Human resources officer

Human resources officers develop and implement strategies that help their employers select and retain appropriately qualified staff within that business sector. They recruit staff, prepare job advertisements, interview and short-list people, negotiate with employment agencies, and set up working conditions. Human resources officers also administer the payroll, review salaries and advise on remuneration benefits and employment law. They arrange for training opportunities to enhance employees’ performance.

Human resources officers typically do the following tasks:

• Manage the recruitment and selection process, including posting job openings, screening candidates, and conducting interviews.
• Coordinate onboarding and orientation for new employees, ensuring a smooth transition into the company.
• Maintain employee records and ensure data accuracy and confidentiality in compliance with data protection laws.
• Assist with performance management systems, supporting supervisors in setting goals and conducting evaluations.
• Address employee inquiries, concerns, and grievances, working to resolve conflicts and ensure a fair workplace.
• Administer compensation, benefits, and leave programs, liaising with payroll and insurance providers as needed.
• Organize and support training and development initiatives to enhance employee skills and career growth.
• Ensure compliance with labor laws, health and safety regulations, and company policies.
• Participate in HR planning, including workforce analysis and succession planning.
• Promote a positive organizational culture through employee engagement programs and internal communication.

The following job titles also refer to human resources officer:

HR director
HR rep
lifelong learning coach
personnel director
personnel recruiter
HR supervisor
personnel officer
personnel administrator
personnel assistant
human resources representative
HR representative
human resources director
personnel rep
personnel representative
human resources assistant
HR manager
personnel supervisor
HR worker
personnel worker
personnel manager
skills trainer
personnel development specialist
competencies trainer
personnel expert
human resources manager
human resources supervisor
human resources rep
HR assistant
HR officer
human resources worker
human resource officer

Human Resources Officers typically work in office environments, either onsite at corporate headquarters or within individual departments of large organizations. Standard business hours are common, though additional time may be required during peak periods such as recruitment drives, policy rollouts, or organizational changes. The role involves regular interaction with employees at all levels, requiring discretion, empathy, and professionalism. Some travel may be required for multi-site organizations or offsite training sessions.

A bachelor’s degree in human resource management, business administration, psychology, or a related field is usually required. Additional certifications such as SHRM-CP, PHR, or CIPD are highly regarded. Knowledge of employment laws, HR software (e.g., HRIS systems), and best practices in recruitment, employee relations, and compliance is essential. Many HR Officers begin in administrative roles and progress through experience and professional development. Strong communication, organizational, problem-solving, and interpersonal skills are key to success in this dynamic, people-focused field.

ISCO skill level is defined as a function of the complexity and range of tasks and duties to be performed in an occupation. It is measured on a scale from 1 to 4, with 1 the lowest level and 4 the highest, by considering:

• the nature of the work performed in an occupation in relation to the characteristic tasks and duties
• the level of formal education required for competent performance of the tasks and duties involved and
• the amount of informal on-the-job training and/or previous experience in a related occupation required for competent performance of these tasks and duties.

Human resources officer is a Skill level 4 occupation.

These occupations, although different, require a lot of knowledge and skills similar to human resources officer.

recruitment consultant
employment and vocational integration consultant
occupational analyst
equality and inclusion manager
programme funding manager

This knowledge should be acquired through learning to fulfill the role of human resources officer.

• Labour legislation: Legislation, on a national or international level, that governs labour conditions in various fields between labour parties such as the government, employees, employers, and trade unions.
• Job market offers: Job opportunities available on the labour market, depending on the economic field concerned.
• Employment law: The law which mediates the relationship between employees and employers. It concerns employees’ rights at work which are binding by the work contract.

These skills are necessary for the role of human resources officer.

