Associate Degree In Human Resources
Generally, earning an associate degree in human resources can prepare graduates for entry-level employment as HR assistants, HR associates, or administrative assistants. Many associate degree-holders continue on to pursue bachelor’s degrees, which meet the minimum education requirements for most human resources jobs.
What Advice Would You Give To Students Considering A Degree In Human Resources
If you are interested in a long-term career in human resources, be willing to start at the entry level of a company to get your foot in the door. A versatile HR professional has a great working knowledge of all roles within a company.
I began my working career as a cart pusher in a big box chain and eventually worked my way up to a management role. At Totally Promotional, we encourage internal promotion and are proud to say that nearly all of our management team began in entry-level positions. Having a keen understanding of what it takes to perform a role can help you create policies and improvements that will provide actual benefits to the team.
What Does A Human Resources Manager Do
The short answer is, an HR manager does a lot. In the past, HR was mainly tasked with administrative duties like managing benefits, sick days, and vacation time. Todays HR manager is focused on growth, employee satisfaction, and professional development. Human resources managers must play a strategic role as both an employee advocate and mentor, and as an impartial mediator and liaison between management and the rank and file.
Often, the human resources manager is responsible for hiring, interviewing, training, and enforcing internal policies. Things like recruitment, training, and company culture fall into the HR purview.
But, theres a lot more to HR than hiring and putting together the employee guidebook. HR plans and manages how an organization can get the most out of their existing talent pool. They handle staffing issues and maintain safety and health on the job. Human resources managers also put together compensation and benefits packages aimed at retaining quality employees, while helping the organization save money.
Additionally, human resources managers need to be familiar with employment law. While they dont need to be lawyers, human resources managers counsel upper management on company policies to remain in compliance with federal and state laws such as equal employment opportunity, sexual harassment, accessibility, diversity, and more.
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Important Skills For A Career In Hr And How To Develop Them
Human resources skills help HR professionals develop their abilities and become more competitive job candidates. There are hundreds of potential HR skills to learn, each with its own purpose and advantage. Understanding how to learn and develop HR abilities can help professionals advance in their career and gain more competitive skills. In this article, we explain how to learn HR skills, review six common skills you might pursue and explore how to develop those them.
Human Resources Analytics Specialist
Why this is a great career: Help establish pay and benefits for employees.
There are costs and benefits every time a company hires a new employee. If you are interested in knowing the cost of hiring, training, and promoting employees, then being an HR analytics specialist is for you. HR analytics specialists provide data that is used by the human re department. Some of the duties of an HR analytics specialist include:
Researching the amount of revenue generated per employee
Helping to improve a companys talent acquisition strategy
Monitoring training expenses and efficiency
Measuring voluntary and involuntary turnover to improve recruiting and workplace environment
Making recommendations to human resources managers
Your analytical, business, critical thinking, and communication skills will come in handy as an HR analytics specialist. The average annual income for this position is $99,680, while top income earners in this position can make up to $204,000.
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Importance Of Career Development
Every employee working in an organization is looking for a career development which moves in the right direction. Career path taken by an employee determines the growth. Career should be planned in a way that it moves forward.
Career development provides the framework with skills, goals, awareness, assessment and performance which helps an individual to move in the right direction and achieve the goals one has in one’s career. Careful career planning is always useful for individuals to succeed professionally and also helps to boost employee motivation in the organization.
Is A Human Resource Management Career Worth It
Working in the HR department may not be for everyone since it involves handling other employees. However, if youre working in a different department and are interested in HR, you can always make the switch.
Its one of those careers that are easy to enter and will always provide positive returns and growth.
However, once youre in the HR world, you should stick with it all the way. If you truly believe youre a people person, becoming an HR professional may be the best decision you make.
If you are new to Human Resources and are looking to break into an HR role, we recommend taking our HR Certification Courses, where you will learn how to build your skillset in human resources, build your human resources network, craft a great HR resume, and create a successful job search strategy.
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You Can Help Develop The People Around You
The work you do in HR goes a long way in the professional development of other employees. With tools like performance reviews and exit interviews, human resources professionals can collect valuable information that guides performance improvement plans. This ultimately provides you the rewarding opportunity to not just improve the organization as a whole but also the individual employees you work alongside.
