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Here’s How to Get a Job in Human Resources

May 6, 2019 | Career Blog

Human resource jobs are highly sought after because it is a field that is growing quickly with many well-paid positions available. It is expected that the number of HR jobs will continue to increase as time goes on. Not only that, The median annual income for HR positions is above the national average for all jobs. If you are one of the many who wishes to pursue a career in human resources, there are ways you can get your foot in the door. Keep reading for the advice we have to offer.

Determine Your Skill Set

Before you are certain that this is the path for you, it is important that you are honest with yourself about whether or not it’s the right fit. To make sure that you will enjoy this work, think about the things you enjoy doing in general and what you have always been told that you are good at. Human resource employees should be passionate about:

  • Helping others
  • Planning
  • Program development
  • Labor relations
  • Account management
  • And more

Get an Education

You can get a job in HR by way of a few different educational paths. Many HR positions will require that the candidate has a minimum of a four-year degree. This could be a bachelor’s in:

  • Human Resources
  • Personnel
  • Management
  • Psychology
  • Sociology
  • Or some other related subject

You can also seek certification in certain HR disciplines. Large companies often carry out workshops and classes to allow existing HR professionals to hone their skills. If you complete one of these certification courses, it will not only make you more desirable, but also increase your earning potential when you land a job. This can be a great way to get your foot in the door without having an expensive and time-consuming 4-year degree. Examples of such certifications include:

  • Professional in Human Resources (PHR)

or

  • Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR)

Get Experience

Employers will not necessarily be satisfied with you possessing a degree in HR, they will also want to know that you can actually handle the work in a real professional environment. There are many different employment laws, regulations and compliance issues that you will need to be fluent in, and having experience is the only way to truly understand what you can and cannot do within them.

In order to get some experience after your training, you can:

  • Find internships to get some hands-on experience, this also provides you with the opportunity to meet prospective employers.
  • Explore other opportunities that HR service providers have to offer.
  • Network and form connections wherever you can.

Form Connections

Some people are paralyzed by the idea of putting themselves out there and finding ways to network, but in actuality, it really isn’t that hard. All you have to do is know where your potential connections already exist and to follow through on them. Some ideas include:

  • Working with a job placement agency.
  • Reaching out to friends and family that work at larger companies with HR departments.
  • Attending meetings of the local SHRM chapter.
  • Getting involved with other related professional associations.

Know What to Apply For

Once you have completed your degree and have some extra experience under your belt, you will want to know what positions to apply for to enter into the field. There are a variety of entry-level human resource jobs being posted daily. Some examples are:

Payroll Assistant: Larger organizations often need one person mostly dedicated to working on payroll. Tasks in HR that are often associated with payroll are processing time cards, supervising vacation and sick day requests and administering salary and hourly wages.

Benefits Assistant: Other HR duties usually have to do with the administration of benefits for employees within every level of the organization. Someone in the department will solely be dedicated to handling insurance enrollments, 401K plans and other types of benefits that are offered by the company. This also includes unemployment and disability insurance, which sometimes requires the HR department to work with other agencies.

Staff Training: Often times the HR department will be responsible for welcoming new staff as well as informing them of safety guidelines and operations of processes and equipment. HR is typically responsible for this to ensure that the training is delivered correctly and documented properly.

Employment Assistant: Assistants that work in employment management of an HR department will manage job postings, screen resumes and cover letters, carry out reference and background checks, assist with employee evaluations, etc.

Human Resource Assistant: An HR assistant will often be asked to work on everything from payroll and training to developing programs to organize the culture of the company.

Ask for Help

Allegiance Staffing has a lot of experience helping people find entry-level positions in human resources, and we are ready to help you get there too! We will take a look at your experience and match you with a company in need of your skills. Reach out today for more information!