Have you ever been curious what the human resources department does? As you’ll learn, they work closely with management to oversee talent acquisition, employee retention, and compensation packages. They’re also responsible for policy compliance, employee training, and conflict resolution. If you like working with people and you enjoy business, a career as a human resources manager may be right for you. Human Resources Manager positions typically require several years of professional experience and may require education beyond an associate degree, depending on employer requirements.
Below, we look at the responsibilities and skillset of an HR manager, and the steps to become a human resources manager.
What is Human Resources?
Human resources (HR) is a department in an organization that is responsible for employee recruitment, retention, and compliance. The HR department is responsible for attracting the top talent to a company, retaining high-performing employees, and hiring and onboarding new employees. Human resources is also involved in preparing salary, benefits, and compensation packages for employees.
HR departments also act as a liaison between company management and employees, mediating conflict resolution, handling contract negotiation, and maintaining employee relations. Importantly, HR professionals ensure employees are in compliance with all state and federal regulations, facilitating training programs, and working with the executive team on long-term workforce planning.
What is a Human Resources Manager?
Human resource managers help organizations attract and retain the best talent, keep employees compliant with regulations, and forecast the need for talent in the future. An HR manager helps cultivate a work environment that allows employees to work at their best, retains employees, and attracts new employees.
There are a few overarching areas where human resources managers invest their time and energy.
Employee satisfaction. The HR manager helps create a company culture that attracts and retains top performing employees, and allows employees to work at their peak. There are several ways the human resources department makes this happen: enforcing policies that protect all employees from harassment and unfair treatment, setting reasonable expectations for employee performance, proper staffing levels, benefits administration that gives employees a fair compensation package. The HR department may also do employee satisfaction surveys and gauge employee performance.
Resource management and forecasting. Human resource managers must analyze the workforce needs of the company in the present and future, and recruit new candidates accordingly. By forecasting the needs of the company, projecting the future revenue, and looking at performance, the human resource manager can make hiring decisions, and recruit new employees. They will also be involved in the interview and hiring process, ensuring the company hires the best possible candidates. The HR manager must also meet the budget requirements, and allocate the company resources wisely.
Risk management and compliance. The company must stay compliant with state, local, and federal regulations, so HR will administer employee training and development. If employees are found to be out of compliance, they will be corrected according to company policy. Human resources is also responsible for setting internal policies that reduce company liability, financial, and operational risk.
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Responsibilities of a Human Resource Manager
Human resource managers are responsible for employee guidelines, interviewing and hiring employees, maintaining employee records and compliance. They work in many different areas, overseeing different aspects of the organization workforce.
Their specific duties may include:
- Leading human resources staff, including recruiters, labor relations, benefits and compensation specialists, and HR staff.
- Allocate and forecast the budget for the HR department
- Oversee recruiting, interviewing, and hiring
- Implement employee engagement programs to boost morale
- Prepare and distribute employee guidelines or digital handbook
- Train department managers on how to give feedback and performance review
- Answer questions and inform employees about company benefits
- Attend company meetings with executives and stakeholders
- Educate employees on company policies and compliance
- Deal with non-compliance issues
- Advise executive and company leaderships on human resources issues
- Forecast future workforce needs
- Workforce analysis and risk management
- Labor relations support
- Conflict resolution mediation and documentation
How to Become a Human Resources Manager
Becoming a human resources manager usually takes at least five years of experience, but there are definitive steps to reaching this position.
1. Pursue a Degree in a Relevant Field
A degree in Business Administration or another relevant field can help provide foundational knowledge for entry-level opportunities in human resources and support long-term career advancement. With the appropriate work experience you can advance to a management position.
2. Gain Work Experience in the Field
Your first roles in human resources will likely be as a human resources assistant or human resources specialist. These are administrative roles, doing such tasks as keeping track of employee records, helping facilitate employee training and compliance training programs, and tracking employee compensation packages. These roles may help build the experience commonly associated with advancement into human resources management positions. It usually takes about five years of hands-on experience in human resources to be considered for a management position. This ensures that you know all the aspects of HR and its role within a company, and are able to lead a corporate team.
