Different job roles for graduates in HR

Whether you’re interested in corporate finance or the makers of crop spraying equipment, organisations in every area now have HR departments. The role may vary according to the needs of the organization, its size and its culture. A family-owned dairy will not operate in quite the same way as a shareholder-led petrochemicals giant or a law firm run by partners. The opportunities are wide as they are varied. Whether you want to work in a generalist role or become a specialist in learning and development, recruitment or training there are a number of areas where HR can make a real difference. And jobs are available throughout the UK. The main areas of personnel work are:

Selecting candidates and recruiting them

Your tasks can include…

• Working with people managers to ascertain the staffing needs and levels of an organisation.
• Writing or advising on job descriptions and the skills required of a candidate.
• Preparing advertisements and getting involved in other promotions to attract the right talent such as graduate fairs.
• Reading applications and selecting candidates. These days, this can mean using ‘state-of-the-art’ techniques such as online applications systems and personality testing as well as or instead of the time-honoured CV and face-to-face interview.

Staff development

• Designing induction systems.
• Designing staff development programmes and models for career growth.
• Devising procedures for appraising people.
• In terms of staff training, the whole caboodle including analysing training needs to boost the performance of individuals and the organisation. You may need to hire external trainers for your training sessions or - if appropriate - stand up and lead the training yourself.
• Personnel planning. How might the organisation change? What are the possible implications?
• Human resources may also involve career management, management programmes and counselling staff.

Remuneration and benefits

• Advising upon and implementing salary and benefits policies.
• Administering payroll.

Employee relations

Sometimes you may have to mediate between members of staff or

• handle grievances and disciplinary proceedings. Unfortunately, you might also be called upon to handle redundancies too. Some organisations may conduct employee relations in partnership with union representatives.
• Devising and implementing equal opportunities policies and advising on employment law.
• Helping staff through difficult changes, eg when their company merges with a competitor.

Specialist areas

Generally, only larger organisations employ specialist HR staff such as staff trainers, graduate recruiters or occupational psychologists. HR in a huge company may have a global touch with, for example, staff in place to handle relocation packages. Despite the range of jobs available, many applicants still target a cluster of big-name companies. This makes their schemes especially competitive.