The Personnel Department is not just a place to turn for information and interviews as you pursue your first job. It is also a source for career options. Whether called personnel or human~an resources, this department concerns itself with the human factor of an organization. Personnel work is a vital part of the business world. It involves much more than screening applicants. Personnel departments are responsible for:

Recruiting the best possible employees

Handling employee labor relations, and

Overseeing the training & development of employees

WHO THE EMPLOYERS ARE

Private Industry - Most large and medium-size companies have several employees who deal with personnel. Companies with 500 employees or more have whole departments with many internal divisions. Although entry-level employees work almost exclusively for large companies, the large companies account for only half the personnel jobs in the country. Smaller companies will hire only experienced people to handle their more limited personnel needs. Private industry tends to pay better than other employers.

Government agencies and departments often have personnel departments. Most Federal personnel needs are handled through the Office of Personnel Management (OPM Office), which is headquartered in Washington, D.C. with branch offices in cities throughout the country. Some federal departments such as the Dept. of Defense and the Federal Bureau of Investigation have their own personnel depar ments. State and local governments also have personnel staffs.

Employment Agencies have more entry-level openings but less job security than any other area of personnel work. Some agencies place job-hunters in a variety of jobs, while others specialize in a particular profession, such as high technology, accounting, teaching or publishing. The best opportunities for challenging work lie in the latter type of agency. Here you work almost exclusively with experienced people, trying to match their skills with employers' needs. Some of these agencies have earned wide respect within the industries they serve. You begin as a counselor, matching job seekers and job openings, lining up interviews, and developing rapport with client companies so they will seek help from you and your agency. Expect to be paid on commission, which can be quite high in the more prestigious, specialized agencies. Experienced counselors may  concentrate on executive placement or may train, supervise and motivate younger counselors. In employment agencies the energy level is high, the pressure is intense, and the turnover is enormous.

FUNCTIONAL AREAS IN PERSONNEL

The principal functional areas are:

Employment & Recruitment

Compensation & Benefits

Employee/Labor Relations

EMPLOYMENT & RECRUITMENT

Many times work in the employment area is the first step in a personnel career path. Entry-level employees are often assigned to interview prospective clerical and nonexempt employees. (A nonexempt employee is one who is paid an hourly wage, as opposed to a fixed yearly salary, and is entitled to overtime pay for additional hours worked.) Besides interviewing and recruiting, the employment function deals with hirings, transfers, promotions, layoffs, job performance, terminations, retirements, and employee orientation.

Career Path:

Entry-Level Employment Interviewer & Nonexempt Recruiter 1-2 Years Exp. Professional Recruiter & EEO/AA Specialist 2-5 Years Exp. Recruitment Supervisor & Employment Supervisor 4-7 Years Exp. Human Resources Planning Manager & Employment Manager

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

Of all the areas in a company, the one that most deeply affects everyone is compensation & benefits. Here is where compensation plans and policies for company employees are designed and implemented. Job duties are analyzed and positions are evaluated in order to set pay scales. A considerable amount of record-keeping is involved, and the ability to maintain clear records is imperative. The variety of employee benefits is growing and the overall field is becoming more sophisticated. Some benefits include: Retirement plans, life insurance, disability benefits, medical 8 dental expenses, profit-sharing, educational expense allowances, special bonuses and awards.

Career Path:

Entry Level Personnel Assistant

2-4 Years Exp. Wage Analyst & Benefits Analyst

5-7 Years Exp. Benefits Administrator & Wage Administrator

7-10 Years Exp. Compensation Manager & Benefits Manager

EMPLOYEE/LABOR RELATIONS

The labor relations area of personnel is one of the most interesting, challenging and often frustrating areas since they are responsible for maintaining good relations between a company, its employees and, if necessary, their unions. They investigate all employee complaints and try to settle them in a fair and consistent manner that conforms to company policy. They also monitor employee behavior in connection with contracts 8 Labor agreements. Enormous amounts of research are needed every time a case comes up, most of which is done by entry- level personnel. Any time problems exist with employees or unions, they must represent the company in hearings and at bargaining sessions. But the even more important work is trying to keep a problem from escalating to that level.

