Human Resources Specialist

Career Overview

Human resources specialists support organizations with recruiting, hiring, employee relations, compensation and benefits, training, and workplace policies. They help identify staffing needs, screen and interview applicants, coordinate onboarding, maintain employee records, and guide human resources procedures.

Education

A bachelor’s degree in human resources, business, psychology, communications, or a related field is typically required. Coursework in human resource management, business, employment law, accounting, psychology, and communication can provide useful preparation. Internships and practical HR experience can also help students enter the field.

Future Outlook

Human resources specialists should remain needed as organizations recruit employees, manage workplace policies, support employee development, and respond to changing workforce needs. Demand for HR professionals is also supported by organizations’ growing focus on workforce planning, employee experience, compliance, and talent management. Current projections indicate employment growth faster than average, although opportunities vary by industry and region.

Work Environment

Human resources specialists work across nearly every industry, generally in professional office environments. They may specialize in recruitment, employee relations, benefits, training, or human resources administration. Most work full-time during regular business hours, although recruitment events, deadlines, and workplace needs may require additional hours or travel.

Recommended High School Courses

Psychology
Business
Communication
Economics
Marketing
Accounting
Computer Applications
Social science

Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Instructing - Teaching others how to do something.
Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Learning Strategies - Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Negotiation - Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.
Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Time Management - Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
Clerical - Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.
Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
Law and Government - Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
Personnel and Human Resources - Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.

Category Flexibility - The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

Explain regulations, policies, or procedures.
Administer personnel recruitment or hiring activities.
Update knowledge of legal or regulatory environments.
Administer compensation or benefits programs.
Perform human resources activities.
Evaluate personnel practices to ensure adherence to regulations.
Maintain data in information systems or databases.
Verify application data to determine program eligibility.
Coordinate personnel recruitment activities.
Develop training materials.
Train personnel to enhance job skills.
Review license or permit applications.
Discuss business strategies, practices, or policies with managers.
Advise others on business or operational matters.
Inform individuals or organizations of status or findings.
Conduct eligibility or selection interviews.
Train personnel on managerial topics.
Evaluate effectiveness of personnel policies or practices.
Prepare operational reports.
Advise others on human resources topics.

Schools

Abraham Lincoln Universit...

Adelphi University

Alaska Career College- An...

Allegheny College

Alvernia University

American Intercontinental...

American International Co...

American University

Arkansas Tech University

Ashworth College- Norcros...

Auburn University

Azusa Pacific University

Baker College Online

Barry University

Baruch College (cuny)

Baylor University

Bellevue University

Belmont University

Bemidji State University

Berea College

Bethel University

Biola University

Bluefield College

Bob Jones University

Boise State University

Boston University

Bowling Green State Unive...

Bradley University

Brandeis University

Brenau University

Brescia University

Brigham Young University

Brigham Young University-...

Bryan College

Bryan University

Cal Poly Pomona

California Coast Universi...

California Institute Of A...

California State Universi...

Campellsville University

Capitol Technology Univer...

Central Christian College...

Central New Mexico Commun...

Central Washington Univer...

Chippewa Valley Technical...

College Of Southern Nevad...

Colorado Christian Univer...

Colorado Mesa University

Colorado Technical Univer...

Columbia International Un...

Columbia Southern Univers...

Columbus State Community...

Columbus State University

Concordia University- Irv...

Concordia University- Neb...

Concordia University- Tex...

Corban University

Cornell College

Desales University

Dickinson State Universit...

Drexel University

Excelsior College

Fairfield University

Fairleigh Dickinson Unive...

Faulkner University

Ferris State University

Florida Institute Of Tech...

Florida International Uni...

Gateway Community College...

George Washington Univers...

Golden Gate University

Grantham University

Gulf Coast State College

Herzing University- Akron...

Herzing University- Atlan...

Herzing University- Birmi...

Herzing University- Brook...

Herzing University- Kenos...

Herzing University- Madis...

Herzing University- Minne...

Herzing University- New O...

Herzing University- Onlin...

Herzing University- Orlan...

Indian River State Colleg...

Indiana University-purdue...

John Brown University

Johnson And Wales Univers...

Juniata College

Key College

King University

Michigan State University

Minnesota State Universit...

Mount Aloysius College

Navarro College- Corsican...

New York University

North Greenville Universi...

Notre Dame University Of...

Pennsylvania State Univer...

Plaza College

Rutgers University- New B...

Shorter University

Suny At Oswego

Suny At Stony Brook

Suny Plattsburgh

Towson University

University Of Alaska Fair...

University Of Georgia

University Of Idaho

University Of Illinois At...

University Of Nebraska- O...

University Of North Texas

Weber State University- O...

West Virginia University-...

Western Carolina Universi...

Academy Canada- Corner... ●

Academy Canada- St. Jo...

Algoma University- Bra...

Algoma University- Sau...

Ambrose University

Assiniboine Community...

Athabasca University

Bishop's University

Booth University Colle...

Bow Valley College- Do...

Brandon University

Brock University

Canadian Institute Of...

Capilano University- K...

Capilano University- L...

Capilano University- M...

Cdi College- Calgary C...

Cdi College- Edmonton...

Coast Mountain College...

College Of New Caledon...

College Of The North A...

Conestoga College- Bra...

Conestoga College- Gue...

Durham College- Oshawa...

Fanshawe College- Lond...

Fleming College- Suthe...

George Brown College-...

Great Plains College-...

Herzing College- Montr...

Herzing College- Onlin...

Horizon College & Semi...

Ibt College

Keyin College

King's University Coll...

Lakehead University- O...

Lakehead University- T...

Macewan University- Ci...

Seneca College- Newnha...

Sheridan College Insti...

St. Clair College

Trillium College- King...

Trillium College- Osha...

Trillium College- St....

Trillium College- Sudb...

Trinity Western Univer...

Université De Saint-bo...

Université Sainte-anne

University Canada West

Vancouver Career Colle...

Yukon University

Concordia University Of...

Concordia University- L...

USA

Canada

Potential Scholarships

5 Strong Scholarship

Agnes M. Lindsay Scholars...

Approx Salary Expectation

Low End:

$45,000.00 /yr

Avg/Med:

$73,000.00 /yr

High End:

$127,000.00 /yr

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References

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, https://www.bls.gov/ooh/.
Trend Analysis - Explorer the Market, Labour Market Information, Government of Canada https://www.jobbank.gc.ca/trend-analysis.
O*NET OnLine, National Center for O*NET Development, https://www.onetonline.org/.