Not all companies have an HR representative or department, but as you grow, so does the need to help manage employees’ needs. Nurturing and supporting employees is vital to your workforce’s long-term retention and happiness. Having an HR person to manage the employee life cycle, from hiring, training, and even firing, especially if your company has over 50 employees.
Ultimately, working in HR provides many opportunities and room for advancement as you build up your experience and training. These are the types of jobs in HR that you can pursue, and it is best to work your way up and gain experience in different companies to get a wide range of skills and management styles.
You can also work for an HR consultant company. Alternatively, start your own to help businesses that need a professional to step in for much-needed guidance and implementation of HR procedures and practices. A career in HR will serve you well and provide a rewarding and lucrative path to success.
While a typical HR department takes care of administration, recruitment, compensation, training and employee relations, there is much more to the position and a broader range of jobs in the field. Let’s take a look at the types of HR jobs there are.
Type #1: HR Assistant Jobs
This is an entry-level position in an HR department and one where you gain experience as a professional. They assist HR managers and directors with administrative tasks, including:
- Applicant communication
- Scheduling interviews
- Contacting references
- Writing job descriptions
- Absences
- Terminations
- Grievances
- Work contracts
- Performance reports
- Document distribution
This assistant also helps maintain employee records, respond to inquiries, and even process payroll. It is a much-needed role within the department to manage the workload.
Type #2: HR Consultant Jobs
As businesses become larger and more complicated, HR departments may need the assistance of an outside HR professional for guidance and support. A qualified HR consultant has excellent:
- Written and verbal communication skills
- Organizational skills
- Attention to detail
- Problem-solving and analytical skills
- Customer service skills
- Time management skills
Often, an HR consultant is brought in to deal with complex issues in the workplace. They may specialize in:
- Workplace harassment
- Mergers and acquisition
- Labour laws
- Retainment
- Employee Acquisition
- Compensation and benefits
- Reward and incentive programs
An outside HR consultant may be necessary for outsourcing ongoing functions of HR work to meet their desired goals. Some companies are too small to have sufficient HR support or expertise in certain areas, like creating employee handbooks or implementing a new benefits package. They also help implement companywide policies, such as bringing pets to the workplace to entice employees to the office.
Another reason may be that a large company wants an outside perspective on a specific problem or challenge. They can provide high-level solutions and make sound recommendations to management and HR teams of any business without being entangled in the internal organizational politics of the company.
Type #3: Recruiter Jobs
A recruiter is an HR professional temporarily hired to source qualified candidates, review applications and contact candidates for interviews. This role is necessary for companies without an HR department, or that need extra support for recruitment and onboarding, as well as many other temporary staffing needs during the hiring process.
Type #4: HR Specialist Jobs
This HR professional is responsible for recruiting and integrating new employees. They use their skill set to screen, interview and make relevant talent placement where opportunities exist. Often they will create job postings and participate in job fairs where they can attract potential candidates and prepare welcome packages for new employees so they feel welcome and understand all policies and procedures within the company.
Type #5: HR Manager Jobs
This is a higher-level position where the manager or director interacts directly to help employees. They are hands-on with handling such tasks as:
- Labour disputes
- Benefit programs
- Training
- Hiring
- Labour laws
- Sexual harassment
An HR manager also works with the chief HR officer to plan, coordinate, execute and manage all HR activities.
Type #6: Chief HR Officer Jobs
A chief HR officer is a top HR position that many professionals work towards as they gain skills and experience, rising upwards in the department.
This HR professional is the decision-maker responsible for developing strategies and policies that align with the company’s goals. Duties include:
- Acting as a business advisor to the CEO and top management executives
- Led the HR team
- Supervising HR managers in the division
- Providing career and leadership development
- Implementing strategies for employee, manager and executive retention
- Developing benefit and compensation plans
The HR department is your ship, and as captain, you demonstrate excellent leadership, organizational, analytical, interpersonal and communication skills.
Other positions have duties that may overlap other positions, and these titles may be specific to the company or corporate structure. These include:
- Labour relations specialist
- Recruitment Coordinator
- Recruitment manager
- Employee relations manager
- Human Resources Generalist
- Human Resources coordinator
- Director of the employee experience
- Training and development manager
- International HR manager