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Human Resource Specialist Training and Jobs


Schools and Degrees

Organizations usually look for people with a degree in human resource and industrial relations management for this profession. Others look for people with a background in liberal education or technical/business education. There are many colleges and universities that provide degree courses in human resource, labor relations and personnel management. Human resource specialists may take courses in compensation, performance appraisal, training and development. Education in labor economics, labor law and industrial psychology are also important for human resource specialists.

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Training and Education

A bachelor's degree is often necessary for working in the field. About 56% of human resource specialists have earned a degree. Some college, below a 4-year degree, is sufficient for 30% of workers. Employees with only a high school education represent about 14% of all.


Job Overview

Organizations need people to handle operations such as hiring new employees, making arrangements for training and developing employees, handling salary issues and helping make strategic decisions. All these jobs in an organization are performed by a human resource specialist.


Job Requirements

Previous experience in the field is a valuable asset for human resource specialists. Human resource specialists also need to be skilled in selling, supervising, handling computers and teaching.

Designation in three areas– compensation, retirement and group benefit is given by the International Foundation of Employee Benefits to candidates who have finished specific college level courses. Candidates can then become Certified Employee Benefits Specialist. Professional certifications in the field of performance and learning are offered by the American Society for Training and Development. Two levels of certification are also offered by the society of Human Resource Management- the Professional in Human Resources and the Senior Professional in Human Resources.

Human resource specialists need to be effective communicators and have excellent management skills. The nature of their job requires them to interact with and deal with a diverse range of people. They need to be able to handle pressure and deal with difficult and controversial situations and people.


Nature of Work

Human resource specialists usually work in an office. However, recruiters have to travel extensively to attend recruitment drives at campuses, attend meetings, to interview possible recruits.


Area Job Conditions

Human resource specialists appear most common in Olympia (Washington), Decatur (Illinois), and Danville (Illinois), and least common in Houma (Louisiana), Amarillo (Texas), and McAllen (Texas).

Bloomington (Illinois), San Francisco (California), and Washington (District of Columbia) offer the highest pay. Appleton (Wisconsin), Kokomo (Indiana), and Janesville (Wisconsin) offer the lowest salaries.


Part-Time and Self Employment

Government statistics report that 8% of human resource specialists are employed part-time. Workers who work for themselves total about 2%.


Human Resource Specialists by Metropolitan Area (city and its surroundings)

In the table below, a Job Density near 0% means the area has an average number of people in this occupation, for its population. A higher or lower Job Density (e.g., +22% or -45%) tells you there are that many more or fewer workers of that type there than in the average US metro area. So, the higher the number, the more common the occupation.

Alabama

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Anniston $44,000 40 -43%
Auburn $54,000 60 -10%
Birmingham $51,000 1,030 +16%
Decatur $41,000 60 -26%
Dothan $57,000 50 -45%
Florence $57,000 90 +19%
Huntsville $67,000 560 +63%
Mobile $48,000 200 -33%
Montgomery $51,000 300 +7%
Tuscaloosa $57,000 80 -43%

Alaska

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Anchorage $63,000 230 -12%
Fairbanks $51,000 80 +72%

Arizona

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Flagstaff $54,000 30 -64%
Phoenix $52,000 1,900 -41%
Tucson $53,000 370 -40%
Yuma $53,000 30 -67%

Arkansas

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Fayetteville $56,000 210 -36%
Fort Smith $45,000 50 -73%
Little Rock $55,000 310 -46%
Pine Bluff $43,000 60 +26%

California

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Bakersfield $57,000 310 -30%
El Centro $51,000 30 -61%
Fresno $63,000 390 -30%
Hanford $69,000 50 +23%
Merced $62,000 40 -54%
Modesto $54,000 200 -25%
Napa $60,000 50 -49%
Oakland $75,000 2,550 +45%
Oxnard $66,000 360 -28%
Redding $54,000 100 -2%
Riverside $72,000 1,720 -21%
Sacramento $65,000 2,150 +42%
Salinas $59,000 170 -32%
San Diego $56,000 3,750 +64%
San Francisco $81,000 2,470 +44%
San Jose $78,000 2,130 +35%
San Luis Obispo $66,000 80 -49%
Santa Barbara $63,000 220 -20%
Santa Cruz $59,000 90 -34%
Santa Rosa $71,000 240 -21%
Stockton $57,000 280 -21%
Vallejo $84,000 220 +12%
Visalia $54,000 100 -54%
Yuba City $56,000 40 -29%

