How To Become a Chief Human Resources Officer

A career in human resources offers plenty of opportunities to grow within an organization, from entry-level roles to top leadership management roles. The Chief Human Resource Officer (CHRO) is a key leader in the HR department, who is responsible for managing HR staff and operations. If you are looking to kickstart your career in HR, then you have come to the right blog. In this blog, we are going to talk about the role of the chief human resource officer. What skills are required, what responsibilities of a CHRO, and how to become a CHRO?

Table of Contents

• What is a CHRO?
• Responsibilities of a Chief Human Resource Officer
• Skills to become a Chief Human Resource Officer
• How to become a Chief Human Resource Officer?
• Salary of a Chief Human Resource Officer

What is a CHRO?

A chief human resource officer (CHRO) plays a key leadership role in an organization’s HR department. They handle various aspects of the employment process, including recruitment, hiring, compensation management, training, and employee retention. With a strong background in HR and management, CHROs have the expertise that is needed to lead large HR teams. They also collaborate with top executives like the Chief Executive Officer or Chief Financial Officer (CFO) to make important organizational decisions.

Responsibilities of Chief Human Resource Officer

A Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) plays a very important role in shaping an organization’s workforce and culture. Let’s talk about some of the most common responsibilities of a CHRO:

1. Recruiting New Candidates: The CHRO helps in recruiting new candidates, they make the strategies to hire the qualified and best candidates in the industry. They make plans to advertise the job application on job posting sites like LinkedIn, Naukri, etc.

2. Conducting Interviews: One of the main jobs of CHRO is to conduct interviews, they sit in the interview along with other panel members provide their insights, and evaluate the candidates using their expertise and experience. And they also provide their assistance to the junior HR staffers throughout the interview process.

3. Creating training programs: The CHRO actually plans for the training of the new employees, they decide everything from onboarding to training for the specific roles. They develop and evaluate multiple training methods for the candidates. They aim to create simple yet effective and informative training modules to ensure the candidate has proper knowledge or preparation before actually starting their role.

4. Compliance Management: Following the rules and compliance led by the government is also very crucial. Another crucial job of a CHRO is to ensure the proper enforcement of the regulations and labor laws led by the government for employee betterment. These laws include the regulations related to working hours, worker’s rights, breaks, etc.

5. Managing the HR Employees:  As CHRO is a leadership role, therefore it provides you the opportunity to lead and manage the HR department. They look after all of the HR-related activities. They assist the HR employees in managing the workspace operations like hiring new employees, team-building activities, making data-driven decisions, etc.

Skills of Chief Human Resource Officer

The role of chief human resource officer comes with lots of responsibilities and hence it requires expertise and experience in this domain. Below are some of the important  skills required to become a CHRO:

• He/she should be well aware of the legal compliance of labor laws, employee laws, and HR Policies.
• He/she should be really good at managing large teams and talents.
• He/she should have good conflict resolution and negotiation skills.
• He/she should be trained in ethical business practices.
• He/she should be good with written and verbal communication skills.

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How to Become a Chief Human Resource Officer?

The CHRO role is no doubt the highest in HR ranks. It takes devotion for this role as people change their levels over time.

We present some realistic suggestions that will assist you in becoming a CHRO:

1. Pursue Higher Education and Specialisation

You start with a bachelor’s degree in ‘human resources or related courses with a roadmap leading to a master’s in ‘HR Management, Business Administration, or Organizational psychology’. Further, this helps one to grasp more of HR practices, leadership, and even organizational behavior which in turn is very crucial for the position of the CHRO.

2. Get Certified

Qualifications with advanced certifications can significantly boost your journey toward becoming a Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO).  It is worth mentioning that more than 55% of CHROs have HR certifications.

One such program is the Executive Post-Graduate Certification for Chief Human Resource Officer offered by IIM Ranchi. It is a 10-month program with 120 hours of live sessions led by the faculty of IIM Ranchi which covers the essential HR leadership skills. Also upon course completion, the participants receive post-graduate certification and Alumni Status from IIM Ranchi. You also get a chance to visit the IIM Ranchi campus under the campus immersion program.

Investing in such educational opportunities not only broadens your expertise but also significantly increases your prospects of securing a CHRO position.

3. Get Exposure and Practical experience in HR Functions

Work under various HR roles to gain practical knowledge such as recruiting, managing talents, engaging employees, and performance management. Experience entails knowledge in addition to what one does, it enriches HR leaders with practical understanding which makes them effective leaders.

4. Seek Leadership as well as Communication skills

Go for leadership workshops, attend seminars, and take executive training programs that will improve your capacity to lead and communicate. Be approachable, and compassionate in order to gain the confidence of employees and managers. These attributes will enable you to motivate a team and the work environment.

5. Keep Up With New Human Resource Trends

Remain apprised of the new developments in human resources, including the technology and practices that are best suited to the industry. There are industry journals, HR conferences, and professional networks that you can join. In this way, you will remain creative and flexible in such a fast-changing area.

6. Think Strategically

The HR initiatives should not just be undertaken without a plan because they will not be useful in enhancing the operations of the organization. It is important to see the larger picture of the organization- its vision and values and plan on how it expects to grow and develop with a conducive culture. This strategic eye ensures that HR does not become a stand-alone department but is integrated into flourishing the business.

7. Expand Your Contacts

Networking with other professionals and leaders starts by attending HR events, seminars, and industry conferences. As it is known networking brings great benefits for it opens space for more opportunities, enables one to gain information from those who have been there before, and allows one to progress to the position of CHRO.

Salary of a Chief Human Resource Officer

According to AmbitionBox, the average salary of a Chief Human Resource Officer in India ranges between ₹19.2 Lakhs – ₹1 Crore per annum with an average of ₹59.7 Lakhs per year.

Here are the salary ranges of a CHRO across various industries.

Conclusion

Overall, achieving the role of a Chief Human Resource Officer (CHRO) requires lots of determination, a thorough understanding of HR functions, and leadership skills. The entire journey demands relevant certification, a strong educational background, and a mindset to adapt to evolving changes in human resources.

If you are looking for a course that can help you with becoming CHRO, you can consider enrolling in Intellipaat’s Executive Post-Graduate Certification Program for the Chief Human Resource Officer course from IIM Ranchi and learn the essential HR skills.