Depending on the organization and its level of digital maturity, most HR and talent management professionals find themselves in a precarious positiontoday. As Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft said, “We have seen the two years of digital transformation in few months,” in context of COVID-19 pandemic. HR professionals were at the center of orchestrating this transformation.

A little automation, remote working, spurring up of business challenges, and several other workplace tests – global talent managers dealt with all of this in just 100 days in 2020. No wonder, this phase has impacted how organizations view the role of HR professionals. The demand for a few skills has moved up.

Here we explore 7 skills that have been exacerbated by the crisis and, which modern HR professionals and talent managers must inculcate:

Top 7HR and Talent Management Skills

1.   Tech and Analytics –No questions asked!

COVID-19 pandemic lockdown thrust largest and smallest of companies to go digital. From ensuring employee safety and working remotely to business communications and people analytics, HR and talent managers globally built the base for a huge leap to technology.

In this wake, organizations will increasingly seek human resources and talent management people who can make data-driven decisions, and are versed with technology. A few of the technologies that have made inroads to HR are people analytics to measure and track performance of employees, virtual recruitment and onboarding, HRIS and other software, and chatbots, among others.

Without doubts, tech is now essential to new talent management. Gathering evidence to support an assertion of being good at tech skills can be vital to career upgrade.

2.   Pulse of latest trends – Only who is aware of change can manage change.

Did you know that millennials and Gen Z is opting for a workplace destination based on availability of mentors? Career-focused partnership is a new recruitment trend today. New generation finds it a good way to upskill on the go. Organizations that can offer such arrangements can benefit from reduced attrition and more productivity.

Another instance of change in HR industry is virtual and social distanced onboarding. Now, how do you tame that beast?

HR and talent management professionals need to keep verse with the latest trends and happenings of the industry to truly be able to support their organizations optimally. Experience of all that’s latest to the domain is the biggest benefit to the table in the times when talent is becoming a vital capital for companies.

3.   Recruitment – Obvious, thus, challenging.

It is an obvious and a must-have skill for HR professionals. Because it is an obvious skill, it becomes as much challenging to stand out in this domain. Figure out the X-factor.

You can reflect on strategies that you have used in the past, discuss your plans of including technology in recruitment, or the ideas for bringing in automatic screening process, and so on.

Furthermore, with reduced in-person meetings, you must have a plan on efficiently conducting interviews through video conferencing platforms. A knowledge about several such pressing questions in recruitment is vital for global talent managers and can set them apart.

4.   Employee Engagement– A combination of hard and soft skills.

Employee engagement isn’t only about periodic social activities organized by the HR and talent management departments. It starts from orientation and goes up to performance evaluation. Every aspect – orientation, onboarding, performance management, social activities – must be webbed into your employee engagement plans. Develop your experience and know-how toward this skillset.

It takes great listening capability, along with empathy and high emotional quotient on the part of global talent mangers, to excel in employee engagement.

5.   Payroll – Money Matters.

Setting salary and compensation structure is a science that must be in your wheelhouse. Although, every organization usually has its own structure, it falls on HR and talent management professionals to assess the veracity of such structure and suggest something new if required. You should have the expertise and knowledge to answer hard questions:

• In labor-intensive industries, how do you handle compensation for work-related injuries?
• Do you cut worker’s salary in case oneis under 14-day quarantine for COVID-19?

6.   Reward and Feedback – Critical appraisal.

Rewards and feedbacks are pertinent for both employees and organization. Former seek it to keep learning and understand their performance in the organization, and latter, to keep a track of employees’ performance. It’s a two-way street – taking feedback from employees and management, and then come back to them with an assessment.

As a global talent manager, be ready with an idea on embedding a performance management structure along with a reward structure that can benefit both retention and productivity.

7.   Keen Networker – Not exclusive to business partners only.

Not highlighted often enough, HR and talent management leaders are expected to be good at networking and contacts, almost at par like business partners. Proficiency in dealing with juniors as well as seniors and networking with them brings brownie points to one’s profile.

Keep in touch with people within your community of HR and talent managers, and other industry behemoths. It’s also the best way to keep up with the industry trends and be the first to apply them to organization.

Certification to Fill Skill-Gaps

Getting certified through one of the best HR and talent management certifications is the quickest and surest way to ensure you score high on skills latest to the industry. It will connect you with the best and biggest in the talent management community, and keep you abreast with the trends unfolding in the industry.

Among the juggernauts certifications in global talent management is the one offered by the Talent Management Institute (TMI). It is world’s leading body in talent management spectrum. Others include HR certifications offered by the HRCI, SHRM, and others.

Be the workforce solution businesses need.