MG410 Career Research Report on the Human Resource Profession

This career research report, submitted for the MG410 module, provides a detailed analysis of the human resource profession. It explores current trends like talent acquisition panic, AI, and social media's impact, as well as essential skills such as analytical abilities, HRIS knowledge, reporting, advising, language proficiency, intercultural sensitivity, and proactivity. The report also includes an evaluation of a chosen job and the skills needed to succeed, drawing inspiration from HR professionals. The report concludes that continuous skill development and knowledge of new techniques are vital for a successful HR career.

Career Research Report 0
Title: Career Research Report
Assignment Name:
Student Name:
Course Name and Number:
Professor:
Date:

Career Research Report 1
Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................1
Analysis & Application...................................................................................................................2
General Trends in the Human Resource Profession....................................................................2
Knowledge & Skills Needed in Human Resource Employees....................................................3
Knowledge & Expertise Skills.....................................................................................................3
Personal Skills.............................................................................................................................4
Inspiration for Life.......................................................................................................................6
Evaluation........................................................................................................................................6
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................7
References........................................................................................................................................8
Appendix........................................................................................................................................10
A................................................................................................................................................10
B.................................................................................................................................................12

Career Research Report 2
Introduction
The competition amongst job applicants is intense, as the organizations want to select a
candidate that has the best skills and knowledge, which can offer effective growth to the
organization. All the fields are facing intense competition. I have decided to build my career in
Human Resource and the competition in this field is fierce. Though there are various job
vacancies that are provided in this profession, with the increasing skills standard, along with the
intense competition in the market, the pressure on new graduates like us, is becoming massive
with each passing day. In this assignment, I will explore some of the future trends and skills,
which I need to possess as a human resource employee, as the organization will judge me largely
on these future trends and skills. In addition to this, this report will also provide a deep analysis
of the different requirements that the organizations of today, seek in its potential employees.
Analysis & Application
General Trends in the Human Resource Profession
The human resource field is witnessing changes that will slowly and gradually transform this
profession completely. Some of the current trends that will change the human resource
profession in the future are –
 The trend of Talent Acquisition Panic.
With the increasing use of technology in the human resource field, there has been
a humongous increase in the job application. Due to the increasing number of applicants,
the recruiters are being offered with candidates that are extremely talented and this talent
acquisition trend, due to the advancement in the field of technology has changed the
recruitment and selection process (Bamber, Bartram and Stanton, 2017).

Career Research Report 3
 Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning Trend.
For improving the human resource activities and operations, machine learning and
artificial intelligence are largely being used by an organization. Through this
technological trend, employees will be offered better job satisfaction (De Oliveira, 2016).
In addition to this, it will also help in grievance management, which will help in
managing the operations in a better way.
 Social Media.
With the increasing globalization and also, the growing platform of social media,
the world is more connected. It is due to this reason that the organizations are able to
connect with a huge number of candidates through different social media. In addition to
this, through social media, organizations are able to attract employees from different
geographical regions and cultures (Guest, 2017). With the increasing need for
organizations to adapt to the globalization changes, the human resource profession will
change more with the passing time.
Knowledge & Skills Needed in Human Resource Employees
Some of the common skills that an organization seeks in their potential human resource
employees are communication skills, administrative skills, organizational skills, decision-making
skills, proactivity, training and development skills, and many other basic skills. But the selection
process of organizations has upgraded as they seek for various additional skills in its potential
employee (Kowalski and Loretto, 2017). Some of the additional skills that all the future human
resource employees should possess are –
Knowledge & Expertise Skills
 Analytical Skills.

Career Research Report 4
To build a strong profession in human resources, an individual needs to possess
expertise in analytical skills. This skill is hugely in demand, especially in the last five
years, due to the increasing demand for analytical and data-driven working environment
(Long, 2013). The human resource generalists need to possess this skill, as it helps in
making better decisions, which are made on the basis of information. In addition to this,
due to this skill, the risk level in the decisions also reduces. This skill in the human
resource profession is also popularly known as evidence-based human resource
(Milligan, 2018).
 Knowledge of HRIS.
With the advancement in the field of technology, every profession is dominated
by it. Though this domination was very less in the human resource profession, in the last
few years, by the claims of prominent researchers, to make the human resource field
more digital and analytical, the use of technology in the human resource profession is
growing rapidly (Okoye and Ezejiofor, 2013). One of the most important knowledge,
which organizations seek and will continue to seek in its potential employees is
knowledge of Human Resource Information Systems (HRIS). The human resource
management of an organization runs on the HRIS, therefore, having appropriate
knowledge about this technological system is paramount. The majority of information
associated with hiring, training, payroll, benefits, employee development, job
performance, and rewards, are all registered in the human resource information system,
hence governing the entire work.
Personal Skills
 Human Resource Reporting Skills.

