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People are the most important assets of any business. The Human Resource (HR) department is key to attracting and retaining these valued assets. HR recruits, interviews and hires the best candidates. In addition to hiring the best candidates, HR is responsible for negotiating the salary or wages package, commonly referred to as compensation and benefit programs. Compensation and benefits must be competitive in order to attract potential employees. An HR representative develops and implements the employee relation programs that make the company a great place to work. Employee relation programs can include everything from team building events to wellness programs.

The size of a firm determines who is responsible for the HR The size of a firm determines who is responsible for the HR function. The rule of thumb is one HR representative per 100 employees. In the larger firms, you will see individuals with more specialized responsibilities working under a Human Resource Manager. Specialties include compensation, benefits, employee relations, and recruitment.

The Human Resource department works with all levels of an organization – from part-time labor to the executives of the company. In order to be effective, they must have excellent human relation and communication skills. It can be a wonderful experience to help an employee achieve his or her goals within their position and/or within the organization.”

Human Resource professionals must be trained. A business degree with an emphasis in Human Resources is a must and an MBA with an HR emphasis is a plus. The increasing involvement in the strategic planning process of companies has required HR professionals to have a good understanding of accounting, finance, information systems, economics and even marketing. HR professionals must continuously update our knowledge in areas such as employment law and organizational management.

Through the Society for Human Resource Managers (SHRM) HR Certification Institute, HR professionals can show that they have mastery of the practice and its body of knowledge. Professionals can achieve a Professional in Human Resources (PHR) or a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) certification. Human resource certification is the symbol of professional achievement. The national and local SHRM organizations are excellent professional development sources. In addition, both organizations are excellent networking sources. Networking—communicating with other professionals—is a method used by most business people in all professions to talk about issues of importance in their particular industry. Networking is the way many business contacts are made.

According to the 2000-01 issue of the “Occupation Outlook Handbook” which is a publication of the U.S. Department of Labor, the earnings for this profession vary greatly. In 1998 median annual earnings of human resources managers were $49,010 in the U.S. However, the degree of education, professional certifications, area of specialization and experience in the human resource profession all have a bearing on the level of earnings.

Human Resource Management can be a challenging and rewarding career. Executives are seeing the benefits of having a HR Professional as an integral part of their team. This has further opened the doors of opportunity for the Human Resources professional to make a difference.