What can you do with a human resources degree?

Key takeaways

• Human resources degree jobs are projected to grow by 6% by 2032, indicating a robust job outlook compared to the average growth rate of 3% for most professions (Bureau of Labor Statistics).
• Moreover, the introduction of generative AI has streamlined HR operations, enhancing efficiency and effectiveness across various HR functions.
• New HR career paths are emphasizing skills like recruitment, labor relations, training and development, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), HRIS, compensation and benefits, and talent management.
• Furthermore, HR professionals can specialize in various areas based on personal preferences, career goals, skills, and capabilities, ensuring diverse career opportunities within the field.
• Human resources degree holders can pursue diverse roles. These include roles in recruitment, training, labor management, and HR specialization.
• Enroll in professional certifications from reputable organizations like AIHR, SHRM, and HRCI to further enhance career prospects.

While the average growth rate of employment for most professions is 3%, human resources degree jobs are projected to grow by 6% by 2032, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. So, if your concern is what can you do with a human resources degree, then you should not be too worried. The job outlook for a human resources career is bright and ever-growing.

There have been some crucial changes in the HR landscape in the past few years. These changes aggravate and escalate by the introduction of generative AI into business operations and day-to-day life. AI has only benefited business operations in various ways, and streamlining human resources management is one such. 

With changing industry trends and demands, new human resources career paths are emerging, making way for new skills and competencies. This is great news for the younger generation who is enrolling in human resources degrees and aspiring to achieve prestigious jobs in the industry. 

So, it’s time to put an end to your worry about what you can do with a human resources degree. Here is the only guide you need in understanding HR careers, and what to expect of them. 

What are the areas of specialization in the human resources career path?

Like all fields, there are areas of concentration, or specializations that you can choose from. These are particular subject matters that require expertise and focus on one particular aspect of the overall field of study. 

HR has many such specializations or “branches” that you can explore. Make sure you have considered your personal preferences, career goals, skills, and capabilities before opting for an HR specialization. 

Therefore, getting a HR degree from an esteemed college is essential for guaranteeing a good career. You can find HR degrees at colleges in New York, colleges in Connecticut, and many other states like Texas and Arkansas.

Guaranteed, there is no end to the answer to “what can you do with a human resources degree”.

Recruitment

Recruitment is the foundational process in human resources. This is a crucial area that has to do with selecting, shortlisting, screening, and hiring employees. Recruitment specialists have phenomenal expertise in hunting for the best talent and the best candidate for a particular role. They may use different methods including online job boards, professional networks, referrals, and so on. 

Labor relations

Labor relations is an extremely technical specialization that has to do with managing employee-employer relations in accordance with employee and labor laws and regulations. The role focuses on compliance, and protecting the rights and laws for employees. 

These roles are crucial in manufacturing industries, government and nonprofit organizations, and organizations where unionizing is a common occurrence. 

Training and development

human resources degree jobs have evolved, giving birth to many new specializations, such as Training and Development. 

Training and Development specialists focus on hosting training programs for the employees, to teach them technical or non-technical skills. They ensure employees’ motivation and the company’s interests are aligned by consistently enabling their employees to upskill. 

With this specialization, you may work as a Training Manager, Development Specialist, and Organizational Development Manager. 

Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion (DEI)

Company attitudes towards diversity, equity, and inclusion in workplaces are rapidly evolving. Employers are now becoming more vigilant and eager to ensure diversity and inclusion in their workspaces. For that, HR specialization in DEI has become of great help. 

DEI experts have a knack for fostering a work culture that welcomes, encourages, and includes people from diverse backgrounds. Some job titles for this specialization include Employee Experience Manager, Inclusion Manager, and DEI Specialist.

Human Resources Information System (HRIS)

An HRIS specialization will make you an expert at using technological solutions to streamline a lot of human resources processes, such as managing and collecting employee data. HRIS experts have a great understanding of data analysis, software utilization, and data security. 

Compensation and benefits

Specializing in Compensation and Benefits will allow you to gain a knack for placing employment offers, negotiating salary and benefits, and even managing employee payrolls. This specialization requires research skills, and Compensation and Benefits planning requires market research and understanding. 

With this specialization, you can land job roles like Payroll Specialist, Rewards Manager, and Compensation Analyst. 

Talent management

While Recruiters hire and bring new employees on board, Talent Management specialists focus on retaining these employees. They do this through strategic planning and implementation of motivational and engagement initiatives.

Talent Management also helps you develop an eye for spotting successful and qualified individuals within your organization and provide them with growth opportunities and leadership roles. 

Talent Management specialization roles include Talent Manager, Employee Performance Analyst, and Employer Branding. 

What can you do with a human resources degree?

Now that you are fully aware of the variety of specializations in human resources, you will be able to decide which specialization seems the most suitable for you. Specialization in one field allows you to remain focused, and develop specific skills that are needed to excel in the field.

Going for an HR professional certification is a great way of understanding your expectations and preferences in your human resources career. Explore some great, industry-leading HR certifications from AIHR, SHRM, and HRCI.  

A human Resources career path is very simple, but with recent changes in the landscape, human resources jobs have become much more interesting than before. 

While every job is unique in its own way, there are some qualities, responsibilities, and technical factors that are the same across all the jobs in various organizations.

If these job roles align with your career goals and preferences, then you must go ahead and pursue an HR degree.

To help you understand and predict what your human resources career path might look like, here at the top 6 most common human resources degree jobs you must know:

• Recruitment specialist/manager

Organizations require highly qualified, well-spoken, representable, professional, and serious candidates to fill the position with Recruitment Specialist/Manager/Executive. This role requires a strong skill set that can attract new candidates, do their screening, and complete their onboarding process after the required rounds of interviews and tests. 

