Most people are familiar with the HR department in terms of their role in hiring new employees. But many may not know that HR professionals play a crucial role in keeping their existing employees happy and engaged. Let’s face it, keeping your employees happy is important to the success of any company. The better your team feels, the more productive they will be which ultimately leads to greater profits for your business.

One of my HR friends recently came across someone who was about to start a career in Human Resources and wanted to know how to approach this new role.

Why do you think someone would need this kind of advice. The reason is simple. A person stepping into a new role is confused and apprehensive and wants to know what it takes to be successful in that role and how they can avoid common pitfalls. They want specifics and hands-on experience from someone who has been there before and done that (and hopefully succeeded).

Well, after listening to my friend I thought of penning down this article to help people who are new to the HR fraternity and are looking at little pieces of experienced advice. So I ran through my circle of HR professionals and asked them to share how they would guide this person in order to make them excited and confident about their role, make them feel equipped to handle any issues and problems that may arise, as well as have a sense of pride in playing a crucial role in people and culture management.

Whether you are new to the HR department, or a seasoned professional, being in HR can be daunting. So here are some interesting and valuable points suggested by highly experienced HR professionals from all across the globe. These suggestions stem out from hardcore experience in people management and should help you in getting started and helping you sail through as an HR professional:

Enter for the right reasons

The best advice is to enter the field for the right reason. I honestly enjoy taking care of my people. Understand that it’s Human Resources and at the end of the day we are all human. Take care of business but have compassion for the people because they are your number one asset!

Lucida Smith

Sr. Human Resource Analyst, Georgia

Be receptive to learning

You do NOT become an expert overnight. Even after years of experience you will still find yourself handling situations you have not seen before. So ask questions. Invest in your learning. Go to HR seminars and training. Personally speaking, that helped me a lot when I first started. I still have all the material from those classes and refer to it if needed.

Read the full article Advice for an HR Professional