Cost Of Hr Operations Per Employee And Cost Per Hire
Firms can utilise this metric to decide the cost effectiveness of HR operations. To calculate the cost of HR operations per employee, use the formula:
Cost of HR per employee = Total HR compensation/Number of employees
The cost per hire measure displays the cost of hiring a new employee. It can serve as an indicator of how effectively a hiring process works. To determine cost per hire, use the formula:
Cost per hire = total cost of recruiting and staffing/Number of new hires
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Compensation Benefits And Job Analysis Specialists
This is a specialty that typically demands some work experience, as well as a bachelors degree. If you’re an HR specialist with a knack for research and data analysis, you may find this work is right up your alley.
The job usually includes learning about and comparing benefit policies and plans, classifying position descriptions to set fair salaries, making sure the company complies with legal requirements and preparing reports on all of this for managers and other HR professionals. BLS reports that median pay in this field was $64,120 in 2021, with a 10% job growth through 2030.
Considering A Career In Human Resources
You now have a whole host of reasons why human resources is a good career to pursue. Could this be the right field for you?
If so, learn more about the skills, education and experience needed to get started by checking out our article Everything You Need to Know About Working in Human Resources.
And if youre interested in what earning a degree in HR could look like, check out the Human Resources and Organizational Leadership programs at Rasmussen University.
1Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, www.bls.gov/ooh/. Information represents national, averaged data for the occupations listed and includes workers at all levels of education and experience. This data does not represent starting salaries. Employment conditions in your area may vary.The Office is a registered trademark of Universal Entertainment.EDITORS NOTE: This article was originally published in November 2012. It has since been updated to include information relevant to 2021.
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Employee Career Development Plans
Career development needs clear structure and outcomes, and HR should take the lead in developing them.
At the organisational level, once youve decided to prioritise career development, the next step is to build a system that defines:
- Criteria for identifying employees with the talent and potential for development
- Career development initiatives such as career counselling, coaching and mentoring, and learning and development programmes
- A progression structure for employees participating in development initiatives
- Metrics for career development outcomes, so initiatives can be evaluated and improved
Individual employee career development should also be planned and recorded, using personal plans. Plans can be discussed with employees duringappraisals, or in career counselling sessions with HR.
Individual career development plans should include:
- Long-term and short-term goals for career progression, agreed between HR or line managers and the employee
- Identification of skills and experience needed to achieve the goals
- The employees next career development steps, such as completing training and improving performance in key areas
Special Team Projects Or Assignments:
- Place the staff member in a group problem-solving situation to develop his/her skills in working with others.
- Place the staff member in a group with representatives from various parts of the organization to develop the participant’s knowledge and understanding of the organization.
- Review and critique the staff member’s performance or participation.
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What Are Human Resources Certifications
Human resources certifications are distinctions earned through examinations to certify knowledge of HR practices, regulations and programs. Many professional organizations within the human resources industry offer specialized certifications relevant to different HR positions.
Most certifications require previous work experience in the HR field and related degrees. Examinations vary in length and question style based on the area of human resources expertise.
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Benefits Of Pursuing Hr Courses
Here are some benefits of pursuing an HR course of your choice:
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Enhances salary prospects: Specialised professional courses work as proof of your skills and abilities. This can help in increasing your salary prospects.
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Increases networking: HR courses can increase your professional network that can be useful in the future.
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Ensures development: Pursuing an additional course develops new skills and improve the existing ones.
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Increases employment opportunity: Often, employers prefer candidates with a specialised HR course that helps increase employment opportunities.
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Provides a competitive advantage: Completing an HR course can give you an advantage over other candidates without a professional course or certification.
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Professional Development For Hr Professionals
Human resource professionals help attract and retain the best people for your organization. Well help you advance with industry-recognized certifications and skill development areas constantly changing, such as compensation and benefits, and employee relations.
Prepare to earn an HR certificate or build your capabilities in the areas of hiring, performance management, compensation or total rewards. Weve partnered with the professional association WorldatWork to offer exam prep and recertification courses for Certified Compensation Professional , Certified Benefits Professional , Global Remuneration Professional and skill development programs for HR professionals at every level, to assist to get into a new career or advance your current career.
Certification
Industry Recognized Certifications
Partner: Ed2Go | Non-Credit: Yes | CEUs Available | Cost: Varies by Course
These courses give you the skills to move into higher levels of human resource management or prepare you for the Senior Professional in Human Resources exam or the SHRM-SCP exam. You will gain skills in the five primary areas of an HR department: business management and strategy, workforce planning and employment, human resource development, compensation and benefits, and employee relations and risk management.
Public Service Institutes
Human Resources Career Paths
Students can choose from a variety of paths when setting out on their human resources careers. While schools may differ in their approaches to human resources education, many offer concentrations in business or compensation and benefits as part of HR management programs.