Colorado

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Boulder $75,000 160 -39%
Colorado Springs $57,000 400 -4%
Denver $68,000 1,900 -11%
Fort Collins $69,000 90 -53%
Grand Junction $49,000 30 -65%
Greeley $56,000 70 -39%
Pueblo $54,000 80 0%

Connecticut

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Bridgeport $71,000 470 -36%
Danbury $59,000 40 -63%
Hartford $70,000 870 -12%
New Haven $58,000 240 -49%
Norwich $56,000 130 -35%
Waterbury $56,000 50 -52%

Delaware

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Dover $55,000 170 +107%
Wilmington $63,000 440 -20%

District of Columbia

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Washington $80,000 9,550 +140%

Florida

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Cape Coral $54,000 320 -8%
Deltona $51,000 170 -33%
Fort Lauderdale $55,000 1,310 +5%
Fort Walton Beach $60,000 170 +45%
Gainesville $54,000 210 +15%
Jacksonville $54,000 1,000 -3%
Lakeland $53,000 190 -41%
Miami $63,000 1,930 +14%
Naples $54,000 110 -43%
Ocala $50,000 130 -13%
Orlando $55,000 2,320 +29%
Palm Bay $55,000 380 +18%
Panama City $51,000 100 -5%
Pensacola $49,000 240 -1%
Port St Lucie $49,000 140 -31%
Punta Gorda $55,000 60 +5%
Sarasota $49,000 350 -20%
Sebastian $58,000 40 -44%
Tallahassee $58,000 510 +92%
Tampa $54,000 2,090 +0%
West Palm Beach $57,000 930 +2%

Georgia

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Athens $52,000 60 -48%
Atlanta $65,000 2,990 -27%
Augusta $57,000 190 -44%
Brunswick $72,000 50 -19%
Columbus $58,000 160 -8%
Gainesville $61,000 40 -63%
Macon $54,000 80 -49%
Savannah $53,000 80 -67%
Valdosta $50,000 40 -52%
Warner Robins $61,000 230 +211%

Hawaii

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Honolulu $60,000 480 -35%

Idaho

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Boise $54,000 300 -33%
Idaho Falls $59,000 30 -57%

Illinois

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Bloomington $73,000 90 -17%
Champaign $51,000 180 +22%
Chicago $55,000 6,670 +2%
Danville $31,000 120 +238%
Decatur $66,000 240 +247%
Peoria $60,000 150 -46%
Rockford $41,000 300 +21%
Springfield $46,000 430 +163%

Indiana

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Bloomington $45,000 90 -14%
Columbus $53,000 80 +29%
Elkhart $46,000 70 -66%
Evansville $51,000 190 -33%
Fort Wayne $45,000 230 -34%
Indianapolis $57,000 1,250 -18%
Kokomo $38,000 150 +195%
Lafayette $36,000 90 -23%
South Bend $57,000 210 -4%
Terre Haute $55,000 100 -6%

Iowa

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Cedar Rapids $48,000 300 +38%
Davenport $54,000 540 +79%
Des Moines $56,000 610 +11%
Dubuque $37,000 100 +31%
Iowa City $51,000 130 +18%
Sioux City $57,000 80 -27%
Waterloo $46,000 100 -25%

Kansas

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Lawrence $59,000 30 -55%
Topeka $54,000 220 +25%
Wichita $57,000 340 -34%

Kentucky

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Bowling Green $48,000 80 -7%
Elizabethtown $56,000 150 +136%
Lexington $51,000 440 +9%
Louisville $57,000 1,040 -1%
Owensboro $34,000 70 -2%

Louisiana

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Alexandria $54,000 50 -45%
Baton Rouge $51,000 290 -53%
Houma $45,000 30 -80%
Lafayette $50,000 120 -49%
Lake Charles $44,000 40 -70%
New Orleans $54,000 650 -25%
Shreveport $52,000 110 -62%

Maine

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Bangor $58,000 50 -49%
Lewiston $43,000 40 -45%
Portland $52,000 190 -43%

Maryland

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Baltimore $65,000 2,470 +10%
Bethesda $75,000 1,570 +61%
Cumberland $43,000 30 -41%
Hagerstown $58,000 140 -11%
Salisbury $64,000 50 -36%

