Human resources officer

As a human resources (HR) officer, your aim is to ensure that the organisation you work for can meet its objectives by having the right workforce in place

You'll achieve this by selectively hiring people with the right skills and experience.

You will be involved in the whole employee lifecycle, from when they apply for a job to when they leave the organisation. You may also help provide training and development opportunities for employees, and guidance around issues such as performance and progression, and disciplinary measures where they arise.

Types of human resources work

HR officers can be involved in a range of activities. These cover areas such as:

• recruitment and retention
• equality, diversity and inclusion
• conditions of employment
• pay and rewards
• disciplinary and grievance cases
• employee welfare, support and engagement
• learning and development
• policies, procedures and working practices
• negotiation with external work-related agencies.

It's possible to work in either a generalist role, covering the full range of HR work, or to specialise in a particular area.

Responsibilities

As a human resources officer, you'll need to:

• have a clear understanding of your employer's business objectives and be able to devise and implement policies that support them
• write and develop job descriptions, person specifications and job adverts
• manage the application process - check application forms, shortlist, interview, select successful candidate/s and inform unsuccessful ones
• appoint, develop and retain the right staff
• ensure that prospective staff have the right to work at the organisation
• plan and sometimes deliver training, including new staff inductions
• deal with staff welfare and administration-centred activities
• advise on pay and other benefits
• undertake salary reviews and manage redundancy programmes
• carry out strategy and planning activities and develop strategies to meet immediate and long-term staff requirements
• develop and implement policies on issues such as working conditions, performance management, equal opportunities, disciplinary procedures, and absence management
• advise line managers in how to implement policies and procedures
• liaise with a range of managers involved in policy areas such as staff performance, organisational structure, and health and safety
• promote equality and diversity as part of the culture of the organisation
• negotiate with staff and their representatives (e.g. trade union officials) on issues relating to pay and conditions, contracts and redundancy
• prepare staff handbooks, administer payroll and maintain employee records
• interpret and advise on employment law
• deal with grievances and implement disciplinary procedures
• analyse training needs in conjunction with departmental managers.

Salary

• Salaries for HR assistants typically range from £19,775 to £33,387, rising to £21,864 to £36,914 for more experienced assistants.
• HR administrators can earn between £23,636 and £39,905, rising to between £31,433 and £53,069.
• Salaries for HR officers typically range from £30,681 to £51,800, rising to £35,923 to £60,650 as you gain more experience.
• HR managers/business partners can initially earn between £42,253 and £72,434. This can rise to between £52,250 and £95,563. Salaries for HR directors can rise to in excess of £200,000.

Salaries within HR can vary considerably between employers and depend on a range of factors, including location. Salaries in London and the South East, for example, are usually higher. Salaries in Scotland come a close second for some roles. Salaries are generally lowest in Northern Ireland.

The sector and type of employer you work for also affects your salary. Generally, salaries in local government and charities are likely to be lower than in sectors such as banking and financial services. There is often more of a variation in salaries in senior roles.

Other factors affecting your salary include your experience, skills and qualifications, as well as your level of responsibility and seniority.

Having CIPD-accredited qualifications and chartered membership can help with career prospects.

Income data from CIPD HR-inform with the permission of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD). Figures are intended as a guide only.

Working hours

You'll generally work a standard 37-hour week, Monday to Friday, but hours could sometimes include shift or weekend work. You may also have to work extra hours to meet deadlines.

Part-time and job-share positions and opportunities for flexible working may be available.

What to expect

• The work is mainly office based but may involve travel to other sites such as factories, warehouses, hotels, government departments or retail outlets, depending on the type and structure of the employer.
• Opportunities exist throughout the UK, with most jobs available in larger towns and cities. Some specialist roles are more likely to be found in the headquarters of an organisation, usually in a major city.
• Self-employment is possible for experienced HR professionals. Organisations may buy in expertise in particular areas on a short-term basis if provision is not available in-house. HR consultancy is becoming more common due to the rise in outsourcing HR practices.
• Current key priorities for HR officers include ensuring diversity and inclusion in the workplace by implementing inclusive hiring practices, supporting hybrid and flexible working arrangements, promoting staff wellbeing and developing the use of generative AI to enhance HR practice.
• The size and type of organisation, the structure of the HR department and your own area of work will determine the opportunities for travel both within the UK and elsewhere. Careers can be international, even at a junior level.

Qualifications

Although this area of work is open to all graduates and those with an HND or foundation degree, the following subjects may be particularly relevant:

• business with languages
• business or management
• human resource management
• psychology.

You could also do a combined degree in, for example, business management and human resources. If you're studying a human resource management degree, check whether it's accredited by the CIPD.

Some larger organisations run general management or human resources graduate training schemes. If you're on a general management scheme, it's possible to move into HR after having experienced a range of placements, including HR, within an organisation.

If you don't have a degree, you could start in an administrative role in an HR department and progress to an HR officer and then management role with experience and further training and CIPD-accredited qualifications.

You can also get into HR by taking an apprenticeship, combining paid work with part-time study. Relevant apprenticeships include:

• Level 3 (Advanced) HR Support Apprenticeship - provides an entry route into the profession
• Level 5 (Higher) People Professional Apprenticeship - aimed at those who are already working as HR professionals and who want to progress their career.

Search for an apprenticeship.

Although you don't need a postgraduate qualification to become an HR officer, a Masters degree in HR/personnel management may be useful. Research courses thoroughly and make sure they meet your career requirements. Search for postgraduate courses in human resource management.

