What is the job description for an HR generalist?
The job description for an HR Generalist might vary from one company to another based on factors such as seniority level, business size, and HR operating model. On the other hand, a Human Resources Generalist’s duties, skills, and credentials are generally applicable to any company or industry.
If you’re interested in learning more about human resources generalist roles, this article has you covered with an example job description and discussion of key responsibilities and abilities.
An example of a job description for an HR generalist
1. Job Summary
Generally speaking, an HR generalist is responsible for any and all HR-related procedures and operations. Human Resources Generalists, as the title indicates, provide HR-related help to businesses by overseeing relevant internal and external operations.
Working in tandem with HR Specialists, HR Generalists oversee all aspects of the employee lifecycle, including but not limited to: recruitment, performance management, compensation, and employee relations. Human Resources Generalists may take full responsibility of and responsibility for these tasks in companies that do not have HR Specialists on staff.
When dealing with personnel at all levels, human resources generalists often find themselves wearing many hats. They may be collaborating with upper management on employee engagement strategies in the future. Depending on the needs of the company, the following day they may be welcoming new staff.
But how they contribute differs from one HR model to another. In an HR business partnering paradigm, HR generalists assist company executives in forming partnerships. Human Resources Generalists may have more responsibility and ownership in companies without HR Business Partners. They collaborate closely with company heads in such situations.
2. Duties of an HR generalist
Providing assistance to senior leadership with people management tasks and decisions. To do this, you need to use HR best practices and come up with strategies that align with your company’s goals and objectives. This will help your business expand while also taking care of your employees.
Providing direction or assistance with HR-related tasks like employee interactions, recruiting, performance evaluation, pay and benefits, training and development, and succession planning. When HR Specialists are on staff, HR Generalists help out with all of the aforementioned tasks.
Managing interactions with employees, including handling complaints and disciplinary actions. Moreover, while fostering positive relationships with both internal and external stakeholders, offers guidance on employment policy and stays current with employment law.
Gaining insight into management metrics through the use of people analytics and reporting tools. Afterwards, solving difficult human problems by analyzing data.
Efficiently leading or assisting recruiting by sourcing people, introducing them to the hiring manager, interviewing them, checking their references, making offers, creating contracts, and ensuring a smooth onboarding process.
Take part in HR technology projects pertaining to people management and help build or improve associated processes.
Experience, education, and abilities in human resources
As an HR generalist, what qualifications are required? Obviously, Human Resources Generalists need to have certain knowledge, abilities, and credentials to do their work well. Let’s take a look.
Abilities and knowledge
- Knowledge of business
An important skill for an HR generalist to have is business acumen. Having this skill means that you can craft HR policies and processes that help your company achieve its goals. The goal is to make sure that the company runs smoothly and that everyone is safe on the job.
Human Resources Generalists need to be able to spot and understand external business trends and best practices, then incorporate them into their routine work. For example, in order to stay on track, it is critical to monitor changes in employment legislation and trends. In order to improve customer happiness and personalize their experience, it is vital to consider both internal and external customers while developing business strategy.
- Literacy in data
A key component of an HR Generalist’s job description is analytics. An effective HR strategy relies on their proficiency in making educated decisions using HR data, KPIs, scorecards, and dashboards. They might not be involved in the process of gathering and interpreting data. The emphasis instead lies on generating value for the company through the proper application of this data.
- Support for individuals
Fundamental to this HR position is the responsibility to promote company culture and foster a welcoming work environment for all workers. As part of this, you can act as a mentor and offer emotional support as you guide them through problem-solving. Building a welcoming work environment that supports employees’ beliefs and principles is essential for a people’s advocate.
- Risk control
Assessing possible risks and making efforts to manage or eliminate them is what risk management is all about. Improper management of employees, ineffective recruiting methods, and illegal employee behavior are the main concerns for an HR generalist in this regard. Reducing operating expenses and improving the employer brand are two significant goals of HR risk management.
- Management of labor relations
One of the most sought-after skills by companies is the capacity to handle labor relations. The ideal applicant will have excellent interpersonal skills and a solid understanding of labor legislation and employment laws, as well as the ability to work well with unions and other employee groups. This also includes making educated decisions regarding the upkeep of the company’s labor rules, processes, and initiatives.
- Maximizing Efficiency in the Workplace
There is a strong correlation between an employee’s performance and the quality of their work environment. Therefore, knowing how to increase efficiency is vital for an HR generalist. Building a solid digital employee experience, analyzing staffing needs, and identifying and understanding employee demands at work are all things they do well.
Consequently, HR Generalists play a key role in creating cost-effective workplaces that maximize efficiency and production.
- Soft skills
Having strong technical abilities is critical for an HR generalist, but having strong soft skills is essential for success in any field. Skills in effective communication, managing conflicts, working in a team, listening attentively, self-assurance, and perseverance are essential for this position. Having these abilities enables human resources professionals to maximize the effectiveness of their technical capabilities. Both you and other workers will benefit from these, which will increase your efficiency as an HR professional.
Required Skills
The minimum educational requirement for most HR positions is a Bachelor’s degree. Some companies may also want you to have a Master’s degree, but not all of them do.
An HR generalist position is not entry-level. That is why it is essential for applicants to have appropriate work experience. The exact number of years could vary from two to five or even more, depending on the seniority and the size of the organization.
It is not necessary to have HR Generalist certification, but it will make you stand out while applying for jobs. Plus, it’s a fantastic tool for reviewing previously covered material and learning about current developments in the field. To equip yourself to be an effective HR solopreneur, you can enroll in an HR Generalist Certificate Program.
HR Generalist compensation
The median income for an HR generalist in the United States is $53,000, with a range of $43,000 to $73,000 (according to Payscale.com). Pay ranges from 49,000 to 54,000 for professionals in their early careers with one to four years of experience. Salary ranges for senior professionals with 5-10 years of experience start at $59,000 and go up from there.
Human Resources Generalists can expect to make anywhere from $53,000 to $675,000 per year, with actual earnings potentially varying by region, level of education, and work experience, according to Salary.com. An HR generalist in the nation’s capital can expect to earn around $71k per year, according to Glassdoor, compared to $77k in New York.
A typical workday for a human resources generalist
Here we will take a look at the usual day of an HR Generalist. You should keep in mind that this could change based on your sector, geographic region, and time of the year.
Get your day started right with a delicious cup of your favorite beverage. At the start of each workday, you review your schedule, inbox, and list of tasks. To get ready for the day’s meetings, you make a note of them and schedule out your time accordingly.
You’ve just brought on a new employee. You should now formally bring them on board. The next stage is to ensure that your team has all the necessary information and resources by working with them on document verification, orientation, and other related tasks.
The next step is to provide your manager with your proposal for employee engagement efforts. You are well aware that a highly engaged workforce is a highly productive one. As a team, you took some time last week to talk about the present staff and figure out what their problems are. Your assignment for today is to propose ways to address those problems.
Your lunch break will follow. You have the option of having lunch with coworkers or eating alone. A walk after lunch would be a great way to get some exercise and fresh air.
You review your list of things to do and begin tackling the most important ones after lunch. The next step is to schedule a meeting with your client group’s director to talk about succession planning and the best ways to find outstanding personnel. Finally, you should make it a point to attend the HR team meeting so you can get a feel for everyone’s current and future projects.
The day is over, and now you can relax, hit the gym, or stock up on dinner ingredients after a hard and fruitful day.
Now it’s your turn
Being an HR generalist is a challenging and varied job. If you want to ace your interviews and land that ideal job with your dream company, you need to study up on HR Generalist positions.
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