What is the career path for human resources?

The career path for human resources involves jobs as a staffing coordinator, an HR specialist, and an HR director. The career path for human resources is straightforward and consists of many different positions at the entry, middle, and senior levels of HR departments.

To get an entry-level role in human resources you should obtain a bachelor's degree in human resources. Other acceptable bachelor's degrees include ones in communications, organizational psychology, industrial psychology, business, sociology, and social sciences.

Nearly all human resources professionals have four-year bachelor's degrees and have majored in one of these subjects or similar fields.

In addition to college degrees, there are certifications you can to help you advance. Here are some helpful certifications for HR professionals:

• The Associate Professional in Human Resources (aPHR): offered by the HR Certification Institute. This is for professionals who are new to HR.

• SHRM's Certified Professional (SHRM-CP): for those with HR experience

• SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP): this one is also for HR professionals with experience.

• Professional in Human Resources (PHR): offered by the HR Institute.

• Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR): this certification is also offered by the HR Institute and is another good option for HR professionals who are advancing on their career path.

To advance on the HR career path you must have experience and skills in the following areas:

• Hiring and recruitment of new qualified employees. HR departments set forth hiring strategies that are formed with executives of a company, or managers in specific departments. From these individuals, an HR department can learn the particular needs of a given role.

• Development and training of employees. Most HR departments are tasked with creating and launching employee development initiatives. These include programs like on-the-job training, professional development, and educational opportunities.

• Keeping employer and employee relations positive. The main objective of this function of HR is to get employers and employees to view each other as mutual contributors to the organization.

• Maintaining a company's culture. This includes things like best hiring practices, company-specific values, continuing employee development, and good employee relations.

• Managing employee benefits. This is an administrative function of nearly all HR departments. They manage both mandated and voluntary company employee benefits.

• Creating a safe working environment for all employees. This applies to both the physical and emotional safety of a company's employees.

• Handling disciplinary actions. Disciplinary actions, including employee termination, are sensitive and sometimes complex situations. HR is tasked with knowing how to handle these complicated matters while keeping everything running optimally.

Here are the jobs on the Human Resource career path, starting with entry-level roles, and ending with senior-level roles:

• Entry-level HR roles

Staffing coordinator. Staffing coordinators assist in the recruitment of employees. They screen candidates for different jobs within the company and help in new hire orientation and administrative duties, like managing time-off requests.

Staffing specialists. These HR professionals create job descriptions used for online job postings. They assess applications and resumes. Staffing specialists often are the HR employees that schedule interviews with job candidates and may also manage employee schedules.

HR representative. Representatives help job candidates and current employees fill out the necessary paperwork. They often have a strong understanding of company employee benefits and policies.

HR administrator. These HR employees manage and maintain employment records at a company. This includes specific employee data, such as performance reviews, contracts, and other employee-related databases.

• Mid-level HR roles

HR specialist. HR specialists assist in new employee recruitment. They also may hire job candidates and manage job orientations.

HR supervisor. HR supervisors manage new employee hiring, regulate employee dynamics and interactions, and oversee payrolls.

HR analyst. HR analysts track, record, and manage different forms of employee data for a company. They review and compare salaries to national averages and between industry-specific roles.

• Senior-level HR roles

HR manager. HR managers oversee a team of HR generalists and often interact with benefits specialists, payroll coordinators, and trainers. They also oversee all aspects of recruitment, training, and employee dynamics and relations.

HR director. HR directors, also referred to as deputy directors, oversee and manage all employee dynamics and relations, payroll, employee benefits, staffing, and compliance.

Chief human resources officer. These high-level HR officials manage the entire human resources department at a company.