Massachusetts

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Barnstable Town $55,000 130 -18%
Boston $67,000 2,500 -15%
Brockton $39,000 210 +51%
Framingham $68,000 290 +10%
Haverhill $55,000 70 -41%
Lawrence $45,000 80 -7%
Leominster $57,000 50 -33%
Lowell $74,000 170 -12%
New Bedford $52,000 100 +1%
Pittsfield $55,000 40 -15%
Springfield $65,000 380 -24%
Taunton $58,000 90 +32%
Worcester $61,000 240 -42%

Michigan

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Ann Arbor $57,000 470 +74%
Battle Creek $53,000 120 +67%
Detroit $58,000 2,380 +97%
Flint $39,000 220 0%
Grand Rapids $44,000 930 +45%
Holland $49,000 170 +6%
Jackson $50,000 80 +3%
Kalamazoo $48,000 350 +59%
Monroe $46,000 60 +5%
Muskegon $51,000 60 -34%
Niles $50,000 100 +6%
Saginaw $57,000 200 +70%
Warren $62,000 1,820 -8%

Minnesota

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Duluth $50,000 220 +8%
Minneapolis $65,000 4,980 +62%
Rochester $65,000 160 +10%
St Cloud $53,000 160 -1%

Mississippi

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Gulfport $68,000 180 +4%
Jackson $65,000 130 -69%

Missouri

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Columbia $50,000 80 -37%
Jefferson City $47,000 140 +33%
Joplin $46,000 70 -44%
Kansas City $62,000 1,440 -18%
Springfield $50,000 170 -47%
St Joseph $48,000 50 -33%
St Louis $54,000 2,250 -3%

Montana

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Billings $56,000 100 -20%

Nebraska

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Lincoln $57,000 210 -21%
Omaha $45,000 560 -29%

Nevada

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Las Vegas $54,000 780 -51%
Reno $58,000 160 -53%

New Hampshire

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Manchester $55,000 140 -16%
Nashua $53,000 260 +16%
Portsmouth $61,000 120 +41%
Rochester $52,000 100 +17%

New Jersey

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Atlantic City $53,000 130 -46%
Camden $63,000 840 -7%
Edison $66,000 1,860 +5%
Newark $70,000 1,470 -15%
Trenton $61,000 380 +7%
Vineland $67,000 60 -30%

New Mexico

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Albuquerque $60,000 680 +3%
Santa Fe $44,000 180 +87%

New York

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Albany $58,000 1,280 +73%
Binghamton $45,000 120 -29%
Buffalo $44,000 1,150 +26%
Elmira 70 +39%
Glens Falls 50 -36%
Ithaca $49,000 30 -52%
Kingston 40 -55%
Nassau $52,000 1,730 -20%
New York $60,000 9,560 +9%
Poughkeepsie $55,000 320 -19%
Rochester $59,000 740 -13%
Syracuse $47,000 520 0%
Utica $46,000 160 -22%

North Carolina

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Asheville $61,000 130 -56%
Burlington $49,000 30 -66%
Charlotte $56,000 800 -47%
Durham $69,000 380 -17%
Fayetteville $63,000 180 -8%
Greensboro $53,000 750 +20%
Greenville $54,000 40 -63%
Hickory $49,000 60 -77%
Jacksonville $59,000 90 +53%
Raleigh $61,000 430 -50%
Rocky Mount $49,000 40 -55%
Wilmington $56,000 80 -66%
Winston Salem $54,000 200 -44%

North Dakota

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Bismarck $54,000 90 +6%
Fargo $53,000 120 -35%

Ohio

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Akron $46,000 690 +22%
Canton $38,000 390 +37%
Cincinnati $50,000 2,790 +57%
Cleveland $49,000 3,200 +76%
Columbus $54,000 2,700 +69%
Dayton $56,000 1,040 +58%
Lima $50,000 170 +118%
Mansfield $52,000 170 +120%
Sandusky $45,000 110 +119%
Springfield $28,000 110 +58%
Toledo $45,000 1,120 +114%
Youngstown $36,000 710 +83%

Oklahoma

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Lawton $58,000 40 -25%
Oklahoma City $47,000 700 -27%
Tulsa $48,000 250 -66%

Oregon

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Bend $62,000 100 -5%
Corvallis $48,000 50 +15%
Eugene $50,000 410 +69%
Medford $51,000 150 +14%
Portland $60,000 2,680 +51%
Salem $58,000 470 +93%

