How can you develop your HR skills outside of work?

Often HR folks end up speaking to people from the same community. It is a great idea to speak to people from different professions and industry and understand what aspects of HR work and doesnt for them. You can ask them to be absolutely honest for you to get the real picture.

Developing HR skills outside of work is crucial for continued growth. Reading books and blogs on new trends and best practices offers valuable insights. Participating in online courses and webinars helps gain specific, up-to-date knowledge. Joining networks, professional groups and communities fosters the exchange of experiences and the creation of new contacts. In addition, seeking feedback and coaching from colleagues in your field and other areas improves your approach and provides you with new ideas. Applying these skills in real-world situations consolidates learning.

Reading books and blogs is a fantastic way to learn and develop your HR skills. Read the books that give you the latest research and latest thinking. Identify your learning agenda. Be precise about what you want to learn. Seek multiple perspectives on each topic of your choice. Through blogs, ask questions on the best practices. Develop your POV on your areas of learning.

1. Explore Online Learning and Certification: - Enroll in HR courses on platforms like LinkedIn Learning or Udemy. - Secure certifications from esteemed bodies such as SHRM or HRCI for holistic skill development. 2. Contribute to Volunteer HR Initiatives: - Offer HR expertise to non-profits for practical experience. - Seek community or online volunteer opportunities to expand and enhance your HR skill set. 3. Establish Thought Leadership Through Blogging: - Initiate an HR-focused blog or contribute articles to industry publications. - Foster engagement in the HR community on social media by sharing insights and gradually building a notable online presence.

We should always remember to tailor our approach based on your specific areas of interest within HR, and consistently apply what we learn to real-world situations. Continuous learning and staying proactive by taking online courses and certifications, listening to HR podcasts or participate in webinars, and staying informed on legal and regulatory changes in your sector will help you in developing your skills as an HR professional.

Online courses are a very convenient way of learning. The content is very rich, updated, and very relevant. Put skin in the game by seeking certification for each course you do. This involves some cost but makes you commit to the completion of the course. Additionally, it will enhance your career. Ensure you complete all the quizzes and tests during online courses. If there are many modules of a course, ensure you complete all such modules. Enhance this learning by following some case studies or by reading some books. Your learning will be better.

Webinars are a great way to keep up to date and with context. They reach people on varying levels and I always find useful signposts that help develop your own knowledge.

Consider participating in HR communities/focus groups/associations or forums in addition to online courses and webinars. You can learn from real experiences and speak with experts in these sites. It's like broadening the scope of your academic education by incorporating real-world application into your HR knowledge.

Listening to podcasts is also a great way to develop yourself! And even through micro learning and informal learning. Today I can learn something via podcast while I drive, wash the dishes and walk. We have several who contribute to the world of HR

Desde mi vivencia personal he descubierto que mantenerme informado y al tanto de lo que sucede en mi área de especialización me ha ayudado a desarrollarme de forma integral. No sólo hacer cursos es suficiente. Es importante también ser autodidacta y buscar todo aquello que no conocemos. No se imaginan de cuantos videos tutoriales he aprendido miles de cosas.

Such communities are great platforms foe dissemination of knowledge, experiences and practices adopted by industries. More over it helps in taking advice from professionals in same domain and also creation of informal support groups.

You can accelerate expertise by leveraging others. Ask them how they addressed different challenges, what worked and what didn’t. Use their help with how to look at things or start the planning of something you have to fine before. There’s always someone who did something that you can leverage and make it better. Most of the times there’s no need to start from scratch if you can collaborate.

Networking is definitely a great way to develop your HR skills. You can learn from other HR professionals through shared experience. This is a powerful social learning strategy, having discussions on various topics and real life scenarios can be implemented in your daily task helping you to grow. Learning through shared experience can also help you to avoid mistakes and overcome challenges.

The Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) has a great community for connecting with other HR professionals. They also offer great resources and learning opportunities. However, you may also want to seek out professional organizations for your specific field within HR. These organizations may also offer certifications, local chapter communities, training and resources.

If you're in the UK, volunteer to be a school governor. It's a bit of a time commitment, but in return you will get numerous experiences across HR, finance, leadership, strategy etc. along with the necessary training. Plus you get to do something good in your community!