Career Research Report 5
With the emergence of analytical skills, the need for human resource reporting
skills has equally increased. The reporting skills involve creating, analyzing, reading, and
interpreting different human resource reports, according to the data that is provided by
HRIS (Parry and Battista, 2019).
 Advising Skills.
It is due to reporting skills that the advising skills of the human resource
generalist can be improved. Therefore, as a future human resource employee, one should
possess reporting skills, as they will help the organization’s managers in attaining better
advice as it will be evidence-driven, which will further help in formulating better policies
and strategies (Rao, 2019).
 Language Skills.
With the increasing globalization, it has become paramount for all future
employees to possess strong language skills (Smith, 2013). For a human resource
employee, who’s main work involves management of the workforce, therefore, having
strong language skills in the increasing trend of globalization is extremely crucial.
 Intercultural Sensitivity.
In addition to language skills, cultural awareness is also crucial in future human
resource employees. Due to cultural awareness, the individual will properly understand
cultural sensitivities and various cultural restrictions one needs to utilize will dealing with
colleagues or clients from different cultures (van Muiswinkel, 2013).
 Proactivity.
For all the future human resource employees, one personal skill or trait that is
paramount is proactivity. The human resource professional is a connector between the

Career Research Report 6
employees and the employer. Therefore, identifying any issues or problem prior to the
crisis situation is a skill which is required in all future human resource individuals. For
this identification, proactivity skills are needed (Tacho and Singh, 2018).
Inspiration for Life
One of the most prominent human resource influencers that provides me with an
immense source of inspiration is Felecia Fields of Ford Company. Her professional journey has
been extraordinary, which personally has been very inspiring for me.
Evaluation
The job that I have selected is at the organization Sophia Webster of a human resource
assistant. It is a part-time job that requires me to fulfill many responsibilities. I have selected this
job because as I will be stepping into the practical world for the first time, I want to work with an
organization that will offer me the opportunity to utilize both practical and theoretical
knowledge. The job requirement clearly states that they are looking for a candidate that exhibits
great knowledge and utilizes it practically in conducting their work. The other aspect that
increased my interest in this job is that it is a part-time job and as I want to study further, this job
will offer the facility of achieving more education in this field, along with a solid experience that
will help me in building a strong future.
I plan to become an influential human resource officer and as a beginner, I believe it will
be a good stepping stone in my life to step into the world of human resource management. Also,
the key responsibilities exhibited in this job requires me to perform multiple tasks, which will
help in improving my skills, in building relationship with internal and external stakeholders,
planning new strategies that will help in monitoring the different human resource processes in a

Career Research Report 7
better way. Above all, this job will offer me the experience of working with different individuals
at various organization levels, which will also provide me with the facility to perform different
kinds of tasks, from the low level to the top level.
In my opinion, for starting my career in the human resource profession, I need to hold
experience in different sub-departments of human resource management, as this job will
facilitate me with it. In the current market, the role of human resource assistant has evolved
massively, which has developed better future opportunities for individuals who are new to this
field. It is due to this aspect that I plan to apply for this job, as the different requirements stated
in this job description also highlight this fact. My role will be involve multi-tasking, which will
be great for my future.
It is due to these various reasons that helped me in identifying different opportunities for
job satisfaction, which this job can offer me. Also, as this is a part-time job, I will be able to
continue my studies for a better future.
Conclusion
With this, it can be concluded that to build a strong future in the human resource
profession, an individual will require to build strong knowledge about different new approaches
and techniques, along with learning new skills that will be needed in conducting the different
organizational work in a more systematic manner. Therefore, for developing a strong
professional future, the new graduates will have to continuously improve their skills, along with
gaining knowledge about new theories and techniques.

