What an HR manager really does
You run the people side of the business, which means making the hard calls on pay, discipline and staffing, and standing behind them.
FieldBusiness
Preparation (O*NET Job Zone)Considerable preparation needed
What the work involves
What fills a typical week for HR managers, built from O*NET occupation data.
- Act as the link between leaders and employees on questions, disputes and work problems
- Lead an HR team that handles hiring, pay, benefits and employee relations
- Make or advise on discipline and termination decisions, and handle understaffing
- Advise managers on policy such as equal opportunity and harassment
- Review pay and benefits to stay competitive and compliant
- Analyze turnover, absence and hiring data and recommend fixes
- Prepare and track the personnel budget
What the days are like
What people in the job know
- Hard staffing calls, including firings and discipline, are a central part of the job, not a rare one. Perform difficult staffing duties, including firing employees and administering discipline: Core, importance 87 (O*NET task 3)
- Unpleasant conversations come weekly for many in the role. Dealing With Unpleasant, Angry, or Discourteous People: 41% once a week or more; Conflict Situations: 41% once a week or more (O*NET Work Context)
- Long weeks are the norm. Duration of Typical Work Week: 68% more than 40 hours (O*NET Work Context)
- You make decisions every day that affect people's livelihoods. Frequency of Decision Making: 50% every day; Work Outcomes and Results of Other Workers: 59% high responsibility (O*NET Work Context)
- Some HR managers face hostile situations at least once a year. Dealing with Violent or Physically Aggressive People: 68% once a year or more but not every month (O*NET Work Context)
How people get into it
Most HR managers hold a bachelor's degree (82% of O*NET respondents say it is required) and reach the role after several years as an HR specialist or generalist. Professional HR certifications and some graduate study are common but not universal.
The Firstday trial, easy to hard
Three simulated tasks at Silverline Logistics, a fictional company, with AI coworkers who message you, react to your work and coach with questions. Nobody scores you.
What the trial can't show: The trial uses a fictional US company and simplified versions of federal leave and anti discrimination rules, with no state law. It does not show union bargaining, hearings or litigation, benefits renewals, managing an HR team over months, or delivering a termination in person. Legal questions are routed to a fictional outside counsel, and nothing here is legal advice.
Reading about it is one thing.
Find out how the work feels to you before you spend on a degree, course or job change. Your first trial is free.
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Job details on this page are built from O*NET OnLine, 11-3121.00. This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.