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Once you have the CIPD qualification and three or more years of relevant management experience in HR, you’ll be eligible to apply for chartered membership of the CIPD. Becoming a chartered member will enhance your career prospects and give you greater recognition within the profession and your organisation.

Qualifications to Launch and Develop Your HR Career
The CIPD offers a variety of full-time, part-time and flexible learning courses that focus on providing you with insights and skills that you can use in the workplace. The qualifications are designed to suit everyone, from those with little or no experience to those in more senior positions, and place particular emphasis on interaction, discussion and high levels of participation.

HR Career Progression
There are a variety of HR job titles. The following examples of job descriptions provide a typical profile for the different positions within an HR department. They could all equally have ‘personnel’ in the title instead of ‘HR’.

HR Assistant
Reporting to the HR Officer, typical duties may include:

• Maintaining employee records
• Arranging staff training
• Organising interviews for job applicants
• Providing administrative support to the HR department
• Responsible for medical and sports facilities and possibly social events

To perform well in this role, you will require typing and word-processing skills and possibly experience of spreadsheet applications.

HR Officer
Reporting to the HR Manager, duties include:

• Interviewing and testing job applicants
• Maintaining the salary administration
• Working on specific projects, such as job evaluation
• liaising with line managers to identify and monitor training and staffing requirements

You need a good standard of education and possibly two or three years’ general HR experience for this type of job. And you will usually need to hold or be studying for a CIPD approved postgraduate-level qualification.

HR Manager
Reporting to the HR Director or Managing Director (depending on the size of the company), you’d normally be responsible for the company’s HR function. This includes:

• Overseeing the recruitment, selection, training and welfare of staff
• Advising other managers and directors on HR matters, including employment law
• Recommending and implementing appropriate HR policies

An HR manager would normally be expected to have a degree, be a Chartered Member of the CIPD, and to have at least five years’ HR experience.

HR Director
Reporting to the Chief Executive, duties include:

• Formulating strategy
• Influencing business policy and goals
• Having overall responsibility for the development and implementation of the company’s HR and training strategy, and management of the HR function
• Advising on HR issues at board level

You would normally be expected to have at least 10 years’ HR experience. As in most management functions, chances of promotion depend far more on personal achievements and the potential demonstrated than on qualifications.

HR professionals in different organisations can have very different responsibilities, even when they share the same job title. This is because the work of the HR department often depends on what the organisation does, if it’s in the private or public sector, its size and whether or not a union is involved.

Average HR Officer Salary by Region

Correct as at November 2009

How to start a career in HR
Starting out in HR
Guidance for graduates and undergraduates
Types of HR work