If you’ve decided that becoming an employee relations manager is the right choice for you, you can get to work right away on building relevant competencies. If you’re still in high school, talk to your guidance counselor about whether you can add any communications courses to your schedule. Classes in law, history and sociology could also be helpful.
As you near your graduation date, you’ll need to start thinking about college. Employee relations managers are expected to have a bachelor’s degree. Some might also have a master’s degree, but this isn’t strictly necessary for most positions.
There is some flexibility regarding the type of bachelor’s degree you could earn, although you should pursue a liberal arts degree. A communications degree would be a strong choice.
After graduating, you’ll need to gain professional work experience in a human resources office. You could also earn a professional certification as an employee relations specialist or a human resources specialist. Work experience combined with a professional certification can help you pursue your dream job in employee relations management.
Earn Your Undergraduate Communications Degree
After high school, the first step in the process of pursuing a career in employee relations management is to earn your undergraduate degree. Because this career requires strong communication skills, it’s a smart move to choose a communications degree, such as a Bachelor of Arts in Communications with an Emphasis in Interpersonal Communication and Human Relationships. This would give you a strong foundation for working with both individuals and groups of employees.
Although the specific curriculum will vary from one program to the next, you can generally expect to study the following topics while earning your communications degree:
- Principles of small group communications, including leadership skills, participation, information sharing and critical reasoning
- Intercultural communication competencies, emphasizing verbal and nonverbal communication, and exploring influencing cultural factors such as social life, education, religion, politics and family structure
- Fundamentals of conflict communication and the negotiation process across a range of contexts (e.g. interpersonal and organizational), with a look at power dynamics in relationships
- The development of healthy workplace relationships, with a look at emotional intelligence, diversity and ethical behaviors
Toward the end of your studies, you may be required to complete a capstone course. A capstone course allows you to put everything you’ve learned to use by developing a major research and writing project. You should choose a focus that is reflective of your career goals, such as by exploring some aspect of workplace communications or employee relations.
Acquire Entry-Level HR Experience
A managerial job is not an entry-level one. Experience requirements will vary from one employer to the next, but in general, you may need about five years of relevant experience before you’ll be qualified to pursue a job in employee relations management. The most natural choice for an entry-level job position is to look for an opening for a human resources specialist or an employee relations specialist.
In this type of role, you’ll perform many of the same duties as a manager. However, you won’t have any supervisory duties. Instead, you’ll work under the supervision and direction of the employee relations manager.
The employee relations manager may direct you to perform tasks such as the following:
- Check on the references provided by job candidates
- Run background checks on job candidates
- Assist with employee onboarding programs
- Maintain employment records
- Respond to questions from employees about their sick leave, vacation time and other benefits
In short, you’re likely to focus more on administrative tasks in this entry-level role than on planning and overseeing the functions of the human resources department.
Pursue Voluntary Certification Options
Obtaining a professional certification is not a strict requirement, although some employers may prefer it. In addition, becoming certified can allow you to gain an edge over other applicants. There are a few organizations that offer certification options to employee relations experts.
- The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM)
- HR Certification Institute
- World at Work
- International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans
