Photo: Alan Cleaver from Whitehaven, United Kingdom (CC BY 2.0)
Job description
Specialists review applications against job requirements, process the paperwork tied to hiring, transfers, promotions, and terminations, and explain HR policies and procedures to employees. They also field employee relations issues, like harassment allegations or workplace complaints, and stay current on employment law such as EEO guidelines and the ADA to keep the company compliant. The pace can be fast, with real deadlines and detail-heavy paperwork, and specialists regularly deal with people who are frustrated or under stress, all while working closely with the rest of an HR team. A bachelor's degree is the typical path in.
Pros
- Faster than average projected job growth (6.2% over the next decade)
- Large, well-established field with 81,800 jobs nationwide, offering broad geographic opportunity
- Standard 40 to 45 hour week compared to many business roles requiring far more
Cons
- Regularly handles sensitive issues like harassment allegations and employee disputes
- Requires staying current on frequently changing employment law and compliance regulations
- Deals with frustrated or upset employees as a routine part of the job
A typical day
The morning starts inside the applicant tracking system: forty new applications for a machinist opening, screened down to six worth phone interviews, which fill the rest of the morning in brisk half-hour calls. After lunch the specialist runs new-hire orientation for five people — benefits enrollment, safety policies, and the unglamorous but critical I-9 verification. A manager calls with a delicate question about documenting an employee's attendance problem, and the specialist walks them through the policy and the paper trail. The day closes at a community college career fair booth, pitching the company to students and collecting resumes — recruiting is sales, and the product is the workplace itself.
Tasks at the job
- Address employee relations issues, such as harassment allegations, work complaints, or other employee concerns.
- Hire employees and process hiring-related paperwork.
- Maintain current knowledge of Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and affirmative action guidelines and laws, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
- Prepare or maintain employment records related to events, such as hiring, termination, leaves, transfers, or promotions, using human resources management system software.
- Review employment applications and job orders to match applicants with job requirements.
- Interpret and explain human resources policies, procedures, laws, standards, or regulations.
Workplace & working conditions
Work happens indoors in a climate-controlled setting, and most of the day is spent sitting at a desk.
There's a regular, moderate amount of time pressure, and you're expected to exercise significant independent judgment day to day. Precision and accuracy are essential to the work, and the work is highly structured, following set procedures. You'll regularly deal with frustrated or upset people as part of the job, and almost all of the work is done as part of a team.
Education necessary or common
Bachelor's degree
Common college majors
Licenses & certifications
- aPHR — entry-level HRCI credential achievable right out of college
- SHRM-CP once experience accrues
- LinkedIn Recruiter or sourcing certificates (optional, practical)
Career path
Related fields
Courses to take
- AP Psychology — judging fit and potential is applied psychology
- Business or Marketing — recruiting is persuasion with a budget
- AP English Language — job postings, offer letters, and policy answers all demand clarity
- Computer Applications — applicant tracking systems and HRIS software
- AP Statistics — hiring metrics and compensation data
- Public Speaking — interviews and orientations are performances
Clubs, activities & competitions
- FBLA — job interview and HR competitive events
- DECA — role-play events that mirror recruiting conversations
- Student ambassador or new-student mentor programs — onboarding people is the job
- Yearbook or newspaper — interviewing skills transfer directly
First steps you can take now
- Mock-interview a friend for an imaginary job, then swap — notice what good questions reveal
- Write a job posting for a role you know well and compare it to real ones online
- Attend a career fair and study how recruiters engage people
- Ask a recruiter which parts of hiring software do the work and which parts still need humans
