Top 5 Tech Skills Every HR Professional Needs to Have
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These days, when so many professionals work with modern technologies, human resource specialists have no excuse not to keep up.
A modern HR professional is responsible for not only being tech-savvy (=knowledgeable about technologies) but also teaching tech skills to less experienced professionals.
Together with our partners at PeopleForce, English For IT decided to reflect on (=think about) what it means to be a tech-savvy HR professional and the top 5 tech skills HR professionals need to have.
But what does being tech-savvy actually mean for a human resource specialist?
1. Knowledge of HR software
An HR professional who can research and adopt (=implement) HR software that can help automate HR processes and save the company time and resources, is worth their weight in gold.
2. Knowledge of the company product
If you work at a product company, you need to have detailed knowledge of its cases. Otherwise, how are you going to answer the candidates’ questions about the company and its projects? Knowing the ins and outs of your company’s products is very useful for building rapport (=creating a good relationship) with candidates and ensuring proper company fit.
3. Knowledge of tech roles
In order to bring the right professionals on board (=hire the right professionals), you need to know exactly who you’re looking for. Too often, positions remain unfilled (= “open”) for weeks or months because recruiters don’t have a clear understanding of what skills and competencies the ideal candidate should possess and what role they are supposed to play on the team. Knowing the exact skill set and experience of people you’re looking to hire will help the HR department to streamline (=speed up / make more efficient) hiring processes and create a good hiring plan.
You might be wondering which technical skills you need to improve as an HR professional so here is a list of the top 5 skills to focus on first and foremost.
#1 LinkedIn search
LinkedIn is the go-to (=most popular/favorite) tool for any HR specialist so it’s worth exploring all the features that LinkedIn offers from free (keyword search, groups, LinkedIn Live, etc.) to paid ones (advanced search, inmail, etc.)
#2 Google search operators
Performing advanced Google search with special Google search operators is a skill often used by developers but HR professionals can benefit from it too! For example, if you’re looking for resume files in a specific format, you can use the “filetype:” operator like this “web developer filetype:pdf”
#3 Social media marketing
This is a skill that every modern professional needs to have. Knowing how to communicate and get noticed on different social media platforms will help you build useful connections and develop your company’s brand or your own personal brand. And if you have a basic understanding of different social media algorithms and SEO, it will definitely put you ahead of the curve (= ahead of everyone else).
#4 HR software
As an HR professional, you need to be familiar with basic HR software tools such as PeopleForce, Namely, monday.com, etc. You can even make some extra income by specializing in a specific HR software tool and then acting as a consultant for other professionals or businesses.
#5 Basic tech skills
Getting some hands-on (=practical) experience with technologies that are used at your company is always a good idea. For example, if your company works with AWS solutions, you may consider taking an AWS course just to wrap your head around (=understand) this technology. Even a basic level of familiarity will be a big plus.
Why is it so important to be a tech-savvy HR professional?
First off, being tech-savvy is a requirement for practically all jobs in the modern world. For HR professionals in particular, being skilled with technology has a number of benefits:
1. Improved productivity
HR software can help you automate boring routine tasks which helps free up time for more creative and people-oriented tasks.
2. Building trust with candidates
If your job is to hire and manage technical people, being tech-savvy can help you get on the same page (=achieve understanding) with candidates and start building a positive relationship with them right away.
3. Becoming a strategic partner
The more tech-savvy you are, the more value you can add to your company and the more likely you are to be involved in making important strategic decisions.
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