New managers are often on their own when it comes to navigating minefields like hiring, firing, and employee relations. And a misstep in any of these areas can have a serious impact on a business.
That’s why Kompass developed the Human Resources Management certificate. It’s designed to give new managers the tools and skills they need to embrace their new challenges with confidence.
Instructor Amr Shokry has more than 20 years of experience at an executive leadership level. He holds a master’s degree in HR and has guided organizations in Canada, the U.S., and Europe.
We spoke with him recently to learn more about his background, what students can expect from the HR course, and how the field is growing and changing.
Here’s what he had to say.
Q. Can you talk about your professional experience in human resources?
Amr: In almost all of my career, I have been an HR professional in leadership positions. I was lucky and privileged to spend 15 years working with Eli Lilly, the number one pharmaceutical company in the world. I had a global contract with them, which meant I could work in any country.
I worked with them as an HR manager in the U.K. affiliate based in London. I also worked at the headquarters in Indianapolis as an HR manager. Then I was promoted to become the head of European operations based out of Vienna for six years. And then I decided to move to Canada with my family. Because of my long career with them, we were able to work out an arrangement where I spent one year in Toronto. I was really managing everything: organizational development, talent development, employee relations, performance management, recruitment and selection.
I also worked with ICBC, the provincial Crown corporation that handles auto insurance and vehicle and driver licensing in B.C. That gave me an in-depth understanding of how a public sector unionized organization works. I worked with them for three years before I moved to academia.
So in my classes, I am able to provide examples from private or public sector companies, unionized or non-unionized. I can also go big with multi-billion dollar companies like Eli Lilly. So that gives me leverage when I teach.
Q. Give us an overview of the HR Management certificate. What key skills do students learn?
Amr: It is a well-designed foundational course.
If you start your HR career, you would normally apply for jobs like HR coordinator or HR administrator, and then go to the next level, which is like an HR generalist, before becoming more specialized in areas like HR business partnering or compensation and benefits.
Kompass’s program is a fantastic learning experience for somebody who wants to be an HR coordinator or an HR generalist because it has five courses and it gives you a good scope of everything. You understand the foundation of recruitment and selection, compensation and benefits, employee relations, performance management, and leadership. It really covers all the basics.
Q. Is it possible to build a career in this field without a degree in human resources? Are there other pathways into the field?
Amr: I did exactly that. I am an engineer by background. I started the first few years of my career in supply chain and manufacturing planning, sort of related to engineering. But very, very quickly, I fell in love with HR and moved into that field.
I reached my peak HR career with Eli Lilly before having any sort of HR degree. It’s only after I became the HR manager of the U.K. affiliate that I did a master’s degree in HR.
So I have become very successful in HR just through being agile and open to learning and curious. I also learned on my own through workshops and on-the-job training.
So yes, you can have an HR career without a degree, but you need to have a bit of foundational knowledge—which you can get from a program like Kompass’s.
Q. What sort of background do your students typically come from?
Amr: There are generally two types of people. The first type is people who have already worked in HR, but they are maybe stuck at the entry level like HR coordinator or HR administrator, and they want to get to the next level. They want to gain more knowledge to be more competitive on their resume and more confident in interviews.
Then there are people who maybe tried other things like sales or retail or food service or marketing or finance, but they just didn’t find their passion there, and they want to give HR a try.
Q. What are some of the core skills and characteristics that you need to succeed in HR?
Amr: I would say a balanced curiosity. Many HR professionals make the mistake of only focusing on learning HR, and they don’t understand that this will limit their progression in their career. To be a good HR professional, you have to really understand HR, but also understand the business you’re in.
In our program, the discussion forums and assignments really force you to apply that knowledge in an organizational environment. They ask you to give an example from an organization where the situation can help the company be more successful.
So really, the number one thing is to be very curious and interested in HR knowledge, but always keep an eye on how to actually apply that HR information in a business environment. And that’s really what we try to do in our assignments and discussion forums.
Q. How do you see the HR field evolving over the next few years? I have to ask about the AI angle.
Amr: The beauty of HR is that we have two big components. There is the quantitative stuff that you can use AI for, like analyzing jobs, screening resumes, and creating compensation programs.
But then there are the things that AI cannot do, at least not in the near future: the employee relations, the leadership coaching, the culture elements, and the values and environment you try to implement in the organization.
For the decade at least, this will continue to be a human endeavour.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE HR COURSE FROM KOMPASS
The Human Resources Management certificate from Kompass is designed for busy professionals. The program is delivered entirely online and can be completed in just three to six months.
Need more information? An admissions advisor can answer all your questions and help you determine if the HR course is a good fit for you.
Click below to get complete program details and chat live with an advisor.
