Running Head: HUMAN RESOURCES SPECIALIST 1

Transcription

1 Running Head: HUMAN RESOURCES SPECIALIST 1 Job title Human Resources Specialist General overview Human Resources is a department that most companies require. Within various Human Resources offices, there are many varying jobs. These include administrative assistants, analysts, specialists, managers, and generalists, ( Human Resources Job Titles, 2012). Specialists are below managers, but above assistants and analysts, ( Human Resources Job Titles, 2012). As a whole, Human Resources look out for the best interests of employees, as well as the company. Human Resources Specialists usually are required to contribute to only one area, including recruitment, retention, interviewing, job placement, labour related issues, etc., ( Summary Report, 2013; McKay, 2014; Human Resources Job Titles, 2012). It is important to note that these individuals are not in charge of movements within the company, but are used as an asset for management, and are consulted about employees, ( Summary Report, 2013). They are thus, the intermediary between the employees and management. Job duties and responsibilities Specialists often work on one jobs within Human Resources, while others within the department work on different areas, whereas when referred to as Generalists, they tend to work on a large portion of the duties and responsibilities with no specialization, (McKay, 2014). Regardless of a Human Resources Specialist s role, they may be required to inform applicants and employees of their duties, salaries, benefits, hours, working conditions, and promotional opportunities, ( Summary Report, 2013). They are also in charge of keeping track of all employee records such recruitment, promotion, termination, leaves of absence, complaints, ( Summary Report, 2013). They may specialize in recruitment and retention, focusing more on hiring, termination, promoting, orientation, as well as determining ways to keep employees happy, (Jeffress, 2014). Or they may specialize in labour relations, dealing with unions, ensuring safety of workers, mediating disputes, resolving harassment allegations, and helping employees understand policies, laws and procedures both related to Human Resources and about employees themselves, ( Summary Report, 2013; McKay, 2014). Specialists may focus on one particular sub-section, perhaps just doing interviews, or they may work on all areas as a Generalist, depending on the size and set-up of the company they work for, ( Summary Report, 2013; McKay, 2014; Jeffress, 2014). Typical work day Human Resources Specialists work closely with employees and a typical work day is normal working hours, ( Human Resources Specialists and Labor, 2014). Overtime is not usually required, but can occur particularly if the employee agrees with management that it is necessary, (Rudner, 2012). The work setting is primarily in an office building, but depending on job specifications, job fairs and board rooms could also be possible setting, ( Summary Report, 2013). Human Resource Specialists work in most industries, but are more prevalent in large companies as larger companies have higher amounts of employees, therefore it is a necessity to have more Human Resources employees, and to have them specialized, ( Specialists in Human Resources, 2013). Clients and customers are that of employees throughout the company, upper management, and potential employees for hire, ( Summary Report, 2013). They are in constant

2 HUMAN RESOURCES SPECIALIST 2 contact with employees as that is their job, and work in close quarters with other individuals within Human Resources, (McKay, 2014; Summary Report, 2013). Within any given day as well as within each company, a Human Resources Specialist s job can be quite diverse, as it is a very dynamic job, ( Summary Report, 2013). A typical day however, can include coordinating interviews, following up on hiring decisions, answering benefit questions from employees, conducting orientation for new workers, assisting in development of policies and procedures, completion of employee related paper work, mediating disputes and often much more, (McKay, 2014; Summary Report, 2013). Educational requirements and other qualifications Educational requirements for a Human Resources Specialist can vary. The growing trend is to have a bachelor s degree in Human Resources Management, or a related field such as Psychology, (McKay, 2014; Human Resources, 2014). The more related a degree is, the more chance of getting hired, ( Specialists in Human Resources, 2013). Another way in which to become a Specialist is to work one s way up from a Human Resources Analyst, to a specialist, (Jeffress, 2014). In this case one has started their Human Resources career from high school (not so much anymore) or following a college degree, and with experience and promotion, start to specialize in particular parts of Human Resources, (Jeffress, 2014). To increase chances of becoming a Human Resources Specialist, an individual may choose to become certified in their field of interest, in hopes of being promoted, (Jeffress, 2014). These certificates must be approved by the Human Resources Professionals Association of Ontario, who ensure that individuals are competent and behave ethically, ( Human Resources Professionals, 2012). Often the decision to promote someone or appoint them to a specialist position, is based on their body of work, and experience within a company instead of initial education, (Jeffress, 2014; Summary Report, 2013). Related skills, interests, and qualities One of the most important skills that a Human Resources Specialist can have is to be a good listener, as they must listen to employee issues and concerns and management suggestions, (Jeffress, 2014; Summary Report, 2013). Interviewing skills are also a very important thing for a Human Resources Specialist, as a big chunk of their job and potentially the most important part, is interviewing potential employees, ( Summary Report, 2013). Other important skills include social perceptiveness, good speaking skills, thorough writing skills, (Jeffress, 2014), and exceptional critical thinking skills, ( Summary Report, 2013). These all have their place in a Human Resources Specialist s job, as many of them are related to interviewing, as well as being able to communicate decisively with employees, management, union representatives, and coworkers. These skills are also important for keeping proper files on employees, and maintaining and updating policies, ( Summary Report, 2013). Relevance of Psychology undergraduate degree In Social Psychology students learn many things relevant to an individual who is a Human Resources Specialist. Some of these include how individuals may react in various scenarios, what the motives are for particular people, and how one s actions can affect another person s actions. All of these and more can be learned, and all of these and more are important to that of a Human Resources Specialist, ( Summary Report, 2013). One needs to know what could happen if they say the wrong things to people, and what the different ways an employee or potential employee might do in any given situation based on

