Most jobs in Human Resources start out with HR generalists and coordinators. These employees perform everything from managing multiple schedules to escorting candidates to interviews to coordinating travel for internal training managers. They often conduct reference checks, review resumes and submit background check requests to third party vendors. Armed with a bachelor’s or master’s degree, they may move on to the following three jobs.
Training Manager
Training or development managers are responsible for overseeing the overall programming and delivery of onboarding, training, development and mentoring programs. They develop training programs, facilitate the implementation of initiatives, promote change management and ensure that programs are aligned with the company’s brand, mission, culture and strategic objectives. They collaboratively initiate training and talent development solutions to enhance service levels, increase efficiency and improve quality and safety.
Training managers direct the execution of corporate training policies, and procedures. They develop business partnerships and relationships with management and employees to support training needs and goals. They create business environments that support the ongoing development of internal talent by identifying employee goals and training needs in order to design and conduct impromptu training programs. They evaluate the effectiveness of these programs to ensure the proper development of knowledge and capabilities of all employees
Employee Relations Specialist
Employee relations specialists develop strategies for handling employee-based investigations, documentation, determinations and resolutions. They serve as the primary point of contact for internal customers to ensure fairness, confidentiality and legal compliance. They often are employed by corporations with multiple sites, so they are assigned a geographical region that comes with unique policy requirements. They assess and resolve complex labor and employee cases through seeking advice, complying with laws and escalating issues when appropriate.
They handle simultaneous cases and prioritizes activities to meet deadlines, company policies and labor law requirement. They conduct investigation, research policies, gather documentations, interview persons of interest, make determinations and implement resolutions. They maintain strict confidentiality of conversations, disclosures and investigations while handling cases. They interact with professionals, such as employee’s attorneys, and government officials, such as OSHA and the Department of Labor representatives.
Human Resources Manager
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Human resources managers are responsible for providing advanced generalist duties to a variety of organizations. They maintain advanced knowledge of the principles and practices in functional areas like recruitment, employee training, labor relations, compensation and benefits and organizational development. They facilitate a collaborative business environment and execute appropriate change management initiatives. Human resources managers support businesses practices through the consistent application of HR policies, training standards, hiring practices and risk mitigation tools.
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When challenging situations present themselves, they are sensitive to business needs, employee morale and the public image. They provide strategic HR consultations to optimize processes, cultures, performances and organizational structures to achieve business results. They need to understand their industry, labor practices and federal and state employment laws. They also need to review the work of management regarding accuracy, decision-making and HR related knowledge.
Jobs in human resources include labor, talent, recruitment field training and organizational development managers.