HR managers play an essential role in the growth and continued success of any business. These human resources experts plan, coordinate and direct a range of administrative functions—including staffing, performance evaluation, and employee motivation. Organizations thrive or fail on the efforts of their leadership, which is why it’s so important to find an exceptional candidate for your HR manager position.
At HR Personnel Services, we connect businesses across the nation with outstanding human resources professionals. Our experience in recruiting and executive search provides each partner with highly qualified HR candidates who complement their unique culture—and drive meaningful business results. Today, we’ll be walking you through how to hire a human resources manager to ensure you find the best HR employee for your small business.
Assessing Your HR Needs
Every small business approaches human resources differently. You may be splitting HR tasks between your leadership team, working with temporary HR staff on an interim basis, or even using a contract-to-hire HR staffing model to tackle duties as they emerge. In any case, it’s vital to review the needs you’ll need your new HR manager to fulfill—as well as how they’ll complement your overarching HR strategy.
What are the gaps in your current HR duties? Are you struggling with hiring, employee engagement, or strategic guidance? All of these considerations will impact which HR professional you should look for. For example, if your business needs to grow its HR department aggressively, then you should connect with an experienced HR manager with the confidence and capacity to build their own team. However, if your recruiting budget is smaller—or if you just need assistance with simpler daily tasks—then consider finding a less experienced (but promising) HR manager. You can always promote this individual as they develop their experience, or hire on a more experienced leader to suit your business needs.
Crafting Your HR Job Description
Now that you’ve reviewed the HR tasks and initiatives your business needs help with, it’s time to express them on a job description. Along with attracting potential candidates, this document will help your team develop a set of tailored interview questions once you do have prospective hires come through the door.
While it may seem trivial at first, writing a great job description is an art. You’ll need to express exactly what type of candidate you’re looking for while selling the benefits of joining your team. Focus on summarizing the role in a clear and engaging way—and be sure to include a well-written list of core responsibilities. Listing qualifications and skill requirements is also very important, and will help dissuade underqualified candidates from applying for the role.
Last but not least, provide some insight into the culture and shared values of your company throughout the job description. While experience and education are key considerations for new employees, culture fit is equally essential. Include some details on your organization’s mission, vision and culture to find like-minded candidates who will complement the rest of your team. You can even list a few personality traits you’d love to see in prospective hires. Don’t be afraid to showcase your team’s unique spirit here; the right candidates will recognize and appreciate the effort.
Sharing & Promoting Your Post
Which hiring channels work best when searching for an HR manager? The good news is that there’s no single right answer, especially if you have a strong professional network. LinkedIn is a great place to start posting your HR job—as are platforms like Monster and Glassdoor. You should also look into posting on specialty-specific channels like HR Jobs.
Be sure to leverage your personal network, too. Email your job post out to connections who might know about promising candidates. You’ll often have better luck with personally recommended candidates for human resources jobs than random online applicants.
This is also the perfect time to think about connecting with an HR recruiting and staffing organization. For example, HR Personnel Services is a nationwide leader specializing exclusively in the search and recruitment of HR professionals for businesses. No matter the size of your business, we can help you find exceptional HR candidates that align with your professional needs and culture.
Evaluating & Interviewing Candidates
Once you’ve shared your HR job description with the world, start building out a list of interview questions for ideal candidates. Every interviewer has a unique approach, but it’s usually best to focus on questions that encourage candidates to share relevant experiences. For instance, you might ask interviewees to discuss a situation where they built or lead an HR team. Similarly, you might quiz them on which HR company policies they would invest in—or how they would handle an underperforming employee.
Here’s a list of some of the best questions to ask in an HR interview. Feel free to tweak these based on your company’s unique situation. As you interview new candidates who apply, take the time to evaluate some of their softer skills, too. Outstanding HR managers come in many forms, but there are a few common qualities that unite them. Take special note of candidates who are good listeners—and those who can gracefully (and tactfully) present their thoughts and ideas.
Most importantly, try to test how well each candidate will fit with your business culture. You could ask them open-ended questions about how they view your vision and mission—or ask them to describe their ideal work culture to see how well it aligns with your own.
Hire the Perfect HR Manager for Your Business
These steps will help guide you to the right HR manager for your team, but you don’t have to go through this process alone. It can take a long time (and significant effort) to find the right candidate—but all that changes when you partner with HR Personnel Services. We’re here to make the HR hiring process fast, efficient, and stress-free.
We’ve been recognized by Forbes as one of “America’s Best Recruiting Firms” for two years in a row—and can take the hassle of finding and interviewing candidates off your plate entirely. No matter what kind of HR professional you’re looking for, HR Personnel Services is here to help connect you with exceptional candidates who match your goals and business culture.
Contact us today to learn more about how our HR staffing solutions can bring brilliant candidates to your doorstep quickly and affordably. You can also reach out for more information on how to hire the right HR manager—and what makes us different from other human resources recruitment firms on your radar.
