Human Resources
Personnel and human resources (HR) workers are responsible for managing employee hiring, firing, and retention. Human resources departments are found in most medium and large businesses. Recruiting to fill job vacancies and new positions is a big part of most human resources departments. Many human resources managers work with recruitment firms or headhunters to find job candidates, while other managers do all recruiting themselves. In either case, human resources professionals are responsible for making sure the best talent possible is recruited to fill high-profile positions.
Employee retention is another important part of human resources. This includes managing compensation and benefits packages. Many human resources professionals specialize in managing health benefits – working with insurance companies and employees to ensure everything goes smoothly.
Employee dismissal is also a responsibility for human resources. HR professionals must ensure that any employee firings or terminations are carried out in accordance with state and federal law, as well as company policy.
The articles on this page describe human resources specializations in detail. Each career profile article includes salary expectations, job outlook, and job search tips.
Job Descriptions and Careers, Career and Job Opportunities, Career Search, and Career Choices and Profiles
Education and Training: College Salary: Median—$47,490 per year Employment Outlook: Very good To attract and keep competent employees, employers must pay salaries and provide benefits that are competitive and equitable. Compensation and benefits analysts evaluate existing and proposed jobs and classify them according to their levels of responsibility and importance to the employer. They res…
3 minute read
Education and Training: College Salary: Median—$66,530 per year Employment Outlook: Very good Employee benefits managers, sometimes referred to as employee benefits specialists or professional benefits administrators, are responsible for developing and administering employee benefits programs, such as pension plans, 401(k) retirement plans, medical and life insurance, and education benefits…
3 minute read
Education and Training: College Salary: Median—$45,570 per year Employment Outlook: Very good Employment counselors work with individuals, and sometimes with groups, to assist them in making wise career decisions. To help their clients find the right type of job, counselors collect and assess information about education, previous employment experience, skills, interests, and personal inform…
3 minute read
Education and Training: High school plus training Salary: Median—$40,970 per year Employment Outlook: Very good Employment interviewers are matchmakers; they help job seekers find suitable job openings and employers find qualified staff. They may work for private employment agencies or for state government employment services. Employers often ask private agencies to search for workers to fi…
5 minute read
Education and Training: College Salary: Median—$70,192 per year Employment Outlook: Very good When companies want to fill a senior management position, they often use the services of an executive search firm. The job of the executive search recruiters who work for these firms is to fill high-level positions with the most suitable people available. A company will provide an executive search …
4 minute read
Education and Training High school diploma Average Salary $34,000 per year Job Outlook Very good Help desk representatives provide customer service and user support for a variety of companies, mainly those with customers who will need computer support. They work with customers in person or via phone, email, or live chat to help diagnose technical problems and research information for them regardin…
4 minute read
Education and Training: High school Salary: Median—$31,750 per year Employment Outlook: Good Human resources assistants assist human resources managers or administrators. They provide clerical and technical support in such areas as recruiting, hiring, compensation, and benefits. These assistants gather information on employees' training, skills, wages, promotions, and general work hi…
3 minute read
Education and Training: College Salary: Median—$81,810 per year Employment Outlook: Very good Human resources managers manage the needs of a company's employees. They develop and manage employment programs, salary compensation and job evaluations, benefits, promotions, equal opportunity initiatives, and education and training programs. In large companies one human resources manager m…
3 minute read
Education and Training: High school Salary: Median—$23,670 to $33,114 per year Employment Outlook: Fair Interviewers assist people with such tasks as opening bank accounts and filling out medical documents, charge account applications, consumer surveys, and other forms. Interviewers may work for financial institutions (such as banks or credit unions), health-care facilities, market research…
3 minute read
Education and Training: College Salary: Median—$41,190 per year Employment Outlook: Very good Recruiters seek out, interview, and test applicants to locate qualified employees for job openings. Recruiters—also called personnel recruiters or employment, recruitment, and placement specialists—often travel to universities and colleges to interview promising students for employmen…
2 minute read
Education and Training: College Salary: Varies—see profile Employment Outlook: Fair Resume writers prepare resumes, or summaries of the qualifications of an applicant who is searching for a job. Resume writers are aware that potential employers may only look briefly at a resume. Therefore, they prepare an applicant's resume so that it makes a favorable impression quickly. Resume writ…
3 minute read
Education and Training: College Salary: Median—$44,570 per year Employment Outlook: Very good Training and development specialists help businesses, institutions, and government agencies to develop, carry out, and evaluate training programs for their employees. These specialists, also known just as trainers, may prepare newly recruited employees for their jobs. They often assist employees wi…
3 minute read