Human Resources Manager

Job overview
Most large organisations have a human resources manager heading a team of human resources officers each specialising in particular areas of personnel administration.

Broadly the responsibilities of the manager and his/her team are:

• Recruiting and selecting members of staff
• Training and developing both new and longer-standing members with a view to upgrading their performance and productivity
• Administering and deploying staff to best advantage
• Staff welfare
• Generally creating good management/employee relationships?

What do people do in this job?
Detailed tasks under the above broad headings will include?:

• Monitoring pay and fringe benefits
• Ensuring that labour laws, wage agreements and conditions of service are followed?
• Negotiating with trade unions and employees' associations
• Developing and updating training programmes?
• Researching all aspects of personnel management?

What kinds of people are suitable for this career?
The essential qualification for a human resources manager is an ability to communicate and work well with all sorts of people.

He/she should be diplomatic and tolerant of different views but at the same time enjoy taking the lead and be able to act decisively.

What qualifications are needed?
Normally a diploma in human resources management

Opportunities for self employment
Someone with experience in human resources management is well placed to start his/her own personnel agency, or to become a human resources consultant, selecting suitable candidates on behalf of companies, organising training programmes, conducting research and advising companies on salaries and industrial relations matters.