director of human resources: What is the cost of hiring?

Why hire a chief human resources officer (CHRO)?

A top-notch CHRO oversees your company’s most valuable asset—its people. These highly skilled leaders direct human resources tasks like recruiting, retaining, and engaging top talent. Furthermore, they ensure that your company’s HR activities and policies align with company values, business goals, and labour laws.

Contributions of a great CHRO:

• Creates and nurtures a positive company culture and a glowing employer brand that fosters employee retention and attracts top new talent
• Increases employee engagement through initiatives such as DEI, employee recognition, team-building exercises, and professional development opportunities
• Ensures company-wide compliance with labour laws and regulations to protect your organization and its employees

Deciding between a full-time vs freelance CHRO

Before crafting a job description or sifting through resumes, it can be wise to determine if you require a full-time or freelance chief human resources officer.

The CHRO role is typically a full-time position, requiring a deep understanding of your company’s culture, goals, policies, and talent. However, there are situations where hiring a freelancer is a viable option. A small business that cannot justify a permanent CHRO position may opt for a freelancer to get the company up and running. Perhaps you require professional advice in a specific arena like DEI or recruitment processes. These individuals can also assist with short-term projects like the introduction of new HR technology.

What are the different types of CHRO?

When hiring a leader for your human resources department, it is imperative that you understand the differences between the various HR leadership positions. While you are familiar with the role of a CHRO, three closely related functions may meet your needs more effectively—a chief people officer (CPO), a human resources (HR) director, and a human resources (HR) manager.

• Chief people officer (CPO): Like the CHRO, this position is a valued part of the C-suite. A more recently developed role, the CPO places an emphasis on the “people” side of HR leadership, focussing on employee engagement, DEI, training, and culture development.
• Human resources (HR) director: The HR director is a senior role within the human resources department. They manage ongoing HR activities, including the policies and programs initiated by the CHRO. They oversee functions such as talent acquisition , training and professional development, and conflict resolution.
• Human resources (HR) manager: The HR manager would report to the HR director. Typically, the HR manager oversees the human resources team and carries out activities such as interviewing and screening new talent, administering benefits and recognition programs, and identifying recruitment needs.

Where to find chief human resource officers

To find the right CHRO for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

• Promote internal talent: Hiring from within your company ensures that you recruit someone with in-depth knowledge of your organization’s culture, employees, policies, and systems. Providing advancement opportunities for team members also increases employee engagement and satisfaction, while decreasing recruitment and onboarding costs.
• Network: Industry contacts can yield promising candidates. Attend HR trade shows, conferences, and other events to foster relationships. Join professional HR associations and reach out to your peers.
• Hire a recruitment firm: You may wish to employ the services of an executive search agency that specializes in matching executive candidates with suitable roles.
• Leverage social media: This is an opportunity to take advantage of your stellar employer image and social media presence. Posting this role on company platforms can yield a sizeable audience, increasing your ability to find top talent.

Post your job online: Try posting your chief human resources officer job on Indeed to find and attract quality CHRO candidates.

Skills to look for in a great CHRO

A great chief human resources officer candidate will have the following skills and attributes as well as work experience that reflects:

• Natural leadership abilities, including a talent for motivating, decision making, initiating new programs and policies, and taking ownership of their actions
• Strategic thinking and a knack for aligning HR activities with the organization’s goals, envisioning the “big picture,” and developing plans that include doable steps and ways to measure the results
• Emotional intelligence, including the ability to empathize with employees, mediate interpersonal conflicts, and foster an atmosphere of trust
• An appreciation for diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace and the capacity to create and lead DEI initiatives
• Enthusiasm and aptitude for creating a culture of positivity, enhancing your organization’s employer brand, and improving the work life of employees, which can also lead to increased employee engagement and retention, as well as attracting top new talent
• An ability to adapt to change with agility, particularly shifts in the marketplace or business environment, employee resistance to change, and alterations to labour laws and regulations

Writing a chief human resources officer (CHRO) job description

A thoughtful description is important for finding qualified chief human resources officer (CHRO) candidates. A CHRO job description includes a compelling summary of the role, a detailed list of duties and responsibilities, and the required and preferred skills for the position.

When writing your CHRO job description, consider including some or all of the following keywords to improve the visibility of your job posting. These are the most popular search terms leading to clicks on CHRO jobs, according to Indeed data:

• Human resources
• HR
• Recruiter
• Human resources director
• Human resources officer
• Talent acquisition

Interviewing CHRO candidates

Strong candidates for chief human resources officer (CHRO) positions will be confident answering questions regarding:

• Defining company culture, discussing its importance, identifying how it impacts an organization, and creating ways to improve it
• Employee retention, talent acquisition, and ways to boost both
• An understanding of labour laws and regulations and a plan for staying up to date on changes
• The value of diversity, equity, and inclusion, ways to nurture these qualities in the workplace, and knowledge of how DEI impacts employee engagement
• The emotional intelligence and strategies involved with handling interpersonal conflict in the workplace and underperforming employees

Need help coming up with interview questions? See our list of CHRO interview questions for examples (with sample answers).