Working in the HR software sector
An example of a technology sector where both technical and content functions are in demand is the HR software sector. HR is pre-eminently a sector where, in terms of software, both total solutions and specialized HR software are offered. Total solutions are intended to support basic HR matters and specialized HR software supports specific HR themes such as talent development and performance management. You can read more about the difference between the two types of solutions on comparing HR software. Links can also be made between systems, ensuring that the final solution fits the organization's needs seamlessly.
Both subject matter expertise and knowledge of technology are essential in this sector. It is an industry that is constantly evolving, both in terms of subject matter and technology. Therefore, the sector offers many opportunities. Because of the wide variety of factors, we will focus on this HR software sector below.
What career opportunities are available in HR software?
To paint a picture of the opportunities in this sector, we briefly describe the points below:
- What do we mean by HR software and what developments are taking place?
- What kind of work is in the industry; what positions do we encounter?
- What developments do we expect in the future?
HR: from Human Resources to People and Culture
HR is an umbrella term for "everything to do with personnel. HR stands for "Human Resources," but these days we also see other designations such as "People and Culture. These new terms have everything to do with a shift within the field. Whereas HR used to be mostly limited to Human Resources, which mainly included administrative and legal matters, we now see a more strategic role for HR. Personnel management has shifted from a top down approach to one that is also bottom up. Where employees used to be seen mainly as a resource, there is now more focus on the person behind the employee. As a result, there is more understanding of, and attention to, the criteria needed for employees to flourish. As a result, employees flourish and are happier in their work, thereby contributing more optimally to organizational goals.
How does technology support HR?
Going back to the first technological support for HR, we end up with the automation of repetitive tasks. Manual entry and tracking of data such as salary, leave, absenteeism, contracts and other administrative matters was automated through software. Soon, HR processes were also supported digitally. Think of the entire payroll or absenteeism processes.
Total solutions that support HR in broad areas include Afas, SDWorx, Visma and Loket. These systems are designed to relieve HR of many administrative tasks and provide a central environment for the entire HR base. They are systems that, above all, can do a lot. So they are broad solutions, but that also means you can miss the depth on certain HR themes.
Contemporary HR software
Depth is provided by specialized HR software. An example is software for performance management, talent development and engagement such as Treams. In this type of specialized software, we often see more contemporary elements. Think forms of interactive communication, game elements or attractive design. The software is developed to highlight specific HR themes, provide optimal content support, motivate employees and provide insight into analytics.
UX (user experience) and UI (user interface) are issues that have become increasingly important. Specialists in this field aim to make software as user-friendly and attractive as possible.
Developments that we are seeing more and more in the current era is the use of AI functionality. For example, in the case of performance management and talent development, where working with 360-degree feedback can be an important part, AI can give you feedback on your feedback. Other examples are working with goals, where AI helps you make goals SMART, or generating competencies to functions or roles. So AI is a fairly recent and useful addition in many HR software.
What functions and job opportunities do we encounter in HR software?
Unsurprisingly, then, in the HR software sector we come across job openings that focus on both technology and HR content. Although the list is not exhaustive we mention common job opportunities:
- HR Application Specialist
An HR Application Specialist manages, optimizes and supports HR software within an organization. He or she acts as a bridge between HR departments, IT teams and external vendors. - HR Software Developer
An HR Software Developer designs, develops and maintains software solutions for HR processes and substantive HR topics within organizations. - HR software implementation consultant
An HR Software Implementation Consultant guides organizations through the implementation of HR software, from planning to delivery. He or she ensures that the software fits seamlessly with business processes and strategic goals. - HR Software Consultant
An HR Software Consultant advises organizations on the adoption of the software within the organization. This consultant has extensive substantive knowledge of HR and knows how the software can best support the organization and how employees can be trained or coached to do so. - HR UX/UI Designer.
