Analytical skills are becoming a crucial job requirement for HR as organizations strive to become more data-driven. Unfortunately, there is a shortage of analytical talent to meet this need. Less than 20% of companies identify as having a strong HR analytics function in their business, and over 75% of HR professionals reported difficulty recruiting for essential data analysis positions. To remain competitive, organizations need to rapidly upskill their HR talent. In this course students will develop and sharpen HR analytics skills as they analyze and visualize data to inform recommendations and decisions.

Drawing on his experience and research, John Hausknecht, Professor of HR Studies at Cornell’s ILR School, guides students through key steps in identifying insights from HR data and analysis. Students will review HR data, identify key questions that drive the analytical process, and explore basic calculations for correlation and regression. Taking this a step further, students will mindfully interpret findings, looking beyond data as they take a holistic view of the situations they encounter. Through a course project, students will compose a presentation to visualize essential HR data and communicate findings to key decision makers.

This course does not assume students have prior analytical training or knowledge, nor does it require access to current HR data or metrics. Using Excel and datasets provided, this program equips students with the concepts, tools, and language to start their journey in HR analytics.