The HR Business Partner - Elusive Talent?

While I've not been in the Recruitment Industry as long as some, having spent the last 11 years (and 24 days...) specialising in  HR talent in the UK and internationally, I feel I have earned my spurs.

Over that time, I have recruited a real mix of roles, from "standard" business as usual (BAU) positions, to more niche skills, and then (to keep it interesting) some totally off-the-wall jobs requiring fluency in 5 languages, the ability to climb Kilimanjaro in under an hour, and grade 4 or above proficiency in the Himalayan Nose Flute (ultimately it was agreed we'd flex on the languages...)

What has become increasingly apparent in the last couple of years (at least) is that where  companies really struggle in HR recruitment isn't always with finding people to fill the really niche roles, and neither is it always with filling the ultra-senior positions. Where the greatest challenge for many arises is that rather unique beast, the HR Business Partner.

Firstly, let's address head-on the problems with the title. There is a definition of what a Business Partner is and I'm sure everyone reading this will be familiar with what Dave Ulrich has to say on the subject. That said, I can tell you now that the number of businesses who actually employ Business Partners in the mode the role was designed for is relatively low. In some cases, it has become simply an alternative title for an HR Advisor or Manager,  while in others, they are more like divisional HR Directors. Salaries can vary wildly from £25,000 to £150,000+ depending on sector.

For the purposes of this however, I am talking about those who sit between salaries of £45,000-£70,000. Commonly, these people will have a good grounding in operational HR, with some exposure to strategic thinking. They will have a real strength in stakeholder management, being able to untangle HR jargon and process so their client groups will be able to benefit as much as possible from what the HR function has to offer. They will also have a number of gears - they should be able to deal with both the day-to-day as well as, when necessary, being innovators and originators of new thought.

So, how to recruit them? Technical skills are fairly easy to assess. A CV will show whether they have operated in a true "Business Partner" role before. Where this all becomes that much more challenging is the chemistry. The HRBP should be the eyes and ears on the ground, the one that managers go to whenever they have a need/problem, the face of your HR function. But how do you make a judgment on that from the 100 CVs you have, all of whom have a slightly different opinion about what "HR Business Partnering" means in the reality of the role and the organisation? How do you assess whether the ostensibly less experienced  applicant  has the gravitas and potential to grow into the position, or on the other hand, how do you ascertain whether the seemingly more senior candidate will be prepared to partner rather than to direct and lead? It's certainly not easy, and often requires a skilled judgment call based upon a myriad factors.

To put this another way - if you're anything like me, you probably carry around a big bunch of keys. Keys in themselves aren't hard to come by. By the naked eye you can judge whether a key is roughly the right size and shape, but only one will actually open the lock you need to access. Unlike with keys however, the wrong HRBP can break the lock...

Ultimately the only real solution is to meet people. In an age of automated communication, the real value we as recruitment partners add comes from the time we are able to invest in this - not only giving us insight into the best talent, but also enabling us to mitigate the risk in what can be a highly sensitive hire.

If you have successfully recruited or are looking to recruit an HRBP, I’d love to hear about what you looked for specifically and how easy or hard it was to find.