Speaker 1: Hey guys. Welcome back to my channel. Today's video is the third installment of my HR series and today we'll be focusing on the HR manager role. So without further ado, we are just going to jump right in. So what is an HR manager? An HR manager oversees recruiting, interviewing, and hiring of new staff. They may often oversee training as well. They're literally the go-to person in the HR department. Even if they can't help you, people still tend to go to them. The number one question that I often hear from working in HR is, what do HR managers actually do? The list of duties for an HR manager are truly extensive. They do quite a lot even if they're not always recognized for it and they often have the stereotype of being lazy. Don't get me wrong, some HR managers are extremely lazy and don't want to do anything related to their job, but the majority of them are just so overwhelmed with work that they don't really know where to start or where to delegate. The responsibilities of an HR manager will definitely vary depending on the industry and on the size of the company they work for. Some companies don't even list HR managers in their HR departments. I know that in my last role, I was a human resource specialist and basically what that meant is I was technically an HR manager because I managed literally the whole entire hiring process from interviewing to background checks to they came to me if they had a problem with their check, if they had issues with training, things like that. They literally came to me for everything and you'll find that a lot of companies now are trying to get away from that old term of HR manager and implementing it in different ways within their HR department. So if you are looking for a HR manager job, don't just restrict yourself by looking for jobs with only that title. Also look for jobs that list the same responsibilities and duties that I'm about to list out for you guys right now. I'm not going to list the whole extensive list of responsibilities of an HR manager because like I mentioned earlier, the responsibilities do vary depending on the type of company and size of the company that you work for. But the main responsibilities that I see time and time again are the following. HR managers manage the whole entire hiring and recruiting process within an HR department. Since they do oversee the whole entire hiring and recruiting process, they also are in charge of training hiring managers on how to interview appropriately. You'd be surprised how many hiring managers do not know how to interview or don't understand the laws surrounding interviewing. I've worked in the healthcare industry, I've worked with head of nursing, directors, and sometimes they need a lot of guidance when it comes to interviewing. They are geniuses and masterminds of their craft, but when it comes to HR and interviewing, they are completely clueless. Also, HR managers create and implement business strategies that will not only help the HR department, but will help the business as a whole. And this can honestly mean anything. This can mean petitioning for a better applicant tracking system, for changing how hiring managers interview. It can honestly be anything that will make the HR and the company run smoother and easier. And by the same token, once those business strategies are implemented or once new employee guidelines are implemented, HR managers make sure that people are actually following those new guidelines and those new strategies. Human resources deals a lot with the law, so HR managers are in charge of making sure that everyone's following state and federal guidelines when it comes to hiring, interviewing, employee relations. Obviously, companies have legal departments with lawyers on speed dial, but HR managers are the ones that make sure that anything that has to do with human resources and employees' well-being, that laws are being followed. HR managers also oversee all terminations in exit interviews, so they make sure that employees are being terminated the right way for the right reasons. They make sure that no one's getting terminated unjustly. HR managers also work alongside HR coordinators to make sure that employees' files are up to date and are kept in an organized and secure manner. And last but not least, HR managers need to be able to wear all different types of hats within an HR department. What that means is you definitely have to be able to step into a recruiter's shoes, an HR coordinator's shoes, whatever the company needs from you regarding HR. You really need to rise up for the occasion and take on any new responsibilities and be able to move quickly in a fast-paced environment. Education requirements. Bare minimum, HR managers do need a bachelor's degree. I know people get hung up on the type of bachelor's degree that they should study or that they need, but honestly, anything that has to do with human behavior like psychology, sociology, even communications, business, as long as you have a degree that can be applied to HR, not like music, not like art history, something that has to do with people and business, you will be fine. But not only do you need the degree for an HR manager, you also need experience. I often see a lot of people ask me, can I get an HR manager job straight out of college? And you might if you're really lucky, but 9 out of 10 times, you really do need to work two to three years in the field, either as a recruiter, HR coordinator, whatever it is, to really understand how HR works and to really understand the laws behind human resources. Because as an HR manager, you are going to be the one making sure that everyone is following federal and state laws regarding employees, interviewing, and all of that good stuff. So if you want to become an HR manager, I highly, highly recommend that you try to land an internship during college. And if you're unable to, get a job as a recruiter or as an HR coordinator straight after college. So then you can work for two to three years and then start applying for an HR manager role. Of course, depending on the level of HR manager and the company that you're applying for, they might require more than two to three years. But honestly, you will be able to figure all of that out once you go on Indeed and you start seeing the requirements for each HR manager role. How much does an HR manager get paid? So in my last HR series video where I discussed HR coordinators, I went on a little rant discussing websites like salary.com, ZipRecruiter, Glassdoor, and I discussed the importance of not focusing on the salaries that those websites give. But I still like to give you guys the national average salary, just so you kind of get an idea. But depending on where you live, the salary might be higher or lower than the national average. So keep that in mind. But according to ZipRecruiter, the average yearly salary of an HR manager, it's $74,934 a year. Again, this will vary and it's very important that people understand how salaries work. For example, I worked at a nonprofit here in Boston. I knew how much HR managers were getting paid. They were getting paid $65,000 in Boston. That is lower than the national average