To attract the brightest and best into HR, what key skills and attitudes should organisations be looking for in their next generation of HR recruits?

The main skills that organisations need from the next generation of new recruits to HR are clearly business acumen, relationship management, leadership, and change management but also around creativity and intuition - I guess basically all the skills needed to develop business leaders of the future, the fact that its looking at HR should make no difference.   All the skills should be supported with attitudes that demonstrate high personal resilience with the individual able to bounce back and be receptive to challenge: courage to take risks and make bold and often unpopular decisions: high energy: and the can-do attitude that delivers.   Organisations should steer clear of explicit policy writing skills and attitudes that reinforce the thankfully diminishing view that HR is good at saying no and pointing at the rule book!      

I have interviewed hundreds of HR candidates in my time within the profession across a number of different sectors and the most important attribute that candidates must possess is commercial acumen.In reality it should be a given that candidates have the right level of HR experience and understanding to be considered for the role, in effect that’s the ticket for the dance floor of the application process. In addition they will need to be self aware and demonstrate the ability to learn themselves, have a clear vision of their own career, have drive, passion and energy for what they do and have some clear demonstrable evidence of what they have delivered, how they have contributed and what were the benefits.Whilst these are necessary, the real distinction comes from their ability to relate everything they do to the organisational or business value. They need to be able to think like the line managers that they will be supporting and to be as fleet of foot commercially. Generally this will require a sound educational background based upon good business experience. A good grasp of the levers that affect P&L, balance sheet and company value or critical.      

There are a four key skills I look for in HR recruits today:First - political skills – lobbying others, the ability to share a vision, cutting deals to move forward, and being on message.Second – marketing skills – using a variety of tools to market products, services, and employment brand.Third – financial and business skills – an understanding of inward flowing finances, an understanding of the cost of sales, an understanding of where our money is spent and potential impacts on costs such as government policy on pensions, and where we should be investing for the future.Fourth - entrepreneurial skills – insight into consumers, an ability to identify market options, an ability to create business opportunities, and pride in the organisation.      

When we are bringing in interns or talented new graduates to join the Talent & Rewards team at Towers Watson, we look first for individuals who are bright, energetic, quick and eager to learn as well as those who are interested in business. We also look for a strong drive and analytical ability as well as excellent inter-personal skills and a strong service ethic.Organisations need the next generation of HR professionals to be credible; get to grips with vast amounts of data (what we call in Towers Watson ‘logic-based analytics’); understand how value is created in their company, how each employee contributes and how to segment policy frameworks accordingly; assess confidently different kinds of risks, manage and mitigate; optimise investments in people and HR delivery.