• Apply company policies: Apply the principles and rules that govern the activities and processes of an organisation.
• Recruit employees: Hire new employees by scoping the job role, advertising, performing interviews and selecting staff in line with company policy and legislation.
• Interview people: Interview people in a range of different circumstances.
• Assess character: Assess how a certain person will react, verbally or physically, in a specific situation or to a specific happening.
• Use communication techniques: Apply techniques of communication which allow interlocutors to better understand each other and communicate accurately in the transmission of messages.
• Negotiate employment agreements: Find agreements between employers and potential employees on salary, working conditions and non-statutory benefits.
• Observe confidentiality: Observe the set of rules establishing the nondisclosure of information except to another authorised person.
• Fix meetings: Fix and schedule professional appointments or meetings for clients or superiors.
• Write work-related reports: Compose work-related reports that support effective relationship management and a high standard of documentation and record keeping. Write and present results and conclusions in a clear and intelligible way so they are comprehensible to a non-expert audience.
• Manage payroll: Manage and be responsible for employees receiving their wages, review salaries and benefit plans and advise management on payroll and other employment conditions.
• Listen actively: Give attention to what other people say, patiently understand points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times; able to listen carefully the needs of customers, clients, passengers, service users or others, and provide solutions accordingly.
• Develop professional network: Reach out to and meet up with people in a professional context. Find common ground and use your contacts for mutual benefit. Keep track of the people in your personal professional network and stay up to date on their activities.
• Document interviews: Record, write, and capture answers and information collected during interviews for processing and analysis using shorthand or technical equipment.
• Profile people: Create a profile of someone, by outlining this person’s characteristics, personality, skills and motives, often by the use of information obtained from an interview or questionnaire.
• Identify with the company’s goals: Act for the benefit of the company and for the achievement of its targets.

This knowledge is sometimes, but not always, required for the role of human resources officer. However, mastering this knowledge allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

• Advertising techniques: The communication strategies intended to persuade or encourage an audience, and the different media which are used to achieve this goal.
• Human resources department processes: The different processes, duties, jargon, role in an organisation, and other specificities of the human resources department within an organisation such as recruitment, pension systems, and personnel development programs.
• Human resource management: The function in an organisation concerned with the recruitment of employees and the optimisation of employee performance.

These skills and competences are sometimes, but not always, required for the role of human resources officer. However, mastering these skills and competences allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

• Coach employees: Maintain and improve employees’ performance by coaching individuals or groups how to optimise specific methods, skills or abilities, using adapted coaching styles and methods. Tutor newly recruited employees and assist them in the learning of new business systems.
• Give advice on personal matters: Advise people on love and marriage issues, business and job opportunities, health or other personal aspects.
• Organise staff assessment: Organising the overall assessment process of the staff.
• Gather feedback from employees: Communicate in an open and positive manner in order to assess levels of satisfaction with employees, their outlook on the work environment, and in order to identify problems and devise solutions.
• Promote human rights: Promote and respect human rights and diversity in light of the physical, psychological, spiritual and social needs of autonomous individuals, taking into account their opinions, beliefs and values, and the international and national codes of ethics, as well as the ethical implications of healthcare provision, ensuring their right to privacy and honouring for the confidentiality of healthcare information.
• Apply social media marketing: Employ website traffic of social media such as Facebook and Twitter to generate attention and participation of existing and potential customers through discussion forums, web logs, microblogging and social communities for gaining a quick overview or insight into topics and opinions in the social web and handle inbound leads or inquiries.
• Monitor company policy: Monitor the company’s policy and propose improvements to the company.
• Evaluate training: Assess the realisation of the training’s learning outcomes and goals, the quality of teaching, and give transparent feedback to the trainers and trainees.
• Organise training: Make the necessary preparations to conduct a training session. Provide equipment, supplies and exercise materials. Ensure the training runs smoothly.
• Administer appointments: Accept, schedule and cancel appointments.
• Apply knowledge of human behaviour: Practice principles related to group behaviour, trends in society, and influence of societal dynamics.
• Identify necessary human resources: Determine the number of employees needed for the realisation of a project and their allocation in the creation, production, communication or administration team.
• Assist employee health programmes: Support and provide assistance to health and safety engineer and medical staff in implementing employee health programmes.
• Negotiate with employment agencies: Establish arrangements with employment agencies to organise recruiting activities. Maintain communication with these agencies in order to ensure efficient and productive recruitment with high potential candidates as an outcome.
• Communicate by telephone: Liaise via telephone by making and answering calls in a timely, professional and polite manner.
• Train employees: Lead and guide employees through a process in which they are taught the necessary skills for the perspective job. Organise activities aimed at introducing the work and systems or improving the performance of individuals and groups in organisational settings.
• Develop employee retention programs: Plan, develop, and implement programs aimed at keeping the satisfaction of the employees in the best levels. Consequently, assuring the loyalty of employees.
• Mentor individual employees: Mentor and support individual employees with regard to identified training needs.

2423 – Personnel and careers professionals

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References

1. Human resources officer – ESCO
2. Featured image: Photo by Sebastian Herrmann on Unsplash