according to ZipRecruiter. But it is a nonprofit, so there's less money in nonprofits. I've met HR managers that get paid six figures, but they work for big hospitals or big corporations. So honestly, your salary will depend on your years of experience, the company that you work for, and the industry that you're in. The best way to find out the salaries in your area is to simply apply for jobs that you're interested in, plan an interview, and ask those questions on salary. All right, my favorite part of every video are the pros and cons. The first pro is as an HR manager, you are responsible for determining the work culture in your company. So this can be very hard if you are the only one trying to have a healthy non-toxic workplace, and I've been there so I completely get it. But if you have a good solid HR department, you really set the tone and the standard for the rest of the company. It's not easy, but it can be done. By the same token, being an HR manager is hella hella stressful. You are constantly hearing complaints. Sometimes they're valid complaints about hiring managers, sometimes they're not so valid. And hiring managers complain about their employees, employees complain about their hiring managers. It works both ways, and oftentimes you're caught in the middle as an HR manager, and of course you have to hear both parties out. So it can get draining. I've been there where there's been weeks of complaints and complaints and complaints, and you feel like everyone just wants to quit, and there's no solution to make anyone happy. But there are days when you definitely see the differences that you are making within the company. Also, I do want to say that if you're the type of person that you can't leave work at work, and you have to take work home with you, don't become an HR manager because you really are going to find it difficult to draw the line. I'm the type of person that I can walk away from problems at work, and I can leave it at work. I don't bring my work problems at home. I draw the line. I don't allow myself to be stressed about work issues, especially if there's nothing I can do while I'm at home. My home is my safe space, and I like to be happy and just positive vibes in my home. I used to be the type of person that I would bring work home, and I was miserable, miserable, miserable. So I made a promise to myself that I'll never do it again. So if you are interested in becoming an HR manager, make that promise to yourself that once you leave work, you'll tackle work problems the following day. You won't take it home with you. Another pro of becoming an HR manager is that if you have a number of years of experience under your belt, you can make a very, very good salary. But a con of becoming an HR manager is that it does take time to make a good salary, even if you have a bachelor's degree. Again, it's very important to back up that degree with experience. Another pro of becoming an HR manager is that there is tons of room for growth. I have worked with so many vice presidents of HR, so many directors of HR, that were HR managers prior to becoming VP or director of HR. So if you have years of experience and you are a good HR manager, you can eventually become the VP of your department or the director of your department. A con of becoming an HR manager is that you do have to play corporate politics. Although you have a lot of authority, in some ways you don't really have much authority at all. And sometimes you have to follow orders from higher-ups that you may not personally agree with. But as long as they are abiding by HR guidelines and they're following the law, you do have to abide by their orders because they are your higher-ups. An obvious pro of becoming an HR manager is that you can help people. You are in the position to hear someone's complaint about the company and you're also in the position to suggest and implement new changes to address certain employees' dissatisfactions within a company. One of the most famous quotes regarding HR is basically HR is not your friend. And I couldn't agree more. We are literally not your friend. We are not there to please you 100% of the time. We are here to hear your complaint. If it's a valid complaint, we are there to then investigate your complaint and create a solution for it. Of course, again, we will love to be able to help absolutely everyone in the company. We will love to address everyone's complaint and make it a utopia workplace. But unfortunately, this is real life and you can't do that. And I've been in the position where I've done absolutely everything that I could for an employee. I've helped them with every problem they've ever had. But the moment I can't help them with one problem, all it takes is one problem. They say I'm the worst person in HR, that I just don't care about employees, that HR is useless. They turn on you like this. But it happens. It's part of the job. So you definitely need to learn how to distance yourself. There's no way that you can please every employee within a company and you just have to do your best and try to keep the majority of the people working in that company happy. Also, if you allow yourself to become close with your employees where it's not professional, then you run the risk of someone saying that you're playing favorites, that you're romantically involved with an employee, and it's just really like tricky waters that you don't want to get into. So just keep a safe distance while still attempting to help employees when they come to you. Another pro becoming an HR manager is that you are in the perfect position to expand your professional network. You are literally going to be talking to HR directors, VPs, board directors, literally everyone within a company. So if you want to grow, I definitely recommend to be nice to those board of directors, be nice to those VPs of HR. So when you do apply for a higher up job, you can use them as a reference. And then the last con, in my opinion, of becoming an HR manager is that recognition is not always fair. I find that HR tends to focus on recognizing other employees from other departments, but when it comes to HR itself, a lot of HR departments suck at recognizing their own employees within that department. And it just blows my mind. Like you're so focused on recognizing other employees from other departments, yet you forget your own department. So there are definitely times when you are not going to be recognized for your hard work and for going above and beyond, but you just have to be happy with yourself and know that you are doing a great job and that your work matters, even if you're not getting recognized for it every single time. I feel like that can be said with any career or any position. If you have any questions about something that I didn't address in this video or if you want me to elaborate on something that I did address, definitely let me know in the comments below. I try my best to respond to each and every one of you guys. And if you enjoyed this video, don't forget to give it a big thumbs up. Don't forget to subscribe. I would love to have you a part of my channel, and I'll see you guys in the next one. Bye guys.