Although it's possible to enter HR work without being professionally qualified, some employers will prefer you to have an accredited qualification from the CIPD, particularly for middle and higher management posts.

Skills

You'll need to have:

• business awareness and management skills
• written and verbal communication skills
• interpersonal skills to form effective working relationships with people at all levels in the organisation
• IT and numeracy skills, with strong IT skills required if managing/operating computerised payroll and benefits systems
• organisation and planning skills
• analytical skills for interpreting employment-related data
• integrity and approachability, as managers and staff must feel able to discuss sensitive and confidential issues with you
• curiosity and a willingness to challenge organisational culture where necessary
• teamworking skills and the ability to collaborate well with others
• influencing and negotiating skills to implement personnel policies
• the ability to work well under pressure
• the ability to juggle multiple tasks and to prioritise your workload
• potential to handle a leadership role
• cultural awareness and language skills.

Work experience

Competition for jobs is strong so having relevant experience working in an HR department will greatly improve your chances.

You could, for example, take an industrial placement year as part of your course or apply for a summer internship or vacation work. Part-time work is another option, or you could do some voluntary work to build up your experience. General office and/or administrative experience is also useful.

You could also take on a position of responsibility at university by joining a student group or society, particularly if the experience includes training or coaching, managing a budget or teamworking.

Talking to staff already working in HR or work shadowing an HR professional will help you make well-informed applications. Networking is important and helps you develop contacts in the industry. Student membership of the CIPD, available to those studying a CIPD qualification, provides access to useful resources and networking opportunities.

Communication skills are key in HR, so any paid or voluntary experience you can get to develop these skills will help your application.

Find out more about the different kinds of work experience and internships that are available.

Employers

HR officers work in organisations that employ staff, which means that jobs are available in all sectors. Typical employers include:

• small, medium-sized and large private companies in a range of sectors including engineering, banking and finance, retail, IT and technology, and healthcare
• the public sector, e.g. the Civil Service and local government offices, the armed forces and the NHS
• voluntary organisations, such as charities, which may employ both paid staff and volunteers.

It's important to think about which sector you're interested in working in, as different sectors have different HR challenges, and the organisational structure can vary widely.

You should also consider the size of the organisation you want to work for, as this is likely to affect whether you work as a generalist or specialist. Smaller employers, for example, may have just one or two people covering the full range of HR activities. Larger employers, however, may structure their HR departments according to different specialist roles, or the functions can be split among several generalist HR officers on a departmental or location basis.

Some very large organisations have a group of HR specialists at a head office who provide support to generalist HR officers working out of various departments or locations. There are also opportunities to work overseas.

With experience, you can also work as an independent consultant, either on a self-employed basis with your own consultancy business, or for a professional services firm. As a consultant you will support clients with their specific HR requirements. An outplacement service, when an organisation engages a specialist consultancy to help staff deal with redundancy, is one example of this type of work.

Firms of management consultants are also developing HR practices, offering services in areas such as compensation and benefits.

Look for job vacancies at:

• Personnel Today Jobs
• PM Jobs - jobs site of the CIPD.

Large organisations often advertise graduate training schemes on their own websites.

Specialist recruitment agencies such as the Ashdown Group, HR Recruit and Nigel Wright commonly handle vacancies. Vacancies are also advertised on LinkedIn.

Professional development

Graduate schemes typically last eighteen months to three years, depending on the employer. If you're on a general graduate scheme, you'll usually rotate through several placements to get experience in a range of departments, including HR.

HR-focused graduate schemes will usually include a series of placements in different aspects of HR, such as reward management, recruitment, employee relations, and learning and development. While on these schemes, you may be supported to gain an Advanced level CIPD-accredited qualification.

Studying for HR qualifications accredited by the CIPD can help you progress within the profession. Qualifications are offered at different levels, depending on your experience and career aims. For further information, see CIPD - Qualifications and Training.

If you complete an Advanced Diploma, you will become an Associate Member of the CIPD (Assoc CIPD). You may also be eligible for chartered membership or chartered fellowship, depending on your experience. Find out more about CIPD membership grades.

Short courses, webinars, workshops and conferences are also offered on subjects such as:

• assessing learning and performance
• coaching and mentoring
• diversity and inclusion
• employee engagement
• employment law
• performance management
• rewards and benefits.

Some organisations will encourage you to attend internal or external training courses relevant to your role, for example to:

• qualify you to administer psychometric tests
• gain specific skills, such as consulting
• enhance your knowledge of specific areas of employment law, such as GDPR or contract law.

Career prospects

New graduates are likely to begin their human resources career by working in a generalist HR role.

As you develop your career, you can usually choose whether to remain in a broader HR role or to move into a specialist role in areas such as:

• employee engagement
• employee relations
• employment law
• equality, diversity and inclusion
• learning, training and development
• organisational development
• people analytics
• performance and reward
• talent management
• workplace health and wellbeing.

These specialist roles are more likely to be found in the headquarters of major organisations, so you may need to move job to find a role that suits you and your career aims.

Promotion depends on ability. With a combination of skills, experience and CIPD qualifications, you can move into an HR management role with responsibility for a number of HR officers. You may find yourself overseeing an area such as recruitment and training or advising managers on a range of HR issues.

In the longer term, HR managers may move into more senior roles and be promoted to an HR director role, possibly as far as board level. As a director, you would be involved in overall HR strategy and influencing the organisation's wider business aims.

Self-employment and freelance work as a consultant to HR departments is sometimes possible for experienced HR staff.