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How to Get Into Human Resources

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Human Resource Management Meeting

Recently we discussed what human resources professionals do, and today we’ll cover what you need to do to launch your career in HR.

In this post, we’ll explain why you might want to consider getting into HR in the first place, what responsibilities you’re likely to have while working in the field, why it’s so important that you get a degree before attempting to break into the industry, and what else you can do to improve the chances of achieving a successful lifelong career in HR.

If you like working with people and you want to help an organization with training, staff management, conflict resolution, and compensation, then you should pay close attention to this post, because HR might just be your ideal career.

After you’ve learned everything you need to know about launching a career in HR, fill out our information request form to receive additional details about our 100% online Bachelor’s Degree in Human Resource Management. If you’re ready to get started, submit your application today.

Is Human Resources a Good Career Field?

Yes, human resources is a great field for launching a career, and there are three excellent reasons to think about becoming an HR professional:

  1. The field is growing, with the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimating that the employment of HR specialists will grow 10% between 2020 and 2030, and that the employment of HR managers will grow 9% during the same time period.
  2. Human resource professionals play an absolutely critical role at virtually every modern organization, as they’re responsible for core business strategies that help drive organizational success.
  3. Top industry jobs offer excellent compensation, including very high average annual salaries.

What do HR Professionals Actually Do?

That depends. Human resources professionals are responsible for a wide array of activities, including many different types of tasks, from recruiting to personnel management to compensation and benefits, and even employee training.

But most HR roles will share several key tasks, and below you’ll find a list of some of the most common responsibilities for HR personnel:

  • Leading and overseeing teams of employees.
  • Managing performance to improve employee productiveness.
  • Strategically planning and executing a variety of human resource-related initiatives.
  • Making legal and ethical decisions that have a significant impact on organizational operations.

To give you a bit of a better idea of what you might do on a day to day basis, here are some of the specific skills you may develop during your career in HR:

  • Building and inspiring a collaborative and inclusive company culture.
  • Managing organizational policy creation and implementation.
  • Handling staffing, onboarding, and employee salary and benefits negotiations. 
  • Designing, implementing, and overseeing personnel management strategies.
  • Maximizing employee productivity to generate better results for the organization.
  • Evaluating legal, ethical, and corporate social responsibilities to determine ideal strategies for handling complex issues.
  • Utilizing HR best practices, standard metrics, and popular systems to advance organizational growth and development.
  • Applying HR resource theories to achieve optimal performance for the organization.

When you work in HR, you’ll also have options to specialize in different niches of the field, serving as a specialist who focuses on specific objectives, like compensation, recruiting, training, or other interesting specialty areas.

If you’re interested in developing your expertise for more specific HR processes, you might want to consider spending some time studying:

  • Management of Team Dynamics
  • Conflict Resolution
  • Business Policy
  • Employee Law
  • Training
  • Professional Development

Whether you choose to remain an HR generalist, or you want to develop your expertise in a specific area of HR, the best way to ensure that you’re prepared to be successful in this challenging industry is to first complete an accredited HR degree program.

Do I Need a Degree to Get Into Human Resources?

Probably. BLS says that candidates typically need a bachelor’s degree in human resources, business, or a related field to become an HR specialist, and they also point out that some HR management roles will also require a master’s degree.

While you might be able to get an entry-level job in the industry without a degree in HR, the work will be more administrative, and you may have difficulty advancing your career in this competitive field without an actual degree.

If your objective is to launch an HR career and eventually move up the ladder into more senior-level positions, especially roles in HR management and leadership, then you’ll want to complete a degree.

Getting your degree is the perfect way to develop the foundational knowledge, skills, and abilities you’ll need to provide real value to an organization as an HR professional, and it’s also one of the best ways to improve your marketability for HR jobs.


Simply put, when organizations are hiring for HR roles, they’re almost certainly going to prefer applicants who list a relevant HR degree on their resumes.

What Can I Do With a Bachelor’s Degree in HR?

Earning a Bachelor’s Degree in HR Management, like the one offered by CSU Global, will make you eligible for entry and mid-level industry roles, including positions like: 

This is just a very short list of some of the most common jobs for HR program alumni, and in reality, you’re likely to be eligible for hundreds of different industry positions after completing a degree in HR.