Career Research Report 8
References
Bamber, G., Bartram, T., and Stanton, P. (2017). HRM and workplace innovations: formulating
research questions. Personnel Review, 46(7), pp.1216-1227.
De Oliveira, J. (2016). The Importance of Information Technology as a Strategic Resource for
Hospital Management Process and the Management Skills Required for Managers. International
Journal of Business and Social Research, 6(4), p.34.
Guest, D. (2017). Human resource management and employee well-being: towards a new
analytic framework. Human Resource Management Journal, 27(1), pp.22-38.
Kowalski, T. and Loretto, W. (2017). Well-being and HRM in the changing workplace. The
International Journal of Human Resource Management, 28(16), pp.2229-2255.
Long, C. (2013). Success factors of the human resource profession in Malaysia: A quantitative
study. New Horizons in Adult Education and Human Resource Development, 25(2), pp.49-61.
Milligan, S. (2018). HR 2025: 7 Critical Strategies to Prepare for the Future of HR. [online]
SHRM. Available at: https://www.shrm.org/hr-today/news/hr-magazine/1118/pages/7-critical-
strategies-to-prepare-for-the-future-of-hr.aspx [Accessed 16 Sep. 2019].
Okoye, P. and Ezejiofor, R. (2013). The Effect of Human Resources Development on
Organizational Productivity. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social
Sciences, 3(10), pp.250-266.
Parry, E. and Battista, V. (2019). The impact of emerging technologies on work: a review of the
evidence and implications for the human resource function. Emerald Open Research, 1(1), p.5.

Career Research Report 9
Rao, P. (2019). The future is now: The changing role of HR. [online] The Economic Times.
Available at: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/small-biz/hr-leadership/leadership/the-
future-is-now-the-changing-role-of-hr/articleshow/68229542.cms?from=mdr [Accessed 16 Sep.
2019].
Smith, D. (2013). Adult continuing education and human resource development: Present
competitors, potential partners. New Horizons in Adult Education and Human Resource
Development, 25(4), pp.29-36.
Tacho, N. and Singh, A. (2018). The Impact of Training on Employee Performance and Its
Effect an Organization. Journal of Advances and Scholarly Researches in Allied Education,
15(4), pp.180-184.
van Muiswinkel, W. (2013). Compilation of Good Practices in Statistical Offices. [online]
Unece.org. Available at:
https://www.unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/stats/publications/HRMT_w_cover_resized.pdf
[Accessed 16 Sep. 2019].

Career Research Report 10
Appendix
A.
1. As a newbie in this field, what are the top five skills you would recommend me to
improve or learn?
The top five skills which every new employee or a human resource individual should
possess are –
 Communication skills.
 Organizational skills.
 Budgeting skills.
 Empathetic skills.
 Decision-making skills.
2. As the profession of human resources mainly works around managing people, what is the
simplest approach to efficiently do it? Also, for the individuals who are not people’s
person, what approaches or skills they need to work on?
The best approach to managing and handling the workforce is by being empathetic and
considerate of the individual’s feelings and opinions. For those, who are not a people’s
person, the one thing they should definitely do is observe people around them very
keenly and should not build baseless judgments. Also, they need to work on their
communication skills, as this will help in developing mutual understanding with people.
3. In your experience, what is the best approach to problem-solving? In addition to this, in
case of a conflict between two extremely skillful individuals in a team, what is your
approach for managing such situations?
Conflicts mainly happen due to confusion or misunderstandings. Therefore, the best
approach for solving the problem is addressing the root cause. In a conflict between two

Career Research Report 11
skillful employees, the approach which I use is, I asked both of them to have a one-on-
one conversation about the different issues and they are asked to communicate regularly
till all the misunderstandings are solved. If after this, the situation does not improve, then
I become a part of their discussions and then, tell them my genuine opinion.
4. In the current competitive environment in the market, almost every organization is facing
a tough time, in attracting and retaining employees? What is your take on this current
situation and how your organization is managing it?
Our organization understands the importance of a good and skillful workforce, therefore,
for attracting the correct workforce, we build an attractive job position under our
recruitment and selection policy. The job profile is built in comparison to what the
competitors are offering and we usually offer better facilities. All our strategies for
attracting and retaining employees are built around work-life balance, which is the most
crucial aspect for managing the workforce. In addition to this, we regularly practice our
reward and recognition approach.
5. How important do you this is training and development for an employee? Also, what
relationship does training and development share with job satisfaction? Does this
relationship has helped your organization in increasing the productivity of your
company?
To survive in this competitive environment, it is extremely crucial for the employees to
be offered regular training. As, through training and development approaches, the
employee’s abilities can be improved, which directly helps in increasing the performance
of the employees. This ultimately helps the employees in attaining job satisfaction. Our
organization understands the importance of training and development, it is through this