Chief Human Resource Officers (CHRO) oversee critical elements of a company’s success, such as its talent management, retention and succession planning. Hiring a talented CHRO is key to successfully growing any company. It takes a special set of skills to fulfill CHRO roles and responsibilities, which is why employers must familiarize themselves with the responsibilities before finding the ideal candidate. What should your ideal CHRO candidate look like? What expectations do you have for the CHRO role?
At Recruiterie, we are committed to helping you find culturally-aligned talent that supports your Human Resource goals. In this article, we examine different factors to consider when hiring a CHRO. Keep reading to discover what a successful Chief Human Resource Officer job description should contain, what to look for in a resume, and important CHRO roles and responsibilities to consider.
A Comprehensive Guide to Hiring a CHRO
Chief Human Resource Officer Job Summary
Begin by formulating an excellent Chief Human Resource Officer job description to ensure that ideal candidates know to apply to your organization. A CHRO job description should be one or two paragraphs summarizing your organization’s needs while detailing this specific role’s key responsibilities. Carefully illustrate that a successful candidate must manage the overall HR efforts while establishing a vibrant workplace culture. Stress that a Chief Human Resource Officer’s roles and responsibilities include the upskilling of your workforce and optimizing of your management team’s decisions.
Employers should strive to give potential candidates information about their organization to determine if they are a good fit for this position. Include the qualifications that candidates must possess before applying in the CHRO job description, such as their educational credentials. Ensure that all information a candidate needs to know before applying for the job is included in your Chief Human Resource Officer job description.
Next, devise a Chief Human Resource Officer job summary that is tailored to your specific organization. Demonstrate the values and objectives of your brand while elucidating the responsibilities that a CHRO must manage. In general, CHRO roles and responsibilities include overseeing your workforce’s digitization and devising competitive compensation and benefits plans to lure in the best talent.
Candidates who read your Chief Human Resource Officer job summary should walk away with an understanding of your company’s mission and unique needs. The job summary should allow them to deduce whether they have the educational credentials and professional experience needed to meet the job’s needs. It should also prepare candidates to familiarize themselves with the special responsibilities they must manage if they take on this organizational role.
Chief Human Resource Officer Roles & Responsibilities
When devising a list of Chief Human Resource Officer roles and responsibilities, it must include the job’s key duties that candidates will need to meet. Create a comprehensive list for candidates to review before submitting their applications to streamline the executive search process. A list of Chief Human Resource Officer roles and responsibilities may include the following:
- Clearly communicate HR efforts and goals to the company workforce
- Devise and implement plans to upskill the whole workforce, including HR
- Craft competitive compensation and benefits packages to entice new talent
- Manage new talent acquisition and the professional development of existing workers
- Become familiar with the digital transformation goals of the company
- Oversee the digitization of company infrastructure and employee practices
- Deploy automation where necessary while retaining an effective human workforce
- Convince the C-suite to endorse HR solutions to solve company shortcomings
The list of Chief Human Resource Officer roles and responsibilities you post for candidates must be tailored to include your organization’s needs. Potential candidates should be able to review your list and compare it with their chief human resources officer resume to determine if they have the skills needed to meet the job’s needs.
Chief Human Resource Officer Skills Set
Employers seeking to onboard a new Chief Human Resource Officer must understand more than a CHRO job description. A complete understanding of the skills needed to meet the position’s demands is required to complete the executive search process. Carefully considering the essential skills a candidate must possess before beginning an interview is a crucial step toward finding the right CHRO.
Hard skills: These skills are those teachable and quantifiable abilities needed to succeed as a CHRO. They include a candidate’s familiarity with data management and its role in the HR industry. It also refers to the candidate’s proficiency in foreign languages or ability to utilize specific HR software. Finally, consider a candidate’s financial acumen and ability to manage budgets or compensation plans.
Soft skills: These skills are innate facets of character that are not easily quantified. The soft skills may refer to their communication skills or whether they are a true “people person.” Soft skills include a candidate’s workplace etiquette and ability to solve personal disputes. It can include the hard-to-define quality of leadership provided by a candidate.
Education: This refers to the educational attainment level required to fulfill CHRO roles and responsibilities, such as possessing a BA or BS from an accredited university. It should also stress a company’s optional preference for an MBA or an MA/MS in human resources or a similar field. Consider assessing the other educational credentials a candidate may possess that are specific to the HR industry, such as SHRM certification.
Experience: Finally, understand that possessing industry experience is a clear sign that a candidate has the skills set needed for the job. However, extensive experience is not always necessary, and a limited chief human resources officer resume is not necessarily a sign of a lackluster candidate. Consider the experience a candidate may possess in other industries or practices which could apply to the daily duties of a CHRO. Review a candidate’s professional experience before the interview process to ensure the right questions about their work history are asked.
Chief Human Resource Officer Interview Questions
The interview process must carefully revisit the skills, education and experience of a candidate to verify their credentials. Questions must help evaluate a candidate to determine if they have what it takes to become a Chief Human Resource Officer. Consider the following questions before beginning an interview:
What is your approach to cultivating workplace culture? This ensures you will identify CHRO candidates with the skills needed to build a healthy, productive workplace while avoiding toxic practices.
How do you resolve disagreements with senior company staffers? This evaluates a CHRO candidate’s ability to avoid workplace conflicts while assessing their soft skills.
What is your strategy for remaining up to date on employment laws? This guarantees a candidate has the professional experience and legal training needed to keep your company compliant with regulations.
What are your priorities when hiring and upskilling new employees? This focuses on talent management, one of the core responsibilities of any CHRO.
How do you avoid common manager mistakes prevalent in the HR industry? This questions a candidate’s ability to avoid common industry mishaps and gauges their flexibility.
Chief Human Resource Officer Salary
When determining the Chief Human Resource Officer salary that will be offered to ideal candidates, consider their qualifications and professional experience. While the Bureau of Labor Statistics provides helpful standards for top executive pay, you must carefully craft a competitive compensation package if you intend to recruit the best talent in the industry. A Chief Human Resource Officer’s salary may exceed standard top executive pay in particularly large organizations or those based in areas with a high cost of living.
While the BLS illustrates that the standard pay for top executives is approximately $100,000 per year, organizations should assess a candidate’s educational attainment and work history before making an offer. Additionally, competitors’ standard pay rates and similar industries should be considered to ensure that ideal candidates are not drawn away by others’ benefits. The Chief Human Resource Officer salary offered to ideal candidates must also consider the employer’s budgetary limits.
Uncover Skilled CHRO Talent With Recruiterie
Employers embarking upon the executive search process should rely on Recruiterie to identify the best candidate for the job. Recruiterie focuses on securing the best industry talent for partners seeking to quickly onboard and integrate new professionals into their workforce. The experts at Recruiterie are particularly talented at assisting small and medium-sized businesses on a budget compete with corporate employers.
Recruiterie’s comprehensive screening process ensures that only vetted candidates will be considered for interviews. Its exhaustive search process guarantees that candidates are selected not only based on their professional credentials but also on their cultural compatibility with your organization. Recruiterie can even ensure a smooth and successful contract negotiation with a prospective candidate. Contact Recruiterie today to begin working with the best executive search team in the business.