The HR manager takes care of a company's most important resource: its employees. They develop strategies that help to deploy employees even more efficiently. They are the link, so to speak, between personnel and management and ensure that all change processes in the company are carried out in compliance with labor law.
HR Manager: Key Facts
 |
Education
|
 |
Hard Skills
|
 |
Further training
|
 |
Soft skills
|
 |
Salary
|
 |
Related professions
|
What does HR / Human Resource mean?
The abbreviation "HR" stands for the term "Human Resource", in German it could be translated as "Personalbereiche" or "Personalwesen". The Human Resource division is part of a company's personnel management and employees in this department primarily look after the resource "employee" in the company. An HR manager ensures that employees are optimally deployed - always taking the company's objectives into account.
What is an HR manager? Definition
The Human Resource Manager - HR Manager for short - is responsible for human resources management in a company. They ensure that employee resources are distributed and deployed in the best possible way and are constantly on the lookout for the best solutions for the respective company.
This includes tasks such as recruiting employees, hiring employees, organizational administrative tasks, etc. They act as a link between staff and management. In general, it can be said that the smaller the company, the greater the range of HRM tasks.
Good to know:
A good HR manager works in such a way that they take into account the interests of the company as well as those of the employees. A practical example: he not only looks for a suitable person for a vacant position, but also makes sure that the new employee fits in with the team on a personal level.
HR manager vs. HR business partner: A clear dividing line must be drawn between the HR manager and the so-called HR business partner. The latter not only takes care of HR services and their implementation in the company, but also of business details.
Tasks of an HR manager
As already mentioned, the smaller the company, the more tasks the HR manager takes on. In larger companies, some areas of HR are handed over to external service providers or separate positions are created for certain tasks - e.g. recruiters or personnel developers.
HR managers are generally responsible for tasks in the areas of strategic personnel management, personnel planning, recruitment and selection as well as personnel development. In consultation with the management level, they also take on sub-tasks in the areas of corporate culture, HR management, performance management and personnel controlling.
The day-to-day work of a human resources manager can look very different depending on the company. While HRMs from larger companies travel to different branches of the company to meet with managers and define HR goals, HR managers from smaller companies, for example, take care of the following:
- Determining personnel requirements: The HR manager analyzes which areas of the company require additional support, creates vacancies where necessary and advertises them.
- RecruitingAn HR manager actively searches for suitable candidates for vacancies.
- Interviews with suitable candidates are often arranged via the HR manager, and HRM then also calls in employees from the relevant department. The HR manager uses their specialist knowledge to support employees and managers in the selection of candidates.
- A good HR manager regularly analyzes how efficiently employees are working, where there is still room for improvement and how personnel development can be driven forward.
- Recording the working atmosphere and mood in the team: If problems arise in teams, the HRM helps to resolve disputes.
- In many companies , HRM regularly organizes team-building eventsto further improve the atmosphere in the team.
- General personnel administration tasks and organization of sick leave/vacation/applications/training, etc.
Good to know:
HR managers in many companies are currently working on the digitalization of HR processes. This is why the area of digital HR is becoming increasingly important, with HR managers also integrating digital HR systems and HR processes into the corporate culture.
Our recommendation
HR Management distance learning course
In our distance learning course for HR management, HR managers learn not only the most important skills in personnel management, recruiting, personnel development and personnel controlling, but also the basics of employment law and how to deal with strategic and creative decisions. The course can be completed flexibly thanks to the blended learning concept.
HR Management distance learning course
Qualifications and competencies of the HR manager
In addition to specialist knowledge, HRM requires a number of soft skills to be able to perform their tasks - both of which are trained and deepened in appropriate further training courses.
Hard Skills
An HR manager needs specialist knowledge in all areas. This includes strategic HR management, personnel planning, recruitment, personnel selection, personnel development, corporate cultures, HR strategies, performance management and personnel controlling. This also includes knowledge of common HR tools in practice. The HR manager must...
- ...develop and implement HR strategies.
- ...be able to plan and set up a functioning personnel structure.
- ...don't have to look upthe basics of labor law first.
- ...be able to assess applicants and potential candidates well - keyword talent management.
- ...regularly followdigital HR developments and understand their application.
- ...Opportunity Management and be able to plan, structure and implement change processes in practice.
- ... new trends such as Green HR, Future Learning and Future Workforce & New Work
The keyword Digital HR encompasses the terms mentioned and shows how knowledge of digital development is important for HR management. In recent years in particular, more and more digital solutions have come onto the market to support the organization and HR management. An HR manager must therefore be open to new, digital solutions and always stay on the ball in order to follow digital trends such as social media recruiting and e-recruiting.
