Updated December 2025
Many people aspire to become managers. They want the added challenge, authority, and salary that comes with moving from team member to team leader. They work hard, put in the time, and get that promotion.
Top 8 Ways to Advance Your HR Career
Updated December 2025
Are you eager to take on a new challenge in your human resources career? Ironically, HR professionals spend much of their time helping employees with their career development, but they often neglect to devote the same care and attention to their own advancement.
The good news is that there are concrete steps you can take to improve your HR skills, impress your boss, and get where you want to go.
Read on for eight practical tips on how to advance your HR career.
Is Human Resources a Good Career? Pros, Cons & Things to Consider
Updated December 2025
The field of human resources has transformed quite dramatically over the past few years. We used to think of HR as primarily about handling employee discipline problems, enforcing workplace policies, and hiring/firing people.
But as global business competition grows ever more intense, and new generations join the workforce, we’re seeing a major shift in the reality and perception of HR.
Human resources professionals are joining strategy sessions with CEOs and other C-suite executives to discuss the growing importance and impact of employee engagement, talent acquisition, and skills development.
HR has become an essential and integral part of business success in every sector of the economy.
Is human resources the right career for you? Consider these key points while making your decision.
Top 10 Human Resources Skills: What You Need to Work in HR
Updated December 2025
“I am convinced that nothing we do is more important than hiring and developing people. At the end of the day, you bet on people not on strategies.” - Larry Bossidy
It's tough to argue with Larry Bossidy—renowned business leader, author, speaker, and now retired CEO of Honeywell.
Bossidy was never an HR manager, but there’s no doubt he understood the enormous value of recruiting, nurturing, and retaining top talent. He knew that business success is intrinsically linked to employee success.
And who monitors and cultivates employee success? The human resources team.
That’s why HR has risen in stature to occupy a central role in business. Organizations must compete for the best workforce—and only talented HR professionals can give them an edge.
Exactly what are companies looking for when hiring human resources managers? They’re looking for candidates with a specific set of core HR competencies.
Take a look at the top 10 skills you need to work in HR.
Human Resources Careers: Explore Entry-level and Advanced Roles
Updated December 2025
Human resources management (HRM) has a much larger role in business than most people realize.
When you think about HR, what comes to mind? Most likely, you’re thinking about processes like recruitment, hiring, explaining company benefits, and dealing with discipline issues.
But at today’s leading companies, HR goes far beyond these routine functions. More than ever before, human resources professionals are playing a key role in strategic planning and corporate policy. They are contributing at the highest levels, working with senior management to cultivate the most valuable asset a company has: its people.
As HR grows as an industry, so does the variety of jobs available in different areas of specialization and different levels of seniority.
What types of human resources jobs are available? What career paths can you pursue, from HR generalist to specialist roles? Here’s a look at some popular options, as well as some tips on how to transition into the field.
HR Training: 5 Skills Every New Manager Needs (But Very Few Have!)
Updated December 2025
Issues around predatory behaviour, illegal conduct, and toxic work environments have been in the spotlight for the past while.
But the truth is, it's always been important to comply with workplace legislation and foster positive professional relationships...not just to avoid lawsuits, but to ensure work teams can grow and thrive.
These are the goals of an effective human resources strategy. And if you've recently moved into a supervisor or manager role, they are the most important objectives on your new to-do list.
But we're guessing you've received little or no HR training on how to actually build and sustain a thriving team. What new skills will you need to make a smooth transition?
These are the five human resources skills every new manager needs—but few actually have.
HR Training for New Managers: 5 Keys to a Much Better Hiring Process
Updated December 2025
Hiring is one of your most important tasks as a new manager. You must find candidates with the right skillset, right attitude, and right fit for your team. It's a tall order.
Especially when you consider that many managers are under time pressure to fill vacant roles and don't have much space in their schedules for interviews.
Not to mention, if you're a new leader, you probably haven't done a lot of hiring and have only a vague sense of what an effective process looks like.
So, if you're new to management and facing your first round of hiring, what can you do to minimize errors and find the absolute best fit for each role?
Take a page from the human resources playbook. Follow these five steps for a more efficient hiring process.
Transitioning to Management? How Some HR Training Can Save Your Life
Updated December 2025
What's the number one challenge facing every single new manager? Lack of training on how to actually lead a team.
Whether you were drafted into management because someone quit, or you paid in blood, sweat, and tears to earn that promotion—you're all in the same boat.
Very few organizations offer comprehensive (if any) management training. So, what's a first-time manager to do?
While employers drag their feet, seek out your own training on how to master the biggest, most fundamental challenge of your new job—managing your human resources.
Take a page from the HR training handbook. Here's how a few HR basics can significantly improve your transition to management—and earn you respect as a leader.
Why Human Resources Training Should Be Mandatory for All Managers
Updated December 2025
How do people become supervisors, team leaders, and department managers?
More often than not, it's through promotion. They've put in the years, worked really hard, and slowly climbed up the corporate ladder.
Promotion through merit is a great thing. The only problem is, it rarely comes with training on how to actually manage people effectively. It can be really difficult to go from being part of the team to leading the team.
What's the best way to recruit and hire candidates? How can you increase employee satisfaction and reduce turnover? How should you handle conflicts?
These are all fundamental human resources issues. And they're just a few reasons why basic human resources training should be mandatory for anyone taking on a leadership role.
Here's a closer look at how HR skills help managers succeed.
Top 6 Human Resources Mistakes Managers Make All the Time
Updated December 2025
Why do employees quit their jobs?
If you look at the research on this, you'll find that almost every single reason is a completely avoidable management mistake.
We're talking about routine blunders caused by lack of human resources training and poor leadership skills.
Why should you care? Because right at this moment, some of your top employees are thinking about quitting or actively seeking a new job.
Losing great employees costs more than just money. It eats up your time, slows productivity, and hurts overall workplace morale.
What are the most common human resources blunders managers are making? Let's start with these six HR sins.