3. Pursue Specialized Certifications (optional)
Certification is an optional step which is useful if you are going into a specialization in the human resources field, such as labor relations or talent acquisition. There are two organizations in the US that have Human Resources certification programs, the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) and the Human Resources Certification Institute (HRCI). A business degree can give you the foundation for a career in human resources, and certifications can help you stay current with industry trends and regulations. This can help you make the most well-informed and up-to-date decisions for your company.
4. Apply for Management Positions and Interview
When you see a human resources management position open, you should have a resume ready, highlighting your most relevant and recent work experience and accomplishments. Include your relevant education. Prepare for interviews by researching the company, their business objectives, and challenges.
Skills Needed in Human Resource Management
Human resources managers have certain skills which help them do their jobs effectively.
Leadership
Human resource managers must make important decisions on hiring, training, compliance, and internal projects. You must be able to take available information, make decisions, enforce compliance policies, and delegate tasks to different team members in human resources.
Organization
A human resource manager must be highly organized, keeping detailed documentation, multitasking, maintaining employee records, and staying on top of regulations, compliance, hiring, and company guidelines. An HR manager will also be in many company meetings, candidate interviews, and have to meet many different deadlines. It is crucial to be well-organized to complete multiple initiatives.
Data Analysis
HR managers use data analysis to track employee performance, forecast workforce needs, and analyze industry trends. This helps HR professionals make data-driven decisions.
Communication
Communication is one of the most important skills for a human resource manager to have. You will be communicating with employees, job candidates, new hires, department managers, executives, and other stakeholders. There may arise situations that need to be addressed within the organization, and you will need to communicate about the situation and address employee concerns in a timely manner.
Collaboration
A human resource manager will work closely with other departments in the company and management. This position requires good collaboration skills. You’ll also work closely with employees in training programs, in performance improvement plans, and with department managers to help reach organizational business goals.
Problem Solving
Employees may contact the HR department if they have an issue, complaint, or if they have witnessed an event occurring in the workplace. Your job is to communicate effectively, resolve the problem, and impartially document all the evidence. Problem solving is the crux of human resource management.
Conflict Resolution
HR managers must handle conflict resolution effectively, helping negotiate solutions to workplace situations with neutral, impartial findings. They must be good at listening, discerning the facts, and finding a reasonable solution that is fair to all parties.
Research
State and federal regulations and labor laws are continually changing. A good human resources manager will be aware of changes, researching any new regulations, reading industry news, and advising the executive team about necessary compliance.
Job Outlook and Salary
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that jobs for human resource managers will grow 5% between 2024 and 2034, faster than the average for all occupations. [1] [2]
According to data from the BLS, in May 2024 human resource managers earned a median salary of $140,030 per year, and a median hourly wage of $67.32 per hour. [3] Compensation varies based on industry, geographic location, education, and professional experience. Human Resources Manager positions typically require several years of related work experience.
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Disclaimer: This blog provides general information about careers, occupations, and educational pathways within the Human Resources field. It is intended for informational purposes only and is not designed to describe specific career outcomes for graduates of any Campus program. Employment requirements vary by employer, industry, and location and may include additional education, certifications, training, licensure, or professional experience beyond completion of an associate degree.
[1] Note: The data provided in this article is from sources unaffiliated with Campus, and is for informational purposes only and represents the employment field as a whole. They are not solely specific to Campus graduates and, by providing the above information, Campus makes no representation, direct or implied, or opinion regarding employability.
[2] Bureau of Labor Statistics, https://www.bls.gov/ooh/management/human-resources-managers.htm#tab-6 , Retrieved April 2, 2026.
[3] Bureau of Labor Statistics, https://www.bls.gov/ooh/management/human-resources-managers.htm#tab-1 , Retrieved April 2, 2026.