Is an Internship or Entry Level Job in HR Right for You?
College students and recent college graduates who are looking for a fun and exciting career, should think about getting involved in human resources, one of those rare fields that almost every company or non-profit organization must utilize during their day to day operations.
While it might not sound glamorous, there are many areas in a human resource department that recent graduates can become involved in, including compensation and benefits, recruitment and onboarding, and maintaining employee records, including performance appraisals. One of the most important areas of human resources that new hires for entry level jobs might become involved in is benefits administration. This means helping their fellow employees with questions about medical and dental programs, 401ks, answering questions about the company’s vacation and sick leave policies, as well as some involvement in ensuring they are paid the correct salary.
Another important HR function is recruiting. They often work with individual departments in determining the qualifications needed for a new job opening. Human resources places the ad and often screens applicants using face to face or phone interviews to determine which candidates meet the qualifications before referring them to a supervisor in the hiring department for a final interview. They will also help new hires and interns to fill out necessary paperwork and perform background checks as required.
Human resources personnel might even be required to provide basic training and orientation for new hires, and they are responsible for maintaining employee records. Often, HR will work with supervisors to help complete performance appraisals. These appraisals will ultimately become a part of the employee’s personnel file. HR professionals use these files to ensure that employees and their supervisors are in compliance with labor laws and reporting requirements.
The human resources field is exciting, interesting and varied. College students who are interested in HR careers should start early by seeking internships in their particular areas of interest. Or they could do internships in all areas of HR – recruiting and training, wages and benefits, etc. – to see what suits them best. The key is to get as much real world experience under their belts as they possibly can before graduation.
Article written by a freelance writer