3 HUMAN RESOURCES SPECIALIST 3 any question or issue that arise. It would also help a Human Resources Specialist to know exactly why an individual would want a particular job, and what drew them to it. Finally, when interviewing potential employees one must know if their actions are affecting those of the potential employee, ( Summary Report, 2013). In seminar classes one learns many tools helpful to be a Human Resources Specialist. One of the main ones would be interviewing. In these classes, assignments have people interview individuals and try to get as much information out of them as possible. Interviewing and picking up on certain information is key for this job, particularly when specializing in recruitment, ( Summary Report, 2013; McKay, 2014). These types of classes also have a large portion of writing, allowing for individuals to become better at writing in more clear and concise ways, as well as becoming better at formatting and other practices to be more professional. Writing up documents, and keeping files on each individual is crucial in this job, and an important skill to have, ( Summary Report, 2013). Salary potential The average annual salary in Canada for a Human Resources Specialist is $51,733, with a range from $40,360 $71,263, ( Human Resources (HR), 2014). With this amount of money annually, it would be an average of $22.00/hour, with a range from $17.06/hour 35.19/hour, ( Human Resources (HR), 2014). A starting annual salary may be closer to $39 000, or $15.00/hour, ( Human Resources (HR), 2014). These numbers vary, as what a Human Resources Specialist does depends on whom they work for, ( Specialists in Human Resources, 2013). Growing companies may find more necessity in an interviewing role, and therefore may pay more, whereas a stabilized company is not going to pay as much for this role as it is less necessary. They may instead pay more for a labour negotiations role. Job outlook Opportunities in the Human Resources Specialist job market are positive, meaning openings should grow, ( Summary Report, 2013; Specialists in Human Resources, 2013). The number of specialists in Human Resources is increasing sharply due to training that is becoming more important, changes to legislation, development of new management concepts, and looks to remain on this sharp increase for at least a couple of years, ( Specialists in Human Resources, 2013). To apply There are a few ways in which an individual can apply and potentially achieve a job as a Human Resources Specialist. The first way is also the simplest, and that is merely to look at job posting online and find one in the area, as they are often posted when there is a position available, ( Human Resources, 2014). These postings can be found on most job searching cites, such as Workopolis, Monster, and potentially even through Google searches. Another way for individuals to achieve this job is to work in Human Resources first and get promoted, (McKay, 2014). In this second scenario, there would either be a chance for a promotion that one would apply for, or one would be offered the promotion, ( Summary Report, 2013). To know more For more information on becoming a HRS, please visit the Government of Canada website at:

4 HUMAN RESOURCES SPECIALIST 4 References Jeffress, D. (2014, Oct. 13) What Does a Human Resources Specialist Do? Retrieved from Human Resources Job Titles-The Ultimate Guide. (2012). Retrieved from Human Resources (HR) Specialist Salary (Canada). (2014). Retrieved from Human Resources Professionals Association. (2012). Retrieved from Human Resources Specialists and Labor Relations Specialists. (2014) Retrieved from relations-specialists.htm#tab-1 McKay, D. R. (2014). Human Resources Specialist. Retrieved from Rudner, S. (2012). Overtime risks and misconceptions. Retrieved from com/blog/canadian-hr-law/archive/2012/01/10/overtime-risks-and-misconceptions Specialists in Human Resources. (2013, Sept. 3). Retrieved from

5 HUMAN RESOURCES SPECIALIST 5 Summary Report for: Human Resources Specialists. (2013). Retrieved from