Career Path:

Entry Level Labor Relations Specialist

3-5 Years Exp. Labor Relations Supervisor

8-10 Years Exp. Employee/Labor Relations Manager

HOW TO BREAK INTO THE FIELD

In addition to hiring for their own staffs, personnel departments place an added emphasis on interviews. To demonstrate your ability to work with people and, possibly, to conduct interviews yourself, you must be comfortable and in control in a one- to-one situation. It helps to demonstrate some business savvy, but emphasis should be placed on your organizational and business skills. The most desirable candidates are those who bring an ability to communicate and an acquired knowledge of the business world. Some work experience is often required for the most challenging jobs.

Although companies rarely recruit on campus specifically for personnel jobs, you might try scheduling an interview with companies that interest you in order to speak directly to the recruiter about personnel work. Entry-level personnel jobs are often advertised in newspapers. You can also write to the personnel director enclosing a resume, and follow up your letter with a phone call requesting an interview.

SALARIES

Salaries vary according to the size and resources of the company. Of the three functional areas, Employment and Recruitment tends to be the lowest-paying, followed by Employee and Labor Relations. The highest salaries tend to be paid in compensation and benefits.

Entry Level

$12,000. - $18,000.

Recruiter, Analyst, Supervisor $18,000. - $28,000.

Supervisor, Administrator $25,000. - $35,000.

Manager $30,000. - $50,000.

WORKING CONDITIONS

Hours are fairly regular for entry-level employees -- an eight-hour day, five days a week. Interviewers must often work through lunch, because that is when many job applicants come in for interviews. Labor relations workers will put in tremendously long hours during contract negotiations.

JOB OUTLOOK

Job openings will grow as fast as average. Competition for jobs will be keen! New job opportunities are mostly available in the specialized areas of the field. Knowledge of computer technology & government regulations can be a plus. The Compensation and Benefits field is perhaps the brightest star on the horizon. New forms of compensation and different types of benefits appear each day and will probably continue to appear as the nation's population grows older. The Training and Development area is also an up-and-coming specialty within the personnel field. Because competition in the marketplace is so stiff, and because of the increasingly technical nature of much work, corporations are finding it necessary to train personnel carefully, not only to do a specific job, but to develop a broad base of skilled employees who will be able to meet the company's changing needs.

PERSONNEL JOB TITLES

Personnel departments deal with labor-management relations, on-the-job training, life and health insurance, retirement plans, pensions, vacations, and sick leave. In a small business or agency one worker may do all this work. That person is known as the Personnel Manager. Very large firms have several personnel administrators. They may be called: Personnel Managers, Employment Managers, Compensation Managers, Benefits Managers, Education and Training Managers, Labor Relations Managers, and Industrial Relations Directors.

Personnel Managers head staff who recruit, interview, and choose applicants to fill jobs. They plan and conduct sessions to make new workers aware of company goals.  Personnel staff keep records of absentees, promotions, transfers, layoffs, retire ments, insurance payments, and pension plans. They look into accidents and write reports for insurance companies; do wage surveys to learn competitive wage rates; and suggest ways to cut down on absenteeism and employee turnover. In a plant whose workers belong to a union, personnel managers meet with shop stewards and supervisors to settle grievances, and sit in on collective bargaining sessions.

Employment Managers direct the hiring methods of a plant or firm. They oversee staff who find job seekers, interview them, give them tests, check their references and qualifications, and hire them. They may also direct the training of new workers.

Employment Managers keep records and compile reports about interviews, hires, transfers, promotions, layoffs and job performance. They direct staff who prepare requests for new workers, interview and hire them, and give them on-the-job training.

They are also responsible for equal employment opportunity compliance and affirmative action programs. They suggest ways to improve the employment policies of the firm.

Compensation Managers are in charge of the salary program of a company. In this work they analyze jobs and pay rates in order to set pay scales. They study pay-procedures, federal laws on minimum wages and overtime pay, wage rates in similar firms, and union contracts. These studies help them suggest pay rates that will attract and hold good workers. Compensation Managers may suggest pay changes. For this work, they study flat pay rates, piecework systems, and the pay scales for technical, sales, and executive personnel.

Benefits Managers oversee worker benefits plans. In this work, they plan and direct programs that pay medical bills, provide life insurance, and insure an income to workers who are ill, on layoff, or retired. Benefits managers direct those who write brochures and tell workers about insurance plans, paid time off, and bonuses. They look at company benefits among similar firms, and union contracts. They make sure the company obeys the law and offers benefits as attractive as those of competing firms. Benefits managers direct workers who update records, process insurance claims, and do other clerical tasks.

