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Human resources (HR) professionals are at the heart of modern business, ensuring the fair treatment of individuals in an organisation and fulfilling an important role in a company’s performance. There are many graduate-career opportunities in HR.
Human resources and personnel
HR is about the effective management of people. From making sure an employer recruits the best people and implements employment laws, to ensuring an organisation is structured in the most effective way, HR plays a central role in shaping how employers and their biggest asset – their staff – perform. It is this strategic role that differentiates HR from the more traditional personnel function.
HR departments are found in all sectors, and in nearly all medium and large organisations. You can also work for specialist organisations such as recruitment agencies or management consultancies, though you may need to gain experience elsewhere beforehand.
What does HR involve?
Areas covered by HR can include:
- recruitment and staff retention
- employment law and policies
- employee communications
- managing downsizing exercises
- staff disciplinary procedures
- salary and benefits policies
- employee development
- performance measurement
- health and safety
- management information reporting.
The nature and extent of HR’s involvement in these issues varies from one employer to another. In some larger organisations HR is divided into specialist departments, such as graduate recruitment or training and development.
HR also has a key role in managing change within organisations, both internally led, such as company restructuring, or prompted by external factors such as new EU laws. In recent years, HR has dealt with the impact of issues such as online recruitment, increased freedom of movement within Europe and changing employment laws.
Graduates in HR
Initially, graduates are likely to be involved in getting to learn the main HR functions, including administrative work and involvement in activities such as recruitment. They will also have to become familiar with the software packages that are increasingly used as HR management tools.
After initial training will come increased responsibility, with hands-on roles managing HR issues for ’clients’ within the company – often other departments or sites.
Senior HR managers, meanwhile, operate at a strategic level, working on company-wide issues such as salary schemes and organisational structure.
Professional qualifications
The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) offers professional qualifications at colleges and by distance learning. CIPD qualifications can help you get into HR, but many employers provide financial assistance and/or study leave to enable trainees to obtain these qualifications after they join.
Many universities also offer master’s degrees in human resources, usually with part-time study options, which can be gained after you start work.
Salaries for HR professionals
Graduate schemes usually offer a general introduction to HR activities, and involve placements in different departments or locations. The average starting salary is around £22,000, with packages of up to £25,000 in some organisations, especially in London.
After initial training, HR officers in large organisations command £25,000 to £28,000. With two or three years’ experience, this can rise to around £30,000 to £35,000.
Search for graduate employers recruiting HR professionals.
Applying for HR positions
A background in business studies, especially with an HR specialism (which may give you CIPD exemptions), can be an advantage, though it’s not essential. Work experience is a good way to show commitment to HR and develop key skills.
Employers look for:
- excellent communication skills
- persuasiveness / negotiation skills
- the ability to present and defend points with confidence
- logical thinking and problem-solving ability
- numeracy
- computer skills
- organisational ability
- tact and discretion.
