Three Important Phases of Human Resource Management

Human Resource Management operates in 3 core phases: (1) Pre-Hiring recruiting and shortlisting candidates, (2) Training and Development onboarding and skill-building for new hires, and (3) Post-Hiring managing disputes, compliance, remuneration, and ongoing employee relations. HR professionals who manage all three phases effectively build genuinely rewarding, long-term careers.

Table of Contents

1. What is Human Resource Management?
2. Phase 1: Pre-Hiring
3. Phase 2: Training and Development
4. Phase 3: Post-Hiring
5. Build Your HR Career
6. FAQs

What is Human Resource Management?

Human Resource Management refers to the process of recruiting, selecting, hiring, training, and developing the skills of employees. The HR team is one of the most valuable assets of any firm, as it directly deals with employees and ensures they remain productive. This is why companies actively seek HR professionals with the relevant skills to handle all employee-related tasks from hiring through retirement — efficiently.

It’s the task of human resource managers to implement employment laws within an organization, train employees to follow the rules, and perform their job effectively. HR managers also decide pay grades, rewards, and remuneration for each employee, and settle work-related disputes.

Generally, HRM operates across three phases: Pre-Hiring, Training and Development, and Post-Hiring.

Phase 1: Pre-Hiring of the Employee

HR managers are responsible for recruiting the right employees to fill vacant positions. Under this phase, they:

• Prepare job advertisements to invite eligible candidates for interviews
• Decide venues and channels for promoting open positions
• Visit college placement cells
• Attend job fairs
• Participate in recruiting events to shortlist suitable candidates

They then conduct pre-employment tests, interview candidates, and carry out background checks — before finally approving and offering the job to suitable candidates.

Phase 2: Training and Development Phase

After hiring, human resource managers conduct an orientation program where new candidates receive comprehensive information about their job, the company, and the work environment. Candidates are made familiar with the workplace culture and introduced to all team members, including managers and executives.

Candidates are then rigorously trained, educated, and their skills developed with respect to their specific roles, through various training types:

• Induction training
• Job-specific training
• Safety training
• Familiarization with tools, machines, and safety norms

Employees are also informed of their salary package, company policies, perks, leave entitlements, and other work-related details during this phase.

Phase 3: Post-Hiring Phase of the Employee

After employees are hired and settled into their roles, disputes may arise — between employees, or between employees and managers. Human resource managers handle the task of settling such disputes.

Employment laws also change recurrently, so HR managers act as ongoing consultants for employees — notifying them of any legal changes, and continuing to manage remuneration, workplace conditions, and other employment factors throughout the employee’s tenure.

Build Your HR Career

HR professionals who manage these three phases efficiently build genuinely rewarding careers. Candidates interested in pursuing this path can build structured expertise through a PG Diploma in Human Resource Management — a value-added course offering deep knowledge and skill development across all three phases of HRM. As a distance learning program, it can be pursued according to each candidate’s own schedule and convenience.