What education do Human Resources Specialists need?

The most common requirement is: Bachelor's degree. Preparation level: considerable preparation.

What skills do Human Resources Specialists use most?

Speaking, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Writing, Critical Thinking, and Social Perceptiveness.

Human Resources Specialists

Also called HR Coordinator (Human Resources Coordinator), HR Generalist (Human Resources Generalist), Human Resources Specialist (HR Specialist), or Recruiter

Human Resources Specialists recruit, screen, interview, or place individuals within an organization. May perform other activities in multiple human resources areas.

Who tends to enjoy it

Leading

People who like persuading, selling, starting things, and taking charge.

Organizing

People who like keeping things accurate, orderly, and running on schedule.

Helping

People who like teaching, caring for, and working closely with people.

What you'd actually do

Interpret and explain human resources policies, procedures, laws, standards, or regulations.
Hire employees and process hiring-related paperwork.
Maintain current knowledge of Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and affirmative action guidelines and laws, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Prepare or maintain employment records related to events, such as hiring, termination, leaves, transfers, or promotions, using human resources management system software.
Address employee relations issues, such as harassment allegations, work complaints, or other employee concerns.
Review employment applications and job orders to match applicants with job requirements.
Inform job applicants of details such as duties and responsibilities, compensation, benefits, schedules, working conditions, or promotion opportunities.
Select qualified job applicants or refer them to managers, making hiring recommendations when appropriate.

A typical day involves

Email Face-to-face with people Indoors, climate controlled Part of a team Sitting

Skills that matter most

Speaking
Reading Comprehension
Active Listening
Writing
Critical Thinking
Social Perceptiveness

What you'll need to know

Personnel and Human Resources
Administrative
Administration and Management
English Language
Customer and Personal Service

Where to study for this

College programs that commonly lead to this career, and how many US colleges offer each.

Business Administration and Management 2,431 colleges
Human Resources Management / Personnel Administration 647 colleges
Organizational Behavior Studies 144 colleges
Industrial and Organizational Psychology 150 colleges
Human Resources Management and Services, Other 53 colleges
Executive / Career Coaching 14 colleges

Related careers

Office and Administrative Support

First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers

Directly supervise and coordinate the activities of clerical and administrative support workers.

Medium preparation

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database (USDOL/ETA), occupation 13-1071.00, used under CC BY 4.0 and modified by Whittle. Program links: NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. How we build these pages.