Career options after MBA HR Specialization

As an MBA HR intern or fresher, you get to try on different roles in human resources and eventually you find a fit for a HR role to specialize in. So before you apply for HR internships or placements or even for MBA HRM course, take a closer look at various functions performed by HR department in organizations. That would give you a better idea about the career options after MBA HR or any other human resource management course.

I can take you through a cut and dry list of functions of human resource which you may or may not be able to relate to as beginners. So why not get a perspective of HR roles as an employee of an organization and let’s analyze at what stage you, as an employee, can benefit from the functions performed by HR. 

HR Function: New Employee On-boarding

When you are new to an organization, on first day usually, you are given information about the organization structure, its culture, work environment, facilities, policies, etc. That’s a part of new employee on-boarding, and one of the functions of Human Resource department.

I remember fresh out of the college on my first day at work, HR had organized an orientation session. All freshers were introduced to various heads of the department. We were briefed about medical and other benefits, leaves, compliance, dress code, work environment, facilities etc. HR had also cracked some great bulk deals with two banks to help us open new zero balance salary accounts ;) So yes, on-boarding new employees- fresher and laterals- is an important function of HR. After all, you as an employee don’t want to join a new company and feel lost in your initial days. Similarly, HR wants to ensure that this new employee- employer relationship starts off on the right foot. 

HR Function: Policies

As I mentioned above, you will get introduced to company policies as part of your on-boarding process. But who created those policies? The owner/ founder of the organization? It is not a one person’s job. HR helps create corporate policies and procedures. These policies cover all aspects of the functioning of the organization from recruitment, hiring, compensation, benefits, for workplace challenges and even managing discrimination issues. It is certainly not a routine job, but on ongoing process involves meeting specific regulatory requirements, etc.

If you are already a MBA HR graduate or any equivalent course or even considering pursuing this MBA specialization, you can map the business/ corporate/ labour laws section of the syllabus to the policies created by HR. 

HR Function: Training & Development

Now that you have joined this organization, someone needs to make sure that you are equipped to meet the basic competencies of the job. Of course, to get this job you exhibit some skills, but skills also need to be honed through training from time to time. Training and Development is one of the key functions of Human Resource department. For example, as a fresher you would have academic knowledge, so your organization could put you on to some training to give you the industry mold to get started. Consider another example where an experienced professional in your team wants to acquire some new skill to be able to do a particular task at work or a colleague undertakes some training to upgrade her skill set to move to more senior role.

Employees need training sometimes on specific topics to meet the basic competencies for the job, sometimes as a part of the growth plan for promotions or even as a part of the overall professional development program. HR training and development team looks for learning opportunities in every-day activity and facilitates the same. 

HR Function: Employee Engagement

Let’s now fast forward to the time when you are not new to this organization anymore. Over a period of time, you develop an emotional and functional commitment to your organization. But this enthusiasm, energy and commitment need to be maintained so that your performance levels remain high. The motivation and urge for innovation needs to be upped from time to time. That’s where employee engagement programs help organizations and is also handled by HR department. 
 

HR Function: Recruitment & Hiring

What you’ve read so far was just to give you an idea of the roles of HR and how and when the benefit of these HR functions reaches the employees. Before I wind up, let’s imagine that your fictitious team needs to hire one more person and you have been asked to initiate the hiring process. What would you do next? Directly go to LinkedIn or job portals and start hunting for candidates? Employees contact HR Recruitment team when they want to open a new job vacancy in the organization. 

HR Function: Compensation & Benefits

HR recruitment department then prepares the final job description, posts on relevant job portals, scan applications, schedule interviews. For selected candidates, they prepare the job letter with compensation and benefit details and coordinate their joining dates. Then on their joining date, HR help in smooth on-boarding of new employees taking us back to our first point from where we started.


Summary of HR Functions
 

HR Functions from Nikita HR

Conclusion

Role of HR when understood can give a clear idea about career options after MBA HRM or any equivalent diploma course. These HR functions can be performed by being a part of the internal HR team of the organization or as an external HR consultant. Execution can be handled by HR specialists in that role or by HR generalists who can perform multiple HR functions by working closely with specialists.

HR Challenges in Retail Management

Are you a people’s person? Do you understand people and possess the quality to identify their skills and hone them? If the answer is yes, then HR is the right career for you. 

Career in Retail HR

Many a times it happens that you enter a store with the intention of shopping, but grumpy looking, disinterested sales stuff happen to change your decision, and all you do is walk out of the store. This happens when the staff is not well trained, which ultimately affects the store’s sales. But who is responsible in retail management for training the staff and making sure that the workforce is at par with the organization’s standards? 

The answer is Human Resource Department. 

Hiring employees, organizing training sessions for the employees, taking care of the compensation, enhancing the company’s human resource and other such activities, form the job profile of a HR professional.  In a nutshell, HR is the backbone of an organization. Before you take the decision, it is of utmost importance that you understand the functions of human resource management.

The retail sector has much to offer then one can think of. Being an HR, involved with training and recruiting employees, I have seen tremendous growth in the area. A career in retail is sure to be promising, with the increasing demand and boom of international labels entering the Indian market.

Challenges of Human Resource Management in Retail

The retail industry has seen a substantial boom in the last few years across the globe and especially in India. The increase in the working population and especially the youth has provided a huge impetus for the growth of this industry. However, the entrance of global players has started to pose severe challenges in the organized retail sector.

The normal functions of HR like taking care of compensation, hiring, performance management and other related activities will be very much a part and parcel of your career as a HR in the retail sector. However, the major challenges lie in recruiting and retaining the right talent for the industry. You will have to deal with the shortage of highly qualified and skilled talent in the industry. The majority of the employees in the retail industry are customer facing and hence the entire training programs and grooming sessions have to be in place. Your major role will be in recruiting such talent, devising training programs, reviewing their performances and ensuring the objectives of the organization are met.

• The retail industry is highly dependent on its people and its workforce is the most critical resource as the on-floor staff faces the customers directly

• Electronic Retailing or e-Tailing companies make attractive and easy to use websites, but running a 24/ 7 show needs proper HR planning.

• The retail environment is highly competitive with global players entering the market

• The people management is of utmost importance and is a mode for both cost and revenue generation

• It employs a lot of people with diverse skill set including both skilled and unskilled labor and training them the right way is important

• Strong orientation is required towards customer service

• Good and efficient decision making skills need to be employed while recruiting for the organization

• Workforce pressure and payroll expenses have to be balanced during seasonal promotions for good customer experience.

 

Stepping into Retail HR 

A number of students today opt for MBA. It has always been rewarding to pursue MBA, provided you do it from a reputed college. To enter the retail sector as HR, MBA in HR could be the right course. Some management institutes like JDBIMS SNDTWU Mumbai offer sectoral specialization with MBA Human Resource Management, which allows students to concentrate on developing their HR abilities in the domain of their interest. Find colleges that offer MBA in HRM, gather information about the entrance criteria and then apply for it.

 

Conclusion

With more and more global players flocking Indian retail, the industry poses significant challenges for Human Resource department. To stay competitive in this sector, HR must create strategies to align the performance of its employees with the overall client satisfaction and devise good motivational and incentive schemes to retain them. The training plays a significant role and helps the employees become more efficient and effective at work.