How to Become an HR Project Manager
A human resources project manager is an important position in a company that supervises the implementation of HR-related tasks and projects, playing a crucial role in the project’s success. These managers are responsible for starting, handling, and executing different projects designed to improve the HR function within an organization.
They work to manage day-to-day HR operations, such as staffing decisions, employee evaluation, performance reviews, and so on.
Now that you are familiar with the job duties of an HR project manager, it is time to find out how to become one. In the next section of this post, we will cover this in five steps. Let’s have a look:
Steps to Become a Human Resources Project Manager
Following are the five steps to becoming an HR project manager:
- Learn HR Project Management Basics
- Develop Your HR Project Management Skills
- Build HR Project Management Work Experience
- Get a Deep Understanding of HR Project Management
- Enhance Your HR Project Manager Resume
Learn HR Project Management Basics
To become an HR project manager, you must understand that human resources project managers are the soul of a project. This position has a great responsibility, from project planning to execution and closure. Due to this, this position also demands expertise in different areas. Here are the fundamentals of human resources project management that you must learn:
Project Initiation
This is the beginning of your HR project lifecycle. Your human resources team draws up a feasibility plan and defines the major objectives. At this phase, if important elements are missing to complete your project, you will communicate this to management through a feasibility study.
Project Planning
When the management permits the project to start operations, the time comes to plan the type and the order of tasks. You also draw up a budget for allocating the resources the company offered to you to complete the project. In HR, project planning also involves planning for external projects, as project managers will demand suitable staff for their projects.
Project Execution
This point is the core of the project—it involves fulfilling tasks and actions related to the project itself.
Project Monitoring and Control
Monitoring and controlling the actions means ensuring your team completes its tasks. You need to track what tasks the team performs to ensure there is no change of scope. In this field, monitoring and control also include time tracking of tasks related to projects so that you can understand how long similar projects will take in the future.
Project Closure
The last element is project closure, which refers to the project delivery. Some of its essential parts in HR include:
- Delivery of a final product to management
- Self-evaluation of staff and their performance
- General performance evaluation of the project team
Develop Your HR Project Management Skills
Hone the technical and workplace skills involved in HR project management. Below are some common skills requested in HR project manager job descriptions:
Human Resource Management
Those with the right HR skills on your team will lead to the project’s success. Human resource management lets you keep your team productive and helps you ensure a backup of resources at all times. HR project managers also train their team members on different project management approaches that appear to be an ideal fit for their project.
Project Management Approaches and Methodologies
Project management methodologies are processes and procedures that determine how you manage a project. These can help define, standardize, and execute techniques for task execution. There are different project management methodologies, each suitable for a different situation. You must know about various project management methodologies as a human resources project manager.
Project Management Software and Tools
In today’s world, communicating, collaborating, and sharing schedules across teams and stakeholders have become convenient. So, HR project managers must know how to use communication and collaboration software and take the lead in managing them. Some tools that HR project managers must know how to use are:
- Communication tools (email, chat, and video conferencing applications)
- Collaboration tools (Google Drive, Google Sheets, Dropbox)
- Scheduling tools (digital calendars and Gantt charts)
- Work management tools (Jira, Asana, Trello)
Communication
HR professionals liaise with workplace stakeholders, including executives, managers, and employees. Excellent oral and written communication are among the key skills for project management professionals. From empathy and discussions to conflict resolution, the nature of this position demands interaction with different kinds of people and situations throughout the day.
For all these reasons, effective communication is vital to ensuring that all employees know the goals and share a common understanding of what is required.
Leadership
Leadership helps all parts of a project team come and work together as a unit to achieve a goal. It involves influencing decisions without getting authoritative, knowing how to motivate team members, and balancing the team’s requirements with the project needs. So, developing leadership skills is essential to enhance your skill set. A good project manager helps instill the company’s values into its culture and ensures all workers have and uphold its values through implementing its policies and practices.
Time Management
Since HR project managers act as liaisons between multiple parties, they must have good time management skills. They need to ensure the on-time delivery of all tasks and that HR projects progress as per the plan.
Human resources professionals are responsible for different time-sensitive tasks, including employee documentation – sending out employee contracts and arranging benefits; meetings – scheduling employee appraisals and performance reviews, discussions with HODs, and interviews with prospective and existing employees; compliance – following policies and practices on time and ensuring the company has met its legal obligations concerning compliance matters. With good time management skills, HR professionals can prioritize tasks from different departments daily.