Recruitment jobs require a good knowledge of recruitment principles and a disciplined process. This job requires good time management, good judgment of character, and a strong cross-functional communication capability. 

With the recent advancements and shift in working arrangements from on-site to online, Recruitment Specialists should also have a good grip on technologies like scheduling online interviews, syncing online calendars, and sending out professional emails. Luckily, human resources degree online prepares you to use digital tools in your professional career too!

• Training and development executive

It is important to companies that their employees do well on their jobs, for the sake of the company’s goals and objectives. For the employees, having the right skill set and knowledge for performing well on their jobs adds to their motivation and enables job satisfaction. 

To make things work, Training and Development Specialists/Executives dig deep into the necessary skills and knowledge their employees need to perform better. They conduct training sessions, seminars, workshops, webinars, guest speaker sessions, and many such activities to frequently expose their employees to learning opportunities. 

T&D Executives may also conduct training programs for leaders and managers in the workplace. These trainings are becoming increasingly popular, due to the gradual but positive shift in management and leadership styles. Leadership training allows team leads to develop empathy and enforce a more human leadership. 

T&D Specialists may conduct trainings themselves in some cases. For technical and specific skills, they may use an expert from the organization or invite someone from outside. These sessions are often followed by a chance to professionally connect, network, and socialize with like-minded individuals. 

Consequently, T&D efforts and strategies contribute largely to increasing employee motivation, productivity, performance, and the company’s revenue and growth. 

• Labor relations specialist

There are labor laws by the government that apply to all private and public organizations. On the other hand, some company-specific laws and policies must be followed by that organization’s employees. 

A Labor Relations Specialist studies these laws thoroughly and closely, understands them, and ensures their compliance. The specialist may look into the salary compensations of the employees in an organization, and decide whether they are being fairly paid or not. 

Other duties of the specialist may be ensuring that all rights of the employees and employers are protected.

These specialists also play an important role during any employee’s onboarding. They are responsible for introducing and making a new employee familiar with company policies. Labor Relations Specialists must possess skills like problem-solving, conflict resolution, empathy, and a comprehension of laws and regulations. 

They also play an integral role during events of layoffs, downsizing, mergers, and acquisitions. Usually, these events require a thorough understanding of employee contracts, and the specialist must ensure that both parties comply with all policies. People who specialize in Labor Relations can also find job roles such as Compliance Officer.

• HR Generalist

If you go for a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with an HR major, you are most likely to start your human resources career path as an HR Generalist. You can also explore this career path if you have a degree in sociology.

As a Generalist, you would be handling a broad range of HR tasks on a daily basis. These tasks could be related to recruitment, onboarding, employee relations, compensation management, HR data management, and more. 

Usually, HR Generalists are paid very well because they play an important role in an organization. There are two directions you could go in your human resources career path:

1. Start as an HR Generalist and eventually specialize in one particular area and become a specialist.
2. Work in numerous types of HR roles, and gain experience and expertise to the point that when you become a senior HR resource, you can look after multiple HR functions. 

The direction you choose largely depends on your personal and professional goals. HR Generalists will often find their jobs to have a lot more variety than specialists. 

• HR analyst 

There is an endless list of options to the big question “What can you do with a human resources degree”. And from the large pool of various job roles and responsibilities, is HR Analyst. 

Human resources has become extraordinarily data-driven. HR professionals now collect, manage, and study data to make important HR decisions such as which candidate to hire, and what salary compensation to offer. Thanks to generative AI and digital tools and platforms, data collection has become a lot more convenient. 

If you are tech-savvy, are fond of experimenting with software-based solutions, and love data, then HR Analyst is the perfect job for you. The job requires you to collect and analyze data to make strategic HR decisions and implementations. 

An HR Analyst may be performing data analysis for different roles and functions of HR, therefore, they must possess the perfect blend of HR knowledge and data analysis to be successful. 

HR Analysts are also most likely to get the best career growth opportunities. Working with data and implementing all of the data findings on different HR functions makes you a versatile resource. You can change your human resources career path from an HR analyst to a specialized role such as a recruitment specialist. 

Alternative career paths for HR degree holders

The best part about a human resources degree is that the job prospects are diverse. Human resources degree jobs are not limited to serious, and monotonous job roles that do not have much room for growth and exposure. 

As discussed earlier as well, the HR landscape has changed and is yet to evolve further. In these times, there is always a demand for new and technologically advanced skills. A good human resources degree job will fully utilize your college and practical learnings. 

However, beyond recruitment, payroll, and employee management, there are many other human resources career paths you can explore. Simply make sure whichever human resources degree jobs you choose, perfectly align with your career goals. 

Some of these diverse job prospects are:

• Career Coach
• Educationalist
• Project Manager
• Compliance Specialist/Officer
• Consultancy
• Employee Experience Specialist
• Leadership Development
• Entrepreneur 

A human resources degree has great career outlooks!

Now you know how diverse and interesting the human resources career path is. It is an excellent field that offers an excellent career outlook and job prospects. In addition to that, it helps you develop important life skills like people management and communication. 

There are always alternative or unique career directions you can take, such as stepping into the world of Education or Consultancy with an HR degree. In all cases, the skills you earn from your education will be put to great use. 

Make sure you choose the right college for an HR degree. A college that is accredited, has a good student life, and a strong alumni profile is a good choice for pursuing a human resources bachelor’s degree. Ask important questions about human resources, and make the choice after careful consideration.