a young college grad in her first interview

Human Resources

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What will I do?

Most Human Resource professionals work in an office during regular, daytime hours (8 am -5 pm).

People in Human Resources (HR) may recruit, screen, and interview potential employees for a company. HR also often handles other work such as payroll, benefits, and training.

If you work for a small company, you may do many or all of these tasks. If you work for a larger company, you will usually work in one specialized field.

What classes will I take?

You will take some basic business classes, like accounting and economics. You will also take law and communications classes.

What skills do I need to start school?

You will need to be detail-oriented. You will need to have good written and oral communication skills.

You will need to have computer skills, especially Microsoft Office, and you will need to be able to type quickly and accurately.

There is a lot of paperwork in HR – so you’ll need to be organized.

What are the next steps in a pathway?

You can work towards an associate’s degree or a bachelor’s degree. You may be able to find a job as a Human Resources Assistant or Human Resources Clerk.

What can I do with an associate’s or bachelor’s degree?

The more education and experience you have, the more likely you are to find a job in this field. Increased education and experience usually mean you’ll get increased responsibility or a wider range of tasks to do at work.

What are some challenges?

You will sometimes need to have uncomfortable conversations with people, like if you need to discuss job performance or fire someone. You may have to deal with difficult people or help mediate conflict between employees.

How easy will it be to get a job?

Human resources jobs are growing at an average rate.

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