill which is rarely needed in any career is diplomacy. It plays an
important role for an HR manager. There are a number of conflicts between various employees.
As well as conflicts also arise between organisations and employees. It is required by the HR
manager to understand that they are to listen to both the parties effectively. They also need to
make sure that they do not increase the disputes or misunderstanding with any inappropriate
comment. They majorly require it by resolving disputes with labour due to negotiating with them
for salaries and so on. These skills are developed with passing time. They are a result of the
experience of individual as well as efforts an individual have put towards their work. They
change and enhance these skills with passing time.
There are a number of skills and development process which are required by an HR
manager. The roles and responsibilities might be different but the ways to develop career
remains same for every individual. It is necessary that from the exploration stage itself the young
mind are focusing upon the areas they need to excel in. An individual must mention all the short
term and long term goals along with vision which will provide them a clear path for their career
development. Along this way individuals will understand various need of skills for their specific
career along with common skills that are required by every individual. An individual can
effectively take their time to learn all these skills. Learning and development of skill can go on
forever. It is a continuous process. As an individual is learning and working on skills their career
will also develop along with it side by side. Individuals are required to list all their goals and
keep on achieving them one by one in order to develop their career. They might also require
external help for development of certain skills which is not a big deal. But following all the steps
of career development will help achieving all goals and objectives and leading a successful and
happy life.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Vondracek, F.W., Lerner, R.M. and Schulenberg, J.E., 2019. Career development: A life-span
developmental approach. Routledge.
Smith, C.K. and Wood, S.M., 2020. Supporting the career development of gifted students: New
role and function for school psychologists. Psychology in the Schools.
Bonnici, C. and Cassar, V., 2020. The implications of contextual realities on career
development: The specific case of university research managers and administrators in
small island states. Journal of Career Development. 47(3). pp.266-279.
Kamoche, K.N., 2019. Sociological paradigms and human resources: An African context.
Routledge.
Succi, C. and Canovi, M., 2019. Soft skills to enhance graduate employability: comparing
students and employers’ perceptions. Studies in Higher Education, pp.1-14.
Park, O., Bae, J. and Hong, W., 2019. High-commitment HRM system, HR capability, and
ambidextrous technological innovation. The International Journal of Human Resource
Management. 30(9). pp.1526-1548.
Dahlbom, P. and et. al., 2019. Big data and HR analytics in the digital era. Baltic Journal of
Management.
Tascioglu, M., 2020. Job Goals During High School Related to Greater Academic
Success. Available at SSRN 3611419.