Human Resources:A Career Choice
Sharon Blake
Karen Dills
Hewitt Associates
What is HR?
Possible positions for an HR professionalwithin an organization:
The Generalist
The Specialist
Role: HR Generalist
•Broad spectrum of responsibilities
Role: HR Specialist
•Four main areas of expertise
•Often cross-trained—to a lesser extent than aGeneralist
•Excellent way to gain exposure to HR field
•Positions typically found in large organizations
Employment, Recruiting, andPlacement
•Entry level positions include Interviewer, EEOSpecialist or College Recruiter.
•Work includes:
–Recruiting personnel;
–Interviewing applicants;
–Administering pre-employment tests; and
–Processing transfers, promotions, and terminations.
Training and Development
•Entry level position may be a Training or OrientationSpecialist.
•Work includes:
–Conducting training sessions; and
–Administering on-the-job training programs, andmaintaining necessary records of employeeparticipation in all training and development programs.(Career planning and counseling are becomingincreasingly important activities in this field, as areresponsibilities for human resource planning andorganizational development.)
Benefits and Compensation
•Entry level positions are typically Benefits Administrators,Compensation Analysts, and Salary Administrators.
•Work includes:
–Benefit plan administration, including health and lifeinsurance, 401(k) and pension plans
–Monitoring benefits costs
–Conducting and analyzing compensation surveys
Employee and Labor Relations
•Entry level positions include Labor Relations Specialist,Plant Personnel Assistant, and Employee RelationsSpecialist.
–In union environments, these positions involveinterpreting union contracts, helping to negotiatecollective bargaining agreements, resolving grievancesand advising supervisors on union contractinterpretation.
–In non-union environments, employee relationsspecialists perform a variety of Generalist duties andmay also deal with employee grievances.
What background and personal characteristicsare important for success in HR?
•Excellent leadership and management skills
•Technological skills
•Knowledge of business basics
•Work experience is increasingly important
•Companies want college graduates to have abroad, analytical education
•Be prepared to take an entry level job
Tips for finding your first HR position
•Networking
•Career Resource Center
•Use your degree immediately upongraduation to gain workplace experience
Questions...