HRM Certification: The Booster Dose to Kick-Start Your Career

“People want leadership, Mr. President, and in the absence of genuine leadership, they'll listen to anyone who steps up to the microphone. They want leadership. They're so thirsty for it they'll crawl through the desert toward a mirage, and when they discover there's no water, they'll drink the sand.”

- Lewis Rothschild, The American President (1995)

This dialogue from the 1995 movie 'The American President' perfectly sums up the significance of genuine leadership and the possible repercussions in the absence of the same. Leadership can literally make-or-break institutions. Although the context here is that of a country and its President, it holds true for any organization working in any walk of life. The term Leadership signifies not only the capabilities of the person in charge but also their ability to imbibe the same into the workforce. Principally, HR professionals are tasked with both leadership and management responsibilities in organizational work culture. Thus, for an organization to succeed and meet its strategic goals, it's imperative to have a prudent Human Resource Management (HRM) policy. And the simple reason is that "the people you bet on ultimately decide your fate."

Clearing the Basics: HR, HRM, and HRMS

HR: Human Resources (HR) refers to the cluster of people who constitute the labor pool of an organization. They are considered to be a resource because they are the ones who provide true value to the organization.

HRM: Human Resource Management (HRM) is the complete process of managing the workforce of an organization in a systematic and effective manner. Human here also implicitly indicates treating the labor force 'humanly.' 

HRMS: A Human Resource Management System (HRMS) is a software tool that assists organizations in performing HR-related functions. HRMS-enabled automation eliminates redundant time-consuming processes. 

HRM for All: Businesses, Managers and Employees 

For Businesses:  Strategic HRM enables businesses to realize their organizational goals with improved efficiency and productivity. It develops a work culture that is flexible and adaptable to a constantly evolving business world.

For Managers: Managers themselves benefit from HRM in managing their routine tasks ranging from Recruitment to Training. A proper HRM strategy allows for performance maximization, team building, and conflict resolution.

For Employees: Employee benefits like Insurance and allowances under HRM empower the employees to lead a healthy and prosperous life. They not only enhance the employee's performance but also help them grow professionally.
 
HR Professionals: Functions and Skills

HR professionals are generally put into various leadership roles owing to their specializations. It includes positions such as Talent Acquisition Manager, Staff Coordinator, Information Specialist, and others. However, for the sake of simplification, we'll look into their core functions and skills.

HR Functions: 

• Personnel Management: It involves Recruitment, building employee-employer relationships, and succession planning.
• Facilitation of Benefits and Allowances: HR professionals plan allowances and benefits such as health insurance, childcare support, and leaves and vacations.
• Monitoring Conformity to Laws: It is concerned with understanding and monitoring organizational practices in accordance with standards laid down by various labor laws.
• Orientation and Development: Training sessions are organized to make employees adapt to their work specializations.
• Maintenance of Workplace Environment: It addresses the challenges related to safety at the workplace, occupational hazards, and healthier workplaces.

HR Skills:

• Managerial Skills: Managerial skills include domain expertise about HRM, an eye for recruitment and selection, cultural consciousness, and administrative competency.

• Business Skills: Sound business vision needs a commercial sense, critical and analytical thinking, and advisory insights.
• Soft Skills: Communication skills account for the most sought-after skills in HR professionals. In addition, an HR is professional needs to be an active listener, foresighted, and a team player.
• Technical Skills: These include exposure to modern technological tools and techniques such as Data Analytics, HRMS, and HR reporting skills.

Debunking some common HR myths:

Preconceived notions and a few negative experiences push people to form adverse opinions about a profession. Such beliefs later take the form of stereotypes. Let's do a reality check of some common HR misconceptions and where they actually stand on the ground.

Myths	Facts
HR always favors company over its employees	HR strikes a balance between the company’s goals and employees’ expectations
HR merely performs administrative functions	HR's ambit is more than just paperwork and is concerned with strategic goal realization
HR is nothing but hiring, lessoning, and firing	HR is associated with the entire employee life cycle
HR is only a burden on the businesses	HR eliminates the potential losses and helps to maximize the overall productivity
HR professionals are not paid well	According to a report by USA's BLS, HR managers derive a median salary of about $106,910

How can an HRM Degree and Certification do wonders for you?

If you're someone who loves to lead it from the front while engaging with people from diverse backgrounds, then a career in HRM is the best choice for you. It not only gives job satisfaction but also attracts lucrative salaries. As HRM applies to almost all business domains, there are genuinely no restrictions over choosing the right HR specialization for you.

While pursuing a degree is always the right call, certification courses have also proved to bring outstanding results. Whether you are a fresher or a master, HR certifications will put new life into your CVs. For veterans, certifications are the ladders to climb the organizational tiers. Freshers will find it easy to get entry-level jobs with a certificate to their glory.

Considering both scenarios, Athena Global Education, an online higher education platform, has formulated various modules to bridge the existing gap between HRM skills and knowledge. It offers a PG Diploma in association with the prestigious and accredited GMU (Guglielmo Marconi University), Italy. With respect to PG Certifications, there are programs to pursue HR & Leadership, Strategic Management, and SHRM Practitioner with Cambridge International Qualifications, UK and Chartered Management Institute, UK. Additionally, it has Short Certification courses with a Basic, an Essential, a Mastering, and a Diploma module which will equip you with the best HR practices and skills to give you an edge over your competitors. 
Whether you’re a beginner or a working professional, certifications have a proven history of doing the wonders. The courses by leading industry experts are completely online and are delivered through a series of pre-recorded video lectures. The flexible and stackable program can be completed within less than 4 hours and is extremely affordable. You can choose from the list of curated short courses online.