How to assess HR manager skills

How do you ensure your business treats employees well, keeps recruitment costs down, and maximizes profits? For many companies, maintaining all three at once is difficult.

The simple solution is to hire a skilled HR manager. But since they are responsible for a large part of your company's operations, how can you make sure you hire the right person? Recruiting an unskilled candidate could be catastrophic for your business.

Through skills-based hiring and pre-employment assessments from TestGorilla, you can easily hire the best candidate for your open HR manager position.

This guide will explore the best process for hiring an HR manager and explain the fundamentals of HR manager skills, why they’re important, and what you can do to assess them in your candidates.

What is an HR manager skills assessment?

An HR manager skills assessment consists of several tests that evaluate the qualities and traits necessary to be a great HR manager. They test a combination of hard and soft skills, from how candidates cope with conflict mediation to their knowledge of specialized HR strategies.

When you screen candidates for your HR manager position, you need to know that they possess all the right qualities. This goes for both HR skills and interpersonal abilities. By screening applicants with an HR manager skills assessment, you can evaluate various parts of their personality and knowledge base.

Here are the key aspects HR manager skills assessment tests should cover:

• HR skills

• Conflict resolution abilities

• Critical thinking and problem solving

• Data analysis and strategy skills

• Leadership traits

An HR manager skills test will assess additional abilities, but these are the core skills that should be thoroughly evaluated. A pre-employment assessment from TestGorilla can test candidates on these skills, helping you recruit top talent for your company.

Why are HR manager skills important?

HR manager skills are essential so your new hire can make sure the company continues to run smoothly and efficiently. Without this particular set of skills, your new HR manager will likely manage their team and strategies ineffectively, potentially causing internal conflict, inadequate business outcomes, and a toxic workplace.

An HR manager is responsible for your company’s inner workings, so you must hire someone with the right skills. An underqualified person in such a senior position is likely to harm your business, your clients, and your employees.

Here are four reasons why your next HR manager should possess the appropriate set of skills:

1. Conflict mediation

HR manager skills undoubtedly assist in conflict resolution and mediation. The interpersonal skills that a great HR manager possesses will ensure that any office disputes are resolved quickly and painlessly, with all parties assured of a fair outcome.

This creates a culture of fairness at your company. Employees will feel comfortable fighting for justice, knowing they will be treated fairly and given time to plead their case. Similarly, upper-level management staff will be reassured of fair punishment for any misdemeanors and inappropriate behavior among their employees.

2. Confidentiality

Confidentiality is another key reason why your new hire should possess the relevant HR manager skills. As previously discussed, the human resources department plays a huge role in conflict mediation and complaints. An HR manager can only create a safe and friendly workplace atmosphere by upholding strict confidentiality procedures.

If employees are not assured of complete confidentiality, the overall company culture is prone to deteriorate. Employee dissatisfaction grows, resignations and absences increase, and your business’s reputation as a great place to work evaporates.

Communication and emotional intelligence are two parts of the HR manager skill set that can improve confidentiality practices and foster a healthy workplace. As such, ensure you test for these skills in all your candidates.

3. Creating a positive workplace

HR managers with the appropriate HR skills can foster a positive and friendly work environment. A high-performing HR manager's interpersonal abilities, non-judgmental guidance, and smart hiring skills combine to create a workplace where employees feel valued and comfortable.

This brings a wealth of additional benefits. For one, employees are less likely to resign if they enjoy the atmosphere at work. Staff turnover levels fall, as do disengagement and dispute figures. In their place, brand reputation grows, and you’ll find that many more applicants want to join your company. Employee productivity and performance also increase, promoting long-term growth and success.

4. Better business strategy

Although a large part of being an HR manager is people-centric, another significant portion involves business strategy. HR manager skills will equip your new hire with the right knowledge and critical thinking to form coherent and successful strategies, from recruitment to internal talent mobility.

This will bring vast benefits to your business. For one, your HR manager will have the capacity to rapidly address any unexpected departures by implementing a sensible talent acquisition strategy. Additionally, they can establish and improve client relations and take charge of any existing and future outsourcing strategies. This enhances growth, brand reputation, and profitability.

Which skills and traits are important for HR management?