Education & Training Managers direct staff who train workers. In this work, they talk to managers and supervisors to learn what workers must learn to do; ask about production processes, business systems, products, or services. They design training programs to teach skills, and then set training schedules. They may employ one-to- one coaching, group instruction, lectures, demonstrations, meetings, and workshops to teach workers their jobs. They keep a reference library of training materials; design audiovisual and other teaching materials; teach instructors and supervisors effective ways to offer special or general training. Instruction may deal with on-the-job training, apprenticeships, health and safety, upgrading or retraining, and leadership. They also screen, test, and recommend workers for promotions and transfers.

Labor Relations Managers represent management in union contract bargaining. They examine collective bargaining proposals and interpret the intent and terms of the contract. They help management develop and apply labor relations practices, and they make sure the company follows contract terms on pay, hours, and working conditions. They also look into grievances, and arrange grievance meetings for workers, supervisors, managers, and union representatives. These specialists prepare and analyze figures on grievances, arbitration, and related matters. They also gather data from federal and state agencies on questions of labor laws, labor markets, union and management practices, wages and salaries, and benefits.

Personnel, Human Resources, or Industrial Relations Directors (or vice presidents) develop policy and supervise the work of department managers. To carry on this work, they use their knowledge of company goals, federal and state laws, union contracts, and good personnel practices. They study legislation, arbitration, and union contracts to assess trends in industry. They consult a legal staff to make sure the company obeys federal and state laws.

Personnel Consultants act as go-betweens between job seekers and companies looking to fill vacancies. Personnel consultants interview candidates, give tests, and check references. They arrange interviews, and may give advice on resume preparation and interviewing techniques.

Personnel Recruiters are members of the personnel department in firms. Their duties vary with the size and policies of the firms, and their basic task is to find people to fill many kinds of positions. The main job of personnel recruiters is to find people for professional work: engineers, scientists, accountants~, computer experts, and so on. Personnel recruiters seek out prospects, interview them, and invite the best ones to company headquarters for further interviews. To know the needs of their company, they study the makeup of the work force in their firm, talk to department heads to learn about present or future needs, and study job descriptions. The more recruiters know about the whole firm, the better they know what kinds of workers to look for. They find new workers in colleges, universities and technical schools. Some personnel recruiters work full time visiting schools to find prospects among seniors and graduate students.

EMPLOYMENT FIRM WORKERS

Employment firms are matchmakers. They match the skills of job seekers with the needs of employers. By doing so, they perform an important service for both. Either the workers, or more often, the employers pay them for this service. Many firms are private. Others are government firms. All try to place people in jobs suited to their interests and their skills.

Employment Consultants, also known as Placement Counselors, bridge the gap between job seekers and employers. They question persons to learn their work history, education, training, job skills, and the salary they expect. They record facts of interest to the employer such as the knowledge of the job seekers. They may test applicants for skills, intelligence, and mental health. Consultants may send those unsure of their goals to a counseling service where they can get career guidance. After they record the applicant's qualifications, they search for job openings for that person. They may look through job orders in files or use a computer to match employee qualifications with employer requirements. When they find a likely match, they tell the job seeker about the job. They discuss duties, benefits, pay, hours, and working conditions. They explain company and union policies, sum up advancement prospects with the company, and pass on other facts to the job seeker. They arrange interviews and send interested applicants to the hiring person at the company.

Employment Clerks, also called Interviewers or Reception Interviewers, assist employment consultants. These clerks process application forms and question job seekers for facts on work experience, schooling, and interests. They tell prospects about company policies and refer them to hiring officials. They may also write or call references, credit bureaus, and finance companies; compile and file records; and may notify job seekers of acceptance or rejection by the employing company. They may give applicants aptitude, personality, and interest tests.

A growing effort in this field is job development. Essentially a Job Developer is a Salesperson. Job developers visit or phone employers to ask if they have any openings for which their clients might qualify. This procedure helps to expand the job pool.

Employment Firm Managers direct the employment consultants and clerks. They are in charge of the hiring, training, and evaluation of firm workers. They develop the methods the firm uses to find employers and employees and match those two groups. Managers enforce the rules and procedures of the firm, and comply with federal and state safety laws. They look into client complaints, prepare budgets and approve the purchase of equipment and supplies.