Reflective Paper on MBA in HR

This paper is a reflection on the personal strengths, limitations, and skills required for a career in Human Resources. It discusses job titles suitable for MBA in HR and explores transferable skills gained from previous employment. The paper is relevant to the subject of Human Resource Management and the course code MBA in HR.

Reflective Paper
Answer to Question 1
This paper is a reflection of my current and future endeavours. I shall discuss my
personal strengths and limitations as relevant to the profession I am studying. The types of
employment relevant in the industry are also identified. Lastly, the skills improvised in my
previous employment are also considered.
Currently, I am pursuing my course in Masters of Business Administration in Human
Resources. MBA in HR is a challenging and stimulating course of management. Precisely,
human resource management is related to the process of hiring the employees, training them and
assess their performance according to the needs of the organization. The need of HR in every
field is increasing as it is very important in every organization1.
Answer to Question 2
A few job titles that are suitable for MBA in HR are Employee Relations Manager,
Health and Safety Manager, Training and Development Manager, Compensation Manager and
Employment or Placement Manager. The Employee Relations Manager helps in negotiating
contracts between employees and managers to increase productivity and morale. The Health and
Safety Manager are responsible to prevent occupational hazards as they offer and implement
health and safety policies2. The Training and Development Manager conduct orientation
programs for the employees to keep them updated according to the needs of the organization. A
1 John M Ivancevich and Robert Konopaske, Human Resource Management (McGraw-Hill Irwin,
2013). 2 Rosalie L. Tung, "New Perspectives On Human Resource Management In A Global Context"
(2016) 51(1) Journal of World Business.

Compensation Manager ensures that the employees are provided with benefits like life insurance,
health insurance and prepare compensation reports for the employees. The Placement Manager
involves professional recruiters who fill vacancies of an organization. Such HR professionals are
required to interview candidates and screen resumes3.
Answer to Question 3
Some of the key skills to be an effective HR Manager is to possess supervision quality,
effective communication skills and planning skills. I shall throw some light on my personal
strengths and weaknesses as relevant to the HR profession. I believe that my greatest strength is
the flexibility to adapt to change. As the researches show that having a high learning agility or
being a quick learner is beneficial to the organization. I can say that I have a high drive for
learning new things that make me highly agile and adapt to new things quickly. Further, effective
interpersonal communication is one of my best personal traits. In today’s world, everybody
needs a group of people to succeed. One of my key strengths is being a team player as I consider
this trait to be as important as getting an academic degree4.
However, I also possess certain weaknesses that act as hindrance in my future for
becoming an HR manager. I tend to get nervous around people. With the advent of new work
culture where people only have time to speak to each other during coffee breaks, I have become
an introvert. This can act as a problem as an HR needs to be more communicative in the
profession. No individual possesses all the required skills for the job profile. I am a sensitive
person and take things to the heart if things are done in the wrong manner. I feel guilty if I deny
3 Francis Asah, Olawale Olufunso Fatoki and Ellen Rungani, "The Impact Of Motivations,
Personal Values And Management Skills On The Performance Of Smes In South Africa" (2015)
6(3) African Journal of Economic and Management Studies.
4 Evan M Berman et al, Human Resource Management In Public Service (CQ Press, 2019).

any individual of some help that is under my control. While being too helpful, I might cross the
limits while helping teammates thereby creating antagonism5.
Answer to Question 4
Transferable skills refer to the core set of abilities and skills that have been gained from
previous positions. The greatest skill that I learned from my previous job is team work. In the
previous job, I was expected to work as a part of the team. I demonstrated my ability to work as a
part of the team by solving their problems and being available when the team members needed
my help. Another trait that I picked from my previous employment is time management. As a
team member, we set deadlines and the work was expected to finish within the mentioned
timeframe. I learned to prioritise work and create a balance between my personal and
professional life by effective time management. I developed communication skills while making
interaction with other team members. I learned to listen to other team members with full
attention as it is a good quality of a successful HR manager6. It is good strategy to focus your
energy on the strength and face weakness for personal growth. I wish to believe that if I am not
good at something, I shall make slight improvements to have a better quality of life.
5 P Banfield, R Kay and D Royles, Introduction To Human Resource Management (Oxford
University Press, 2018).
6 Evan M Berman et al, Human Resource Management In Public Service (CQ Press, 2019).

References
Asah, Francis, Olawale Olufunso Fatoki and Ellen Rungani, "The Impact Of Motivations,
Personal Values And Management Skills On The Performance Of Smes In South Africa" (2015)
6(3) African Journal of Economic and Management Studies
Banfield, P, R Kay and D Royles, Introduction To Human Resource Management (Oxford
University Press, 2018)
Berman, Evan M et al, Human Resource Management In Public Service (CQ Press, 2019)
Dessler, Gary, Human Resource Management (Prentice Hall, 2013)
Ivancevich, John M and Robert Konopaske, Human Resource Management (McGraw-Hill Irwin,
2013)
Tung, Rosalie L., "New Perspectives On Human Resource Management In A Global Context"
(2016) 51(1) Journal of World Business