Human Resource Specialist Job Description
Those who work in human resources are responsible for the overall well-being and effective use of a company's personnel. The human resources specialist may be responsible for employing new staff, overseeing promotions, pay, conditions of employment, and diversity. In large corporations, there may be one human resources specialist in charge of each of these areas. However, in smaller companies, one human resources manager may oversee the whole human resources department.
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Job Description
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The role of the human resources specialist is varied, but she is normally responsible for one specific section of the human resources department. This could be recruitment, where she will be responsible for advertising and filling jobs as they are needed, including finding and interviewing potential candidates. Or she may be in charge of compensation and benefits for the company's employees, setting salaries and making sure the company's pay scale remains competitive. Human resources is also responsible for the welfare of employees. Therefore, it is likely that a big company will have a specialist in charge of employee welfare, making sure they have access to counseling if needed and that the company promotes a healthy work/life balance.
Qualifications
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Most human resources specialists are college graduates and many also hold a master's degree. However, given that the skills set required to work in human resources is varied, employers accept a range of different degree disciplines. The most relevant degrees, however, are human resources, business administration, political science and psychology. The skills required to be an effective human resources specialist include management, budgeting, counseling and planning and organization.
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Job Prospects
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According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the prospects for careers in human resources is good through 2018. The number of jobs created in the sector is expected to grow by 22 percent, which is much faster than the national average for all jobs. The reason given is that more companies are looking at human resources as a vital department; as a company expands, so will its human resources department.
Conditions
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The role of human resources specialist is mainly office-based due to the fact that he spends the majority of his time interviewing people for possible roles within the company or handling other administrative duties. The work may involve travel to attend seminars, or to recruit new employees, such as graduates at recruitment fairs. The average work week normally consists of 40 or more office hours.
Salary
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According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median salary for human resources specialists in 2008 varied depending on their area of specialization. Those involved in employment and recruitment averaged salaries of $45,470 a year; those working in training and development earned an average of $51,450 a year. Benefits for human resources specialists include paid vacation, health insurance and pension plans.
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References
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