Human Resources Professionals screen, interview and recruit people at the work place. They also manage employee relations, train people, manage their payroll and decide on benefits for employees. They interview candidates about their education, experience and skills. They conduct background checks on job applicants. They identify the clients’ needs and recruit suitable candidates. They also update the candidates about the nature of the job, benefits and working conditions. They conduct employee orientation program and maintain their records.
Career Prospects for Human Resource Professionals
At entry level HR professionals are absorbed in various organizations and recruitment agencies to perform the basic tasks such as short listing the candidate, and meeting staffing related requirements of the company. At senior levels, HR managers and HR directors enhance leadership effectiveness in organizations and contribute to the organization’s performance. Some senior level positions in human resources include development managers, benefits manager/ assistants, compensation specialists, industrial relations director, human resource analysts, consultants and professors.
Find out about the Top 7 Careers in Management.
Pre-requisites for HR Professionals
To work as a HR professional one must hold at least a Bachelor’s Degree preferably in Human Resources, Business or any similar field. Candidates with a Diploma or similar qualification may qualify for entry level positions in recruiting and screening. Those with experience may substitute qualification for different positions in customer service and related jobs. Any certification related to Human Relations may be an added advantage as it denotes specialization and knowledge in all the human resource areas.
Advantages of Working as a Human Resources Professional
As a Human Resources professional you can create significant impact on the organization by contributing to hiring and retaining the best talent. The HR professionals usually do not have to worry about budgetary constraints or operating issues which makes it easy for them to focus on their duties. The most important factor that works in favour of Human resource professionals is that every organization whether it is small or huge, requires man power and management of human resources department. So there is no scarcity of job opportunities to qualified HR professionals.
Disadvantages of Working as a Human Resource Professional
Even though HR professionals are an integral part of an organization, since they do not shoulder direct responsibility to earn money for the organization, they are not considered as important as people in the Sales, Finance or General management functions. Since HR professionals get too involved with hiring and retaining people, they can sometimes lose connect with the greater purpose of their organization and that can affect their performance and effectiveness.