Connect with a mentor when you are young in your career and don't be afraid to ask questions especially from those who have spent their career in the profession. Be open to feedback and willing to internalize and make the improvements. Take the time to be human, make mistakes and get back up again.

Active listening is crucial for every HR professional as it underpins employee engagement, trust-building, conflict resolution, and problem-solving. Attentive hearing promotes continuous improvement and this is the crucial element of feedback. Learn and Improve.

Tout au long de sa carrière, garder un contact avec ses pairs et mentors avec lesquels on a appris, progressé, surmonté les épreuves professionnelles est un excellent moyen de continuer à s’améliorer ensemble. Maintenir ses contacts est aussi un excellent moyen de partager de bons moments et garder le moral dans un exercice de la fonction RH parfois trop isolé.

Connect with fellow HR / TA professionals and ask lots of questions. Find out about their process, success and useful tools. Share your approach and seek feedback. You do not have to reinvent the wheel, but you need to learn from talented colleagues and managers.

Gaining coaching and feedback from a variety of sources is really beneficial for enhancing your HR abilities. Another option is to use tools designed for HR professionals that provide in-depth feedback. Making connections with other HR professionals for mutual mentoring and learning is yet another excellent method to improve your work!

And the best part ? What's the best thing, then? You don't need to keep an eye out for the ideal opportunity for you to present itself. By accepting new challenges at work or in your personal life, you can actively look for these possibilities. Instead of waiting for these opportunities to present themselves, it's about generating them so you can improve your HR abilities and advance!

In HR soft skills are crucial, high emotional intelligence, communication, and big picture thinking to name a few. Seek working groups, volunteering programs, and even local sports or art activities, finding hobbies outside of your field, elevates the quality of your work and life. Enabling your creative side enhances your productivity and mental health, your skills further develop, and you find balance and structure out side of your job.

Learn by doing! One of the best ways to solidify your understanding, build credibility, and truly empathize is by putting yourself in situations and navigating through them using your skills. Doing so has helped me remember to look at situations from different perspectives and understand the why behind some of the feedback I receive. Don’t be afraid to stumble…we all do. Just dust yourself off, learn from it, and keep moving forward.

I personally volunteer for two good causes outside of my work: In one case, I mentor students who are about to start their first job after graduation. In the second, I coach career changers who want to embark on a new professional career. The experience I gain here primarily contributes to my HR skills from two perspectives: 1. Improving my coaching and communication skills by learning to listen better, ask better questions and think of solutions to various problems. 2. Learning about the challenges faced by career starters and career changers. I also learn a lot about the demands and expectations that employees have of their employer.

Maintain a set of friends in HR from other companies . Have regular coffee or meet ups with them to bounce off ideas with, learn best practices , share funny anecdotes that only HR people can relate with or simply have them around when you want to vent, rant or even cry without being judged.

Consider positions you've held. I've found that over the years I've done quite a bit of HR work without necessarily realizing it at the time. Reflecting on projects and positions can help you recognize skills and experience you've gained and can tap into.

World is more interconnected now. There are lot of opportunities where you can learn and expertise in any field outer than your work environment. LinkedIn is a great platform to connect with experts and industry leaders, follow and read their articles. Getting professional certified courses from learning platforms such as Udemy. Being part of professional network, social media teams and groups. Attending debates and events related to the field. Above all that, HR is always about people, so connect with people understand their needs, problems, mentor & coach them, develop an empathetical approach.

1. Try and mingle in with Diverse groups to enhance your overall understanding of cultural nuances 2. Step out of your comfort zone. We are all creatures of habit. Outside work, do something that you ususally would do within limits. At work, if TA is your go-to HR domain, give it a backseat for an assigned period of time and explore L&D which you might have not yet looked into. 3. Embrace feedback and use it to improvise your approach to make it more human centric

A great way to ensure you soak up knowledge and take steps to develop yourself, is to embrace a Growth Mindset. It can be a daunting experience to join a group, or contribute to a blog, but it will accelerate growth and help you connect with like-minded professionals. Do not fear mistakes continually focus on what is within your area of control or concern. I found it very useful to ask myself questions such as “What specific steps can I take that are within my control to move forward?” - “What ideas can be developed that will help me overcoming this challenge?” – “Who can help me grow?” – “What did I learn from this situation that will help me in the future?”