1.6 Careers in HRM

Human resources is one of the fastest-growing professions, and the demand for highly skilled HR professionals will continue to increase. An organization cannot exist without people, so all organizations have a need for someone (or a team) to manage their human capital. Within HR, there are many different functions, and therefore a wide variety of positions within the field. In fact, there are over 130 different HR job titles! Positions within HR fall into three broad categories: HR generalists, HR specialists, and HR managers.

An HR generalist is a person who handles a wide variety of duties that may range from administrative duties, recordkeeping and reporting, tracking applicants, to a wide variety of other tasks. An HR specialist is a person who has expertise in a specific area of human resources and is usually a more experienced HR professional. If you are new to the HR field, your first position will likely be as an HR generalist. Then, as you gain experience and knowledge, it is typical to eventually advance into a role as an HR specialist. The most experienced HR staff then may move into roles as HR managers or directors. In larger organizations, the most senior HR employee may be a member of the senior executive team, with titles such as VP for human resources, VP for people, or chief human resources officer (CHRO).

According to the Occupational Outlook Handbook of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, HR generalist and specialists positions are growing at 7% a year, with an average salary of $60,520 per year, with 547,800 new positions expected to be created during the ten-year period from 2016 to 2026. HR manager positions are growing at 7% a year, with average salaries of $110,120, and 136,100 positions expected to be created from 2016 to 2026. Figure 1.4 shows how an individual might typically advance through a career in HR.

The following are some of the major specialties that are available as career options in HR:

Since you are studying HR, there is a good chance that you are wondering: How do I prepare for a career in HR? There are three general paths to an entry-level position in the HR field:

However, even earning a college degree in HR is often not enough. Potential employers also look for experience, which can be obtained through an internship. Research indicates that professional experience is vital to securing employment after graduation from college, with the most valuable internships lasting at least three months. Business internships are the most useful when the supervisor provides the student with direct feedback and assessment on the intern’s strengths, weaknesses, and advice for professional improvement. Another way to build experience is to seek an HR rotational, which is typically a full-time job lasting two to three years, in which the participant rotates through various aspects of HR within a company.

In the HR community, it is important to build relationships through networking. A good starting point is to attend meetings and networking events (or mixers) hosted by the local chapters of professional associations. One organization that you should consider is the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). SHRM is the world’s largest HR professional society, representing 300,000 members in more than 165 countries. They are the leading provider of resources, serving the needs of HR professionals and advancing the practice of human resource management, with more than 575 affiliated chapters within the United States and subsidiaries in China, India, and United Arab Emirates. SHRM also has student chapters at many colleges and universities in the U.S. If your university has a student chapter, you should join it, and perhaps consider running for an office. If your university does not have a student chapter, then talk to a faculty member about starting one!

You may also wish to begin planning to earn an HR certification. The value of a certification is that it demonstrates to prospective employers that you have attained a specific level of knowledge and behaviors related to HR. SHRM offers several certifications: the SHRM Certified Professional (SHRM-CP) for early career professionals, and the SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP) for advanced professionals. The eligibility requirements to sit for an exam are shown in Table 1.4. More than 5,000 employers are seeking SHRM credential holders every month.

Another provider of HR certification is the HR Certification Institute (HRCI). They offer widely respected certifications, with 93% of Fortune 500 companies currently employing HRCI certification holders. The most common HRCI certifications are the Professional in Human Resources (PHR), the Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR), and the Global Professional in Human Resources (GPHR). The HRCI eligibility requirements are shown in Table 1.5.

As you have seen by now, human resource management is a career with a wide variety of responsibilities. On any given day, an HR professional might engage in tasks that involve meeting with people, reviewing budgets or financial statements, handling legal issues, or a host of other types of activities. An HR career can be very exciting and challenging, as one never knows what the next day will hold. Accordingly, the skillset that HR managers need is varied and complex.

A competency A cluster of observable and measurable knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics (KSAOs) needed for effective job performance. is a cluster of observable and measurable knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics (KSAOs Knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics. ) needed for effective job performance. Competencies simplify the process of tying examples of performance expectations to organizational or professional missions and goals, which increases the likelihood of a positive impact on organizational outcomes.

Competencies are expressed as either technical or behavioral. A technical competency refers to the knowledge required for effective performance. In other words, they reflect what a person knows about a particular field. A behavioral competency refers to an observable quality or characteristic associated with effective performance and reflects what a person is able to do. In the HR field, an example of a technical competency is knowledge of HR-related laws and regulations, and an example of a behavioral competency is conflict resolution.

The SHRM Competency Model^© is designed for all HR professionals as a resource for identifying and defining proficiency in the technical and behavioral aspects of HR. It can help HR students and practitioners create a road map for achieving their professional goals by developing expertise in each competency. SHRM’s Competency Model distinguishes between the technical and behavioral competencies required for four different career levels: early, mid, senior, and executive. As an undergraduate HR textbook, our focus throughout the book will be on the early career competencies.

The SHRM Competency Model^©, shown here:  https://www.shrm.org/learningandcareer/career/pages/shrm-competency-model.aspx  and explained further in Table 1.6 consists of nine competencies: HR Expertise (a technical competency), and eight behavioral competencies organized into three clusters:

Each of the eight behavioral competencies is defined in Table 1.6:

Both SHRM and HRCI have identified bodies of knowledge that outline the competencies and skills that are essential for HR professionals. This textbook is aligned with both of these sets of competencies to ensure that the reader is introduced to each of the primary areas of HR knowledge. The SHRM and HRCI bodies of knowledge are described in Table 1.7.