How to Improve Your Technical Skills as a VP of Human Resources

As a VP of Human Resources, it's essential to have a strong understanding of the technological landscape to effectively lead your team and organization to success. The modern business environment has seen a massive shift toward digitalization, resulting in a fast-changing landscape for HR leaders. Regardless of your experience level, staying ahead of the curve in terms of technology and understanding technical skills is crucial. In this article, we'll explore practical steps that you can take to improve your technical knowledge and skills as an HR leader.

Understanding the Importance of Technical Skills for HR Leaders

It's no longer enough to be proficient in traditional HR competencies like employee relations, talent management, and recruitment. As technology continues to infiltrate all areas of business operations, including HR, it's crucial that HR leaders also develop technical skills. This way, they can better position themselves to be influential contributors and offer informed guidance to the organization's digital transformation journey.

HR leaders are now expected to be more than just experts in traditional HR practices. They must also have a deep understanding of the latest technological advancements and how they can be leveraged to drive business success. This evolution has led to the creation of new roles such as HR data scientist and HR BI analyst, which require a combination of technical and HR skills.

The Evolving Role of HR in the Digital Age

The role of HR leaders has seen an evolution thanks to digital revolution, with the demand for new roles such as HR data scientist and HR BI analyst. As a result, the importance of adapting to the new ways of working has become increasingly necessary. This adaptability involves developing technological skills and an interest in trends such as AI, Blockchain, and RPA.

HR leaders must stay up-to-date with the latest technology trends and understand how they can be applied to HR functions to drive business success. For example, AI can be used to automate mundane tasks like resume screening, freeing up HR professionals to focus on more strategic activities like employee engagement and retention.

Key Technical Skills for HR Leaders

As an HR leader, there are several essential technical skills to develop. These include data analysis, HR analytics, project management, cloud computing, cybersecurity, social media management, and digital marketing skills. By mastering these skills, HR leaders can better position themselves to leverage technology to make more informed decisions regarding recruitment, training, and development, among other HR-related functions.

Data analysis skills are particularly important for HR leaders, as they enable them to make data-driven decisions. HR analytics can help identify trends in employee behavior, enabling HR teams to make necessary changes to improve employee engagement and retention. Project management skills are also essential, as they enable HR leaders to manage HR projects more effectively and efficiently.

The Connection Between Technical Skills and Strategic Decision-Making

With the increased demand for technology in HR, it is becoming essential for HR leaders to incorporate technical skills in strategic decision-making. For instance, HR leaders with data analysis skills can identify patterns in employees' behavior, helping HR teams identify potential friction points and make necessary changes. These technical skills also allow HR to develop key metrics to demonstrate the ROI of programs like employee training and development, creating a more data-driven HR function.

In conclusion, the importance of technical skills for HR leaders cannot be overstated. HR leaders must stay up-to-date with the latest technological advancements and understand how they can be applied to HR functions to drive business success. By developing technical skills, HR leaders can better position themselves to be influential contributors and offer informed guidance to the organization's digital transformation journey.

Assessing Your Current Technical Skillset

Before embarking on your technical skills improvement journey, it's crucial to assess your current level of knowledge. This self-examination should involve answering questions such as what areas you need to improve on, what skills you are proficient in, and what new skills you need to acquire. However, this is just the beginning of the process.

Assessing your current technical skillset requires a more in-depth analysis that goes beyond just answering a few questions. It's essential to evaluate your skills from different perspectives and gather feedback from different sources. Here are some additional steps you can take to assess your technical skillset thoroughly:

Identifying Your Strengths and Weaknesses

Developing a deep understanding of your strengths and weaknesses will guide your technical upskilling journey. Once you have identified your strengths, you can leverage them to refresh your skill set. Meanwhile, pinpointing your weaknesses can help you structure your learning plan and prioritize your focus areas.

To identify your strengths and weaknesses, you need to be honest with yourself. You can start by asking yourself questions such as:

• What technical tasks do I excel at?
• What technical tasks do I struggle with?
• What technical skills do I enjoy using?
• What technical skills do I avoid using?

Answering these questions will give you a better understanding of your technical abilities and help you identify areas for improvement.

Seeking Feedback from Colleagues and Team Members

It's enlightening to obtain feedback from team members and colleagues, especially those with diverse skillsets. This feedback can be used to identify areas for improvement and opportunities for growth. This feedback process can be formal or informal, with many organisations adopting the wide practice of 360 feedback reviews that produce feedback from an employee’s co-workers, managers, and direct reports.

