Becoming an HR Manager | Humans of iSchoolConnect, Pratima Dhas

Pratima Dhas is the HR Manager at iSchoolConnect. She is the pillar of the employee experience vertical and manages the people and culture. Through this blog, we walk you through her journey and share some insightful tips Pratima has given. 

Stick around to learn about the HR domain and what you can do to pursue it. 

How long have you been in HR, and what did you study to get to where you are?

Pratima grew up knowing the hostel life and was constantly shifting from one location to the next. However, this gave her the opportunity to grow up in a diverse culture and mingle with people from all walks of life. 

Pratima started her student journey as a science student and gave many competitive exams. In fact, she almost went into the biotech field. However, biotechnology in India wasn’t as booming as it is today. Which then brought her to the commerce field where she completed her specialization in finance. Pratima pursued her master’s in finance in HR. 

How do you handle getting complaints and negativity?

“When it comes to complaints and negativity, not all come out of negative sentiments. It’s just that the sentiments have built up to the negative side” 

This is one of the most admirable sentiments that Pratima shares during the interview. No complaint that ever comes to Pratima will go unheard. She talks about how it can get disturbing to hear that someone is going through a rough patch at work.

But the one thing that helps her build others and solve their problems is keeping all judgments aside and putting herself in their shoes. This gives her a better understanding of how she can best help them and the company. 

Pratima allows them some breathing space to recenter themselves. This gives them a chance to recollect all that has happened and get a better understanding of what went wrong and what needs to be improved. 

She calls herself ‘the catalyst’ who tries to fix the feeling. 

What keeps you going?

For Pratima, every day is different and for her, the last 5 years have been a new day to learn and grow. The word new is what keeps her going. She enjoys these challenges as they are a new learning curve and help her be the best version of herself.

Another thing that keeps our catalyst going is bringing out the best in each team member. She ensures that every conversation with any team member has them leaving the room with a takeaway or a positive attitude from both ends.

What is one thing you love about your profession?

One thing that keeps Pratima motivated is how vast the domain of HR is. It’s not just limited to certain functions like recruitment, documentation, operation, etc., says Pratima. In this field, you can experiment and work around different topics and choose from a wide variety.

 “People form this profession, without that, my profession would not have existed.”

This profession has helped her connect and see the different schools of thought people come from. Growing up in a diverse culture, this environment feels more like home. Pratima also talks about how listening to these thoughts and making decisions is what she loves the most about this field.  

What tips would you give to those who aspire to be HRs?

For Pratima, ‘the vision’ is what allows her to accomplish things in her personal and professional life. Her advice to anyone is to study everything and find out where your boundaries lie and create your own vision and make it possible. 

Another thing she encourages everyone to do is to be flexible and approachable in HR. Being approachable will help employees open up and come to you when they need you.

A key piece of information she conveys is that the only way to grow in this field is by trying things, as this will not only help the organization but will also help you grow. 

And the final bit ‌Pratima talks about is being yourself.

“Don’t lose yourself on the way. Don’t let that essence of yourself go just because someone says something about you.” 

This is all we have, we hope you enjoyed this blog and got some valuable insights into the HR domain and will consider pursuing it yourself. 

If you have any doubts, you can always reach out to us. Drop a comment below and let us know what field you want to pursue. 

Liked this blog? Read: HR interview questions and answers for freshers frequently asked