How to Get a Job in the HR Field? Tips for Juniors & Fresh Grads

The job market is becoming quite challenging. Whether you’re in marketing, sales, logistics, or HR. But it’s even more challenging for fresh graduates who are looking for jobs in the HR field.

From a ton of job requirements and duties, to getting diplomas and certifications, to having experience, there’s much for fresh grads to consider. It’s getting harder for them to stand out to employers.

Let’s not forget the many myths and misconceptions about HR that affect fresh grads and juniors from day one.

To better understand the HR job market, we’ll be answering juniors’ and fresh grads’ top questions about HR jobs. These questions include ‘What are the different fields of HR?’ ‘Is HR a tough job?’ among other frequently-asked questions.

We’ll also explore what they need to do to stand out in this competitive market.

The different fields of work in HR

Before you go searching for an HR job, you first need to understand what the different fields in HR are.

We can summarize the human resources job market into 6 main categories, each of which has its own list of sub-categories.

You should know that in some companies, these categories may overlap. It mainly depends on the size of the company or organization you’re working for.

The human resources field is divided into 6 main categories:

1. Recruitment
2. Personnel
3. Compensation & benefits
4. Learning & development
5. Organizational development
6. Administration & facilities

What you need to know about HR roles and categories

Let’s take a deeper dive into these 6 main HR categories and functions.

1. Recruitment

Talent acquisition and recruitment are by far the most in-demand HR function. Because if companies stop hiring, it means they stop growing.

The recruitment function covers the entire recruitment cycle and process. From screening to hiring and onboarding employees.

A company’s size may require having one or more recruitment specialists to cover the different stages of the hiring process.

2. Personnel

The personnel function includes several critical sub-functions such as

• payroll
• personnel affairs
• employee relations
• people management
• ethics

Payroll is by far the largest function on the list.

3. Compensation & benefits 

Contrary to what many non-HR people believe, the compensation and benefits function does not include payroll.

The compensation and benefits team is responsible for creating the company’s inclusive compensation and benefits strategy. They’re also responsible for setting the KPIs to measure the effectiveness of this strategy.

Not only does this team create the company’s salary structure, but also manages partnerships that serve as employee benefits. These partnerships include gym memberships, medical insurance, team-building activities, among other perks.

4. Learning & development

This HR function is sometimes referred to as training and development or learning and development (L&D).

Companies that offer training and development opportunities have a better chance of improving employee retention and reducing employee turnover.

L&D may include training for specific software for the company or providing employees with online or in-person courses to develop their skills.

For example, a company may provide customer-facing employees with English language courses to improve their communication with clients.

5. Organizational development (OD)

The OD department is in charge of setting and reviewing key performance indicators (KPIs) across the company.

They review areas like productivity and efficiency for the various departments or teams in a company.

Is there a problem with the process? Or is it the people or team members? The managers? Or is it the products the company offers? What needs to improve?…etc.

The OD department manages that. As you can expect, larger businesses are more likely to have an on OD team as opposed to smaller companies.

OD specialists and executives tend to have several years of experience working in HR.

6. Administration & facilities

This branch of HR is responsible for ensuring house rules are followed. For example, they ensure:

• employees or workers follow the company’s dress code
• employees or workers don’t misuse the company’s property
• all the company’s access cards are operational

The admin team is also in charge of managing security, maintenance, and cleaning crews, or the company that manages them.

Employee misconceptions about HR

Employers aren’t the only ones who have many misconceptions about what HR does, employees and fresh grads do too.

If you believe any of the following statements, the Tawzef team is here to tell you, these are just misconceptions.

1. An MBA is a golden ticket 

Many junior HR executives believe that getting a Master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA) will help them rise faster in their company. Or earn twice the salary their position offers.

But that’s far from the truth. While an MBA offers nearly 6 to 8 courses about HR, it’s not the way to get a higher salary. Practical experience is.

“Like many professions, HR relies heavily on acquiring practical skills. Acquiring the basic knowledge and skills for HR roles and tasks is essential for getting into the HR field,” stresses Tawzef’s business development manager Mo’men El Attar.

“The academic knowledge can support the soft skills and practical experience candidates and employees gain from practical work,” he adds.

2. HR diplomas can help me skip the line

A related misconception is about HR diplomas. While HR diplomas are a great starting point for those who didn’t study HR in college or people who want to switch careers, they’re not a confirmation that you’ll get hired as an HR specialist.

Again, practical experience whether through internships or junior roles can be much more helpful for juniors and fresh grads.

3. HR is an easy job 

Some of the frequently-asked questions about HR are

• Is HR an easy job?
• Is HR a tough job?

The answer is, ‘it depends.’ But because many people believe HR is either recruitment or payroll, the result is they think HR is easy. That anyone can do it…

And because the HR field has many functions, divisions and sub-categories, it’s fair to say that some areas of HR are easier to work in than others.

That said, no job in the world is super easy. Sometimes, you’ll feel comfortable doing one job or task and not doing another.

So, if you’re wondering how ‘easy’ or ‘tough’ is a job in HR going to be, the answer is: It depends on you, your skills, your willingness to learn and grow.

Entry-level HR jobs for fresh grads

If you want to get a job in the HR field, you should know which jobs qualify as entry-level jobs.

First, the personnel and recruitment functions are the top 2 HR functions that offer junior and entry-level HR jobs.

Second, roles with ‘coordinator’ or ‘specialist’ in the title are often for fresh graduates and juniors. So, some titles may include:

• HR coordinator
• Personnel specialist
• Admin assistant or admin specialist

However, it’s important we stress that these titles may differ from one company to another.

How to start in the HR field: Tips to get hired

Tawzef’s operations manager Joseph Tadros describes HR professionals and teams as “the front of a company. They work with candidates, other companies, government agencies…etc.

“So, they need to have strong communication skills, a strong character, and be professional. They shouldn’t worry about getting diplomas or MBAs. They need to focus on their soft skills,” Tadros stresses.

So, how can you set up yourself for success as a fresh graduate or junior looking for a job in the HR field?

Here are a few tips from that Tawzef team:

1. Be willing to do the work
2. Develop your soft skills
3. Improve your communication skills
4. Develop some selling skills (especially if you’re working in recruitment)
5. Find or join HR internships (better than getting an HR diploma)
6. Be professional but also be flexible

Conclusion

HR is a broad field with many opportunities. But like many fields, it requires a certain skill set.

The skill set anyone looking for a job in the HR field needs to have includes being flexible, being willing to learn, and having communication skills.

Want to learn more about HR, the job market, and how to get hired? Tell us what you want to read about next in the comments. 

In the meantime, follow Tawzef for Recruitment via Facebook and LinkedIn, where we regularly publish new job announcements.