When seeking feedback, it's essential to be open-minded and receptive to constructive criticism. You can ask your colleagues and team members questions such as:

• What technical skills do you think I excel at?
• What technical skills do you think I need to improve on?
• What technical skills do you think I should learn next?

Listening to feedback from others can help you gain a different perspective on your technical abilities and identify areas for improvement.

Utilizing Online Assessment Tools

Many online tools offer skills assessment tests to determine your level of proficiency in specific areas. For instance, assessments can help measure your skill level in excel, and cloud computing. These online assessments are particularly helpful for developing personalized learning plans that suit individual learning needs.

When using online assessment tools, it's essential to choose reputable ones that provide accurate results. You can also take multiple assessments to get a more comprehensive understanding of your technical abilities.

By taking these additional steps to assess your technical skillset, you can develop a more well-rounded understanding of your abilities and identify areas for improvement. This will help you create a more effective technical upskilling plan and achieve your career goals.

Developing a Personalised Learning Plan

Now that you have identified the skills you need and assessed your current knowledge, it's time to put together a personalized learning plan. The following steps will help guide your learning journey:

Setting Realistic Goals and Timeframes

Your personalized learning plan should include specific goals and objectives for your skill improvement journey. Each objective should have a realistic timeframe for achievement. This will help keep you focused on your end targets and keep you motivated to see the journey through to its end.

Prioritizing the Most Relevant Technical Skills

Choose the most essential technical skills you need to develop current based on the most pressing needs of the organization. For instance, if the company has decided to embrace HR-Digital Transformation, then it helps prioritize skills related to cloud computing and HR workflows automation handy. This will not only ensure quick wins but will create a significant impact on decision-making.

Incorporating Different Learning Methods

Learning a new skill requires time and dedication, and there isn't a one-size-fits-all approach. Everyone has different preferred learning styles, and there are multiple methods that are effective. Your learning plan should be structured around your preferred learning method(s). Online resources such as Edx, Coursera, Udemy, and Udacity offer various courses covering technical skills in HR, and in many cases, these courses are available for free. Coaching, mentoring, and peer learning communities are also popular - this is where learners get to learn from each other's experiences and acquired knowledge.

Expanding Your Knowledge of HR Technologies

As an HR leader, you must keep up with the changing world of HR tech. The following tips will help you stay current:

Staying Updated on HR Tech Trends

HR tech is a broad category, and new trends are consistently emerging. To stay abreast of developments in HR tech, subscribe to newsletters, attend webinars, and read publications that cover HR tech.

For instance, attending webinars can be an excellent way to learn about the latest trends in HR tech. Webinars allow you to interact with industry experts, ask questions, and get a better understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing HR leaders. Additionally, newsletters can keep you informed of new software releases, updates, and other critical information that can impact your organization.

Exploring HR Software and Tools

There are countless tools and software available to streamline HR operations. By keeping an eye on available and testing HR technologies, you will better position yourself to decide which tools will be most beneficial to your team and help your organization's digital transformation journey.

For instance, HR software can help automate tasks such as payroll processing, benefits administration, and compliance reporting. This automation can save HR leaders time and reduce the risk of errors. Additionally, tools such as employee engagement platforms can help improve employee satisfaction and retention rates, which can have a significant impact on the bottom line.

Leveraging HR Analytics for Data-Driven Decision Making

Data analytics has become an essential tool in the HR function and possesses enormous potential to influence HR decision-making. This situation is why it's necessary for HR leaders to be well-versed in HR analytics and be comfortable using data to inform business decisions. A sound grounding in HR analytics can also help in identifying gaps in the HR function, create metrics to measure their effectiveness and staying informed in the latest research in the domain.

For instance, HR analytics can help HR leaders identify trends in employee turnover, understand the impact of employee engagement initiatives, and identify areas for improvement in the recruitment process. By leveraging data, HR leaders can make informed decisions that are grounded in objective information rather than subjective opinions.

In conclusion, staying up-to-date on HR tech trends, exploring new software and tools, and leveraging HR analytics can help HR leaders make informed decisions that drive business success. By investing in HR technologies, HR leaders can streamline processes, improve employee satisfaction, and drive organizational growth.

Conclusion

As technology continues to gain traction in the workplace, HR leaders who fail to embrace digital transformation will get left behind. It's time to sharpen your technical skills and build up your knowledge of HR tech. This article provided practical guidance for identifying the technical skills you need, creating a learning plan, and staying current with HR tech trends. With these steps, you are well-poised to leverage your technical skills to add more value to your organization and lead your team to success.