An HR UX/UI Designer designs user-friendly and attractive interfaces for HR software. UX stands for User Experience which focuses on how the software is used. UI stands for User Interface which focuses on how the software looks. - HR software front end developer
A Front-End Developer builds and maintains the visual and interactive parts of the software that users directly see and use - HR software back end developer
A Back-End Developer builds and maintains the server side of the software, where data is processed, stored and managed. This part is invisible to users, but essential to the functioning of digital platforms - HR software engineer
The HR software engineer focuses on designing and developing systems and the architecture behind software applications. - HR software trainer
An HR software trainer provides training on how to use the software. He or she ensures that HR employees, managers and other users can use the software effectively - HR trainer
In addition to HR software trainers, there are also trainers who offer substantive or thematic knowledge and expertise. Working with HR software means a change in an existing way of working. Apart from using the software, employees and managers must also be guided in this change. An HR trainer supports this through workshops or training sessions. - Coach
A coach guides individuals within the organization over a longer period of time. A change process that is initiated with the use of HR software often needs time to take root. A coach supports in making a new method or culture your own. - HR software partner
Many, especially larger, HR software total solutions work with partners to implement their software. Examples are Afas partners. These are external organizations or self-employed people who are certified to represent Afas and advise and guide customers through implementation processes.
You can find more examples of positions on job sites such as Linkedin and Indeed.
What skills does the industry require (now and in the future)?
Because HR software jobs and vacancies are diverse in nature, it also means that different skills are required. We explain a number of skills for each type of vacancy or position. These are therefore general skills and for each specific position or vacancy you will encounter more additional skills.
Skills for both technical and HR content positions
- Analytical understanding
Working with software means that you are going to digitally support certain processes or themes within organizations. To know how best to do that, you need to understand the need and desire of the target audience and customer organizations. To do this, you must be able to specify a general issue into processes, goals and sub-goals, actions and activities. This requires analytical insight that allows you to concretize complex issues and solutions.
Analytical insight is especially an important skill for the more technical positions such as the software developer and engineer, and the HR implementation consultant. - Communication and collaboration skills
In this presentation on functions encountered in the technology sector, we have chosen the HR software sector as an example for good reason. As indicated, here we encounter different functions that approach the organizations' issue from different areas of expertise. This can be more technical in nature, as in software development, or more substantive in the case of an HR consultant who ensures that the use of the software is actually effective. A link in between is the HR software implementation consultant. And of course you also have to deal with another important stakeholder: the client organization itself.
These parties all have their own expertise and work from their own perspectives, but ultimately they strive for a common goal: the best possible support for the specific HR theme of that specific customer organization. This therefore also means that the parties must coordinate their mutual work and results. For example, the HR consultant can only be truly effective if he or she knows what can be achieved with the software. And the software developer can only be truly effective if he or she understands the problems to be solved with the software. - Knowledge of HR processes and systems
For the more substantive HR consulting positions, knowledge of HR processes is obviously essential. If you don't have an understanding or knowledge of the subject matter, it's difficult to advise on it. That doesn't mean you have to know all the HR software systems out there, but it does mean you understand the organization's issue. After all, that is the starting point for your services, namely consulting. You are the expert to support the organization with their issue, and knowledge of the software system you represent in doing so is of course useful at the very least.
As an HR software developer or related technical function, it is important that you know what you want to achieve with the software you develop. What problem do you want to solve? In this sense, knowledge of HR processes is obviously important. You can acquire this knowledge through training but we also see in this that you can learn a lot on the job. Therefore, vacancies usually indicate how essential this experience and knowledge are for the position. If you have to be up and running right away, this weighs more heavily than if there is time and space for a longer learning curve. - Knowledge of AI
AI is playing an increasing role within organizations. An important skill that is increasingly demanded, and will be demanded in the future, is knowledge of AI. Knowledge of the technology behind AI and its application possibilities in HR software, on the one hand, requires technical expertise. On the other hand, knowledge of AI is also essential for the HR consultant. The use of AI can have a major impact on people's work. As an HR consultant, you can prepare organizations and employees for changes due to AI and guide them in its adoption. In addition, employees need guidance on how to use AI. The do's and don'ts should be taught as well as ways to make the best use of AI in your work.
