Human Resources Specialists

What the job really is

Recruit, screen, interview, or place individuals within an organization. May perform other activities in multiple human resources areas.

At a glance

• Sector: Business & Financial
• O*NET-SOC code: 13-1071
• O*NET job zone: 4 — considerable preparation
• Work sample tasks on file: 12
• Tools and technologies listed: 12

What you actually do

Work sample tasks recorded for this occupation:

• Interpret and explain human resources policies, procedures, laws, standards, or regulations.
• Hire employees and process hiring-related paperwork.
• Maintain current knowledge of Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and affirmative action guidelines and laws, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
• Prepare or maintain employment records related to events, such as hiring, termination, leaves, transfers, or promotions, using human resources management system software.
• Address employee relations issues, such as harassment allegations, work complaints, or other employee concerns.
• Review employment applications and job orders to match applicants with job requirements.
• Inform job applicants of details such as duties and responsibilities, compensation, benefits, schedules, working conditions, or promotion opportunities.
• Select qualified job applicants or refer them to managers, making hiring recommendations when appropriate.
• Schedule or conduct new employee orientations.
• Maintain and update human resources documents, such as organizational charts, employee handbooks or directories, or performance evaluation forms.
• Confer with management to develop or implement personnel policies or procedures.
• Contact job applicants to inform them of the status of their applications.

Tools and technology

Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Creative Cloud software, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Photoshop, Apple macOS, Applicant tracking software, Cisco Webex, ESRI ArcGIS software, Extensible markup language XML, Facebook, GitHub

What employers expect you to already be comfortable with.

Where this job leads

Related occupations — the usual moves up and sideways:

• Human Resources Assistants, Except Payroll and Timekeeping
• Human Resources Managers
• Eligibility Interviewers, Government Programs
• First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers
• Compensation, Benefits, and Job Analysis Specialists
• Industrial-Organizational Psychologists
• Compensation and Benefits Managers
• Training and Development Managers

Getting in

O*NET assigns this occupation job zone 4 (considerable preparation). The related occupations above are the realistic routes in and out.

Find openings

Browse the verified job sources directory, or explore more occupations.

Check this against the source

O*NET OnLine: Human Resources Specialists — the authoritative public-domain profile this page is derived from, including the full task list, reported skills and the wage estimates for your region.

Derived and rewritten from the public-domain O*NET database (U.S. Department of Labor / Employment and Training Administration). Figures are observations, not promises — always confirm salary, licensing and visa requirements with the employer and the relevant authority.