Career Focus: Human Resources

Human Resources, often shortened to HR, has been transformed into a cross-functional department. In the past, the HR department have been seen as mediators and administrators. Now they are culture creators and recruiting professionals, with a skills emphasis on the frequently changing employment law. Choosing a career in HR comes with the opportunity to genuinely impact the working lives of employees. A feature that to many people is highly valued.

Skilled HR professionals are in-demand, as well as those that can embrace change and are looking for a rewarding career. If this resonates with your values, then a career in Human Resources may be ideal.

This career has wide progression opportunities. Each company is different in size and as a result, has differing needs. With that comes a multitude of job roles. Here are the four we encounter the most and an overview on what each one involves:

HR Administrator/ HR Officer

Are you Entering a career in HR? This is the job role you’d best apply for. If you haven’t gained your CIPD qualification, then a HR Administrator job role will teach the basics and enable you to gain much needed experience. Your daily duties will involve recording absence, holiday requests and processing new employee records, as well as sitting in on mediation sessions and disciplinaries. You’ll answer to the HR Team Leader or Manager who’ll be able to help you gain key experience and even aide you in taking an industry qualification.

HR Shared Service Team Leader

Larger companies tend to adopt a shared service model due to the size and scale of their HR needs.  The functions within a shared service team will vary but tend to be stripped out into Onboarding, Employee Relations and Talent Acquisition to name a few.  Managing a team in this area will involve strong people management skills and ensuring that your team deliver on all internal SLA’s that are in place within the business.

HR Manager/Director

Sitting at the top of the Human Resources department hierarchy is the HR Manager or Director. Aside from managing the HR team, they will also be responsible for adhering to employment law, strategic analysis of the processes and managing the budget for the department. They will also oversee more complex issues such as welfare, employee engagement and attraction, awareness of changing law and departmental HR training.

Recruitment Coordinator/Internal Recruiter

As companies grow, so do their staffing requirements. Managing that process, from advertising roles through to employee onboarding, is the Recruitment Coordinator. They oversee the recruitment of new employees. This role is suited to those that are good with managing stakeholders, such as department heads and external recruitment agencies.

Genuinely caring about people is what is really required when entering a HR career as well as being highly confidential. You’ll be a valued resource of the business and the workforce. If this interests you then get in touch, we may be able to help you get started in a life of people!