Human Resources

Human Resources (HR) is a general term meant to cover a wide range of activities. Today's HR professionals are responsible for hiring and firing employees, creating organizational charts, shaping corporate culture after a merger or acquisition, managing employee communications, settling employee disputes, creating benefits programs, navigating government regulations, dealing with legal issues such as sexual harassment and occupational safety, setting up policy and programs for measuring performance and compensating, recognizing and training employees.

In other words, HR doesn't consist of a single activity or function but a huge network of them; it refers to everything related to the employer-employee relationship. In HR there is something for just about everyone. The responsibilities and activities of HR practitioners vary depending on the size of a company. At a small company, the HR director will usually wear many hats, whereas at bigger companies you will find both generalist and specialist HR roles.

Skills, Degrees and Certifications Needed

Skills Needed
  • Rapport building/relationship management
  • Ability to maintain confidentiality
  • Ability to balance employee and management view points
  • Ability to demonstrate fairness
  • Strategic
  • Team orientation
  • Analytical
  • Customer Service
Degrees and Certifications Needed

 

HR Certification Institute- HR Certification PHR

The Professional in Human Resources (PHR®) certification is designed for the HR professional who

  • focuses on program implementation
  • has tactical/logistical orientation
  • is accountable to another HR professional within the organization
  • typically has two to four years of professional (exempt-level) work experience in all HR disciplines, but whose experience lacks the breadth and depth of a more senior-level HR practitioner  
  • has not yet had progressive and increasingly complicated HR work experience
  • has responsibilities that focus on the HR department rather than on the whole organization

 

Exam Content

The PHR exam is divided into six functional areas:

  • Business Management and Strategy (11%)
  • Workforce Planning and Employment (24%)
  • Human Resource Development (18%)
  • Compensation and Benefits (19%)
  • Employee and Labor Relations (20%)
  • Risk Management (8%)

 

SPHR

The Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR®) certification is designed for the HR professional who

  • designs and plans, rather than implements, HR policy
  • focuses on the "big picture"
  • has ultimate accountability in the HR department
  • typically has six to eight years of progressive and increasingly complicated HR experience
  • has breadth and depth of knowledge in all HR disciplines
  • uses judgment gained with time and knowledge application
  • understands the business beyond the HR function and influences the overall organization 

 

Exam Content

The SPHR exam is divided into six functional areas: 

  • Business Management and Strategy (30%)
  • Workforce Planning and Employment (17%)
  • Human Resource Development (19%)
  • Compensation and Benefits (13%)
  • Employee and Labor Relations (14%)
  • Risk Management (7%) 

 

GPHR

The Global Professional in Human Resources (GPHR®) certification is designed for the HR professional who

  • has HR responsibilities that cross national borders
  • understands the strategies of globalization versus localization of HR policies and programs
  • establishes HR policies and initiatives that support the organization's global growth and employer reputation
  • designs organizational programs, processes and tools to achieve worldwide business goals
  • develops, implements, and evaluates programs, processes and tools 
  • ensures that programs, processes, and tools align with competitive practice, the organization's objectives, and legal requirements
  • oversees practices that balance employer needs with employee rights and needs has core knowledge of the organization's international HR activities

