Human Resources Specialists

What Human Resources Specialists Do

Recruit, screen, interview, or place individuals within an organization. May perform other activities in multiple human resources areas.

Career Outlook

National employment outlook, 2024–2034.

Related work experience

None

On-the-job training

None

Self-employed

0.5%

Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.

Key Knowledge Areas

Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.

• Personnel and Human Resourcesimportance 4.6/5
• Administrativeimportance 3.9/5
• Administration and Managementimportance 3.8/5
• English Languageimportance 3.8/5
• Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 3.5/5
• Law and Governmentimportance 3.3/5
• Education and Trainingimportance 3.1/5
• Computers and Electronicsimportance 2.7/5

Work Environment

What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.

• Telephone Conversations5.0/5
• E-Mail5.0/5
• Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.9/5
• Indoors, Environmentally Controlled4.9/5
• Contact With Others4.8/5
• Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team4.7/5

Related Careers

• Human Resources Assistants, Except Payroll and Timekeeping
• Human Resources Managers
• Eligibility Interviewers, Government Programs
• First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers
• Compensation, Benefits, and Job Analysis Specialists
• Industrial-Organizational Psychologists
• Compensation and Benefits Managers
• Training and Development Managers

Careers With Similar Skills

Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.

• Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors98% skill match
• Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education98% skill match
• Clinical and Counseling Psychologists98% skill match
• Correspondence Clerks98% skill match
• Dermatologists97% skill match
• Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education97% skill match
• Tax Examiners and Collectors, and Revenue Agents97% skill match
• Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education97% skill match

Transferable Skills

Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.

• Social Perceptivenessimportance 3.4/5
• Service Orientationimportance 3.4/5
• Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 3.3/5
• Instructingimportance 3.1/5
• Complex Problem Solvingimportance 3.1/5
• Coordinationimportance 3.0/5
• Negotiationimportance 3.0/5
• Time Managementimportance 3.0/5

Software & Technologies

Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.

Work Style

Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.

• Dependability
• Integrity
• Cooperation
• Attention to Detail
• Social Orientation
• Empathy
• Self-Control

Career Interests

This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.

• EnterprisingHigh
• ConventionalHigh
• SocialMedium
• InvestigativeLow
• ArtisticLow
• RealisticLow

Where This Career Is Most Concentrated

Metro areas where human resources specialists make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).

1. 1Elizabethtown, KY3.52× national avg
2. 2Parkersburg-Vienna, WV2.08× national avg
3. 3Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA1.85× national avg
4. 4Springfield, IL1.61× national avg
5. 5Manhattan, KS1.59× national avg

Possible Career Moves

A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.

• Human Resources Assistants, Except Payroll and TimekeepingCareer Change
• Labor Relations SpecialistsLateral Move
• Special Education Teachers, Middle SchoolCareer Change
• Credit CounselorsLateral Move

See the full career path from Human Resources Specialists →

Related Education Programs

Schools that offer related fields of study, based on the NCES CIP-SOC crosswalk — not a guarantee that graduates enter this specific career.