Human resources job hunters with generalist skills are the most in demand these days.
That's what a study by the Society for Human Resource Management found when 423 human resources professionals offered input to an email survey designed to find out who hiring managers consider prime candidates today and to test the job market confidence levels of respondents.
Big picture, the results suggest the hiring market is sluggish for HR professionals, with only 27 percent of companies indicating they were currently seeking to fill HR positions. That's up from 20 percent in January 2014 but shows no change since December 2014. Small companies basically aren't filling such positions at all; 99 percent of those that are hiring self identified as large employers.
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For those that are hiring, generalist skills are most in demand.
When asked what HR skills sets they were mainly looking for, 55 percent of hiring managers said they were targeting generalists. Next on the list: 24 percent said they were seeking candidates with employment and recruiting experience; 16 percent identified benefits experience as their No. 1 priority; 13 percent cited employee relations skills; and another 13 percent said they were looking for candidates with training and development backgrounds.
Job seekers are confident despite the evidence of stagnant hiring. Nearly nine in 10 potential job hoppers said they felt confident they could land a new position, with 59 percent saying they were "somewhat confident" they could do so and 29 percent saying they were "very confident." This confidence level has increased over the last 18 months.
The survey also found that higher pay was the most-cited cause for job-shopping, at 37 percent, with another 33 percent saying they wanted a job with "better career advancement opportunities." Concern about their current job security was expressed by about a quarter of those who responded, down from earlier surveys.
"Hiring for HR positions depends greatly on the size of the company," said Jen Schramm, SHRM's manager of workforce trends. "Larger companies employ more HR professionals so it makes sense that they are more likely to report that they are trying to fill HR positions, especially during a jobs recovery. Improvements in the job market are also making HR professionals more confident about seeking out new opportunities for themselves."
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Dan Cook
Dan Cook is a journalist and communications consultant based in Portland, OR. During his journalism career he has been a reporter and editor for a variety of media companies, including American Lawyer Media, BusinessWeek, Newhouse Newspapers, Knight-Ridder, Time Inc., and Reuters. He specializes in health care and insurance related coverage for BenefitsPRO.
