HR consulting involves advising organizations on how to make the most out of their human capital. Depending on a company’s particular needs, HR consultants can assist with attracting talented individuals or rewarding current employees or keeping employees motivated during tough times, etc. In addition to being analytical, the ability to get along well with others and understand their point of view is crucial in HR consulting.

Employees are the most valuable asset of every organisation. The Reward function is responsible for setting salary levels, creating incentive schemes and evaluating benefits. To succeed in this role you need to be numerate and be able to manipulate and extrapolate data. It helps too if you are a good communicator. Finally, find out more about the ICT industry (Information Communications Technology).

Talent Management is about identifying and developing the company's future leaders. It is a critical business function that encompasses people at all levels and impacts directly the way the company is going to develop. Similar to the skills needed in other HR careers, active listening and trust-building are fundamental competencies.. Find out more about Talent Management in this interview with Danny Kalman.

The resourcing department is responsible for ensuring that there is a continous pipeline of people coming into the business at any level. In order to persuade someone to join a company not only you must appeal to their 'head' (in terms of money, working hours, career experience...) but you must appeal to their 'heart' as well. The ability to build relationships is key. Find out what other skills you need to succeed in this role and learn more about the ...

The Employee Relations department is responsible for managing relationships with the company's trade unions positively during time of change. Dave Fitzgerald - Head of Employee Relations at BT Group - explains why this function is critically important for any multinational company and why you need a "thick skin" to succeed in this role. In the last part of the interview Dave describes the major changes that are taking place in the telecommunications ind...

The role of the Diversity function is to ensure that the company is an inclusive workplace that will attract the best talent irrespective of ethnicity, gender, etc. It's a people function which requires strong interpersonal and communications skills. Find out more about it in this interview with Abi Amosu - Head of Diversity for Europe, Middle East and Africa at JPMorgan.