Beginner’s Guide to Becoming an HR Consultant

Pursuing a career as a human resources consultant, can prove to be a challenging and rewarding profession to undertake. However, in order for you to become an HR consultant, you have to undergo specific training and acquire certain skill sets. Numerous accreditations and courses are offered to individuals who wish to become a HR consultant. In this post, we list the steps on how to become a HR consultant.

1) Develop Skills Needed For HR Consultancy

The first thing you’ll need to focus on, is to develop the skills that are needed for this career. Some of those include:

• Excellent communication skills: both verbal and written.
• Ability to work with diverse people from different backgrounds.
• Proficient computer skills.
• Extensive knowledge on human resource data and software.
• Positive attitude and charming personality.

2) Education Requirements

In addition to developing the necessary skills that are needed for this career, you’ll need the necessary education in the form of a bachelor’s degree. Getting a bachelors in HR consultancy consists of learning about company communications, professional development and marketing coordination for business, HR management and operations management.

Each course essentially builds on the previous course with the overall goal of giving you the knowledge to understand how a successful human resources department operates. Once you have finished your study program and received your BA degree, you’ll be in a much better position to secure a job.

3) Work Experience

The HR consultant sector is highly competitive. Therefore, it’s advised that you take additional courses and gain work experience in order for you to stand out amongst the competition. After getting your bachelors degree, it’s highly recommended that you consider an intern position at a reputable company. This will help to develop your professional skills as a HRT consultant as well as to make you look more valuable in the eyes of a recruiter.

As such, in the event that you didn’t take an internship during college, you should consider the possibility of taking an entry-level job such as a recruiter, department coordinator or HR associate. This will essentially open the door for you to get a higher paying position as a professional human resources consultant. The point being is that any position whether paid or intern-related will help you to succeed because HR is a profession which encompasses a wide range of expertise, knowledge, skills and experience.

4) Obtain Certification

The next thing you’ll need to do is to get your first job as an HR consultant is to get the necessary certifications from SHRM or HR Certification Institute. These are the two most reputable certifying bodies in the human resource business sector. They provide applicants with two different certifications: Senior Professional in Human Resources and Professional In Human Resources.

6) Never Stop Learning

Similarly to working as a doctor, in order for you to truly become successful in your career, you’ll need to continuously learn new HR skills and techniques. This is because HR consultancy is a constantly evolving profession. Therefore, acquiring new skills and techniques will help you in terms of future advancements in employment.