Human Resources Career Guide

When Michael R. Losey, former CEO of the Society for Human Resource Management, outlined the development of human resources as a field in an article for HR Magazine, he traced the beginnings of human resources as a school of thought to the industrial revolution. When business owners unsuccessfully attempted to make their employees as reliable as machines, they discovered the hard way that modern commerce required more than a merely obedient workforce.

Early human resources management departments concerned themselves with staffing and payroll issues, but the economic changes of the 20th century soon opened new areas of expertise. The rise of the labor unions created a need for skilled contract negotiators. As competition and consumer demand required higher performance from companies, the human resources department took a more active role in employee retention and retraining.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) suggests that jobs within the human resources career field will be on average or faster than average for several occupations in the industry through 2020. For example, the outlook for HR managers is about as fast as average at 13 percent while a specialty field—HR specialist—will enjoy 21 percent job growth.

Are you good with people? Do you like making others happy? Do you have an eye for details but also a keen understanding of the bigger picture? Then perhaps a career in human resources is for you. Fundamentally, a human resource manager develops a company's culture, maintains benefits and payroll, and recruits new hires. The HR manager is a pivotal position for any corporation, in every industry. Continue reading about HR career choices. Or use our career guide to learn about degree options, financial aid and salary info.