Human resources officer

As a human resources officer, you'll ensure the organisation you work for can meet its objectives by having the right workforce in place. You'll achieve this by selectively hiring people with the right skills and experience for specific roles.

You'll be involved in the whole employee lifecycle, from application to when they leave the company. You may also help provide training and development opportunities, as well as offering guidance around issues, such as performance, job progression, and disciplinary measures.

Types of human resources work

Human resources (sometimes shortened to HR) involves a range of activities, including:

• conditions of employment
• disciplinary and grievance cases
• employee welfare, support and engagement
• equality, diversity and inclusion
• learning and development
• negotiation with external work-related agencies
• recruitment and retention
• pay and rewards
• policies, procedures and working practices.

It's possible to work in either a generalist role, covering the full range of HR work, or to specialise in a particular area.

What does a human resources officer do?

As a human resources officer, you'll need to:

• have a clear understanding of your employer's business objectives and be able to devise and implement policies that support them
• write and develop job descriptions, person specifications, and job adverts, as well as manage applications and the hiring process for potential candidates
• appoint, develop, and retain the right staff, ensuring prospective employees have the right to work at the organisation
• plan and sometimes deliver training, including new staff inductions
• deal with staff welfare and administration-centred activities, as well as deal with grievances and disciplinary procedures
• advise on pay and other benefits, which also involves undertaking salary reviews and redundancy programmes
• carry out strategy and planning activities, as well as develop strategies to meet immediate and long-term staff requirements
• develop and implement policies on issues such as working conditions, performance management, equal opportunities, disciplinary procedures, and absence management
• advise line managers on how to implement policies and procedures
• liaise with a range of managers involved in policy areas, such as staff performance, organisational structure, and health and safety
• promote equality and diversity as part of the culture of the organisation
• negotiate with staff and their representatives (e.g. trade union officials) on issues relating to pay, working conditions, contracts, and redundancy
• prepare staff handbooks, administer payroll, and maintain employee records
• interpret and advise on employment law
• analyse training needs in conjunction with departmental managers.

How much does a human resources officer earn?

• Salaries for human resources assistants average around £24,000, with the potential to earn up to £29,000 for more experienced assistants.
• Salaries for human resources officers in the UK typically range from £25,000 to £40,000, rising to £45,000 with more experience.
• HR managers can earn between £58,000 and £63,000. HR director salaries can be in excess of £130,000.

Salaries can vary considerably between employers and will depend on a range of factors, including location. Pay in London and the South East are usually higher, while salaries in Scotland come a close second for some roles, and are generally lowest in Northern Ireland.

The industry itself and type of employer you work for also has an effect. Generally, pay in local government and charities is likely to be lower than in areas such as banking and finance. There's often more variation in senior roles.

Other factors include your experience, skills, and qualifications, as well as your level of responsibility and seniority.

Having Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) accredited qualifications and membership can help with career prospects.

Figures are intended as a guide only.

How many hours does a human resources officer work?

You'll generally work a standard 37-hour week, Monday to Friday, but hours can include some shift or weekend work. You may also have to do extra hours to meet deadlines. Part-time and job-share positions and opportunities for flexible working may be available.

The job is mainly office based, but can involve travel to some sites, such as factories, warehouses, hotels, government departments, or retail outlets. Priorities within HR include diversity and inclusion in the workplace, such as hybrid or flexible working arrangements and promoting staff well-being.

How do I become a human resources officer?

Although a career in human resources is open to all graduates and those with an HND or foundation degree, the following subjects may be particularly relevant:

• business with languages
• business or management
• human resource management
• psychology.

You could also do a combined degree in, for example, business management and human resources. If you're studying a human resource management degree, check whether it's accredited by the CIPD.

Some larger organisations run general management or human resources graduate training schemes. If you're on such a scheme, it's possible to move into HR after having experienced a range of placements, including human resources itself within an organisation.

If you don't have a degree, you could start in an administrative role in an HR department and progress to an HR officer. You could then move into a management role with experience and further training, as well as relevant CIPD-accredited qualifications.

You can also get in by taking an apprenticeship, combining paid work with part-time study. Relevant apprenticeships include:

• Level 3 (Advanced) HR Support Apprenticeship - provides an entry route into the profession
• Level 5 (Higher) People Professional Apprenticeship - aimed at those who are already working as HR professionals and who want to progress their career.

Search for an apprenticeship.

Although you don't need a postgraduate qualification to become an HR officer, a Masters degree in HR/personnel management may be useful. Research courses thoroughly and make sure they meet your career requirements. Search for postgraduate courses in human resource management.

It's possible to enter the industry without being professionally qualified. However, some employers will prefer you to have an accredited qualification from the CIPD, particularly for middle and higher management posts.

What skills does a human resources officer need?

