A CHOSEN CAREER IN HUMAN RESOURCES

A CHOSEN CAREER IN HUMAN RESOURCES

CURTIN CAREERS CENTRE A CHOSEN CAREER IN HUMAN RESOURCE A CHOSEN CAREER IN HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT & INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS All organisations are dependent upon people or human capital to function, grow and prosper. In the past, a Personnel Department would have been responsible for the administrative processes surrounding staff management within an organisation e.g. payroll, attendance, leave, recruitment and the monitoring of the following of procedures. Nowadays, with the advent of ever increasing new technologies and a competitive and innovative marketplace, people management is more dynamic. Where personnel management once focussed on the basics; contemporary human resource management is defined by a more holistic approach to employee relations (Our Community.com.au, n.d.). A holistic approach would incorporate an interest in each employee s motivation, wellbeing, work life balance, lifelong learning and career development. Graduate Careers Australia provides an excellent downloadable resource Careers for Human Resource Graduates 2010, and in the Career Profiles section of their website under Human Resources (Graduate Careers Australia, n.d.) they concur that increasingly HRM is also concerned with the strategic issues associated with people management, with those involved in HRM focussing on organisational change, statutory compliance and industrial matters and performance optimisation. (2010, 1) All organisations whether small, medium or large need to take care of staffing and to align staff to fit with their strategic goals or key objectives. All organisations are also on the lookout to attract the best person to role fit for a particular position and to retain that individual. This can provide a major challenge. 2 The Australian Government s Job Outlook website defines Human Resource Professionals as those who: Plan, develop, implement and evaluate staff recruitment, assist in resolving disputes by advising on workplace matters, and represent industrial, commercial, union, employer and their parties in negotiations on issues such as enterprise bargaining, rates of pay and conditions of employment. Human Resource Management (HRM) and Industrial Relations (IR) attracts people with strong oral, written and interpersonal skills including good listening skills, strong problem solving and negotiation and organisational skills, and those who can demonstrate empathy and reason. A CHOSEN CAREER IN HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT & INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS Some of the day-to-day activities of an HR or IR Professional, as sourced from current positions vacant, could include: Recruitment and selection of staff Compensation, rewards and benefits management Payroll Typing of employment contracts Organising pre-employment medicals Conflict management: assisting with change management and company restructuring Mediating managerial and employee conflict Informing staff of workplace laws and policies Staff training and professional development Performance appraisal

CURTIN CAREERS CENTRE A CHOSEN CAREER IN HUMAN RESOURCE Career planning and development Management of staff personnel records Interpretation of awards, legislation and procedures Recent Graduates may start their job seeking for positions as Human Resource Officers/Assistants or Industrial Relations Officers. They may also seek out advertised positions for Human Resource Graduates either as a singular position or as part of a Graduate Program. My Future - an interactive web site providing career information, is a good starting point for additional information about the specialities within Human Resources and further information regarding the day-today responsibilities of an HR Officer and an Industrial Relations Officer. Visit their website and search for Human Resources under the Occupations tab. Key areas that you will address throughout your Human Resource Management studies include: Organisational behaviour, industrial relations in Australia, selecting and promoting staff, learning and development, performance and conflict management, remuneration and rewards, HR management on a global scale and small business planning (Curtin University, 2010). Undergraduate students can undertake a Major in HR Management in combination with a major in Industrial Relations or Management. A Graduate Certificate or Diploma in Human Resources is also available as postgraduate study. Industrial Relations is only available as an undergraduate major option and includes law units (Employment, Advocacy, Occupational Health and Safety and Equal Opportunity) and managing change, business ethics, strategic management, industrial relations from an Asia-Pacific perspective and the option of a professional practice unit. 3 WHO IS EMPLOYING IN YOUR FIELD? HR and IR students and graduates could be looking for positions across all industries in the public and private sectors, for example from: Agriculture to Mining to Manufacturing to Financial and Insurance Services and to Education and Training, to name only some of the Australian Industry Classifications. Medium to large enterprises will hire HR professionals more so than smaller enterprises. Small enterprises are those organisations with less than 50 employees (Australian Bureau of Statistics, n.d.). Administrative roles within smaller enterprises may incorporate aspects of HRM and a start in an administrative role is one way to develop industry desired skills and to progress through the ranks. According to Borger (2005, 15) the main employers are: HR Departments with Government (Federal, State and Local) HR Departments in the private sector such as banks, insurance, finance, property, media, training, telecommunications, construction and law Consulting companies Recruitment agencies Not-for-profit organisations

