The Strong Interest Inventory® is an effective and efficient first step towards finding a career that is appropriate and a good fit for any job seeker, including an individual who is involved in a first-time occupational pursuit or for someone seeking a career change. The Strong Interest Inventory® Assessment assesses professional and personal “likes” and “dislikes” as well as lifestyle preferences and much more.

This assessment comprehensively analyzes many different individual characteristics before referring them to one to three of six Theme Code Categories. Each category contains careers that share certain features. For example, being a Human Resources Specialist is considered an Enterprising Career because it involves working in a business context and in supporting one’s corporation or other individuals in becoming financially successful with a shared end-game in mind which is important to individuals in this area.

Human Resources Specialists perform a variety of roles within the human resources space. For example, if they are responsible for recruiting employees, they might write job postings, interview and screen candidates, and present candidates to other stakeholders within the company. During this process, they may need to develop or implement appropriate recruiting strategies, gather qualification or work history information from prospective employees, and communicate internally to determine what company needs need to be met. Once an employee has been hired, Human Resources Specialists play a key role in onboarding that employee, for example in explaining job and company details, and in helping them feel comfortable in their new position.

Human Resources Specialists may also manage employment records, including pay, insurance, termination, leaves, promotions, and other documentation associated with employment, as well as communicate with employees about changing regulations, procedures, standards, and so on. In some cases, Human Resources Specialists may need to work closely with the company’s legal team, especially if there is a harassment or employee complaint being filed. Part of their role is to ensure that employees needs are met so that they can focus on their job.

Successful Human Resources Specialists must be comfortable working with a number of different computer software programs, including accounting software (e.g., Intuit QuickBooks), business intelligence and data analysis software (e.g., IBM Cognos Impromptu), customer relationship management software (e.g., Oracle Eloqua, Salesforce software, vendor management system software), data mining software (e.g., Google Analytics), and desktop publishing software (e.g., Adobe Systems InDesign). Furthermore, they should also be comfortable with Microsoft Office Suite and Google Suite. In general, those who have an interest in becoming Human Resources Specialists should be comfortable using computers in their professional lives and should be able to easily and quickly learn new software programs as they become necessary.

In addition to these technical skills, Human Resources Specialists should also have an extensive understanding of personnel and human resources, administration and management, customer and personal service, and the English language. In some roles, proficiency in additional languages can also be beneficial. Most Human Resources Specialists hold a Bachelor’s Degree, though some do not. They should also have well-developed active listening, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills.

The median salary for a Human Resources Specialist is $60,350 annually. This rate is fairly consistent nation-wide, though in highly populated states like California the median salary is closer to $70,000 while in rural states like Montana it is closer to $50,000. Current Human Resource Specialist positions are well over 500,000 nationwide and is expected to grow by 5% to 9% per year over the next several years. This growth is expected to be most noticeable in states like California, Texas, New York, and Florida, each of which will employ over 35,000 people in the next several years. On the other hand, many other states, particularly in the central and western United States will be more stagnant.

Below are some employment trends for Human Resources Specialists.

• Median Salary: $60,350 annually; $29.01 hourly.
• Employment: 548,000 employees
• Projected growth (2016-2026): average (5% to 9%)
• Projected job openings (2016-2026): 57,600

[Information retrieved from Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data and 2016-2026 employment projections]

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Gain access to your best-fit careers, occupational preferences and interests with these career based Strong Interest Inventory® Assessments:

Explore our Strong Interest Inventory® Blog Pages:

• Strong Interest Inventory Realistic Theme Explained 
• Strong Interest Inventory Artistic Theme Explained
• Strong Interest Inventory Investigative Theme Explained 
• Strong Interest Inventory Social Theme Explained 
• Strong Interest Inventory Enterprising Theme Explained 
• Strong Interest Inventory Conventional Theme Explained 

Assessment Categories

References

1. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data and 2012-2022 employment projections Onetonline.org