Resources Available

Links to Resources
  • HR People HR job listings
  • Careers-in-Business -  Provides an overview, skills and talents, job options, salary and facts and trends in HR
  • HR People - Tips and tricks on how to break into an HR career including interview advice, salary ranges and job expectations
  • Occupational Outlook Handbook, Bureau of Labor Statistics – OOH - HR Careers Description of HR careers
  • Wetfeet Careers and Industries -  Overview of the HR industry
  • Academy of Human Resources - The Academy was formed to encourage systematic study of human resource development theories, processes, and practices. Site contains links, organization info, newsletter, and chapter listservs. Some areas for members only.
  • World At Work 
Professional Associations Related to Human Resources
  • Society of Human Resource Management – SHRM Contains links, news, press releases, white papers, surveys, educational program information, careers, volunteer opportunities and articles.
  • The American Society of Training and Development ASTD represents more than 70,000 members in the field of workplace learning and performance, who come from every area of the growing industry and from more than 150 countries across the globe. The site contains on-line job bank, ASTD products, links to other HR-related sites and ASTD local chapters.
  • College and University Professional Association for Human Resources CUPA-HR is composed of more than 6,000 personnel professionals from the higher education community at nearly 1,700 colleges and universities worldwide. Details programs and resources available, many links, and includes job listings.
  • Organization Development Network ODN focuses on job postings, conferences, networking and publication for OD Practitioner.
  • AAIM Management Association - AAIM Management Association is the premier employer's resource group in St. Louis. We make connections. As a membership organization we connect people and companies throughout the community. As a training organization we connect individuals and teams with tools and techniques for growth. As a consulting organization we connect innovative concepts with practical applications. We help companies connect with success by improving people and processes.
  • American Payroll Association -  The American Payroll Association is the professional society for Payroll Professionals.
  • Human Resource Planning Society - Society is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing current perspectives on complex and challenging human resource and business issues. Site contains information for networking, research, publications, and conferences.
  • National Association of African Americans in Human Resources - A coalition of 17 local organizations of African American Human Resource professionals (and consultants) from many cities across the country. The organization was officially chartered at the September 1998 annual conference co-sponsored by the Baltimore Black Human Resources Network and the Washington DC Black Human Resources Network.
  • National Human Resource Association - changing world of human resources, HR professionals face a host of challenges. Achieving excellence in such tumultuous times requires numerous resources. Acquiring these resources is what the National Human Resources Association is all about.
  • Recruiter's Network - The Association for Internet Recruiting free organization for HR professionals and recruiters.
  • Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology Inc. - The Society's mission is to enhance human well-being and performance in organizational and work settings by promoting the science, practice, and teaching of industrial-organizational psychology.
  • Recruitment Process Outsourcing Association -  The mission is to educate the market about Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO), incorporate common metrics and comparative information as defined by staffing.org, develop and enforce certifications and promote RPO benefits.

LinkedIn Groups

  • STD National
  • LinkedIn Human Resources Group
  • OD Network
  • SHRM – Society of Human Resource Management
Federal Occupational Groups and Service Numbers

This information will provide you with some clues to your job title and services number for your job search. The groups includes all classes of positions and the duties which include: to advise on, administer, supervise, or perform work involved in the various phases of HR Management.

GS 201 – Human Resources Management Series
GS 203 – Human Resources Assistance Series
GS 241 – Mediation Series
GS 243 – Apprenticeship and Training Series
GS 244 – Labor Management Relations Examining Series
GS 260 – Equal Employment Opportunity Series
GS 299 – Human Resources Management Student Trainee Series

Job Functions

  • Human Resources Generalist - Perform a wide variety of activities depending on the size of the organization. If the position is with a small company, it will require someone with a strong background in individual HR specialties who can perform HR duties for the entire company. In larger companies, the position is for someone who is learning about the various areas.
  • Human Resources Manager - A middle management position that may require overseeing specialists responsible for several distinct areas in a division of a company. Strategic work may be involved such as planning HR policy and setting procedures.
  • Organizational Development Manager - Acts as an organizational development liaison and advisor to leadership and facilitates initiatives across the organization. Plans, develops, implements and administers HR programs for company employees. Responsible for development integration of human resource programs to achieve strategic business goals and operational objectives.
  • Recruiter - Screens, interviews and recommends prospective employees, and extends offers to successful candidates.
  • Benefits Analyst - At the bottom of the scale, it can be entry level, involving carrying out benefits programs and possibly researching new ones. At the top of the scale, the position may report to a VP and involve strategy and business planning.
  • Training Manager - Designs, plans and implements corporate training programs.
  • Compensation Analyst - Evaluates and conducts surveys and analyze salary data to come up with the full monetary package offered to employees, including salary, bonuses and perks, such as stock options.
  • Labor Relations Manager - Works primarily in manufacturing or service industries and deals with labor unions. A labor relations manager prepares information for management to use when a contract is up for renewal. He or she may supervise a group of labor relations specialists.
  • Vice President of Human Resources - The Vice President of HR helps set the tone of the company's corporate culture. He or She brings information about the workforce to executive management so that management can set policies after mergers, acquisitions, closures, layoffs and similar changes.