Have you ever considered a career where you can help people, motivate employees, be a change agent, or serve as a mediator? Are you a people person? Are you looking for a rewarding career? Look no further than starting a career in the human resource management industry.

A career in human resources will provide you job security, interaction with some amazing people, and a feeling of reward on a daily basis. Human resource managers typically work to make sure that the employees are well taken care of daily. These managers make sure that they recruit the right person to fill vacant positions. They administer training to make certain the employees remain safe. They complete the paperwork for employees that retire from the organization. Most importantly, the human resource professionals establish lasting relationships with their employees. If this sounds interesting to you, please continue to read this blog.

HR can be gratifying but like every profession that are some challenges that come with the job. HR Professionals can use conflicts to improve companies’ and employees’ results to maximize profits. Therefore, HR can be rewarding and challenging due to their responsibilities to ensure success.

If you are still interested, keep reading! A Master’s degree is the way to go for you. This degree will help you with turning challenges into opportunities or chances to become great. A graduate degree will let present-day HR employees be more efficient in their jobs. In addition, graduate degrees will inspire them to move further up the career ladder. Here are some HR careers that you can embark upon with this graduate degree:

Human Resource Manager

When someone thinks about a career path for MBA students, the idea is usually human resource management. This manager has a seat at the table with management and the employees to ensure that all organization members are taken care of. The HR manager serves in the administrative positions to supervise the staffing process of recruiting for vacant positions, interviewing potential employees, hiring the most qualified employee, and payroll and benefits.

These managers work as a liaison for management and the employees. They strive to make certain that the employees are performing to the best of their abilities. They attempt to lead with innovative ways to ensure that the operations are effective. They remain up to date on the latest developments and regulations regarding human resource management to guarantee that the organization maintains its competitive advantage.

Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) suggests that this position holds a better than average job outlook of six percent between 2019 and 2029. While wages vary significantly based on where HR managers are employed, the BLS cites a median annual wage of $130,000 in May 2022. Those working in scientific or technical services can expect increased pay, with median wages for this in-demand niche reaching $153,830.

Yes, this is an exceptional salary, but keep in mind that the human resource manager works extremely long hours. This is a full-time position, and the work schedule is normally the same as the organization’s hours set in place. There are some instances where human resource managers can work remotely from the comfort of their homes.

Training and Development Manager

Some managers prefer to work for a small business or a nonprofit organization. These managers typically handle the day-to-day operations of all functions of the human resource management department. Some managers solely work on training and development. This job concentrates on the development or enrichment of the employee’s skills and knowledge, allowing them to implement the newest and most advanced capabilities of the employees.

Training and development managers oversee presenting all relevant educational data to the employees. This data is not limited to training videos, employee bulletins, newsletters, and in-person development training. This manager will be responsible for scheduling seminars, workshops, or zoom meetings for in-person or virtual.

A training and development manager is a full-time position, and the person works in an office at the organization. This manager may travel at times to different locations to meet with the employees. The travel will be traveling to the corporate headquarters and training facilities and the regional offices. Yes, some of the duties of this position can be accomplished remotely.

According to a BLS report from 2022, training and development managers can expect to earn a median salary of $120,000 per year. Professionals working in the finance and technical sectors typically see annual salaries that exceed $120,000. Training and development managers specializing in finance and insurance services earn a median yearly salary of $121,590. Similarly, managers in the professional, scientific, and technical services sector receive a median annual salary of $143,670.

Jobs are plentiful, thanks to a career outlook of six percent.

Compensation and Benefits Manager

If you are seeking a career where you get to help others, this is the career for you. This career is more than just earning a paycheck; it is giving back to the organization and the employees. The compensation and benefits managers make sure that this happens every pay period. These managers perform their jobs in a well-ordered and consistent manner for the well-being of the employees. These managers are maximizing benefits while working within the financial guidelines set in place by management.

Regularly, these managers concentrate on compensation plans or benefits packages. Nonetheless, in their area of expertise, the managers should have excellent analytical abilities. They will collect a great deal of information to establish the components of the specific industry’s compensation trends and determine how procedures can be perfected to better assist the employees and the organization.

According to the BLS, compensation, and benefits managers take home an annual salary of $131,280.

