Choose the B-School Wisely
For those of you wanting to pursue a career in human resource
management or HRM, this article is intended to give some guidance and
tips on how to succeed in the field. First, if you want to become an
HR professional, choose your institute wisely. This means that when you
want to be a HR professional, your choice of the MBA Institute matters a
lot. For instance, in the US, there are many top notch B-Schools that
offer dedicated courses in HRM. To be accepted in one of them, you need
to first narrow down the B-Schools that offer the HR program and then
apply accordingly. Some of the B-Schools that are good for pursuing HR
programs are also in the top fifty for general MBA courses. Further,
when you are applying to these programs, make sure that you buttress
your application and the SOP or Statement of Purpose with enough details
about your people management skills. Ideally, your SOP should not be
too flowery or idealistic in the sense that you should not make sweeping
statements about your skills and abilities. On the contrary, stick to
the facts and include relevant details about your experience in managing
people.
Summer Internships and Placement Strategies
In other parts of the world, B-Schools like INSEAD, Asian Institute
of Management in Manila, XLRI in India, the Business School attached to
the London School of Economics; Universities in Singapore are good bets
for pursuing a dedicated program in HR. Next, once you have entered the
MBA program with specialization in HR, try and get a summer internship
in a premium organization that has cutting edge HR policies. Often, many
MBA students opt for summer internships in well established and well
known multinationals so that they can get PPOs or Pre-Placement Offers
that obviate the need for fighting it out in the final placement
sessions. Of course, if you feel that you are going to get a PPO, then
you can opt for summer internship in the established companies. However,
if you feel otherwise, then it is best to try out middle tier and
startups where the HR staff is in the process of designing HR policies.
Getting into these companies would give you the benefit of working
directly with HR policy formulation and understanding the nuts and bolts
of how HR professionals work.
Stepping into the Real World
The next phase is when you are actually recruited as an HR
professional in a company. Once you are in any company that hires you,
you need to remember that you are not straightaway given
responsibilities but are instead asked to apprentice with the senior
staff. Hence, do not be disappointed if you are a bystander in meetings
and other sessions where sometimes you have to be a water carrier (both
literally and metaphorically). This is because most companies work on
the assumption that while the MBA course would have given you
theoretical insights, real world experience is best gained by
observation and practice. You must use this time to gain, as much
exposure as possible and without being a smart Alec must contribute to
the organization in whatever way they deem and whichever way you can.
What this means is that you must utilize all opportunities to make your
presence felt without overstepping your boundaries.
Closing Thoughts
Talking about boundaries, one of the most important skills that HR
professionals can have is to respect the boundaries (physical and
mental) between people. Indeed, we can say that the differentiating
factor that determines success or otherwise of HR professionals is to
know the difference between what is personal and what is professional.
This would be covered in detail in subsequent articles. It would suffice
to state here that this aspect is representative of the skills and
abilities that you must learn while playing second fiddle to your boss.
Finally, once you are given responsibilities of your own, it is time to
put your theoretical knowledge and practical exposure to work. A parting
word of advice is that do not be too eager to show off your theoretical
knowledge in your interactions as most companies value insights over
theory and experience and expertise over textbook knowledge.
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