Hone your tech skills — even if you’re a “people person”

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January 28, 2011


Here’s an interesting thought: the very fact that you are reading this blog indicates that you are likely to be in the top tier of tech-savvy HR professionals. At least that’s what Steve Boese seems to be saying, and he should know.
Boese teaches an HR Technology class in a HRD Master’s program at the Rochester Institute of Technology. He’s a prolific blogger with a fascinating take on the profession. We read his recent guest post on Fistful of Talent, titled “What the Future of HR is not Learning… But Should Be…” with tremendous interest.
What We’re Not Learning, But Should Be
Professor Boese has students who run the gamut from young, recent grads to HR veterans with decades on the job. Boese says he thought this variance in age and experience would make it difficult to level-set a technology class — but level-setting was actually EASY. Why? Because almost everyone is equally ignorant about the topic. Says Boese:

One characteristic I have consistently noted is a shocking lack of technology awareness and knowledge, really from students of all experience levels and backgrounds. And it is not just that students don’t understand what ERP is, or how SaaS is changing the nature of enterprise software ownership and deployment. Heck, barely anyone understands that, and that is why we have the Tech class in the first place. But more basic, fundamental technologies that are really necessary to at least understand, if not effectively utilize, as a Human Resources professional today. Students in my classes almost never read HR blogs (I can’t even get them to read mine), understand RSS, or utilize social networking sites like Facebook for anything other than purely social interactions with their friends.
There are two factors at work here, says Boese. First, HR people often classify themselves as being in the people business — not IT. (But HR is increasingly aided by technology, and it’s becoming less and less acceptable to just shrug that off as not part of your job.) Second, Boese cites “a consistent ignorance, apathy and a serious underestimation of the impact of new technology on the businesses that HR supports” among HR pros. Faced with rapid technological changes, many HR workers stay in a comfort zone involving people, policies and paperwork.
Seize Opportunities to Become Tech-Savvy
There are solutions, of course. Boese has ideas for what curricula schools should be offering, and he offers a wealth of great HR technology links and resources so that professional who aren’t in school can educate themselves. His best advice to people already working in the field involves a certain amount of bravery, but has a big payoff:
Don’t be content to cede the technology decisions to IT. IT, by necessity, has very different motivations and criteria for technology selection (data security, interoperability with existing systems, in-house tech skills). Partner with your IT colleagues to make sure that HR goals and requirements are considered up front and not as an afterthought.
An interesting coda to this was that just five days after Boese blogged about the need for new classes to keep up with social media and new technology, he learned that the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh is creating a major in social networking. The future is unfolding quickly, indeed.
With that, we remind all our readers that the HR Technology Conference & Expo is taking place in Chicago at the end of this month — and RiseSmart will be there in full force. Why don’t you join us? This could be the year when you go from tech-uncertain to tech-savvy!
Article by, Sarah and courtesy of RiseSmart.com – RiseSmart: Search Smarter. Rise Faster.

Originally posted by Candice A

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