Skills for technical positions within HR technology
- Technical expertise in software management and development
Technical positions require in-depth knowledge of software management and development in order to optimally develop and manage software. This should come as no surprise. This work requires considerable expertise, ranging from skills in a specific programming language, to highly developed problem-solving skills. The degree to which these specific skills are required is related to the complexity and nature of the work and, related to this, the seniority required of the candidate.
Skills for substantive HR functions within HR technology
- Organizational Sensitivity
As an HR consultant, you play an advisory role with client organizations. To do so, you need a good understanding of the issue and the goal on your part. There is often more to an issue than just a technical need or desire. If you are going to work in a different way, which you will do by definition if you are going to work with software, then that will mean something for your processes and for the work as employees currently perform it. As an HR consultant, you distinguish yourself by having an eye for precisely that changing way of working. What does it mean for the employees, for the mutual relationships and how can you best guide them to the new situation? You have to deal with different stakeholders and you do well to put your feelers out for people's informal relationships and feelings.
Do you want to work in HR software? What's the right fit for you?
If you find HR software an interesting sector to work in, you probably already have an idea yourself which job type suits you best. It makes quite a difference whether you find HR interesting from a content perspective, or from a technology perspective. Your own interest, knowledge and experience are decisive in this.
Specialist or more diverse work?
In addition to the position that best suits you, you would do well to think about the type of organization or employer that suits you. It makes quite a difference whether you join a large, perhaps even corporate organization, or a small start-up or scale-up.
As a rule, a large organization has more specialized functions. This also makes sense. A large organization has more employees who all perform their own specific work. So you can really become a specialist in a specific field in such an organization. Work is generally more framed. It is clear what is expected of you and there are usually resources to further specialize.
A start-up or scale-up is an organization that is rapidly evolving. With fewer employees, you do all the work there is. Everyone has their own expertise, but per employee the work can have a greater diversity of tasks. If you like working in a growing organization, with short lines of communication in which no day is exactly the same, then a start-up or scale-up might be for you.
What organizational culture suits you?
Apart from the effect of company size on operations, it also affects culture. The larger the organization, the more regulated. The smaller the organization, the more room for participation and thinking along. The owner or founder of a small organization is often a determining factor in the culture. Can you get through a door well? Then that is a good basis for a fine collaboration.
Another consideration is how a potential employer is organized. It makes a big difference whether you work in an organization with a classic, hierarchical structure, or in an organization where agile is used, for example. In a classic structure, there are clear management structures and you have your own manager or team lead. In agile working, you have team responsibility and, as an individual employee, more space and responsibility in your work. Team results are monitored weekly or biweekly. Your own contribution here is impactful.
Working at a people-focused scale-up: Treams.
Now that you've read more about career opportunities in the HR industry, you may have become excited about working in this sector. Do you have the impression that a scale-up environment suits you well? Then maybe Treams is for you. Treams is an ambitious scale-up that offers software for Performance Management, Talent Development and Engagement. A specialized software platform therefore, that is user-friendly and has AI functionalities.
The advice Treams gives to new customers is "Launch your vision, not a tooling. After all, software is not an end in itself, but a means to an end, which is to become an unforgettable employer where employees and teams flourish. Treams therefore has unique implementation processes, workshops and training courses that allow you to truly land the software within your organization.
At Treams, you will join an energetic, creative and driven team that is always ready to collaborate and inspire each other. They believe that talented people with a drive for positive impact make a difference for their clients. Together they create an environment where you can grow, learn and have fun. Something for you? Then check out the Working at Treams site. Maybe you too will soon become part of a dream team? We wish it to you!
This webpage was written by Iris Zonneveldt. The founder of Treams. This article was last updated Feb. 1, 2025. The following sources were consulted in the creation of this web page: Afas partner network, What does an Implementation consultant do and Working at Treams. Do you have questions about this content? Then get in touch on 040 744 08 88 or send an email to info@treams.nl.
