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Human Resources Officer

Human resources officers are responsible for staff and personnel matters in an organisation, including recruitment and selection, health and safety, conditions of employment and staff training. They also provide advice and support to management over staff issues.

 

Tasks & duties

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Human resources officers may do some or all of the following:

  • consult and negotiate with management, staff and unions over pay and conditions
  • be involved in equal employment opportunities (EEO) planning
  • write job descriptions and advertise for staff
  • interview and select staff
  • advise on wage and salary levels
  • talk to staff about personal or work problems
  • advise and support management on staff issues
  • assist in compliance with health and safety regulations
  • mediate in workplace disputes
  • plan and organise staff training
  • give advice on employment legislation
  • be responsible for human resources information systems
  • be involved in long-term strategic human resources planning and policy
  • be involved in the performance management system (assessing professional competence) within their organisation

 

Specialisations

Human resources officers may specialise in a particular area of human resources such as equal employment opportunities, health and safety, employee relations, recruitment and remuneration, staff training, or negotiation with unions.

 

Skills & knowledge

Human resources officers need to have:

  • knowledge of their organisation and the staff roles within it
  • understanding of labour and tax laws, and employment legislation such as the Employment Relations Act
  • knowledge of recruitment, including how to train and interview staff
  • knowledge of conditions of employment
  • knowledge of rates of pay, and performance management systems
  • knowledge of the training courses available relevant to staff and the organisation
  • basic industrial relations
  • understanding of health and safety regulations, and equal employment opportunities (EEO)
  • people and communication skills
  • negotiation skills
  • writing skills
  • analytical and problem-solving skills
  • project management skills
  • planning and organisational skills
  • administration skills, including the ability to use a computer

 

Entry requirements

There are no specific entry requirements to become a human resources officer; however, it is recommended that you have a tertiary qualification in a relevant area such as human resources, psychology, management or industrial relations.

 

Secondary education

Sixth Form Certificate or Bursary, or NCEA equivalent is preferred. Useful subjects include English and computer studies.

 

Tertiary Education

Additional postgraduate study in human resources and/or organisational psychology may be useful.

 

Training on the job

Many skills are gained on the job, and in-house training courses may be provided by some organisations. The Human Resources Institute of New Zealand also provides professional development courses for human resources officers.

 

Useful Experience

Useful experience for human resources officers includes:

  • work as a union official or delegate
  • work as a personnel, training or recruitment officer
  • clerical and/or administrative work
  • vocational guidance work
  • management or supervisory responsibilities
  • any other work interacting with staff and/or management
  • working in payroll
  • policy development

 

Related courses

Human Resource Management

 

For more information, please refer to Career Services.

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