With a projected growth rate of nine percent by 2024, human resources management is a rapidly growing field that offers candidates a variety of career opportunities from recruiting to people operations. If you’re considering becoming a human resources professional, you might be wondering about the various day-to-day tasks associated with this career path.
Here are some of the key things you need to know about working in human resources management.
What is human resources management?
Human resources management (often abbreviated as HR management or HR) is a broad term that covers a range of functions associated with hiring, training and managing employees. Focusing on everything from recruitment to payroll, HR departments ensure that companies follow federal laws and best practices when managing their employees, a practice that not only benefits the employees but also the company’s ability to operate efficiently.
What do human resources professionals do?
Because human resources management is a broad field, the day-to-day tasks of HR professionals can vary greatly depending on their roles. For example, while recruiters focus mostly on identifying talent and interviewing candidates, HR generalists are responsible for creating and streamlining processes to handle things like payroll, benefits and training. Despite the different responsibilities of these roles, one thing remains constant: a strong focus on effective employer-employee relations.
What are the challenges of a human resources management career?
A fast-paced field, HR management definitely has its share of challenges. These include contending with unpredictable schedules when organizing interviews and handling sensitive issues such as layoffs and problems between managers and employees. The key to overcoming these challenges is understanding that HR management is a service-oriented role and keeping the company’s best interests in mind while being sensitive to the needs of employees.
What are the benefits of a human resources management career?
Although there are definitely some challenges involved in being an HR professional, there are a lot of benefits too. These include working with managers to build a strong workforce, fostering a great team culture and developing programs designed to ensure that employees are satisfied and supported in their roles.
What is a typical salary for a human resources professional?
Salaries for human resources professionals vary slightly depending on the specific role but entry-level HR coordinators and recruiters typically earn around $42,000 while HR managers can earn upwards of $90,000.
An important field with plenty of growth and stability, human resources management offers many opportunities for recent grads. The best way to find out if being an HR professional is right for you is to get a hands-on feel for the role by doing an internship.
Next, get more career tips for internships and entry-level jobs such as Top 10 Things You Should Look For In a Company and find answers to common interview questions such as What’s Your Dream Job?