You can become an HR professional without an MBA. An MBA is not a mandatory qualification to get an HR job; however, if you have an MBA, it opens more opportunities for you in the HR field and helps you grow in your HR career.
If you want to do an MBA do it from tier 1 and tier 2 colleges and not from the tier 3 colleges.
✔︎ Tier 1 Colleges: IIMs, ISB | Entrance Tests: CAT, GMAT
✔︎ Tier 2 Colleges: SIBM, NMIMS | Entrance Tests: CAT, XAT, institute-specific exams
❌ Tier 3 Colleges: Private and state-affiliated colleges | Entrance Test: ICET
However, suppose you do not have an opportunity to do an MBA from tier 1 &2 colleges. In that case, it is better to do any HR certification courses (either online or offline) and do an MBA In distance mode.
Note:
◦ I am not against doing an MBA from tier 3 colleges; there are many students who became HRs even from these colleges, but it is not mandatory.
◦ If you are not in a hurry to get a job and want to enjoy 2 years of your life, then you can join an MBA in a tier 3 college, but it is still better to do a practical-oriented HR certification course along with your regular MBA.
Before becoming an HR professional, you should decide whether you want to become an HR Recruiter or an HR Generalist.
An HR Recruiter mostly deals with recruitment-related tasks, whereas in an HR Generalist role, recruitment is only a small part. As a Generalist, you would work on payroll management, time office functions, and labor law-related tasks like PF, ESI, Gratuity, Minimum Wages, etc.
Suppose you have completed your degree in any stream, such as B.Com, B.Sc, BBM, or B. Tech, and want to become an HR professional without an MBA, follow these 3 simple steps:
1. Do any online course that provides certification
You can take courses on Udemy, Coursera, or other platforms offering 1–2 month HR courses with certification. Two months is generally enough to learn some basic knowledge in the HR field.
2. Apply for HR internships or HR assistant roles
Start applying for internship positions or HR assistant roles. If you have any references, it will help you get these opportunities more easily. Even if the internships are unpaid, consider doing them, as they provide the practical knowledge you won’t gain even after completing a 2-year MBA in HR.
If you don’t have any references, start applying for internships using Internshala (or) other job portals like Naukri, LinkedIn, Indeed, etc.
3. Improve your Communication Skills
HR jobs mostly involve communicating with employees about recruitment and addressing their queries. Good communication skills are the most important skill for an HR professional. If you want to be a recruiter, this skill is even more critical compared to a Generalist role.
So, try to improve your communication skills by taking online courses or reading books.
Here are my 3 recommendations if you want to become an HR Generalist:
- Course: Ultimate HR Generalist: Certified Human Resource Management by Megghan NxtGen HR (Don’t buy this course immediately on Udemy, the actual course price will be between 400 – 600 Rs during a sale period, Udemy has a sale period each month, so keep checking it)
- Ebook: How to Become an HR without an MBA Immediately After MBA
(The book is written for MBA students to become HR Generalist, but the content is helpful to everyone who wants to become HR Generalist, you don’t need an MBA to read this book) - YouTube Video: HR Generalist Tutorial for Beginners by Henry Harvin
And there are so many other online courses you can do some are cheap and some are very expensive if you want you can do them. But remember HR is a job where you learn more with experience i.e. by doing a real job.