3. Unleashing the Power of Diversity by Bjorn Z. Ekelund is the best book for someone just getting started in the HR field. It deals with why diversity matters in the workforce and how it is changing across the world. It also describes the importance of effective communication and how to apply those in the real world. It teaches beginners about Improvement in communication and diversity and describes the various aspect of these two topics, such as the viability and sustainability of diversity.
The book is written by the owner of Netflix and the Netflix journey through a HR and culture lens. There are so many awesome nuggets of wisdom in the book as it pulls the curtain back on how this media giant scaled to where it is today. Some of my favorite lessons include: 1. Lead with context not control. You hire great people, let them help you forge the way to success as an organization. 2. Have an employee ranking system-This sounds cold but it's a reality business leaders have to embrace. It address the thought process around retention of top talent. 3. Turn your TA team into market 007s: Netflix encouraged employees to take recruiter calls and ask for the compensation of the role. They would then report that information to TA who kept it in a database. Working with compensation, Netflix was able to leverage real time data to focus on retaining top talent. There are so many great pieces of advice in this book, definitely worth the read.
The field of HR has many different types of roles in it, the common factor being expertise in the "human" experience. If you are new to HR and don't have much history coaching people through sensitive problems, I recommend "What Color Is Your Parachute" as a great book to start your journey. Go through it as a recipient to have a better understanding of where you can add value in the HR field: - If you are more interested in getting to know people and driven by hitting clear targeted goals, you may fit well in Recruiting. - If you are introverted and great with numbers, perhaps People Operations or Comp/Ben. - If you are a big idea person and good at persuasion, perhaps HR Generalist to HRBP is your track. After completing this book you will feel more confident in your selected path and can reference the content with others to help them on their own development. This will make you extremely valuable as you develop your skills and pursue a career in any HR role.
As an aspiring HR professional, getting on top of the profession requires skills and knowledge. Books remain a vital source of important data in a world where information is abundant. The book HR on Purpose offers a refreshing insight into the HR profession in the most intriguing ways. It gives forth what HR entails through an engaging assortment of real-life examples, insights, and epiphanies. Through these, it encourages practitioners and, most importantly, prospective practitioners to drop their preconceptions of what HR should be and instead focus on what HR could be. It provides insightful information in the most engaging ways possible.
The best HR book for someone just getting started - or looking to get started - in HR is the Human Resources Management Guidebook by Lisa Guerin and Sarah White. This book is a comprehensive guide to HR, and covers topics such as hiring and firing, benefits and compensation, and workplace harassment. The book is an excellent resource for beginners, and provides a wealth of information that can be used to create and implement an effective HR strategy.