There’s no denying a HR manager’s role is varied, with no two days ever being the same. From recruitment to employee tribunals, maternity leave to workplace pensions, your role sees you wear multiple hats. However, while the unpredictability of the HR manager’s role can certainly get your adrenaline pumping, when it comes to explaining your role you can often be met with blank faces as people try to decipher just what you do during the day-to-day.

The buzz it what makes many a HR manager feel alive, but there are some undeniable signs you work in HR, in this blog post we list our top 14.

  1. You really can keep a secret. You’re the official vault for office secrets, from who’s ramping up for a promotion; to who’s coming back from maternity leave.
  2. You’re a bit of a private detective; using any number of means to find out about prospective employees is actually part of your job description, no really, it is! Some of the things you’ve seen on background checks would shock even the hardiest of people
  3. Silence follows wherever you go. You’re all too familiar with the experience of walking into a conversation between co-workers… only to have them go deathly silent.
  4. Your nurturing and trustworthy professional qualities see you become the go-to-contact for any out out-of-office emergencies, in fact almost all of your colleagues have you listed as their primary emergency contact.
  5. You’re a stealth ninja. Despite how many years you have been in your role there is no escaping those awkward run-ins with candidates, in fact you have become so attuned to them you have developed a unique ability to blend into almost any background.
  6. Your role expands far beyond the office walls. You’re the go-to person when it comes to friends and family needing advice handling their own office politics drama from negotiating a raise, to helping with interview preparation, you are the font of all HR knowledge
  7. Conflict resolution is your forte. Your dealings with all things sensitive means you can address any conflict with ease. In fact there isn’t a topic on earth you can’t discuss with tact, from improper conduct to allegations of sexism; you’ve dealt with them all!
  8. You know five little words which are sure to make pulses race. When you say, “Do you have a second?” people panic.
  9. You take great pride in your LinkedIn profile. As a self-proclaimed evangelist of references, you’re always collecting endorsements and recommendations.
  10. Despite its critical acclaim you just cannot bring yourself to watch The Office. The thought of David Brent’s many HR infractions are enough to get you hot under the collar.
  11. Your inert ability to keep the peace was identified at an early age, with many a school teacher noting you were a ‘class mediator’ on your end-of-year reports.
  12. You take great pride in being financially savvy. Not many people know it but you had a retirement plan before you had a driver’s licence.
  13. You’re a CV junkie: Nothing is as thrilling as your ability to spot a red flag in a CV.
  14. The formula for annual leave allocation is ingrained into your memory, so much so you can calculate it in your sleep!

While the above skills and roles of the average HR manager are enough to leave even the most professional of business people dizzy, we’d also bet that you would struggle to find a HR Manager that would have it any other way.

From the changing day-to-day, to the many guises your role sees you take, these are just some of the many signs you work in HR.

Got one you would like to add? We would love to hear it.