One other thing to note is that the manager-level positions listed above probably won’t be accessible to you immediately after completing a bachelor’s degree, as they’re also likely to require some actual experience working in the industry.

What Can I Do With a Master’s Degree in HR?

Completing a Master’s Degree in HR will give you a much better chance of landing senior-level jobs, leadership jobs, and management jobs in human resources, as well as acquiring HR jobs serving in more specialized roles.

Some of the more common jobs for HR Master’s program alumni include:

To be clear, not everybody needs a master’s degree to achieve a successful career in HR, but if you’re looking to land a role in leadership then you should consider completing your Master’s in HR.

You may even want to think about earning an HR certification, or several of them, as there are all sorts of options for further enhancing your skills and abilities.

Indeed suggests that HR professionals consider the following certifications:

  • Associate Professional in Human Resources (aPHR)
  • Professional in Human Resources (PHR)
  • Global Professional in Human Resources
  • Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR)
  • Certified Staffing Professional
  • Certified Search Consultant
  • Certified Health Care Staffing Professional
  • SHRM CP Certified Professional
  • SHRM CP Senior Certified Professional
  • Certified Employee Benefits Specialist (CEBS)
  • Certified Professional in Learning and Performance (CPLP)
  • Certified Payroll Professional (CPP)
  • Certified Compensation Professional
  • Human Resources Information Professional

While you can launch your career in HR without a master’s or any certifications, they may make it easier to advance your career past entry-level roles.

Should I Get My Degree in HR Online?

Yes, you should certainly consider getting your Degree in HR online.

Why? Because online degrees tend to provide more freedom and flexibility than in-person programs.

In fact, CSU Global’s accelerated HR degree programs offer maximum flexibility, since they were designed to be completed online.

To make our HR programs as convenient as possible, we provide several excellent benefits, including:

  • No requirements to attend classes at set times or locations.
  • Access to monthly class starts.
  • Accelerated, eight-week courses.

Thanks to these benefits, studying online with us may make it much easier to juggle your studies with existing work and family responsibilities.

If you’re looking to get your degree, but you’ve already got a fairly busy schedule, then you should think about studying online with CSU Global.

Why Should I Choose to Study HR at CSU Global?

Our 100% online Degrees in Human Resource Management are both regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and designed to provide you with the foundational knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to become a successful HR professional.

Each program is also accredited by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools & Programs, and both programs feature a curriculum which is aligned with the Society for Human Resources Management HR Curriculum Guidebook and Templates.

This means that your degree will provide you with the skills and abilities you need to achieve success in the workplace and that your degree will be widely respected by HR professionals, including hiring managers looking to fill available roles with eligible candidates.

Reasons to Choose our B.S. in HR Management Program

This program will provide you with everything you need to launch a successful, lifelong career as a human resources professional. 

In fact, our online B.S. in Human Resource Management program has won several top rankings, including:

87% of graduates from this program report working in their field, and program alumni also report great results from the workforce, including an average salary increase of 26% four years after completing the program.

Reasons to Choose our M.S. in HR Management Program

This program is ideal for anyone looking to advance their career past entry-level positions and is especially useful for people seeking to land roles in HR leadership.

Our online M.S. in HR Management program has also won several top rankings, including:

  • A #2 ranking for Best Online Master’s in Human Resources from Online Course Report.
  • A #11 ranking for Best Online Master’s in Human Resources from Intelligent

Alumni from this program have also achieved excellent real-world results, reporting a median annual salary of $74,509 three years after earning their degree.

Furthermore, CSU Global itself is widely regarded as an industry leader in higher education, and recently won several important awards, including:

  • A #16 ranking for Best Value Online Graduate School from Value Colleges.
  • A #3 ranking for Best Colleges in Colorado from Best Value Schools.
  • A Gold School of Distinction award from Best Colleges, making us one of only 15 schools to receive gold rankings, out of more than 2,000 online degree programs.

Finally, we offer competitive tuition rates, and a Tuition Guarantee to ensure that your affordable tuition rate won’t increase for as long as you remain enrolled with us, protecting you from rate hikes that are common at other schools.

To get additional details about our fully-accredited online Degrees in Human Resource Management, please give us a call at (800) 462-7845, or fill out our Information Request Form.

Ready to get started today? Apply now!