Human resources

HR seeks to unlock the full potential of an organisation’s people and translate this into financial performance and market value.

What is human resources?

Human resources (HR) is all about people. After all, without people, most organisations wouldn’t survive, let alone thrive.

HR seeks to unlock the full potential of an organisation’s people and translate this into financial performance and market value. What this really means is creating a workplace where people are engaged, passionate and valued.

HR’s responsibilities are twofold: they must look after the needs of an organisation, and they must look after its people.

HR provides employees with career advice and guidance, and at times, may be required to help resolve a dispute or conflict. At the same time, HR helps an organisation cultivate a desirable workplace culture by making sure the right people are in the right job, and advising on specific workplace issues such as enterprise agreements or remuneration. HR can also extend to broader issues such as workplace health and safety.

During restructures, HR is involved by helping people understand what is happening and the potential impact.

What is the graduate experience like in human resources?

Most larger corporations, such as the ‘Big Four’ banks, offer structured graduate programs where you experience a mix of rotations within the HR function.

It’s important to note there is no standardised organisational ‘breakdown’ of HR. Some organisations allocate a HR team to a business unit to meet specific needs, whereas others organise HR by type of responsibility, such as learning and development, or recruitment. Regardless, you will find that most HR work is hands-on, requiring you to interact with others on a regular basis.

During rotations, you will experience a diverse range of HR projects. For example, you may help at a higher level by designing and executing an overall HR strategy. This may include surveying employees for workplace satisfaction and applying feedback, or designing an onboarding program for new employees.

As a graduate, you may help to organise and eventually facilitate workshops to upskill employees and/or management about – for example – anti-bullying measures. You may also be involved in screening candidates as part of the recruitment process, hosting assessment centres or developing websites and social media strategies.

What are your career prospects in human resources?

Once you complete your graduate rotation, you can choose to specialise within a specific area. As indicated previously, the way HR is structured differs according to the organisation, so specialisation might include anything from recruitment to HR analytics, to health, safety and wellbeing.

If the organisation is large, you may find specialisations are more niche. For example, you may be part of the learning and development team, which means your focus is primarily on designing and delivering relevant training materials. In smaller organisations, particularly in startups, HR professionals can wear many hats and perform a variety of tasks.

The decision to specialise is a personal preference and you may find you enjoy some HR aspects more than others. To make your decision, you should consider what type and size of organisation you would like to work for long term.

An alternative to in-house is to become a HR consultant, for example, by joining a recruitment agency or specialist consultancy. Recruitment agencies typically prefer experienced professionals, so it is best to get a couple years’ experience first.

Most of the ‘Big Four’ accounting firms offer ‘people and culture’ services and recruit from a graduate level, so this may be worth exploring if you are interested in professional services.

Choose this if you have:

■ A love of people and building relationships ■ Excellent communication and negotiation skills ■ Ability to identify creative solutions and drive change.

Interested in this specialisation?

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