Read time 6 minutes

Published On Aug 19, 2024

It can be challenging to settle on a career path, especially if you have varied interests. If you’re leaning toward a career in a corporate setting, however, you might want to consider human resources (HR). Is human resources a good career for you? And what does human resources do within a company, exactly? Read on to learn more about what you can expect from an HR career, the types of careers within HR, and the skills and qualities you’ll need as an HR professional.

In This Article:

What Does Human Resources Do?
Types of Careers in HR
Why Work in HR?
Important Skills for an HR Career

What Does Human Resources Do?

You’ll find human resources departments in all types of organizations — from governmental agencies to nonprofits to private corporations. There are even human resources agencies that provide HR services to a range of client companies, most of which are not large enough to have their own in-house HR departments. No matter the type of organization, HR teams are charged with key responsibilities involving the organization’s most important assets: its human talent.

An HR professional’s tasks will depend on the needs of the organization and their specific career path. In general, they may do any of the following:

Consulting with leadership to develop an understanding of the organization’s mission and objectives
Developing and implementing employee recruitment, retention, training and development procedures and programs that align with the company’s goals
Screening, interviewing and hiring new employees, and administering new employee onboarding/orientation activities
Handling employee compensation and benefits packages and fielding questions from employees about those matters
Mediating employee disputes and handling disciplinary proceedings
Ensuring compliance with all applicable federal, state and local regulations

Types of Careers in HR

Each of these roles serves its own purpose and handles its share of responsibilities. Starting out in an entry-level position may equip you with a lot of experience and practical skills. Then, you may be able to grow within the company and reach new positions.

Entry-Level HR Careers

When starting your HR career journey, you can fill many different roles within a business. There are many different types of careers in HR, ranging from entry-level to supervisory and managerial positions. Entry-level HR careers may include:¹

Staffing coordinator
Staffing specialist
HR assistant
HR associate
HR representative
HR administrator

Mid-Level HR Careers

After gaining some work experience in an entry-level role, you may decide to pursue a mid-level role. Examples of mid-level HR careers include:¹

HR specialist
HR generalist
HR analyst
HR supervisor

Senior-Level HR Careers

Lastly, senior-level HR roles are involved with upper-level decision-making. These roles include HR executives, who will typically report to the CEO of the organization. Examples of senior-level HR roles include:¹

HR manager
HR director
Vice president of human resources
Chief human resources officer

Of course, job titles and roles can vary from one organization to the next. At some companies, for example, the job title “HR specialist” may be given to an entry-level employee. Generally speaking, larger companies will offer more varied and numerous job titles.

Why Work in HR?

Now that you’re familiar with some of the types of careers in HR, you may be wondering, Why work in HR at all? Is human resources a good career option? There are many compelling reasons to consider pursuing a human resources career, including the following:

Job Growth Outlook

Students are often curious about the job growth potential for the careers they are considering pursuing. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) estimates job growth for human resources specialists to be 6% from 2022 to 2032, faster than average for all professions. This means that employers expect to hire about 51,400 new HR specialists during this time period.²

The BLS also reports positive job growth for the role of HR manager. The BLS estimates job growth for these professionals to be 5% from 2022 to 2032 — again, faster than average. This means that employers expect to hire about 10,000 new HR managers during this time period.³

Salary and Benefits Expectations

The salary expectations are another reason why you might consider pursuing a career in human resources. As of May 2023, human resources specialists had a median annual salary of $67,650, according to the BLS.⁴ The BLS states that human resources managers had a median annual salary of $136,350 as of May 2023.⁵

Work/Life Balance

HR professionals typically work to ensure that the employees at the organization are productive, content and enjoy good work/life balance, because this not only supports organizational goals but also promotes employee retention. Similarly, HR professionals can also generally expect a good work/life balance, with most working during regular business hours on a full-time basis.

Diverse Job Responsibilities

If you’re the type of person who enjoys tackling different challenges and doing different things every day, then HR may be a good choice for you. Many HR professionals handle a wide range of daily tasks — from administering benefits packages and payroll to recruiting new employees to planning employee training programs. These HR professionals are known as generalists — people who handle a wide range of HR work.

Opportunities for Career Specialization

Although some people enjoy working on a wide variety of tasks, others may prefer a more narrow focus. The HR field does indeed offer opportunities for specialization, as well.

For example, consider the following specialized roles:¹

Staffing specialist: Staffing specialists are primarily responsible for writing job descriptions/ads, screening employment applications and resumes, and scheduling interviews. They may also handle employee scheduling.
HR administrator: Administrators are records management specialists. They maintain employment records and databases, and keep track of employment contracts.
HR analyst: Analysts are responsible for compiling and organizing employee and organizational data — such as salaries — and conducting employment-related surveys.
Benefits administrator: As the job title suggests, benefits administrators handle benefits packages, including retirement plans and health, vision, dental, disability and life insurance.
Employee relations manager: These HR professionals focus on strengthening relationships between coworkers (and between employees and managers) and handling dispute resolution.

