Human Resources Specialist

I have chosen to explore the job position as the human resources specialist found on O*NET under Job Code: 13-1071.00. I chose this job position because it has various specializations and opportunities for meaningful work in the labor market and contributes to most organizations’ wellbeing. Human resources specialists are people-centered and provide individuals with a chance to apply their skills and knowledge while assisting organizations to hire and retain a competent workforce. This job position analysis provides the information obtained through an interview with a current human resources specialist, a detailed description of the job from O*NET, and a comparison of the two information sources.

Information Gathered by Interview with A friend

The interview with a close friend aimed at obtaining important tasks, Knowledge Skills Abilities, Other characteristics (KSAOs), major roles, and the process of performance appraisal of the human resources specialist job. The most important tasks involved in the human resources specialist include recruiting and hiring new talent, orienting new employees to organizational policies, procedures, and compensation benefits, employee retention, and promoting career growth and development. A human resources specialist’s day involves interacting with candidates and personnel from diverse backgrounds seeking recruitment, promotion, or termination of an employment contract.

Human resources specialists implement a company’s hiring strategy by interviewing and hiring suitable candidates, ensuring new employees undertake pre-employment tests, conducting background checks, and facilitating promotion and termination. They follow a given hiring and recruitment strategy that aligns with their employment needs. Human resources specialists also regularly coach the management to foster career growth and development. The close friend also revealed that human resources specialists analyze various job titles to determine compensation and benefits. Not everyone qualifies for compensation and benefits. Hence, human resources specialists must use compensation rules to ensure only qualified employees get bonuses. Human resources specialists also engage in employee relations to enhance employee engagement. They interact with employees at all levels to identify employment gaps, challenges, and obstacles a given cohort faces in an organization.

The most important KSAOs for the human resources specialist include knowledge and previous work experience in another field such as psychology. They possess knowledge about industrial relations, human resource management, customer service, computers and electronics, and psychological principles. A human resources specialist also includes clerical knowledge such as file management and record keeping. Human resource specialists gain work experience working as human resource assistants and in customer service positions. Academic qualification needed for human resources specialists includes a bachelor’s degree in human resources or a related field. According to the current human resources specialist, certification is not mandatory but provides candidates with an added advantage during recruitment. A certificate in a business-related field, for instance, demonstrates a candidate’s professional competence in business. The interviewee also noted that the critical skills for human resources specialists include communication, decision-making, and interpersonal skills. Human resources specialists must possess active listening and speaking skills to communicate effectively with the workforce and solve the concerns raised about human welfare. Practical decision-making skills are also crucial to hiring and recruiting candidates and problem-solving.

The interviewee also noted that human resource specialists must possess interpersonal skills to interact with employees from diverse backgrounds. The specialists should be detail-oriented to focus on critical details such as employees’ qualifications, adherence to company policies, and compliance with labor standards. The personal abilities required for a human resources specialist include self-control, dependability, adaptability, independence, sensitivity to other people’s needs, and willingness to undertake responsibilities and face obstacles. According to the interviewee, human resources specialists should control their emotions and feelings when interacting with other people to avoid conflicts. They should be flexible and ready to adapt to new situations and environments. Human resources specialists should also be sensitive to other people’s feelings and avoid hurting them. They should also be ready to work under no pressure and willingly take responsibility. Practical human resources specialists should also be reliable. They should fulfill their obligations promptly and responsibly. Human resources specialists should maintain a pleasant environment and have a cooperative attitude. They should collaborate with others in accomplishing organizational goals.

According to a close friend, the primary function of a human resources specialist is to recruit, interview, and hire employees in an organization. Human resources specialists identify employment needs, interview applicants, conduct background checks, and inform applicants about job specifications, hire suitable candidates, orient new employees to company policies, and keep employment records.

Performance appraisal for the human resources specialist is conducted through technological performance appraisal. According to the interviewee, specialists’ performance is analyzed based on knowledge about technological advancements related to their particular fields. Such performance appraisal depicts a specialist’s desire to align their skills to current trends and innovations in human resource management. Human resources specialists with current technological knowledge are considered high performers.

Information Gathered from O*NET

The human resources specialist position is found in the 13-1071.00 code in O*NET. The required education for a human resources specialist is a bachelor’s degree in human resource or business related field. Certification and training provide candidates with an added advantage. Human resources specialists also need previous work experience, vocational training, and hands-on training on the job. Human resources specialists must possess certain KSAOs. The knowledge required for human resources specialists includes personnel and human resources, administrative, administration and management, English language, and customer and personal service. Human resources specialists should know about hiring and recruiting new employees and the compensation and benefits systems meant to enhance employee engagement. Administrative knowledge enables human resources specialists to perform ad, initiative tasks such as record keeping, file management, and word processing. Customer and personal service knowledge are essential in attending to customer needs enhancing customer satisfaction and delivering quality services. Human resources specialists should also be knowledgeable in human resource management to allocate resources and engage in strategic planning.

The most critical skills for human resources specialists include speaking, active listening, critical thinking, writing, and reading comprehension. Human resources specialists interact with people from diverse backgrounds and need speaking skills to communicate information effectively. Active listening skills enable human resources specialists to listen attentively to other people, synthesize the conveyed information and provide adequate feedback in case of any questions. Human resources specialists should also possess critical thinking skills, make rational decisions and develop solutions to organizational problems. Writing skills are essential in writing formal documents such as memos and notice writing. Human resources specialists should possess abilities such as oral comprehension, oral expression, written comprehension, deductive reasoning, and problem sensitivity. A human resources specialist should derive meaning from verbal communication, such as spoken words. They must understand what is said by other people in an organization. The human resource specialists should also express their ideas through spoken words. Written comprehension emphasizes the need to read and understand written information. Human resource specialists should read and understand the information shared through written channels such as letters, memos, or magazines. Human resource specialists should also detect problems and anticipate new issues in an organization. Human resources specialists should use rational perceptive to propose sensible solutions to organizational problems.

In conclusion, the sources of information about the human resources specialist job contain various similarities and differences. Both sources of information highlight that a bachelor’s degree in human resources or business is the main educational requirement for becoming a human resources specialist. Both sources also agree that the major function of human resources specialists is to conduct workforce planning by recruiting, interviewing, and placing individuals within an organization. However, the interviewee empathized that human resources specialists reinforce career growth and development in an organization. Both sources also agreed that human resources specialists should possess knowledge about personal and customer service, administrative, and English language. Both sources emphasized the importance of certification in providing employees with an added advantage in an organization. However, both sources differed on the most critical skills needed by human resources specialists. While the interviewee highlighted communication, interpersonal, and decision-making skills, O*NET emphasized speaking, active listening, critical thinking, and writing as the most essential skills. Another difference is that while the interviewee disregarded the importance of vocational training, O*NET notes that vocational training is vital to provide human resources specialists with on-job training and work-related experience. The interviewee responses are experience-based, while the O*NET description of the job is theory-based.