Pennsylvania

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Allentown $60,000 460 -19%
Altoona $56,000 100 +11%
Erie $57,000 190 -6%
Harrisburg $57,000 760 +43%
Johnstown $36,000 200 +136%
Lancaster $51,000 220 -44%
Lebanon $58,000 60 -12%
Philadelphia $69,000 3,050 -6%
Pittsburgh $39,000 2,420 +24%
Reading $31,000 180 -33%
Scranton $51,000 450 +5%
State College $32,000 100 +19%
York $54,000 360 +22%

Rhode Island

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Providence $48,000 1,130 +17%

South Carolina

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Anderson $51,000 40 -56%
Charleston $52,000 270 -45%
Columbia $53,000 310 -48%
Florence $67,000 80 -39%
Greenville $49,000 280 -45%
Myrtle Beach $45,000 40 -79%
Spartanburg $49,000 100 -49%

Tennessee

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Chattanooga $54,000 190 -51%
Clarksville $57,000 70 -40%
Johnson City $53,000 40 -65%
Kingsport $51,000 110 -40%
Knoxville $56,000 330 -41%
Memphis $63,000 690 -35%
Nashville $58,000 790 -39%

Texas

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Abilene $45,000 30 -68%
Amarillo $54,000 30 -81%
Austin $63,000 980 -25%
Beaumont $45,000 70 -73%
Brownsville $54,000 40 -80%
Corpus Christi $57,000 80 -72%
Dallas $64,000 3,330 -8%
El Paso $56,000 180 -59%
Fort Worth $62,000 560 -62%
Houston $64,000 1,740 -61%
Killeen $56,000 130 -32%
Laredo $52,000 30 -77%
Lubbock $47,000 60 -69%
Mcallen $54,000 60 -83%
Midland $51,000 60 -40%
San Antonio $63,000 1,400 -3%
Texarkana $58,000 40 -51%
Tyler $53,000 40 -72%
Waco $52,000 50 -67%
Wichita Falls $58,000 50 -42%

Utah

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Logan $45,000 50 -26%
Ogden $59,000 300 -9%
Provo $48,000 140 -48%
Salt Lake City $56,000 740 -31%
St George $45,000 50 -30%

Vermont

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Burlington $64,000 190 +9%

Virginia

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Blacksburg $54,000 110 +19%
Charlottesville $57,000 230 +57%
Danville $48,000 40 -19%
Harrisonburg $50,000 70 -13%
Lynchburg $53,000 90 -43%
Richmond $61,000 1,790 +76%
Roanoke $51,000 250 -3%
Virginia Beach $60,000 1,470 +14%
Winchester $61,000 80 +3%

Washington

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Bellingham $50,000 150 +22%
Bremerton $69,000 270 +110%
Kennewick $66,000 280 +100%
Longview $57,000 110 +137%
Mount Vernon $50,000 50 -23%
Olympia $57,000 620 +323%
Seattle $66,000 4,420 +79%
Spokane $57,000 320 -7%
Tacoma $68,000 600 +33%
Wenatchee $60,000 60 +4%
Yakima $50,000 160 +29%

West Virginia

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Charleston $56,000 270 +15%
Huntington $46,000 200 +11%
Morgantown $51,000 140 +106%
Parkersburg $63,000 230 +116%
Weirton $34,000 180 +195%
Wheeling $44,000 200 +108%

Wisconsin

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Appleton $32,000 470 +158%
Eau Claire $45,000 270 +128%
Fond $38,000 160 +150%
Green Bay $33,000 430 +58%
Janesville $30,000 80 -19%
La Crosse $35,000 140 +33%
Madison $46,000 1,050 +87%
Milwaukee $43,000 2,410 +66%
Oshkosh $35,000 420 +221%
Racine $34,000 160 +35%
Sheboygan $30,000 150 +76%
Wausau $36,000 280 +173%

Wyoming

City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density
Casper $58,000 40 -27%
Cheyenne $57,000 70 +11%
*FOOTNOTES: Job Facts salary and numbers data is based on US Department of Labor Statistics data for 2011. Other data on page may be from earlier years. Typical salary is given as median salary, where 50% in the job make more and 50% less. Salary range is Job Hunt's estimates of typical starting salary as being at the 10th percentile of reported pay and typical top end salary, for the most senior workers, as being at the 90th. Job openings is an estimate of new jobs every year due to growth plus those leaving the field. Where NA is given data is not available. Suggested studies is based on Job Hunt research, suggesting a minimum degree level that is judged to offer the best opportunities for entry-level employment. This Human Resources Specialists schools and career page was originally researched by CityTownInfo.com.