HR managers need an array of different skills to be successful in their role. Only a particular combination of soft and hard skills will make a candidate suitable for this role. For instance, a wealth of industry knowledge is meaningless without interpersonal skills and good communication. Similarly, an intelligent and organized person will only succeed with a solid grasp of HR fundamentals.

So, which skills make a top HR manager? Here’s what you should look out for when screening candidates for an HR manager position:

HR expertise

Every HR manager should know the industry inside and out. To succeed in their role, applicants should demonstrate a high degree of knowledge and expertise regarding human resources. They should be familiar with HR strategies, ethical practices, and advanced organizational approaches.

As a senior figure, employees look to the HR manager for guidance. Operational issues could emerge if they lack the necessary skill set and industry expertise required to support their subordinates. In other words, your business could face real internal struggles if you hire an ill-equipped HR manager.

Communication

Communication skills are essential for HR managers as they connect the business with its employees. They provide the middle ground between senior management figures and frontline workers and often play a vital role in facilitating and maintaining their relationship.

On the one hand, HR managers advocate for the employee; they must present themselves as approachable and welcoming to ensure staff members feel comfortable in their roles. On the other hand, they represent the employer and must accommodate the needs and demands of the senior figures in the business.

This requires exceptional communication skills. HR managers must be able to interact both formally and informally without a problem, switching codes frequently throughout a typical day. They must ensure their speech and writing are clear and inoffensive, conducting themselves in a friendly yet professional manner at all times.

Conflict resolution

Similarly, HR managers must display adept conflict-resolution skills. As a senior figure in the department, an HR manager will be frequently confronted with internal problems, disagreements, and general conflict. This could include pay disputes, unfair treatment, and even sexual harassment claims.

It’s an HR manager’s job to resolve these conflicts in the fairest and quickest way possible. They must successfully balance the employee's demands against the company's limitations, ensuring that both parties receive a fair outcome.

As a result, it’s highly important that you gauge whether an applicant has conflict-resolution abilities. You could ask questions about past experiences in this area or give example scenarios that you can role-play. Either way, make sure your next HR manager can reach appropriate resolutions before any conflicts arise.

Leadership

Leadership skills are fundamental for an HR manager. The candidate who wins the position will be given a lot of responsibility in their new role, so they must possess the qualities to be able to manage this. Leadership skills can involve:

• Delegation of tasks

• Conflict mediation

• Strategic planning

• Supporting employees

• Problem solving

• Quick and smart decision making

An HR manager is a senior figure in their department, which means they are responsible for fostering a happy, healthy workplace atmosphere. Toxic work environments are one of the leading causes of employee attrition, and your HR manager plays a pivotal role in this.

According to a recent Gallup study, 66% of US employees are disengaged from their jobs. Senior figures can increase staff satisfaction levels with the right management style and workplace environment. As a result, an HR manager should possess strong leadership qualities.

Data analysis

Although a lot of human resources work involves people management and interpersonal skills, an HR manager also needs a strong data analysis skill set.

Analyzing data is difficult to master, but it’s a skill that every HR manager needs to perform well in their job, as interpreting data for strategic planning and conflict mediation purposes is an important part of the role. Invoices, payslips, attendance records, and productivity figures are all data sources that may require some analysis.

Having the appropriate data analysis skills will equip an HR manager with the right tools to interpret and utilize the data correctly. They can identify trends, spot areas of improvement, and direct their strategies according to the data.

Organization

Organizational skills are essential for HR managers since they are responsible for the entire human resources department. Your next HR manager should be able to keep on top of everything comfortably and set the pace of the department, allowing time to support others and plan their staff’s core schedule.

Organizational skills cannot be overlooked in the hiring process. Look for candidates who seem calm, assured, and level-headed; it’s never a good sign if an applicant is late for an interview. A degree of self-confidence is also welcomed. 

Hiring an HR manager with top organizational skills will ensure deadlines are met, employees are well-managed, and clients aren’t left frustrated.

Skills and traits tests

Skills-based hiring is the future of employment. Traditional methods of checking resumes result in skewed and inaccurate judgments of candidates’ true characters and skills. As a recruiter, you need to know that every interview you give will be worth your time.

To find the best HR manager for your company, use a TestGorilla pre-employment skills assessment. By the end, you’ll have a better insight into who’s worth interviewing and who didn’t live up to their (now doubtful) resume.