Likewise, many MBA and finance programs offer human resources as a concentration option. Other programs prepare students to pursue specialized recruiting or training roles in HR by offering concentrations in training and development or organizational leadership. While individual options may vary, the following list describes a few common career paths within the field.
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Compensation And Benefits Manager
Why this is a great career: You know the salaries and wages of everybody in your organization.
Do you want to know the hourly wage or annual salary of everybody in your organization? If you find this interesting, then a job as a compensation and benefits manager is the career for you. As a compensation and benefits manager, you are responsible for establishing a pay and benefits structure for employees. Other duties include:
Overseeing the distribution of pay and benefits
Choosing and working with insurance companies, investment managers, and other benefit partners
Providing pay and benefits information to employees
Monitoring the pay and benefits the competitors provide their employees
You will need strong leadership skills as you implement compensation and benefits programs and coordinate staff activities. You will earn an excellent income in this position. The median annual salary for compensation and benefits managers is $122,270. Top income earners in this position can earn up to $208,000. Before you embark on a career in HRM, keep in mind that the salaries presented here are only estimates. Salary and wages for HR positions will differ based on the company, industry, region of the country, education, and work experience. There are excellent prospects for career growth in the human resources industry. Now is a great time to embark on this career.
Build A Proper Professional Development Plan
This is where it all comes together. An employee now knows their interests, goals, and what stands between them and these goals.
Together, you need to map out the various actions an employee can take to realize each of these goals in the allotted timeframe. These could include:
- Adding responsibilities to a current role.
- Completing formal education.
- Taking training courses inside or outside of the organization.
- Doing side projects to build skills.
- Developing informal and formal mentoring relationships.
- Getting coaching from a co-worker or team leader.
- Redesigning a current role to focus more on strengths.
Two things are important here. The first is attaching a timeline to each of the activities in a plan, for example: Complete project management certification by end of the year. You can help do this by planning backwards from the time to achieve the goal.
The second is nailing down resources. As an HR professional, figure out how you can help facilitate the development of your employee. Can your team shift the workload around so that they can engage in more of the projects to help develop their skills?
The ability to get support will have an impact on how an employees plan rolls out, and whether it is successful, so it is imperative for HR to be involved from the beginning.
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Supporting Employees’ Professional Development
The HR department may work towards helping employees to achieve their professional goals. For instance, they can help further their education by assisting them with their tuition or reimbursement or connecting them with classes or training that could help them grow. Supporting employees’ development can make them feel fulfilled at work because it shows that the company values their talent and wants to see them grow in their careers. The HR department may help arrange training programmes for its employees to develop necessary skills.
How To Advance Your Career In Human Resources
Professionals can advance their careers in human resources by returning to college. Earning an advanced degree looks good on a resume and provides professionals with more skills and deeper knowledge in their field. However, graduate degrees require substantial time and money.
Professionals in human resources can explore other options for career advancement, such as certification, continuing education and free online courseware, and/or networking opportunities. Readers can learn more about these cost-effective and less time-consuming options in the sections below.
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Why Prioritise Career Development
Career development therefore, gives you a greater ROI from employees. But there are also short-term benefits of employee development: employees are more engaged and committed when they see a path of career development and progression ahead of them.
This can mean better performance in the short term, as well as positive effects on staff turnover and recruitment. With more than three-quarters of UK organisations finding it difficult to retain staff in a recent survey, effective career development can be a differentiator. 74% of companies have plans to develop more talent in-house in future .
Because career development also nurtures internal talent, it can help you reduce the costs of external hiring. You can also retain valuable knowledge held by staff, who might choose to leave if development opportunities are scarce.
Hr Management Certificate Ecornell
As part of Cornell University, the Human Resource Management Certificate program is an amazing way for you to enhance your abilities as an HR professional. The course lasts for 4,5 months and is completely online. It consists of nine separate courses, of which each takes about two weeks before youll move on to the next one. The course is not only suitable for existing professionals but also for entry-level HR graduates who are just starting their careers. Topics like performance management, L& D, and employee relations are covered in great detail, enabling you to truly master the craft and apply your knowledge practically.
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Define The Results You Hope To Yield
After identifying how the company or employee team may improve, members of the HR team can define the results they hope to yield after implementing an HR development strategy. Recognizing a clear goal can help HR professionals and employees stay focused and understand the purpose of the activity or program. The purpose of an HR development plan may be to encourage employees’ skill acquisition, create a larger team of managers or ensure that all employees perform tasks that align with their professional strengths.
