Want a Career in Human Resources? Your In-Depth (2024) Guide
Embarking on a career in human resources opens opportunities for you to support employee growth and drive organizational success. And not only that. The demand for HR services and software continues to grow. By 2030, the market will grow at an impressive rate of 12.7% yearly.
Whether you’re a student interested in HR or a professional looking to transition, this article will guide you with the information needed to be a successful human resource professional.
Contents
What does a career in Human Resources look like?
Why choose a career in HR
How to start a career in Human Resources
Career paths in human resources
What does a career in Human Resources look like?
HR professionals perform various staff-related responsibilities in an organization, primarily hiring, managing, and rewarding employees. They also need various HR skills to manage these responsibilities effectively.
HR responsibilities
- Recruitment: HR works with hiring managers to hire the most qualified candidates for the company’s open positions. They craft job posts, screen resumes, perform interviews, and conduct pre-employment assessments and background checks. When the candidate is finally selected, HR prepares the job offer and onboard them.
- Compensation and benefits: HR ensures that employees are well cared for by giving them competitive salaries and benefits. HR must ensure they receive the correct pay and benefits, such as health insurance, retirement plans, wellness programs, and leave credits.
- Performance management: HR informs employees about their roles, gives constructive feedback, and provides support to help them achieve their goals.
- Learning and development: HR helps with employee career development to help upskill employees and address skills gaps. HR is involved in designing and implementing these learning and development programs.
- Employee relations: HR provides accurate and timely information to employees to build good working relationships and boost employee engagement and retention.
- Workforce planning: Optimizing a company’s staffing levels to prevent shortages and surpluses in the workforce.
- Health and wellbeing: Ensuring the company strictly adheres to health and safety guidelines and implementing wellness initiatives so employees feel safe and healthy in their work environments.
HR skills
- Administration expertise: Record and update employee records. Handle the HR database and update employee details like new hires, sick leaves, vacations, and terminations. HR also manages payroll and prepares and documents HR policies and procedures.
- Communication skills: Good communication skills are a prerequisite for HR staff because they constantly need to communicate with candidates during the hiring and onboarding. They must also answer employee inquiries regarding salaries and benefits and communicate policy changes and new initiatives to the organization.
- Advising and coaching: HR helps coach employees on what learning and development programs to attend based on their skills and interests. They advise line managers on handling conflicts and misunderstandings between them and their direct reports to avoid escalation.
- Analytical and data-driven: HR provides data-driven insights to executives, enabling the organization to measure and meet its strategic goals. These insights may include an analysis of recruitment data like cost per hire to streamline the hiring process or reduce hiring expenses. Or a review of performance evaluation data to determine areas of improvement and training programs to augment the gaps.
- Organizational skills: HR personnel handle multiple tasks daily, so they must be able to effectively manage their time. For example, in recruitment, HR will need to be on top of applications, while ensuring that hiring managers are kept up to date with the application process. In benefits and payroll, HR must be diligent with deadlines to ensure employees receive their salaries on time.
Why choose a career in HR?
Working in human resources can be exciting because of its critical role in the workplace and the various duties you must perform daily. Here are some reasons why some individuals choose to work in HR:
1. Make a strategic impact
HR professionals are deeply involved with the company’s strategic planning. They help align people strategy with business strategy in the following ways:
- Workforce planning: HR identifies the organization’s current and future staffing needs based on strategic goals.
- Talent acquisition: HR attracts and hires the right talent to fill critical roles within the company.
- Performance management: HR develops systems that connect individual and team goals to organizational objectives.
- Learning and development: HR determines skill gaps and provides training to address those gaps and even enhance employee performance in alignment with the strategic plan.
- HR analytics: HR gathers and analyzes employee data related to employee performance, engagement, turnover, and other relevant metrics to make strategic decisions.
The position can be gratifying for those interested in strategic thinking, problem-solving, and handling diverse aspects of an organization’s functioning. Due to their strategic role within the organization, they are usually allowed to contribute to high-level decision-making.
2. Diverse responsibilities and tasks
Choosing a career in human resources offers diverse responsibilities and tasks. HR professionals handle various responsibilities, from hiring and onboarding to talent management and strategizing. They collaborate with teams and provide support to individual employees. Human resources is also responsible for managing the shifts within the workforce due to changes in technology, economy, and market demands.
HR professionals often work across different departments, which can provide exposure to various aspects of the business and increase flexibility in career choices. In addition, HR skills are highly sought after internationally, offering the possibility of working in diverse cultural and geographic settings.
3. Good job outlook
The job outlook for the HR profession is looking promising, and there is growing demand for certain HR roles. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the employment of HR specialists and HR managers in 2031 will increase by 8% and 7%, respectively, illustrating the demand for HR professionals within the field. The field has also seen an emergence of growing roles, like the ‘Chief Wellness Officer’ or Head of Remote roles.
Additionally, amidst the ever-changing global landscape, the world of HR has undergone remarkable transformations, adapting to and navigating through waves of change. Over the past 3-5 years, these changes have not only reshaped the role of HR but have also given rise to a diverse range of opportunities and challenges for professionals in this field.
As HR continues to evolve, it is also shifting from predominantly administrative tasks to leading in strategic planning, supporting employee wellbeing, and facilitating tech integration. In light of these changes, staying well-informed about the field’s trajectory and emerging opportunities has become increasingly crucial for current and aspiring HR professionals.
