HR Facts

Myth 1: HR is for people who are 'good at interacting with others.'

Reality: Any profession needs people who are good at interacting with others. Can you be a successful football player, if you can't 'interact' with others? A salesperson? An advertising guy? Whatever! The core responsibility of an HR person is to maximise the returns on the money spent in hiring/retaining human resources. Of course, this needs to be done fairly, and within certain legal boundaries. HR has vast scope, and is broadly divided into:

1) Recruitment - includes strategic planning, forecasting, hiring, and selection
2) Learning and Development - training, learning management and administration, career enhancement
3) Performance Evaluation - appraisals and promotions
4) Industrial Relations - mainly for blue-collared jobs
5) Consulting

Now, think about it. Would just being an extrovert, and having a liking for 'talking and interacting with people' qualify you for a job in any of these fields? No, right? You'd have to work just as hard as any other professional, to do well.

Myth 2: No one picks HR. It's only because they have no other choice, that they do an HR course.

Reality: Whoever told you that! In the little circle of people that I know, I can count at least 5 people, who have opted for HR over marketing/finance/operations. And mind you, all the colleges that called them were sterling institutes. But, if you are clear in your mind that HR is your calling, go for it, then!

Myth 3: HR is a women's profession.

Reality: That's been a case because HR was perceived as a 'softer' profession earlier, but not any more. HR is as competitive as any other stream of management today. There are tough targets in hiring, selection, training, appraisals, consulting etc. Men and women are on equal footing. For example, in my 6 years of workex, I've seen a fair gender mix amongst HR professionals. So, have no worries on that front.

P.S. I'll be back with more. I don't claim to be an expert or a 'know it all'. These are just my opinions augmented with some research and interaction with HR gurus in my organization. Please feel free to add on, agree, disagree with me. Also, please post further queries and I'll try getting answers from some senior HR folks I know.