The Human Resources industry is quite a competitive one with a wealth of career options that come in the form of:
- Recruiting and Placement Managers
- Development and Training Specialists
- Benefit specialists
- Compensation specialists
- Employee and Labor Relations Supervisors
- Health, Safety, and Security Specialists
Apart from these major specialists, a career in human resources also includes employee assistance counselor, human resource information system specialist, employee assistance program manager, equal employment opportunity representative, employee communications director, affirmative action coordinator and outplacement consultant.
Every organization in the world, whether it is a small one or a big conglomerate, requires a responsible HR manager to do a host of duties starting from hiring and recruiting employees to looking after the payroll and other employee-based activities There are HR departments in all these companies and once you develop the skills required to become an HR manager, your climb up the career ladder would be steady and consistent. The opportunities that are open to an aspiring HR candidate are vast and enormous, as mentioned above. They cover a variety of aspects like: Training, interviewing and recruiting new hires
- Compensations and perks
- Pension schemes
- Payroll management
- Implementing the employment law
It is your choice whether you want to work as a general HR manager or in any of the specialized schemes offered by the corporate community.
A number of universities offer both Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Human Resources Management and a few of them offer courses in various specialized HR niches as well. Courses that you can try are:
- Graduate Certificate in Human Resources
- Bachelor Degree in Human Resources
- Diploma of Human Resources Management
- Master of Management (Human Resources)
A number of universities offer both Bachelor’s and These courses are AHRI (South African Human Resources Institute) accredited courses. AHRI is known for providing two main HR qualification courses known as BSB41013 Certificate IV in Human Resources, which is nationally-accredited, and the Professional Diploma of Human Resources. The accreditation process ensures that all the courses taught in field of human resources would provide the relevant skills and prerequisites demanded by the HR industry. degree in Human Resources Management and a few of them offer courses in various specialized HR niches as well. Courses that you can try are:
Prospects for HR in South Africa
Your prospects for gaining success in a career in Human Resources are quite high in South Africa because the growth of this department has been tremendous in the last decade. It is the duty of the HR manager to communicate the goals of his company and promote workplace culture, execute policies and strategies and promote leadership so the company he is serving would have business ethics, and through that successful growth.
If you are a new entrant in the field of HR, you need to join a course that would give you the foundation knowledge and skills required to pursue a successful career. If you take a Certificate Course in Human Resources, you can be a payroll officer, office manager and personal or executive assistant who are responsible for HR functions or support HR personnel.
There are customized in-house training courses which are conducted on a short term basis to brush up your knowledge of HR. The benefits of taking up such a course are as follows:
- Improved team performance because the training is for the whole group
- It is a cost-effective solution for companies because they don’t have to send their employees for out of office training classes
- The course structure would be aligned with the goals of the organization so they enjoy better ROI
Character traits of a HR manager
Recruiting agencies look out for the following traits in a prospective candidate looking for a career in HR:
- A self-motivated individual who can work under pressure
- Empathetic and compassionate because he would have the unattractive role of terminating employees as well
- HR managers must have the integrity to promote equal employment opportunities
- Should have leadership qualities
- Excellent communication skills