Here are four of our most relevant screening tests you can use to hire your next HR manager:

HR management

Our HR management test will determine whether or not your candidates are fit for the role of HR manager. Applicants will be evaluated on their relationship management and leadership skills, as well as their critical knowledge of human resources.

This assessment covers both hard and soft skills, testing as much industry-specific knowledge as situational awareness. Candidates will be evaluated on everything from hiring and firing to their abilities to build trust and foster a productive work environment.

With this test, you can identify candidates with qualities that make a standout HR manager. You’ll sort the senior-level applicants from the less-experienced ones and find those with the right skills to fit into your company. After you’ve sourced a cleverly refined list of top-quality candidates, you can then interview each one to assess their personalities.

HR fundamentals

Similar to the HR management test, the HR fundamentals assessment will evaluate candidates on their knowledge of human resources. Just like the previous test, this assessment covers a mix of hard and soft skills. The level of industry knowledge tested, however, is more basic.

Candidates are assessed on business acumen, human resources expertise, and relationship management skills. These are essential qualities an HR manager must possess, but many senior figures haven’t been tested on the basics for some time. Therefore, it’s worth re-evaluating HR manager candidates' fundamental HR knowledge during the screening process.

Culture add

An HR manager is responsible for establishing a welcoming and non-toxic workplace environment. With this in mind, you need to determine that the person you hire suits your company’s philosophy and values. Our Culture add test is the ideal approach to assessing this.

This assessment takes the form of a survey in which candidates choose the values and behaviors that mean the most to them. Before the test, you fill in a similar questionnaire ranking the traits your business values the most. Results will show how closely each applicant aligns with your company culture and whether they will fit your firm well.

Leadership and people management

As a senior figure, your next HR manager must possess strong leadership capabilities. This involves striking a balance between being firm and fair, as well as offering guidance and understanding to each of their subordinates individually. Additionally, people management is intrinsic to human resources and, as such, a vital part of the job role of an HR manager.

Our Leadership and people management test evaluates these qualities through a series of scenario-type questions. Candidates are invited to share how they would manage certain situations, assessing their conflict resolution, mediation, and delegation abilities. This test will ensure you hire a capable and competent HR manager.

HR management skills assessment FAQs

Here are some questions you may be considering in regard to HR manager skills assessment and recruitment:

What is the role of an HR manager?

The human resources department plays a key role in shaping your company’s growth. An HR manager oversees recruitment, outsourcing strategies, and employee welfare, among other responsibilities. They also manage the day-to-day operations within the company, such as resolving pay-related disputes and handling complaints. 

What are the top 5 skills for HR?

An HR manager needs a comprehensive mix of both hard and soft skills to succeed in their role. The five most important skills are:

• Communication

• Conflict resolution

• Leadership

• HR expertise

• Organization

HR managers should combine these skills rather than focus on a particular one. The role is as much about managing people as it is about implementing strategies and knowledge.

Why should I hire an HR manager?

HR managers are responsible for staff management, internal conflict mediation, and recruitment strategies. They are in charge of who your company hires and fires, as well as the links between frontline staff and senior management. You should therefore hire a skilled HR manager to ensure your company develops effectively and your workplace runs smoothly.

How TestGorilla can help you find a skilled HR manager

You need a skilled HR manager to ensure your business runs smoothly and efficiently. Only someone with the right qualifications and traits can successfully manage staff, resolve internal conflicts, and direct comprehensive talent acquisition strategies.

TestGorilla’s test library and blog resources can help you hire a top HR manager for your company. Using our pre-employment tests, you can filter out the best from the rest and ensure that everyone you invite for an interview is worth your time. Then, you can use our list of interview questions for HR managers to identify the true high-performers.

Get started with TestGorilla

A TestGorilla skills assessment provides a more accurate and comprehensive method of screening candidates. Backed by scientific research and leading recruitment experts, our user-friendly service allows you to test applicants for the most valuable and relevant skills to your open role.

In this way, you can thoroughly analyze a candidate’s knowledge and personality of a given topic. You can tailor your assessments to any position you want, including the HR manager role, to evaluate only the essential skills, avoiding an unnecessarily drawn-out and expensive recruitment process.

If you want to hire the best, put them to the test. Get started with a free TestGorilla plan today and hire a top HR manager for your company.