Human Resources Officer Job Information | National Careers Service

The work

HR officers' work would usually involve:

• hiring staff – advertising and interviewing
• working with other managers to plan future staff needs
• keeping employee records
• providing staff training and development
• making sure staff have the right pay and benefits
• arranging staff services such as welfare and counselling
• dealing with complaints and discipline procedures
• promoting equality, and health and safety
• advising on matters like pay negotiations, redundancy and employment law
• developing HR policies and procedures
• writing staff handbooks.

In large organisations, you may specialise in one or two of these areas. In smaller companies you would usually deal with all aspects of the job.

Hours

In a full-time job you would normally work standard office hours, Monday to Friday. Part-time and temporary work are often available.

You would mainly be based in an office but you may need to travel to meetings, especially if you worked in a company with more than one site.

Income

Personnel administrators can earn around £15,000 to £19,000 a year.

Starting salaries for human resources officers can be between £18,000 and £25,000 a year.

Personnel managers can earn £25,000 to £50,000 a year or more.

Figures are intended as a guideline only.

Entry requirements

You should have a good standard of general education, and previous experience of office work. Employers will usually prefer you to have, or be willing to work towards, qualifications from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).

You could start as an administrator in a company's HR department, and study part-time for the CIPD Certificate in Human Resources Practice whilst you are working. You may be able to take the CIPD course at college before looking for your first job in human resources.

Many human resources officers are graduates and some have a BTEC HNC/HND, degree or postgraduate qualification in human resource management. However, this is not essential if you have the right experience and CIPD qualifications.

Training and development

You will develop your skills on the job. Many employers will also expect you to take Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) qualifications and may pay towards your study.

If you are new to HR, or if you are a personnel administrator looking to progress, you can take CIPD qualifications at foundation level. CIPD offers foundation level Awards, Certificates and Diplomas in Human Resource Practice.

Please note. The Level 3 Certificate in Personnel Practice (CPP) is the CIPD's previous foundation level qualification. This qualification is still valid, and anyone currently studying for it has until 2013 to complete.

With more experience, you could take the new CIPD Intermediate and Advanced Awards, Certificates and Diplomas in:

• Human Resource Management
• Human Resource Development

You can study full-time or part-time at local colleges, or by distance learning. See the CIPD website for more details.

• Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development – About CIPD Qualifications

Skills and knowledge

To become a human resources officer, you need to have:

• a tactful, friendly but firm manner
• good spoken and written communication skills
• the ability to build good working relationships with colleagues at all levels
• fairness and objectivity
• discretion with confidential information
• good organisational ability
• high levels of accuracy and attention to detail
• calmness under pressure
• good administration and computer skills.

More information

Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD)
151 The Broadway
London
SW19 1JQ
Tel: 020 8612 6200
www.cipd.co.uk

Opportunities

You could work in any organisation with a human resources department, particularly larger companies and public sector organisations like the NHS, education and local authorities. You could also work for a specialist HR consultancy.

Jobs may be advertised in local and national newspapers, trade publications for particular industries, and by recruitment agencies.

With experience, you could progress into senior management. You could also set up your own consultancy offering recruitment services or advice on policy planning.

You may find the following useful for vacancies and general reading (links open in new window):

• People Management
• Personnel Today

Job profiles are based on the latest information supplied to us by industry bodies, such as Sector Skills Councils. Please be aware that with the introduction of the Qualifications and Credit Framework there has been, and will continue to be, changes to vocational qualifications. For more information, please check with industry bodies directly.

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