Human resource management is increasingly becoming a critical function within most companies and more and more high schools in India are offering specialized courses in human resources. In fact, the MBA as a course of study is moving towards greater specialization and it is not uncommon for an aspiring MBA to find themselves shortlisted for five different courses: an MBA in Finance from SP Jain, a PGDHRM from XLRI, a PGP in Agribusiness from IIM-A, an MBA in Rural Management from IIFM Bhopal and an Operations Management course from NITE. One possible reason for this widespread specialization among MBA courses is that, with the proliferation of business schools across India, the best ones are trying to strengthen their brand by offering tailored courses based on their core competencies. In this way, the institute stays away from the general MBA rat race and builds for itself an image of market leader in its particular domain of MBA education. While it would be premature to signal the end of the general MBA course, it is undeniable that specialization is on the rise and MBA applicants must, in addition to passing entrance exams, prepare for Group Discussions (GD), Personal Interviews (PI) and statements of purpose (SOP) of the specific function to which they have been applied.
Given this context, from my experience as an interviewee and now a student in a human resources course, I have tried to put together seven points that an aspiring MBA in human resources may do well to keep in mind. While the issues below have been specifically related to an HR interview, I believe they would apply similarly to other specialized courses as well. However, my success in a human resources interview and my experience in a human resources course limit my observations to the human resources domain only.
1. Learn about HR as a profession. If you are asked which area of RR. H H. sounds interesting to you, you shouldn’t gape as if you think the specialization ends with the selection of the MBA (HR) option on the application form. The human resources function has many sub-functions within it, such as Compensation, Recruitment and Selection, Training and Development, Performance Management, and Industrial Relations. Read widely about the various domains and try to dig a little deeper into any domain that seems interesting to you from the surface. This equips you with fodder for an informed discussion with the panel. For example, if you are interested in IR (industrial relations), you could read about the latest industrial strikes in the country and a little about the different unions that exist and their political affiliations, so that you can substantiate your interest in the topic. giving examples. Always remember that the best proof of interest is knowledge.
2. Communication is not a basic human resource skill. Never say that your communication skills (or any other “soft” skills for that matter) will make you an excellent human resources manager. Communication is a basic skill that is required of any manager within any organization. In fact, a marketing manager who works with brands or a production manager in a plant needs to communicate more on a daily basis than the average human resources manager who works with payroll or evaluations. She would never be expected to speak to customers or vendors, and even within the organization, her interaction with employees is far less than that of the immediate supervisor. By contrast, an HR manager designing a compensation system for 10,000 employees would need as many number-crunching and analytical skills as someone in finance or operations. Therefore, the perception that RR. H H. has to do with soft skills is dead wrong and talking about soft skills as a core competency in an HR interview could be a recipe for disaster.
3. Sound realistic about the prospects in human resources. Don’t sound naive when you talk about where you see yourself in the long term. It’s fine to say you want to be a CEO, but be prepared for a counterattack from the panel that will give you a weak statistical chance of an HR manager becoming CEO of a company (examples do exist, though). You should know the career path of a typical HR professional, both in the functional HR and consulting domain. You should also note that a move to a general management role from a human resources role is not possible at any or all career stages. Typically, these changes are only possible at senior and top management levels, where one has gathered enough functional experience to be able to take on a strategic role. For most of their career, an HR professional would accumulate experience as a generalist or specialist in a line role (within any organization) or as a consultant with a consulting firm (such as the Hay Group or KPMG). Finally, you should also be aware of the fundamental difference between a line or functional HR role and a consulting role and the challenges associated with each. In very general terms, a functional HR manager works within an existing HR framework in an organization, while a consultant designs frameworks for various organizations of different sizes, ages and cultures and advises them on policy and implementation.
4. Be clear as to why HR. This question would haunt you in any interview in different ways, and it’s better to be prepared with a specific answer rather than give a general ‘why MBA’ answer. While there is no ‘model’ answer to this question, I would suggest giving a straightforward and simple answer rather than something that engages your innate ‘interpersonal skills’ or ‘communication skills’. Something as simple asmy cousin is a senior human resources manager at P&G and I like the work he does‘might be a perfectly acceptable answer, as long as you know roughly what your cousin does. You have to find your own answer based on your previous experience or exposure to the corporate world, and if it sounds genuine, there’s no reason why a panel should doubt your reason for wanting to take an HR course.
5. Be clear as to why ‘XYZ’ to HR. You may be asked to justify why you want to switch from a career in software coding to one in human resources. I have personally faced this question at two of the top HR institutes in the country, namely TISS and XLRI, and more so because my background was something as unlikely as architecture. Most applicants often make the mistake of trying to tie their previous job or education to human resources and justifying how skills learned in one will be useful in the other. (On a lighter note, most panelists believe you don’t get any skill in a software job!) Do that only if you can strongly relate the two, otherwise stay away from it. The best response to this would again be an answer that is frank and relevant to your own experience in life. In my case, I told them that architecture was exciting as a course of study, but as a career, it was overrated in terms of creativity and stagnant in terms of progression. I wanted an MBA in HR. H H. because the MBA would give my career a boost in the first place, and RR. H H. it was something I could deal with, given my background and inclination (compared to finance, operations, or marketing).
6. Reflect on human resource issues in your workplace. If you have worked before, think about what problems you yourself faced in your workplace and how you would try to solve them if you were the human resources manager in the company. A friend of mine who was a journalist before joining a PR course. she could talk for hours. Therefore, being aware of HR issues in your previous job shows that you are aware of the challenges that an HR manager would normally face in an organization.
7. Do not enlarge HR. Finally, HR is not the best profession in the world. It is as good or as bad as any other corporate function. Try not to make statements that suggest that human resources is the reason behind all corporate successes or that human resources can solve all corporate ills. Be aware of the limitations of human resource management both as a role in an organization and as a career for yourself. At the same time, emphasize the fact that HR is an emerging field and that most of the unresolved or neglected issues in organizations today are in the HR domain and even as a support function. Well-designed HR policies and practices can help HR play a strategic role in the success or failure of a company.
Keeping the above points in mind will hopefully help any HR course applicant make a positive impact on the interviewer and convey an impression of genuine interest in pursuing a career in HR management.
Surav Sengupta