Human Resource Management: The Fundamental and Importance of HRM Function

What is human resource management (HRM) and its importance within a business context? Human resource management, interchangeable with talent management, is the department that functions within an organization in charge of the overall responsibility of implementing strategies and policies relating to management. Talent management system reflects business management’s adoption of a more quantitative, strategic approach to workforce maintenance.

Purpose and role of a talent management system
Human resource’s reputation used to be thought of as a department that handled mostly administrative activities, coordinating ranges of worker related processes. Not so much today though. HRM in today’s business society is believed to play an intimate role in the systematical operation of the business in maintaining relations with its workforce.

There is a reason why human resource management is also called “talent management.” Large and small companies look up to the talent management system not only for paperwork, hire and pay workers, but also for staffing, human resource training, and managing workers so that the workforce within the organization is performing at maximum capacity. Because human resource management’s main purpose is to maximize return of investment (ROI), secure future survival and success while minimizing financial risk for the business.

Talent management key functions
Some of the set strategies, policies, standards, systems, and processes talent management system departments implement are:

• Recruitment and selection
• Organization design and development
• Business transformation and change management
• Hr courses for performance, conduct and behavior management
• Industrial and employee relations
• Workforce analysis and personnel data management
• Compensation, rewards, and benefits management
• Human resource training development and management

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Career Goal Setting: 10 Criteria for Goal Setting

The importance of setting goals cannot be stressed enough, especially in the terms of building a fulfilling career. Online dictionary defines the word goal as “the result or achievement toward which effort is directed; aimed; end.” Aimlessness is bound to ensure without setting career goals.

Without set plans to further advance, navigating your career is going to be difficult. To become the next Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey, or Meg Whitman, carefully construct career goals around these 10 following criteria’s to not get lost—emotionally and physically, down the long road.

Goals must be specific—First and foremost, state exactly what you want out of your chosen career or what you want from a career. Be specific as possible. What market? What position? What do you want to do? Once you’ve figured out where you’d like to be five, ten years down the line, the next plan is how to get there.

Set short and long term goals—You are not going to be a CEO of a multi-billion dollar company overnight and it shouldn’t be rushed either if you want it done right. Business goal setting should be realistic. Take baby steps first to prepare yourself, learn the skills, change career path if needed to get to where you want or need to be to become the next Steve Jobs.

Measure the outcome—When you have your sight on a goal, make sure you take measurable steps to reach it. With each goal set should be tied to an action or a deadline. For example, if you desire a career in the publication industry in the next five years, take the proper steps: graduate in four years, and during those four years you’re going to have two internships and a part-time job to gain invaluable experience.

Write down your goals on paper—Although this may seem like a waste of time, it’s an integral part of career goal setting. Being able to visually see your goals in the context of the written word makes your goal a viable action instead of a dream.

Keep your goals realistic—Do not set yourself up for impossible goals. When constructing business goal setting, take realistic steps to your ultimate goal.

Set different career goals in different timeframe— You are not going get hired as an editor right after college. Your short term goal to get to your long term goal as an editor is to get an editorial assistant position.

Don’t set yourself up for disappointment—Success cannot be measured by standards of others because everyone measures success differently. Becoming a top executive might measure up as a successful career to some, while owning a small flower shop can be the dream job to others. Measure success from your viewpoint, not you peer.

Expect the unexpected—There is always the possibility of something going wrong or an unexpected event that can delay you from your dreams. Don’t stress too much and try to take everything in stride.

Prepare to fail—There’s an old proverb quote, “You win some, you lose some.” The ride to your career goal is going to have its ups and downs. There may be times when your best intentions or your best efforts might not be good enough. Be prepared to fail along the way to your dreams.

Learn to be resilient—Goal setting is a plan to help guide you, it’s not set in stones. Life is life, there are no guarantees. Do not despair if you’re thrown of your set career goals. To survive and come out for the better, it’s important to grow a thick skin and learn to be persistent.

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Video Tutorials: A Growing Medium for Advanced Career Training

Traditional academic settings, such as universities and trade schools are starting to make way for technological advanced mediums to support students and working professionals who are always in constant locomotion. And due to the explosion of the “information highway,” video based training tutorials of learning multimedia software applications are growing in momentum.

Especially within the realm of business and higher education, online tutorials are increasingly the favored method of learning due to the fact that there is no constraint, unlike a traditional academic setting such as the classroom where it’s allocated with time and place restrictions and limitations.

With video tutorials, training courses can be accessed anytime, anywhere. Computer training is much more accessible than being interrupted from your daily activities and schedule to get to class on time. The beauty of online training is that it can be accessed without the disturbance in your personal and professional life.

Online training tutorials are also time efficient in the sense that learners don’t have to waste time in reviewing materials they already know. For example, learners interested in a particular course can just click on the software tutorials that pertain to their interest without having to go through the unnecessary segments.

Skeptics might point out that with virtual training, learners are unable to ask questions, problems, or concepts that they might have, unlike a traditional class where instructors are there in person to answer students’ questions. But most video tutorials performed are presented by specialists in their given field. The chances of having any concepts or problems unresolved in their tutorials are pretty slim. If there is a concern, all you would have to do is play the tutorials again and look and listen carefully for your answer.

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Job Searching Training Tutorial: Objective of a Resume

One of the most important tool or resource during a job search at your disposal is the resume. A resume ultimately demonstrates your qualifications for the job position you are applying for. If making comparisons, a resume is similar to a product spec sheet, where it outlines all the qualifications and functionality of the product.

The ultimate purpose of a resume is to help applicants get a job interview, not the job position. You are advertising yourself to the hiring department and your resume should be attractive enough for the hiring manager to take action and call you in for an interview. There are three different types of resume:

• Chronological Resume: The most preferred resume by hiring departments is the chronological resume, where the applicant’s work history and employment history is listed in reverse chronological order. This type of resume format is advantageous if your most recent job experience is aligned with the job you are seeking. It’s the most favored because the progression of your career is easy to follow since the chronological resume lists jobs in a time sequence. Resume training tutorials are available for the format construction of a chronological resume.

• Functional Resume: For job applicants in search of a new career or has a gap in between employment, a functional resume would serve you better. A functional resume is more skills focused rather than where you’ve worked. Hiring managers are able to see all of the skills, accomplishments, and qualifications of the job applicant. In a functional resume, prior work history is not listed.

• Combination Resume: A mixture of the functional and chronological resume format, the combination resume allows the reader to first match your qualifications up against the job opening while giving the reader a sense of security by identifying where and when these accomplishments have been accomplished. Resume tutorials are available for the format.

Deciding on which resume format is the best for you comes down to two main factors:

• The amount, consistency, and depth of work experience you have accumulated in your career

• How well the job position you are seeking aligns with your past work experience.

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