A CHOSEN CAREER IN HUMAN RESOURCE LABOUR MARKET INFORMATION For relevant and up-to-date labour market information refer to: www.joboutlook.gov.au It is important for students and graduates to keep an eye on the labour market for trends in employment. As an HR/IR major you will be familiar with the labour market and recruitment and selection processes. This ought to give you an edge when it comes to job seeking and job applications. Australian and global Recruitment Agencies/Staffing Companies also provide current labour market information and information specific to the HRM field and as to where HR professionals are being placed. Hudson, for example recruit for entry level positions right through to management roles and claim to place more than 500 human resources professionals each year (Hudson, n.d.) and Drake Recruitment publishes their Performance Edge Newsletter with articles on current work practices, salary scales and job growth in Australia (Drake, n.d.). The Australian Government funds and operates the Australian JobSearch website and produces Job Outlook which includes information on workforce and occupational characteristics including: future growth prospects, average weekly earnings, the skills needed to perform work tasks and typical work activities (Australian JobSearch n.d.). Undertake a search on Human Resource Professionals for regularly updated labour market information. The Australian Government Job Outlook website at September 2010 states that Jobs prospects in this field are good with weekly earnings averaging at $1100 and the field is large with 56,100 employees across Australia (Job Outlook, n.d.). A well known global staffing company Advantage Professional also produces the monthly Advantage Job Index (formerly Olivier Index) which provides the latest news on Australian hiring activities (Advantage Professional, n.d.). OCCUPATIONS AND ROLES HR/IR graduates gain employment in a diverse range of organisations and roles. Similar roles within differing organisations may have different job titles so be sure to broaden search terms when conducting a job search. COMMON JOB ROLES Common examples of job titles for HR/IR students and graduates include but are not limited to: Human Resource Assistant/Officer Industrial Relations Officer Employee Relations Officer HR/OHS Officer Workplace Relations Advisor Recruitment Consultant Remunerations and Benefits Manager Human Resource Manager Training and Development Coordinator

A CHOSEN CAREER IN HUMAN RESOURCE PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS It is important that students are aware of their professional associations and affiliations. There are often student membership options providing valuable industry specific information and professional development opportunities. Student membership can provide access to a vast network of professionals in your chosen field. The following associations are relevant to HR, IR and Management students and professionals: Australian Human Resources Institute (AHRI) www.ahri.org.au Recruitment Consulting Services Association (RCSA) http://www.rcsa.com.au/ The Industrial Relations Society of Australian (WA) http://www.industrialrelations.com.au/ The Australian Institute of Management (AIM) http://www.industrialrelations.com.au/ The Association of Professional Engineers, Scientists and Managers, Australia (APESMA) http://www.apesma.asn.au/ Vacation programs are available to penultimate and final year students and can be offered in either winter or summer. Winter programs are generally four weeks in duration and summer programs can be up to twelve weeks. Vacation programs offer paid positions and training pertinent to your discipline and may also lead to selection for a Graduate Program. Applications are generally open in Semester I for Winter Vacation Programs and this can tie in with the advertising of the Graduate Programs. Summer programs are often advertised midyear, June to August. Please note these dates are just a guide. Please refer to company websites and job search engines for accurate up-todate information regarding recruitment deadlines. GRADUATE AND VACATION WORK Graduate programs are available to final year students and recent graduates. Applications can open as early as February/March of each year. Programs range from one year to three years in duration, depending on the discipline. Graduate programs generally offer training and development, job rotation through various departments of the organisation, challenging roles, mentoring, and social and networking opportunities.

REFERENCES Advantage. 2010. News. Advantage Job Index. http://www.hirethinking.com/company/divisions.aspx?opcoid=2861&divisionid=2874 (accessed September 27, 2010) Australian Bureau of Statistics. n.d. Small Business in Australia, 2001. http://www.abs. gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/0/97452f3932f44031ca256c5b00027f19?opendocument (accessed September 27, 2010) Boger. H. 2005. Human Resources. Australia. Career FAQs Pty Ltd. Curtin University. (2010). Curtin Handbook. http://handbook.curtin.edu.au/ courses/31/312120.html (accessed September 14, 2010) Drake. n.d. Publications. Perfomance Edge Newsletter. http://marketing.drakeintl.com/ link/id/bce607c0f6192ff5fb35/page.html?parent (accessed September 23, 2010) Our Community.com.au. n.d. Leadership and human resources. Managing your human resources. http://www.ourcommunity.com.au/management/view_help_sheet. do?articleid=563 (accessed September, 14, 2010) Graduate Careers. n.d. Career Planning and Resources. Career Profiles. Human Resources. http://www.graduatecareers.com.au/careerplanningandresources/careerprofiles/ HumanResources/index.htm (accessed January 29, 2011) Hudson. n.d. Specialised Recruitment. Human Resources. http://au.hudson.com/node.asp?kwd=human-resources (accessed October 1, 2010) Job Outlook. n.d. Human Resource Professionals. http://joboutlook.gov.au/pages/ occupation.aspx?search=industry&industry=n&code=2231 (accessed September 23, 2010) Contacting the Careers Centre... Feel free to visit us at Building 303 Email us at careers@curtin.edu.au Give us a call on (08) 9266 7802 Or check out our website at www.careers.curtin.edu.au Stay connected to the Careers Centre with Jobs and Events Connect. Access new jobs posted daily, workshop information, special events and employer presentations.