Online Bachelor's Degree Human Resources

Earn your degree in human resources.Are you a peace maker or a peace keeper by nature? Are you organized and can multi-task with the best? If you have never considered a profession in human resources, then maybe you should! A career in human resources will have you working with a company's employment records, taking care of the hiring and firing of employees, and resolving any issues that company employees may have. In short, you would be the go-to person for all of a company's personnel. If you have a desire to pursue your education in human resources, then continue reading for all of the information you will need to obtain your Bachelors degree in human resources in this field of study. In addition, you can discover what opportunities this degree program will make available for you.

While working to obtain your Bachelors degree in human resources you'll will be studying common human resource issues and completing a general education core curriculum. Sample course work that you will be required to complete for your Bachelor's degree includes classes like compensation, negotiations and how they relate to employee law, the implications of and history of organized labor, finance, accounting, computer information systems and how they relate to marketing principles, employee training and development, human resource issues on a global level, and principles of management. The core curriculum will, of course, includes classes in math, science, history, psychology degrees, and the humanities.

This is typically a four year human resources degree program that you can choose to complete at a college or university of your choice, or even through an online institution of higher learning. Thanks to current technological trends, it may even be possible for you to complete your degree through some on campus course work and some courses that are offered online by a traditional brick and mortar school. Of course, the way courses are offered will differ from one learning institution to another and you should choose what best fits your schedule and your learning style. Be forewarned, depending on which learning institution you choose to attend you will likely be required to have a high school diploma or the equivalent, an ACT score of at least 19, and a GPA that is minimally a 2.5.

Once you have completed your bachelor's degree program in human resources you will be prepared to seek employment as a benefits analyst, a labor relations manager, a compensation specialist, a job analysis specialist, or a training and development manager. Keep in mind, there are many other job titles within labor related organizations that you would be qualified to pursue. As with many other professions, a Bachelor's degree may only make it possible for you to enter the work force in an entry level position. However, it is completely feasible to begin your work in a human resources capacity and to then work to further your educational degree while working. This will allow you to use the knowledge and skills learned in your degree, while gaining valuable experience that can only be obtained through the real world work force.

5 Top Skills of Human Resources Specialist

To be a successful human resource specialists you’ll need to be able to wear plenty of different hats. The skills you learned while earning your Bachelor’s Degree in Human Resources will properly prepare you for a challenging role in HR. It is important that you have or pick up the below skills.

Negotiation Skills: Often in HR you’ll be responsible for salary negotiations. This is a very important role at any company as it could mean the difference between someone the company really wants from going to a competitor if negotiations aren’t handled right. Learn these skills to better yourself and your company.

Communication: If one skill is a must in HR its communication. Learn to listen, speak professionally, speak in small groups and give presentations. These skills are all skills companies are looking for when they hire someone like a Human Resource Manager. Depending on how large of company you work for you might be the face and voice of the company and you’ll need these skills to be successful.

Organization: You’ll wear plenty of hats in HR so you need to stay organized. Learn to better organize everything in your job as it will only help you grow and be more successful.

Ethics: Being honest and ethical are important traits to have in HR. You’ll be dealing with staff members and management and having the highest possible ethics will take you a long way in a successful career.

Conflict Management: One area you’ll be involved with in HR is conflict resolution. You could be asked to step in to solve personnel issues or even inter office/departmental disputes. Being able to be level headed and resolves the conflict in an amicable way is a great trait to possess.

Challenges Facing Human Resource Departments Today

Motivation –Most people don’t realize it but one a problem facing HR departments is how to properly motivate their employees and management. A good HR director is as big of a motivator as any other manager. Take charge of the employees you helped hire by motiving them so they aren’t looking for an exit.

Hiring – It isn’t enough these days to just offer a job with the promise of a long career. These days employees want a culture. They want to matter in a business and look for companies that offer the kind of culture that is offered by some of the largest companies in the world including Google and Facebook. As a hiring manager or HR specialist you need to realize that you are selling a culture and a vision, not just a paycheck.

Qualified Employees – A big problem is attracting and finding top employees to come work for your company. One way human resource departments are doing it is by reaching out online socially to find candidates. These candidates often come from a similar industry and it is up to you and your team to find these individuals, even if they aren’t currently looking for a job. Keeping tabs on top employees in your industry is key so you can jump on any chance you get if you learn they are unhappy with their current employer.

Compliance – So much has changed regarding workers and their rights as employees. Things like religion and culture all need to be considered so that you aren’t preventing them from doing certain things. As someone in human resources you need to constantly be learning and applying new rules and regulations to protect your business.

Retention – Keeping employees is difficult and often left to the human resources department to find out reasons why employees are leaving. It would be they aren’t happy with their salary, dislike their manager or even don’t think they are important. It is up to the HR manager to find out ways to counter employees from leaving and retaining them. Hiring employees is extremely expensive for any company and it is easier to keep an employee that might be leaving for the wrong reasons than to let them go and have to hire someone else. Get started with your Bachelor's degree in human resources online from any of the accredited schools listed on the page.

Resources:

Society for Human Resource Management - Updated January 20, 2019

Human Resource Association - Last Visited February 15, 2019