Five Growing Specialties in Human Resources

Human Resources Growing Specialties

• Compensation and Benefits
• HR Consulting
• Recruitment and Staffing
• Training Specialist
• Executive Recruitment

Before you enroll in a business program and start looking at human resource jobs, you should give some thought to the fastest growing specialties in human resources. HR professionals work within the HR departments of companies and help those companies keep current workers satisfied as well as find new employees as needed. Picking a specialty area lets you know more about the duties you'll perform on the job.

Compensation and Benefits

In an article on the fastest growing specialties in human resources, Larry Buhl highlighted compensation and benefits managers. These managers are the ones responsible for creating the benefits packages that employees want. Those benefits may include paid time off for vacations and sick leave, paid and unpaid time off for family leave, health insurance and insurance that covers dental and vision costs. The managers also determine the compensation given to new workers as well as the cost of living raises and other wage increases awarded to current employees.

HR Consulting

Smaller companies cannot always afford the cost of a full HR department, which is why they hire HR consulting experts. Consultants work with the company to determine what it needs to do to make its jobs more appealing to prospective employees and how they can create benefits packages that will make employees want to stick around. Consulting firms can also send consultants out to major corporations and larger companies to do routine audits, which help those companies learn how effective its HR department is and what changes can make that department run more effectively.

Recruitment and Staffing

With so many employers vying for the top employees today, it's often hard for companies to stand out from the competition. That is why so many companies hire recruitment and staffing managers who are responsible for recruiting new employees and filling all available jobs. These managers look at the open positions, create a detailed list of the skills, education and experience necessary to fill those jobs and create online and offline listings that catch the attention of job seekers. They also conduct interviews to find the best candidates and can make recommendations on promoting from within.

Training Specialist

Training new workers properly is especially important in the modern era. Once an employee suffers an injury on the job, he or she can seek compensation from the company. In addition to losing money, companies can lose qualified employees too. Training specialists work as part of the HR team and create programs that train employees on employment laws as well as health and safety regulations. They can also create programs designed for existing workers to ensure that they continue following all standards and laws while on the job.

Executive Recruitment

Executive recruitment is a little different from standard recruitment and staffing because these professionals look for qualified executives to take on leadership roles within a company. While they still create job postings and interview candidates, they also use their own personal and professional contacts to learn about candidates not yet on the market. Executive recruitment managers often join professional organizations and agencies to network and meet with prospective candidates ahead of time. They are responsible for finding executives who can fill roles like Chief Financial Office, Chief Executive Officer, and other department heads.

HR departments hire recent college graduates every year to take on important roles within their companies. Whether you want to enroll in one of these programs, or you are about to graduate, you should look at some of the jobs available for people with your skills. The fastest growing specialties in human resources today include training, recruitment, and staffing and consulting.

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