You'll need to have:

• business awareness and management skills, which includes interpersonal skills to form effective working relationships with people at all levels
• written and verbal communication skills, combined with general IT and numeracy competencies
• analytical skills for interpreting employment-related data
• integrity and approachability, including cultural awareness and language skills, as managers and staff must feel able to discuss sensitive and confidential issues with you
• curiosity and a willingness to challenge organisational culture where necessary
• teamworking skills and the ability to collaborate well with others
• influencing and negotiating skills to implement personnel policies
• the ability to juggle multiple tasks and to prioritise your workload.

Human resources officer work experience

Competition for jobs is strong, so having relevant experience working in human resources departments or teams will greatly improve your chances. You could, for example, take an industrial placement year as part of your course, or apply for a summer internship or vacation work. Part-time work is another option, or you could do voluntary work to build up your experience. General office and/or administrative experience is also useful.

Alternatively, you could take on a position of responsibility at your university by joining a student group or society, particularly if the experience includes training or coaching, managing a budget, or teamworking.

Talking to staff already working in human resources (or work shadowing) will help you make well-informed applications. Networking is important and helps you develop contacts in the industry. Student membership of the CIPD, available to those studying a CIPD qualification, provides access to useful resources and networking opportunities.

Communication skills are also key, so any paid or voluntary experience you can get to develop these skills will help your application.

Find out more about the different kinds of work experience and internships that are available.

Who employs human resources officers?

Human resources officers work in organisations that employ staff, which means jobs are available in all sectors. Typical employers include:

• small, medium-sized and large private companies in a range of sectors including engineering, banking and finance, retail, IT and technology, and healthcare
• the public sector, e.g. the Civil Service and local government offices, the armed forces and the NHS
• voluntary organisations, such as charities, which may employ both paid staff and volunteers.

It's important to think about which sector you're interested in, as different sectors have different HR challenges and the organisational structure can vary widely.

You should also consider the size of the organisation you want to work for, as this is likely to influence whether you work as a generalist or you specialise in a particular area. Smaller employers may have just one or two people covering the full range of HR activities. However, larger employers may structure their HR departments according to different specialist roles. The functions can also be split among several generalist HR officers on a departmental or location basis.

Some very large organisations have a group of specialists at a head office who provide support to generalist human resource officers working out of various departments or locations. There are also opportunities to work overseas.

With experience, you can also work as an independent consultant, either on a self-employed basis or for a professional firm. As a consultant, you’ll support clients with their specific HR requirements. An outplacement service, when an organisation engages a specialist consultancy to help staff deal with redundancy, is one example of this type of work.

Firms of management consultants are also developing HR practices, offering services in areas such as compensation and benefits.

Look for job vacancies at Personnel Today and PM Jobs. Large organisations also often advertise graduate training schemes on their own websites.

Specialist recruitment agencies such as the Ashdown Group, HR Recruit and Nigel Wright commonly handle vacancies. Vacancies are also advertised on LinkedIn.

Career prospects in human resources

HR-focused graduate schemes will usually include placements in different areas, such as reward management, recruitment, employee relations, and learning and development. While on these schemes, you may be supported to gain an advanced level CIPD-accredited qualification. Graduate schemes typically last eighteen months to three years, depending on the employer. If you're on a general graduate scheme, you'll usually rotate through several placements to get experience in a range of departments, including human resources.

You might also begin your human resources career by working in a generalist HR role. As you develop your skills, you can usually choose whether to generalise or move into a specialist role in areas, such as:

• employee engagement
• employee relations
• employment law
• equality, diversity and inclusion
• learning, training and development
• organisational development
• people analytics
• performance and reward
• talent management
• workplace health and wellbeing.

These roles are more likely to be found in the headquarters of major organisations, so you may need to move jobs and/or organisation to find the role that suits you and your career aims.

Promotion depends on ability. With a combination of skills, experience, and CIPD qualifications, you can move into an HR management role with responsibility for a number of human resources officers. You may find yourself overseeing such areas as recruitment and training or advising managers on a range of HR issues.

Human resources managers can move into more senior roles and be promoted to HR director, possibly going as far as board level. As a director, you'd be involved in overall HR strategy and influencing the organisation's wider business aims.

Self-employment and freelance work as a consultant to HR departments is sometimes possible for those with greater experience.

Studying for human resources qualifications accredited by the CIPD can help you progress within the profession. Qualifications are offered at different levels, depending on your experience and career aims. If you complete an Advanced Diploma, you'll become an Associate Member of the CIPD (Assoc CIPD). You may also be eligible for chartered membership or chartered fellowship, depending on your experience.

Short courses, webinars, workshops and conferences are also offered on subjects such as:

• assessing learning and performance
• coaching and mentoring
• diversity and inclusion
• employee engagement
• employment law
• performance management
• rewards and benefits.

Some organisations will encourage you to attend internal or external training courses relevant to your role, for example to:

• qualify you to administer psychometric tests
• gain specific skills, such as consulting
• enhance your knowledge of specific areas of employment law, such as GDPR or contract law.