Soft skills
In addition to technical knowledge, an HR manager must have personal and social skills for HR. As they work closely with employees from across the entire company and will often find themselves in challenging situations, HR managers need the following soft skills:
- Interpersonal intuition
- Empathy
- Negotiating skills
- Leadership qualities
- Communication skills
- Patience
Numerous further education and training courses in the field of human resources are partly designed to further enhance these soft skills. For example, course participants learn practices to further improve their communication skills and react correctly in conflict situations.
HR Manager: Education, further education & training
Human resource managers are becoming increasingly important - not only in corporations, but also for SMEs. As a result, the competitive pressure among applicants continues to increase. Good and comprehensive training is therefore the most important requirement when applying for a job as an HR manager.
There are numerous further education and training courses for HR managers, and the reason for this is as follows: awareness of the importance of the various HR management tasks has grown considerably in recent years. Whereas a few years ago the general opinion was that anyone could select personnel, many companies are now aware of this: Finding good and suitable employees and keeping them is a major challenge in most industries.
Therefore, in addition to a sound education, regular further education and training in the field of human resources is essential. A career change into HRM is also possible with the right training.
Education
A good prerequisite for a job as an HR manager is a Bachelor's degree in business administration, law or psychology. In most cases, graduates then specialize further in the subject areas of HR management, for example by deepening their knowledge in the field of HR with a relevant Master's degree. Many renowned universities also offer specialized courses - with Bachelor's and Master's degrees - in Human Resources.
In practice, there are always career changers as HR managers. They previously worked in specialist departments of the company and then switched to HR management. For this reason, numerous diploma courses for HR managers are offered throughout the DACH region, providing training in the field of HR management.
Further education & training
Specialized further education and training courses focus on the most important contents and topics of personnel management. The core areas of courses, further education and training in HR are usually:
- Personnel development,
- Personnel marketing,
- Employer branding,
- Performance management and HR strategy,
- E-learning and digital HR,
- Diversity Management,
- Personnel controlling and legal
- and basic information on payroll accounting.
Good to know:
In professional training courses and practice-oriented training sessions, HR managers are trained to establish a healthy HR culture and maintain it in the long term.
Our recommendation
Professional reorientation? Business Coaching supports you!
If you are looking for a new professional direction and a clear direction, business coaching is the ideal support. An experienced coach will help you to identify your strengths, goals and potential so that you can take the next step in your career with confidence and purpose - whether in a new professional field or on your current path.
Discover coaching offers now
Salary: How much does an HR manager and a junior HR manager earn?
The salary of a Human Resource Manager depends heavily on the respective industry and the candidate's professional experience. Factors such as location, region and company size also have an impact on the salary. Certificates in HR and relevant further training can have a positive impact on salary negotiations.
As a¹ junior HR manager, i.e. an HR manager at the start of their career, the salary is usually between €39,000 and €42,000 gross per year. With increasing experience, however, the salary can rise rapidly, with the average salary being between €52,000 and €62,000 gross per year. In very large companies and HR managers with a lot of responsibility can expect a top salary of up to €114,000 per year.
To work as a human resources manager, you are best advised to have a degree in business administration, psychology or law and to have completed additional specializations in the field of human resources. Another way to improve your career opportunities is to complete specialist studies in HR and courses for HR managers courses. For career changers, training, further education and courses are essential prerequisites.
Good to know:
Human resources is one of the few professional fields in which the proportion of women has been rising sharply for years.(to the source). Especially in interactive professions, the employment of women has risen sharply.
HR Manager: Workplaces of the Future – Haufe Akademie
You don't become a good HR manager overnight - the knowledge you acquire has to be applied in practice, which is why further education and training courses with a practical focus are the first choice when selecting suitable training courses. As digitalization is also becoming increasingly important in the field of human resources and all company processes are becoming more and more digitalized, a candidate for the position of HR manager must have a digital affinity, which is further developed in training courses. If human resources are to be brought into agile structures such as Scrum or Kanban, then this is a major challenge for an HRM. After our course for HR management in agile structures, HR can also implement agile methods with ease.
Continuous further training is an important prerequisite if you want to support the company in a targeted and successful way as an HR manager. With our practice-oriented courses and seminars, you will be well prepared if you are interested in a position as an HR manager - whether you are a graduate or a career changer.
For reasons of better readability, the article does not use female and male language forms simultaneously and uses the generic masculine. All personal designations apply equally to all genders.
FAQ: HR Manager
What is part of HR?
Human resources is part of a company's human resources management. HR includes tasks in strategic personnel management, personnel planning, recruitment, personnel selection, personnel development, corporate cultures, HR management, performance management and personnel controlling.
Why is HR so important?
Human Resources is an important department because it looks after the company's most important resource - its employees. HR managers ensure that employees work efficiently and constantly analyze where there is room for improvement.
Why do you want to work in HR?
If you enjoy working with people and have special skills in dealing with them, for example because you can empathize well with others, then you are a good candidate for the position of HR manager.
¹ Source: https://www.campusjaeger.de/karriereguide/gehalt/hr-manager-gehalt