Risk Management
Like others, no HR project comes with potential risks. A good HR project manager must have an eye for potential risks and know how to mitigate them for smoother project delivery. You must be able to identify when and how unanticipated events that could derail your project might happen, how to control the chances of them occurring, and how to handle them if they do.
Organization
The organization is important for all project managers. You must have organizational skills to focus on tasks and coordinate timelines, meetings, and efforts with various teams and other companies. These skills can take different forms according to your workplace and job title, but they involve maintaining an organized workspace, meeting due dates, and communicating well with your HR team.
Budgeting
Many human resources projects will have budget constraints. You must know where costs might increase and how to prioritize tasks and delegate resources to ensure the project remains under the budget. While you might be the second person responsible for managing the project budgets for a large organization, it is good to know what elements can increase the budget, how to reduce the costs, and when to improve it.
Overall, you can develop skills by taking courses specific to project management and human resources or practicing them in the workplace.
Education and Certification
A solid educational foundation is essential to becoming a successful HR project manager. A bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field is required. This academic background provides the necessary knowledge of HR principles and business practices.
In addition to a degree, obtaining certifications can significantly enhance your credentials and demonstrate your expertise in HR project management. Certifications such as the Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) or the Project Management Professional (PMP) are highly regarded in the industry. These certifications, offered by professional organizations like the Project Management Institute (PMI) or the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), validate your skills and knowledge in project management.
Pursuing these certifications involves rigorous training and passing comprehensive exams, but the effort is well worth it. They boost your resume and equip you with advanced project management techniques and methodologies crucial for managing HR projects effectively.
Build HR Project Management Work Experience
Most of the time, employers prefer candidates with some professional experience in HR project management. Some companies prefer your experience as an HR project manager over your degree. While some people work at nonprofit organizations where they can manage HR projects, others choose to freelance to work as human resources project managers. Looking for jobs as a human resource project manager may also help you learn the skills you need to become one.
Understand HR Project Management
Getting a detailed understanding of human resources project management and focusing on your business’s strategic objectives and resources are a lot to do. Certifications can help you master your skills and give you the confidence to get your foot in the door for HR project management jobs.
Enhance Your HR Project Manager Resume
After getting work experience and essential skills in the human resources field, take some time to enhance your resume. Check HR project manager job listings, from entry-level to executive positions, to find out what companies are looking for. Highlight all the qualifications you have that go with the job requirements and feature them on your resume. While mentioning your previous job responsibilities, use action verbs to describe the tasks and emphasize any quantifiable outcomes.
Preparing for Job Applications and Interviews
When preparing for job applications and interviews, HR project managers should focus on showcasing their skills, experience, and education. Your resume is your first impression, so make it count. Highlight key qualifications such as project management, human resources, and leadership skills. Use action verbs like “managed,” “created,” and “improved” to describe your experience and achievements.
Quantifiable outcomes can make your resume stand out. For example, instead of simply stating that you managed a project, mention that you “increased project efficiency by 25%.” This provides concrete evidence of your impact and effectiveness.
Tailor your resume to the specific job requirements and company needs. Research the company and the role you are applying for, and align your resume to highlight the most relevant skills and experiences. During interviews, be prepared to discuss your past projects in detail, explaining how you managed project budgets, handled risks, and led your team to success.
Staying Up-to-Date with Industry Trends
In the ever-evolving field of HR project management, staying up-to-date with industry trends is crucial. Continuous development of technical and workplace skills, such as proficiency in project management software, data analysis, and effective communication, is essential.
HR project managers should also stay informed about the latest HR principles, practices, and procedures. Attending conferences, workshops, and webinars can provide valuable insights into current trends and best practices. These events offer opportunities to learn from industry experts and network with other HR professionals.
Networking is another key aspect of staying current. Engaging with other HR professionals allows you to share knowledge, experiences, and strategies. Joining professional organizations and online forums can also help you stay connected with the latest developments in HR project management.
By continuously enhancing your skills and staying informed about industry trends, you can ensure that you remain a valuable asset to your organization and contribute to the success of HR projects.
Wrapping Up
Human resources project management is about ensuring that project teams have the required time, skills, resources, and direction they need to meet the project objectives and create value for the company. To become an HR project manager, you need to have excellent communication and organizational skills and relevant education and work experience. In addition to following the above-mentioned steps, you can also join different courses on HR project management. So, become a human resources project manager now and improve the odds of a successful project by helping the team work in an efficient and effective manner.
