Human Resources practitioners do a variety of jobs, including facilitating specific HR functions, such as recruitment and selection, compensation and benefits, training and organizational development, employee communications, and employee and labor relations. Many HR practitioners blend a variety of these functional skills together and are called HR Managers or HR Generalists.

In addition to having a career in which you can blend both people, as well as business skills, a key benefit to pursuing a career in HR is that every organization has an HR function and most have dedicated HR professionals who perform these jobs. Thus, HR jobs are almost always available. In addition, HR skills generalize across industries in that you can apply the same skill sets in a large power company that you would apply in a small, nonprofit organization. As a result, HR skills are highly portable. Also, HR skills lend themselves easily to consulting and to working for yourself - something which gives an added element of flexibility to your career.

Are You a Good Candidate for an HR Degree?
You would be a good HR degree candidate if you have an interest in a variety of disciplines (including business, psychology, leadership, communication, and education, to name just a few), and want a job in which you can tap into all of these skills on a regular basis. You would also be a good candidate if you are intellectually curious and if you want to know why people do the things they do and how what they do impacts teams and organizations. In addition, you would be a good HR degree candidate if you are a good communicator and motivator of people, enjoy helping them work more effectively with one another, and enjoy participating in the success of your business. Finally, you would be a good HR degree candidate if you have an interest in helping people to grow and to develop to be the best that they can be.

What Salaries can HR Professionals Earn?
Although the size and location of an organization, length of time in the field, and education are variables that can and do affect pay, the following provide some general salary guidelines (based on data collected during 2008 - 2009). Senior HR Managers in large, private corporations routinely make upwards of $250,000 a year or more. Second-level HR managers in mid- to large-sized organizations can make up to $150,000 a year. Senior Training and Organizational Development practitioners typically make between $80,000 and $120,000 a year. Mid-level HR Generalists or Compensation and Benefits Specialists make between $50,000 - $75,000 a year. Entry-level HR jobs start between $28,000 and $40,000, but can and do increase in pay and responsibility quickly based upon strong performance, continuous learning (including advanced degrees and certifications), and affiliation with professional organizations.

Why Choose Peace for Human Resources?

Internships
Every Human Resources major is required to do at least one internship (120 hours) in a substantive HR role. Many HR majors do more than one internship, and they have found that internships are not only outstanding ways to truly learn about the field, but are also great ways to network with other HR professionals - contacts which often result in job offers after graduation.

Some of the industries represented in the HR internship program include: education, communication, government, health care, insurance, legal, manufacturing, nonprofit, pharmaceutical, service, technology, and staffing.

Professional Development
In 1998, Peace College chartered a chapter of the Society of Human Resource Management, an international professional organization with over 220,000 members, including 16,000 students. Students, who join the Society of Human Resource Management for a reduced student rate, receive numerous benefits that include subscriptions to newsletters and magazines, access to cutting-edge resources in HR, a free membership in the Raleigh-Wake HR Management Association, opportunities to network with hundreds of business professionals, mentoring opportunities, and significantly discounted student rates for conferences and workshops.  Students have also been actively engaged in research with organizations by assisting with survey research projects, conducting literature searches and facilitating focus groups.

 For the last eight years, the Peace Student SHRM Chapter has been an award-winning chapter, recognized by the National SHRM organization in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, & 2009 as a "SUPERIOR MERIT AWARD CHAPTER."  Our chapter was also honored with "The Distinguished Chapter of the Year" in 2008 by the NC State SHRM Council, as well as the "North Carolina Student Chapter Award" in 2001 & 2005/06.  And most notably, the Peace College Student SHRM Chapter has taken FIRST & SECOND PLACE in both the Statewide and Southeast Regional "HR Games," outperforming dozens of other universities, large and small.  In the Spring of 2007, the Peace College SHRM students were #1 in both the State and Southeast Regional at "The HR Games!" Furthermore, a Peace team has won the title of North Carolina State Champion for the past THREE consecutive years (2007 through 2009)!

Scholarships
Since the chapter was founded, Peace College students who are members of the Society of Human Resource Management have received academic scholarships totaling more than $22,500 from the national SHRM organization, from the North Carolina State SHRM Council, and from the local SHRM professional chapter, Raleigh-Wake Human Resources Management Association. In 1998, the Peace College Chapter of the Society of Human Resource Management established an annual book scholarship with the proceeds of fundraising to benefit Peace students majoring or minoring in Human Resources.

International Travel
International Perspectives on Work (HRE/PSY 399) was designed to help students better understand our world. The purpose of the trip is to compare cultures and work styles on the issues of gender and work/life balance. Students visit companies in foreign countries and interview employers and employees. Students then compare what they have learned about work culture overseas with that found in the United States.

Most recently in 2008, fifteen students and faculty members spent nearly two weeks in Italy, visiting companies and discussing work issues with both Italian executives and employees.

Success
In addition to landing management and recruiting positions across a host of industries, many Peace Human Resources graduates pursue advanced degrees to enhance their knowledge and career opportunities. These degrees include: a master's degree in Human Resource Management, an MBA, a master's in industrial organizational psychology, a master's degree in counseling, a master's degree in training and development, and a master's degree in organizational development. Furthermore, a growing number of Human Resources professionals continue their education and pursue doctoral and other terminal degrees, such as Juris Doctorate law degrees.