HR Professional Career Description

If you have a genuine interest in helping people be productive in society, you can be a Human Resource professional who can identify work and career advancement opportunities for the country’s workforce.

Education and Training required

There’s no specific college degree to become an HR professional, though a course in the humanities and psychology can give you an edge when dealing with people. Once employed in a corporation as an HR staff, you get the training to hone your skills in people management.

It’s a good idea to get certified as a PHR (Professional Human Resource) or SPHR (Senior PHR) by the HRCI (Human Resource Certification Institute).  There’s no state or federal requirement to be licensed or certified in the field, but it gives you better employability and career advancement opportunities.

HR Professional: Getting the Job

Companies are always looking for the best talent to hire.  They have Human Resource departments with trained staff taking care of recruitment, job placement, wage administration, career development and retirement for the company’s employees. You can apply for HR job openings in any company.  But there are specialized firms that focus on recruitment and job placement for corporate clients as well as individuals looking for jobs.  These are your head hunters and are excellent places to work as an HR professional

HR Professional Working Conditions

As an HR professional, you work in an office environment handling paperwork and counseling for the company’s workforce.  You can be promoted to HR Manager and depending on the size of the company you can be an HR Vice President.  Some can do the job at home as an independent head hunter serving as a middleman between a corporate client and persons looking for jobs.

HR Professional Salary and Benefits

The salary range of an HR Professional largely depends on the company where he or she is employed.  Staff work won’t be much but as an HR manager, you can expect to have a median salary between $46,500 and $72,200.  Companies in the IT, healthcare and manufacturing industries pay the most, up to $78,000 annually.