Labor Relations Specialist

Usually acting as a liaison between management and the labor unions, labor relations experts investigate and decipher a variation of many contracts. Their goal is to get to the bottom of disagreements or quarrels so that they will be valuable to the employees while making sure that the organization still makes a profit. This may be a hard thing to do, but an effectual labor relations strategy can endorse a more congruent and dynamic labor force.

The BLS reports that labor relations specialists earn median annual wages of $82,010.

VP of Human Resources

The Vice President of Human Resources maintains several administrative responsibilities. They oversee assessing and imposing all human resource policies. This role consists of the ‘HR of HR,’ – which means that they supervise all HR departments, so all its employees can carry out similar obligations for other employees in the organization.

The VP could be asked to hire and train a capable and reliable team of human resource professionals. In the meantime, this executive employee comes together and brainstorms with the other leaders in the organization to write the organization’s long-term vision. The vision will include the relevance of the HR-oriented talent management section for all the employees.

Data from PayScale reveals that the average VP of human resources earns $148,070 per year. This figure, however, can vary based on the industry and the size of the organization. Competition abounds for the limited VP roles available, so inspiring leaders will want to acquire graduate-level credentials and at least a decade of experience in the field.

Chief HR Officer

If the above positions are any indication, you will discover that the HR strategy can be complex. There are usually many employees in an HR department working as part of a team. Executive-level supervision is necessary to make sure that all HR professionals stand by and uphold the organization’s long-term vision. This administration is made available by the Chief HR Officer (CHRO). They play a vital part in creating the organization’s culture.

HR expert Matt Straz tells CIO magazine that the CHRO is arguably the second most important employee within an organization, falling only slightly behind the CEO. Charlie Gray of the HR firm Gray Scalable adds that rather than viewing human resources through a tactical lens, the CHRO can ‘foster real communications within the organization, so the company benefits from the collective wisdom of its people.’

The CHRO position should not be mistaken with the position of The Human Resources Vice President or The HR Director. These employees report directly to The Chief Operating Officers (COOs) or The Chief Financial Officers (CFOs). Their work exhibits the importance of these finances and operation-oriented positions. The attention should not be solely on the administration aspect, but the CHROs should put the emphasis on employee proficiency as well as show the overall picture of how the organization operates throughout the year.

Because the position of Chief HR Officer is demanding and requires years of experience and a high level of education, the position often delivers exceptional compensation. Salary data obtained by PayScale reveals that the median annual pay for a Chief HR Officer is $154,389 per year. Depending on the scope of the job and the size of the business, Chief HR Officers may approach $200,000 in annual pay.

HR Consultant

Consulting is a popular alternative between HR professionals who desire to work a flexible schedule. Consultants may work in many different positions; they may accept agreements to work with small or midsize organizations that require their services. They provide information relevant to HR principles to remain successful. Other consultants make available alternative perspectives for bigger organizations, which could be used for an added third-party viewpoint to verify whether if the current procedures or programs are efficient and in compliance with the local, state, and national guidelines.

Like many of the careers listed above, consultants frequently pay attention to certain components of HR. For example, labor relations specialists may work for organizations for a short period of time that may not have enough money to appoint a new employee for a long-standing basis.

Earnings vary significantly for HR consultants, in part because these professionals enjoy control over the clients they work with and the hours they take on. Flexible work arrangements sometimes translate to a significant drop in pay, although this is not always the case. PayScale places the median salary for an HR consultant at $74,866.

The sky’s the limit to the possibilities that you can achieve in your HR career. You can obtain this rewarding and exciting career by continuing your education and receiving a master’s degree. A graduate degree may be the greatest decision that you could ever make, and it will look terrific on your resume. If you need a graduate degree to excel in your current job, then this is the way to go! Either way, this degree will assist you in acquiring in-depth knowledge and realistic skills needed to accomplish the essential objective of HR: depicting the maximum capabilities of the most brilliant employees in the industry.

If you’re interested in moving your HR career forward, why not consider earning your MBA – Human Resource Management, or Bachelor of Science in Human Resource Management from JWU. For more information, complete the Request Info form, call 855-JWU-1881, or email [email protected].