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How to Hire an Exceptional HR Manager

 

Human resources is an area of your company that must not be overlooked. After all, your HR department is responsible for many key, staff-related functions in your company, including hiring and onboarding new employees, mediating issues between managers and staff, enforcing company policies, and disciplining when necessary. 

 

In other words, your HR department is what keeps the people in your company happy, safe, and satisfied with their jobs. When you look at it this way, it becomes very clear that finding an exceptional HR manager is extremely important.

 

Hiring can be difficult as it is, but when the hire is this important, the pressure is on to find the best candidate possible.

 

Here are some tips for hiring a great HR manager.

 

Define the role.

Knowing what your HR manager’s role will look like is vital for finding the right person for the job. By clearly defining the position, you’ll be more likely to find someone with the right skill set and level of experience to meet your needs. When working to define the role at your company, ask yourself questions like: 

• • Will this new hire be replacing a current employee, or would this be your first HR management hire?
• • What specific tasks will your HR manager be responsible for? 
• • What will be the HR manager’s top priority?
• • What role will the HR manager play in furthering our company’s mission?
• • What values are non-negotiable when it comes to our HR manager?
• • Who will our HR manager report to, and who will report to them?

 

Use a staffing agency.

If you want to maximize your potential for success and minimize the amount of time and work you have to spend on the hire, then using a staffing agency is your best bet. With years of experience matching qualified candidates to open positions, staffing agencies can find an HR manager candidate that will fit your company’s specific needs. If you want this hire done quickly and done well, contact a staffing agency about using their services.

 

Focus on personality traits.

A strong skill set should be a given when it comes to hiring an HR manager. You certainly want someone that understands HR and knows how to do the job. While many of your candidates may have similar skill sets, however, they’re likely to have different personality traits and types. Because of this, it may be beneficial to you to focus on personality when hiring. The kind of personality you’re looking for in your HR manager will depend on your company to a certain extent, but generally speaking, you’ll probably want to look for someone who is:

• • Organized
• • A “people person”
• • Comfortable with leadership
• • A good communicator
• • Honest
• • Influential
• • Patient
• • Objective/fair

 

Prepare for the interview.

You expect candidates to be well-prepared for interviews, but the fact is, you should be prepared, too! The questions you ask in the interview should give you insight into the knowledge and skills of the candidate, but also into their personality. By the time the interview is over, you should have a pretty good idea of whether or not the candidate would be a good fit within your company. Some insightful questions to ask a potential HR manager might include:

• • Tell us about a time when you resolved a conflict between two other people.
• • Describe what a “healthy office environment” looks like to you.
• • What is your favorite part about working in HR?
• • What do most HR departments do “wrong” that you wish you could change?

 

Hiring an HR manager can feel like a daunting task, but following these tips will get you going in the right direction. And with a great staffing company on your side, you’ll find a great fit for your HR team in no time. EDI Staffing offers HR and admin staffing services, putting our years of staffing experience to work for you. Contact us today and let us help you fill your open HR positions!