What Is an HR Specialist? Role, Tasks, Skills, and How to Get Started

Key takeaways

• HR specialists typically work in a specific area of human resources, such as recruitment or employee relations.

• This role tends to require at least a few years of professional experience. You can first get started in an entry-level HR job before advancing.

• Building or strengthening technical skills, such as in HR analytics, can be worthwhile for your career development.

Explore whether this exciting career is a good match for you by learning about typical job responsibilities, important skills, and what your career path might look like as an HR specialist.

What is an HR specialist?

An HR specialist focuses on a specific area of human resources (HR), such as recruitment, compensation, or employee relations, and possesses in-depth knowledge and expertise in that particular field. They handle complex issues within their area of specialization and provide expert guidance to management and other HR team members.

HR specialist: areas of focus

HR specialists often deal with tasks that include recruiting talent for a company, training new employees, and problem-solving for employees and employers. Your day-to-day tasks as an HR specialist may vary depending on your precise role and your company’s needs. Discover some typical HR specialties and their responsibilities.

• Recruitment: An HR specialist relies on networking, communication, and organizational skills to help their company identify and retain talented individuals. This process involves extensive research to identify candidates and interview screening to ensure prospective candidates meet baseline requirements.

• Training and development: Across all industries, new hires have training and development specialists to help acclimate to their new role. To develop training programs, you must understand the requirements of different positions and the necessary skills for each position. Your ability to communicate and teach effectively is imperative to work as a training and development specialist. 

• Compensation and benefits: If you oversee compensation and benefits, you'll need to perform research to gain insight into typical market rates for different jobs so that your company remains competitive in its compensation.

• Employee relations: If you work in this area, you'll focus on maintaining a positive relationship between a company and its employees. This often involves addressing workplace conflicts, implementing policies, ensuring fair treatment, and fostering a positive work environment.

• Human Resource Information Systems (HRIS): If you work in HRIS, you'll need to have strong technical skills, including in data analysis. HR specialists who work in HRIS oversee the implementation, maintenance, and optimization of digital systems used for storing and analyzing employee data, automating HR tasks, and supporting decision-making.

HR specialist salary and job outlook

HR specialists have strong earning potential. The median annual pay for human resource specialists in the US is $72,910, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) [1]. This career is also expected to grow faster than average over the next decade, with projected growth of 6 percent between 2023 and 2033. Learn more about the factors that can impact an HR specialist's salary. 

HR generalist vs. HR specialist

HR generalists handle a wide range of tasks, from recruitment and onboarding to training and benefits. HR specialists, on the other hand, specialize in specific areas like compensation or employee relations, becoming experts in those fields.

Human resources specialist: key responsibilities

Because human resources specialists can focus their positions in a certain area, the responsibilities vary depending on the specialty. Most HR specialists typically have a broad foundation of HR best practices. This means they can perform many responsibilities, even if they aren’t part of the current job description.

Some of the many responsibilities HR specialists have the expertise to handle include:

• Creating job descriptions and sourcing candidates

• Ensuring organizations comply with laws

• Conducting interviews and evaluating applicants

• Helping employees manage their compensation

• Coordinating hiring processes with managers

• Addressing employee feedback

• Mediating disputes between employees and management

• Promoting an environment that encourages employee satisfaction

• Administering employee benefit programs

• Identifying training needs and designing relevant programs

• Organizing orientation and onboarding procedures

• Managing risk

• Maintaining employee records

• Answering employee inquiries

• Tracking recruitment data and making adjustments

• Conducting performance evaluations

• Forecasting talent needs

• Retaining employees

Human resources specialist skills

While workplace skills are extremely important to the HR specialist role, strong technical knowledge of HR operations and recruitment analytics can be critical as well. When entering this role, consider developing the following technical and workplace skills. 

Technical skills

• Operations and project management: Ability to manage multiple HR projects simultaneously and meet expectations

• Research and analytics: Proficiency in analyzing HR metrics to improve HR functions

• Deep knowledge of HR best practices: Understanding and implementing industry-standard HR practices to optimize employee performance and satisfaction

• Understanding of labor laws: Comprehensive knowledge of employment laws to ensure compliance and minimize legal risks

• Technical HR skills: Expertise in using HR software and tools, such as applicant tracking systems (ATS) and HR information systems (HRIS)

Workplace skills

• Leadership: HR specialists must have strong leadership skills to run new employee orientations and onboarding processes.

• Detail-oriented: HR specialists keep careful records of employee conduct and compensation, in addition to processing necessary paperwork for different aspects of the organization.

• Time management: Efficiently managing all tasks related to your specialty area and meeting relevant deadlines

• Communication: Good communication skills support clear communication of relevant information with employees, management, and job candidates, and facilitate smooth information flow and conflict resolution.

• Interpersonal skills: Fostering a positive work environment through managing employee relations

How to become an HR specialist 

You can find several paths to enter a career as an HR specialist, but focusing on building foundational skills and a strong resume can help you expand your job search.

Earn a bachelor's degree.

While you may be able to find entry-level jobs in HR without a college degree, you may find that you need a degree to advance to become an HR specialist. Sixty-one percent of HR specialists hold a bachelor’s degree, and 11 percent hold a master’s degree, according to Zippia [2]. Popular areas of study include business, human resources management, psychology, and management.

Grow your skill set.

Given that HR specialists need in-depth technical knowledge and specialized knowledge of an HR area, expanding your abilities can help you become a more competitive job candidate.

To improve your HR skill set on your own time, consider taking courses online, reading books, watching YouTube videos, or undertaking a side project. If you're already employed, see whether your company offers professional development and look for opportunities to advance your skills in areas that will benefit your career.

Get an HR certification.

HR certifications are industry-recognized credentials that help build on the knowledge and skills you need to perform your job or advance your career. You can find certifications for people just starting in the field, mid-level professionals, and HR managers working in multinational companies. For 50 years, HRCI (HR Certification Institute) has provided certifications like:

• Associate Professional in Human Resources (aPHR)

• Professional in Human Resources (PHR)

• Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR)

• Global Professional in Human Resources (GPHR)

Consider a master's degree.

If you're aiming to be an HR manager after gaining experience as an HR specialist, a master's degree may distinguish you from other candidates. It can also help you earn a higher salary. Common master's degree focus areas for HR professionals include:

• Human resource management

• Business administration

• Economics

• Finance

• Marketing 

• Organizational psychology

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