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Human Resources
Overview
Human resource specialists provide the link between managers and
employees within a company. This is a broad field, but each job
involves working frequently with people and serving as a go-between
for management and employees.
Work Environment
Most HR employees work in a comfortable office setting, and the
workload is generally a normal 35-40 hours a week. Some HR employees,
such as
recruiters, do travel extensively, however.
Outlook and Trends
The job market in this area is competitive even though the number
of job
openings is high, due to the large number of qualified graduates
and experienced workers coming into the field. The job market is
growing as most industries employ HR specialists.
Earnings
According to a 1996 salary survey conducted by the National Association
of Colleges and Employers, the average entry-level salary for someone
with a bachelor's degree was $25,300; for those with master's degrees,
the starting salary was $39,900. For Federal Government employees,
those with bachelor's earned $19,500, those with master's earned
$29,600, and those with doctorates may start at $35,800.
Training and Qualifications
Because this field is so diverse in duties and levels of responsibility,
backgrounds in the field vary considerably. Some typical educational
backgrounds in HR include personnel administration, industrial/labor
relations, business, liberal arts, social science, behavioral science,
management, psychology, and sociology. HR employees must have good
written and oral communication skills, be able to work well with
a variety of people, be able to cope with conflicting points of
view, be persuasive, and be able to function well under pressure.
The following are electives and cognates available
to MAPC students that will help tailor a degree towards this career:
HRD 830: Concepts of Human Resource Development
HRD 845: (INED 845): Needs Assessment for Education and Industry
HRD 849: Evaluation of Training and Development/HRD Programs
INED 847: (HRD 847): Instructional Systems Design
INED 860: (HRD 860): Instructional Materials Development
MBA 809: Organizational Behavior and Human Resources Management
MGT 616: Management of Human Resources
MGT 815: Personnel Management
PSYCH 864: Performance Appraisal
PSYCH 865: Job Analysis
Job Search
The following are various job titles in the field:
Director of Human Resources
Employment and Placement Manager
Recruiter
Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Representative
Employer Relations Representative
Job Analyst
Position Classifier
Occupational Analyst
Compensation Manager Employee Benefits Manager
Employee Assistance Plan Manager
Employee Welfare Manager
Training/Development Manager
Training Specialist
Director of Industrial Relations
Labor Relations Manager
Conciliator/Mediator
Employers
Human resource specialists are employed in almost every industry,
including the government.
Sources of Additional
Information
American Society for Training and Development
1640 King St., Box 1443, Alexandria, VA 22313
American Compensation Association
14040 Northsight Blvd., Scottsdale, AZ 85260
International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans
18700 W. Bluemound Rd., Brookfield, WI 53045
American Arbitration Association
140 West 51st St., New York, NY 10020 1-800-778-7879
Industrial Relations Research Association
University of Wisconsin 7226 Social Science Bldg., 1180 Observatory
Dr., Madison, WI 53706
American Society for Healthcare Human Resources Administration
One North Franklin, 31st Floor, Chicago, IL 60606
Society for Technical Communications
http://www.stc.org
Primary source: Occupational
Outlook Handbook
http://stats.bls.gov/oco/ocos021.htm
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