Human Resources Degree

Careers in Human Resources

What is a Human Resources Degree?

Are you a chatter box? While some people like to work quietly and keep to themselves, many people enjoy being around others and meeting new people. If you are a people-person and love to converse, a major in human resources may be the perfect path for you!

A major in human resources has many different paths and human resources is a growing field. New opportunities in human resources departments are opening up and the job's duties are advancing. The duties of human resources departments have come a long way from just interviewing future employees and answering phone calls.
Careers in human resources mainly deal with interpersonal relations and communication. Human resource employees are the face behind the company. It's such a growing field that it's evolved from desk work to more work outside the office for traveling and recruiting. Human resources today may work with top executives in company planning and developing new company procedures.
Some common responsibilities for human resource professionals include:
  • Training employees
  • Increasing productivity
  • Improving employee knowledge and skills
  • Hiring new employees as well as avoiding job turn-over
Human resources employees will typically maintain a 40-hour week while working in a comfortable office setting. If hired in a larger company, traveling is common. Recruiters will go to colleges and universities, high school job fairs, and sometimes nation-wide meetings.

How can I get a Human Resources Degree?

Specific courses such as employment law, training and development, and labor relations will teach you the necessary skills for a career in human resources. A bachelor's degree with a major in human resources or business is needed for employment in the field. If the human resource area you're seeking is higher up the ladder, like human resource management for example, a master's degree is required.

Skills needed for careers in human resources are: teaching, supervising, communication, writing, and keeping information confidential. Ability to speak a foreign language is also very useful.
For entry-level positions, you will commonly have administrative duties; you must perform computer system data entry, answer phone calls, along with employee tasks like hiring and answering questions. The possibility for advancement is very likely, leading to entry into a specific area. Some of these include:
Compensation and benefits: Having expert knowledge of company duties.
Training and development: Enhancing productivity and employee skills, creating training programs, and budget.
Recruitment: Traveling to campuses, screening employees, checking references, and interviewing.
The human resource field is expected to grow 22% from 2008-2018 (Bls.gov). The median wage in 2008 was $86,500, but widely varies for each specific area.

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