Potential Opportunities for Career Advancement

Another reason to consider pursuing a career in HR is the potential to position yourself for career advancement. For example, if you start out as a staffing specialist, you might then work your way up to become an HR specialist or benefits administrator, followed by a role as an HR manager and beyond.¹

Important Skills for an HR Career

If the idea of a human resources-related career appeals to you, then earning a bachelor’s degree in HR or a related area could be a good start toward pursuing your goal. Along the way, you can also work on cultivating some of the important skills and qualities for an HR professional, which include the following:

Interpersonal Skills

Interpersonal skills are among the most important for any type of HR professional, including both entry-level professionals and managers. HR professionals work closely with people from all backgrounds and must be able to collaborate in a positive way and form strong working relationships.^7,8

Communication Skills

Along with good interpersonal skills, strong communication skills are a must-have. HR specialists, for example, need to convey information clearly, answer questions from employees and job applicants, and address any concerns their employer may have.⁷ Similarly, HR managers must be able to communicate well with their team, and they may be called upon to give presentations.⁸

Attention to Detail

Attention to detail is critical for HR professionals. HR specialists, for instance, must pay close attention to detail when reviewing job applicants and resumes, performing background checks and reviewing compliance matters.⁷

Leadership Skills

If you aspire to reach a mid-level or senior-level role within the HR field, then you’ll need to work on developing leadership skills. HR managers oversee a team of HR professionals and coordinating the activities of the department, making solid leadership skills indispensable.⁸

Grand Canyon University offers a wide array of undergraduate degree programs for students who are eager to learn how to solve modern challenges in the workplace. Apply today to enroll in the Bachelor of Science in Applied Human Resources Management degree program, which examines key competencies like training, development, performance management and employee recruitment.

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¹ Birt, J. (2024, April 18). The hierarchy of HR job titles (with average salary). Indeed. Retrieved June 20, 2024.

² COVID-19 has adversely affected the global economy and data from 2020 to 2022 may be atypical compared to prior years. Accordingly, data shown is effective September 2023, which can be found here: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Human Resources Specialists, retrieved June 2024.

³ COVID-19 has adversely affected the global economy and data from 2020 to 2022 may be atypical compared to prior years. Accordingly, data shown is effective September 2023, which can be found here: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Human Resources Managers, retrieved June 2024.

⁴ The earnings referenced were reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (“BLS”), Human Resources Specialists, as of May 2023, retrieved June 2024. Due to COVID-19, data from 2020 to 2023 may be atypical compared to prior years. BLS calculates the median using salaries of workers nationwide with varying levels of education and experience. It does not reflect the earnings of GCU graduates as human resources specialists, nor does it reflect earnings of workers in one city or region of the country or a typical entry-level salary. Median income is the statistical midpoint for the range of salaries in a specific occupation. It represents what you would earn if you were paid more money than half the workers in an occupation, and less than half the workers in an occupation. It may give you a basis to estimate what you might earn at some point if you enter this career. Grand Canyon University can make no guarantees on individual graduates’ salaries. Your employability will be determined by numerous factors over which GCU has no control, such as the employer the graduate chooses to apply to, the graduate’s experience level, individual characteristics, skills, etc., against a pool of candidates.

⁵ The earnings referenced were reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (“BLS”), Human Resources Managers, as of May 2023, retrieved June 2024. Due to COVID-19, data from 2020 to 2023 may be atypical compared to prior years. BLS calculates the median using salaries of workers nationwide with varying levels of education and experience. It does not reflect the earnings of GCU graduates as human resources managers, nor does it reflect earnings of workers in one city or region of the country or a typical entry-level salary. Median income is the statistical midpoint for the range of salaries in a specific occupation. It represents what you would earn if you were paid more money than half the workers in an occupation, and less than half the workers in an occupation. It may give you a basis to estimate what you might earn at some point if you enter this career. Grand Canyon University can make no guarantees on individual graduates’ salaries. Your employability will be determined by numerous factors over which GCU has no control, such as the employer the graduate chooses to apply to, the graduate’s experience level, individual characteristics, skills, etc., against a pool of candidates.

⁶Indeed Editorial Team. (2024, March 19). Everything you need to know about becoming an HR specialist. Indeed. Retrieved June 20, 2024.

⁷U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2024, April 17). How to become a human resources specialist. Occupational Outlook Handbook. Retrieved June 20, 2024.

⁸ U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2024, April 17). How to become a human resources manager. Occupational Outlook Handbook. Retrieved June 20, 2024.

Approved by the Academic Program Manager of the Colangelo College of Business on July 30, 2024.