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BUSINESS & FINANCE

Human Resources Specialist

Helping Organisations and People Work Better Together

Human Resources Specialist

Human resources specialists support recruitment, employee records, policies, learning, performance and workplace relations. Their role balances organisational needs with fair and lawful treatment of people.

Key Outcomes

What this career leads to

  • Fair people processes
  • Better recruitment
  • Stronger development
  • Healthier workplaces

What They Do

On the job

  • Coordinate recruitment and onboarding
  • Maintain employee records and explain policies
  • Support training, performance and employee-relations processes
  • Help ensure workplace practices follow applicable law and procedure

Where They Work

Typical workplaces

  • Private companies
  • Government and public organisations
  • Hospitals and universities
  • Consulting and recruitment firms
  • Nonprofit organisations
  • Large industrial and service employers

Core Skills

What it takes

  • Communication and discretion
  • Organisation and record management
  • Conflict handling and sound judgement
  • Employment-policy and people-management knowledge

Areas of Application

Where this knowledge shows up

  • Recruitment and talent acquisition
  • Learning and development
  • Compensation and benefits
  • Employee relations
  • HR operations and analytics

Education & Entry Path

The learning route

Degrees in human resources, business, psychology, management or labour studies are common. Professional HR qualifications and employment-law knowledge can support advancement.

Career Scope

The long view

HR professionals can specialise in recruitment, development, employee relations, rewards, HR systems, analytics or organisational leadership.

Related Careers

Kindred paths to explore

Explore Scientists’ Contribution

The discoveries behind this field