8. HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST
JOB DESCRIPTION
Overview
The human resources department in an
organization is typically responsible for recruiting and orienting employees,
establishing and administering employee services, designing and organizing
training and development programs, and ensuring equal employment
opportunity. Specific jobs within the
field are highly variable. In a small
company, one person may oversee all human resource development (HRD) roles, whereas
in a large company, the duties may be divided into as many as 20 different job
titles. The majority of HRD specialists
(85%) work in the private sector, which includes service industries (health,
social, and educational services), labor organizations, manufacturing
industries, and financial firms. The
remaining 15% work in federal, state, and local government offices.
Typical Job Duties
• Recruitment: advertising new
positions, collecting applications, interviewing job candidates, orienting new
employees to policies and procedures
• Salary and benefits administration:
establishing and maintaining the pay system, overseeing the performance
evaluation system, handling insurance and pension plans
• Employee assistance: arranging
company-sponsored social activities, supervising employee recreation
activities, conducting career and personal counseling
• Training and development: offering
workshops to employees, organizing programs offered by outside professionals,
helping employees develop skills needed to succeed on the job
• Equal employment opportunity:
establishing and monitoring affirmative action programs, reviewing company
practices related to hiring and promotion of minorities/females, investigating
discrimination charges
• Other: resolving or mediating
disputes, helping employees’ transition out of a company, analyzing data that
will be useful to management in making personnel decisions
Job Outlook
Faster-than-average job growth is
expected, but the job market is competitive.
New jobs will be primarily in the private sector, where more resources
will need to be devoted to job-specific training programs because of
increasingly complex jobs. In addition,
new legislation regarding employee hiring and benefits has resulted in a need
for experts in these areas. HRD
was not ranked among the top 30
fastest-growing occupations in the BLS study, although human resources training
was listed as a “hot job” in an October, 1997, issue of U.S. News &
World Report. HRD was in the near
balance/supply equals demand category of the MSU study.
Potential Earnings
Starting salaries for new graduates
with a master’s degree in human resources in 1993 averaged $30,500. Median salaries in 1992 ranged from
$32,000-$45,000, depending on the area.
In a 1996 study, median salary estimates for HR records specialists were
$30,600; for HR
information
systems specialists, $38,800; for HR consultants, $55,000; for affirmative
action specialists, $38,200; and for recruitment managers, $63,800.
TRAINING
Professional Degree Required
A master’s degree in HRD or a related
field is increasingly important for employment. To be certified as a Professional or Senior Professional in Human
Resources, either a bachelor’s or a master’s degree is sufficient, but a
master’s degree allows one to obtain certification much more quickly. For liberal arts graduates with little
experience in HRD, a master’s program is essential. Programs tend to require two years of study, with part-time enrollment
usually allowed.
How to Find Programs
The Academy of Human Resource
Development (AHRD) provides a list of graduate programs in HRD on its home page
(address below), but only programs that have faculty members who are AHRD
members are included. Consequently,
this list cannot be considered complete.
Another strategy is to look up HRD in a Peterson’s Guide,
available in university career centers and libraries (or on the Internet, in
abbreviated form). Note that HRD is
listed under Business Administration and Management.
Entrance Requirements/Admissions
No specific undergraduate major is
required, although a social science or management major is typical. Volunteer or work experience in HRD is a
plus. Programs do not appear to be
highly competitive. Minimum
requirements are typically a 3.0 GPA during the last 60 semester hours and a
900 on the GRE combined.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Print Materials/Organizations
American Society for Training and
Development (ASTD), 1640 King Street, Box 1443, Alexandria, VA 22313-2043. 703/683-8100.
DeGalan, J., & Lambert, S. (1995). Great
jobs for psychology majors. Lincolnwood, IL: VGM Career Horizons. (Chapter
12: Human resources).
Society for Human Resource Management
(SHRM), 1800 Duke Street, Alexandria, VA
22314. 703/548-3440.
Internet Resources
Academy
of Human Resource Development home page (to find list of programs with faculty
who are members of AHRD, click on “Plan an HRD Career”): http://www.ahrd.org/
ASTD home page: http://www.astd.org/
Human resource development, general
information (links to many organizations and resources):
http://www.teleport.com/~erwilson/links.html
SHRM home page: http://www.shrm.org/