4. Gain transferable skills
A career in HR can give you a broad range of transferable skills that can be used in other industries and jobs. HR skills like interpersonal communication, negotiation, and conflict resolution are highly transferable. They can be useful should you decide to switch specialties or advance to leadership roles.
For instance, HR professionals often negotiate compensation, and negotiation skills are valuable in sales and contract management. They also provide support and assistance to employees, and customer service skills involve maintaining good client relationships or addressing customer concerns. Emotional intelligence is also an important HR skill. This skill is valuable for leadership roles, team management, and any position requiring effective communication.
5. Influence organizational culture
HR professionals can help create an inclusive and high-performing environment, influencing the overall employee experience. HR is responsible for recruiting people who match the company’s values. They implement team-building activities, recognition programs, and employee surveys to promote employee engagement.
They align performance management processes with the company culture by setting objectives and expectations that reflect it. They deliver training programs like diversity and inclusion and leadership development that reinforce the organization’s culture.
How to start a career in Human Resources
It’s important to have the foundational knowledge and competencies when starting a career in human resources. Here’s an example roadmap for beginning your HR career path:
1. Education and training
HR professionals should have a bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Psychology, Business Administration, or a related field. They can also take courses in HR management, organizational behavior, labor relations, and employment law to develop a strong HR foundation.
Here are a selection of online HR degrees offered by different universities:
- Online Bachelor’s Degree in Human Resource Management, Colorado State University System: This degree prepares you to work as an HR coordinator, training development specialist, or HR manager. Subjects covered include principles of human resources management, recruitment, selection, compensation, performance management, and employee development.
- Online Bachelor of Applied Science in Workforce Management, William Woods University: This degree is designed to increase the managerial abilities of graduates wishing to move into supervisory roles. Courses included are talent management, human resources administration, and management and labor relations.
2. Gain relevant experience
To earn practical insights and experience into HR functions, look for HR internships or mentorships where you can be trained by senior HR staff about the ins and outs of the department. You can also volunteer for short HR projects within your organizations or outside to learn what working on human resources is like.
You can also consider taking part-time administrative or customer service jobs, which provide transferable skills that are beneficial once you embark on your HR career.
3. Get certifications
As with any career, HR professionals require continuous upskilling to provide further value to the organization and expand their HR skills. Certifications provide an opportunity to keep abreast in your field and gain further skills to apply in the role.
Here are two examples of certificate programs:
- Professional in Human Resources, Human Resources Standard Institute: This course is for HR professionals with experience in implementing programs with tactical/logistical orientation. You will learn technical and operational knowledge of HR management, including U.S. laws and regulations. It covers employee and labor relations, business management, talent planning, and acquisition.
- HR Generalist, AIHR: This program will equip you with the knowledge and tools to build and implement key HR processes and add value to your business. In a scaling industry, you will learn about HR operations, strategic HR structuring, and how to avoid HR common mistakes.
4. Apply for entry-level HR positions
Look for entry-level HR roles to start building your HR career, like HR assistant, recruiter, or HR coordinator. Once you find a position, tailor your resume to match the job posting by highlighting relevant HR skills, internships, and certifications you’ve taken.
Craft a cover letter explaining your interest in the advertised role, relevant skills, work experience, and how you can help the company grow. Additionally, research the company and prepare for your interview by knowing the answers you’ll provide when asked about your skills and experience.
Career paths in human resources
HR professionals have more options than ever, as careers are no longer linear. You can select among different specializations that match your abilities and long-term career goals in human resources.
Mapping your HR career path involves determining your target skills and work experience and aligning them with different HR roles. The table below provides an example of a typical career progression in HR:
Level Role Role summary Entry-level HR Assistant Perform administrative HR tasks like recruitment and payroll Entry-level HR Analyst Analyze HR data to make recommendations on recruitment and employee retention Mid-level HRBP Assist and guide line managers in executing HR strategies that support the company’s business goals Mid-level Benefits Manager Oversees the administration of the company’s benefits programs and policies like retirement plans, leave policies, insurance plans, and wellness programs Senior level Global HR Manager Leads the company’s international HR processes, ensuring consistency and legal compliance across geographical locations Senior level VP, Human Resources Collaborate with C-suite in ensuring effective HR operations in alignment with the company’s overall planning and strategy
Key takeaways
A career in human resources offers versatility in skills and responsibilities. In addition, you can positively impact employees’ lives and the organization. To start a successful HR career, complete a bachelor’s degree and certifications, obtain relevant experience via HR internships or volunteering on HR projects, and apply for entry-level HR jobs.
As you spend time working on HR beginner roles, you can grow your career to mid-level and senior positions such as Global HR Manager or VP of Human Resources. This allows you to contribute to the organization’s culture and profitability significantly.
FAQs
Human resources is a good career for people interested in performing diverse responsibilities and positively influencing people and organizations. HR professionals are responsible for attracting and retaining employees and ensuring they are well-remunerated and supported so they can perform to the best of their abilities. Additionally, the changing labor market and war for talent make the HR team an indispensable part of the organization. As per BLS, the job outlook for HR specialists and managers is faster than the average for all occupations.
You can start your human resource journey by taking relevant bachelor’s degree courses and honing transferable skills and traits like communication, emotional intelligence, problem-solving, time management, and conflict resolution. Then, you can apply for mentorships or internships that allow exposure to HR functions to get an idea of how HR operates.
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