Launch a fulfilling career in human resources

Human resources (HR) is an umbrella term which describes the management, development and performance of an organisation’s employees. HR has a wide remit, which often includes:

• Recruitment, onboarding and retention
• Performance management and appraisals
• Building and maintaining company culture and best practices
• Managing employee relations
• Training, professional development and mentoring
• Business communications
• Legal, health and safety, and regulatory compliance
• Payroll and managing employee benefits

HR professionals bring a specialist set of skills to a business, fulfilling numerous roles and responsibilities that many business leaders either aren’t equipped for, or don’t have the time for, as an organisation expands. 

HR coordinators play an integral role in streamlining existing processes and ensuring that operations run smoothly. Typically, they bridge the gap between employees and the HR director; coordinators are often an initial point of contact for supplying information regarding HR functions or mediating issues with stakeholders as they arise.

How does human resources support organisational goals?

While much of HR functions in an organisation’s background, its activities are nevertheless fundamental to delivering both short-term operations and long-term goals.

Effective human resource management is strategic: it’s planned and executed to shape wider culture and uphold values. Its framework underpins everything from operations and environment to business objectives and workforce management – after all, an organisation’s single greatest resource is its people. By holistically supporting all members across an organisation – in areas such as learning and development, talent management, employee performance, management-employee relations, and dispute resolution – people are able to focus on completing their jobs to a good standard, innovating and adding value to a company through their roles. Organisational resilience is boosted by HR efforts, as leadership, flexibility, and continuing professional development (CPD) are prioritised and people are supported to thrive.

Facilitating the numerous aspects of interpersonal relationships that occur between employees and employers, and amongst employees themselves, is a significant undertaking. When handled effectively, human resource management can help to boost employee performance and motivation, improve company and brand perception, gain competitive edge, support business growth and, ultimately, increase profits. As Breathe, HR software specialists, state: “people, culture and business success go hand-in-hand.”

How to become a human resources coordinator

Most HR coordinators possess a bachelor’s-level qualification in a HR-related field, such as business administration, finance or management. Many also hold additional, specialist professional or master’s-level qualifications in human resources or business management.

For those interested in pursuing a career in the human resource management space, there are plenty of full-time and part-time management courses and related training courses to take advantage of. Universities offer a wealth of training options as preparation for fulfilling careers in the human resources sector. If possible, gaining hands-on human resource training via a work experience placement is a valuable way to put skills into practice, start building a network, and experience a real-time HR environment. There is also plenty to learn from short online HR webinars and other e-learning materials.

According to data collated by Glassdoor, the average salary for an HR coordinator in the UK is currently £35,847; entry-level coordinators may expect to make about £24,000 when starting out, with experienced coordinators earning around £54,000. Potential earnings naturally differ depending on the type of company, sector, location and individual applicant, among other factors.

In terms of career progression – which varies depending on the organisational size and set-up – future roles could include Senior HR Coordinator, HR Manager, HR Director or Chief HR Officer, with sufficient experience, expertise and training.

What skills are useful in HR roles?

Indeed note that there are a variety of competencies and skills that are useful to those in HR coordinator roles:

• Interpersonal and communication skills. As HR coordinators are required to interact with employees on a regular basis – and typically liaise with colleagues from across an entire organisation – highly developed people skills are invaluable. Effective communication and adaptability not only facilitates working relationships, but supports navigating more complex, changeable situations. A significant aspect of the role is conveying information and responding to queries – both internally and externally – in a clear, easy-to-understand fashion. As such, strong written and verbal communication skills, supported by an attention to detail is key.
• Decision-making skills. All aspects of HR coordination require decisions to be made, from dealing with disputes to finding solutions to employee-related issues to designing development programmes, among other tasks. Working on developing reasoning, intuition, logic and problem solving skills can enhance decision-making capabilities.
• Organisational and time-management skills. HR departments often have access to vast quantities of employee-related data and information. Updating, maintaining and organising meticulous records is therefore a critical aspect of the role. In addition to record-keeping, day-to-day tasks – such as holding interviews, onboarding, and running in-house HR training courses – require good personal organisation. This includes prioritisation, planning, goal-setting, stress management, delegation and timekeeping skills.
• Information technology (IT) skills. Almost all HR roles will require competent use of HR human resource information systems (HRIS), HR databases, online programmes and platforms, and more-standard tools such as Microsoft Office and video conferencing. While full training is likely to be provided, possessing working knowledge and experience of a variety of IT systems is beneficial. Many job applicants now apply via job sites, resume databases – and, increasingly, social media platforms – so wider technological skills are also useful.

An inherently varied role, it suits individuals who are proactive, resourceful and possess strong emotional intelligence. Depending on the size of the organisation, the HR coordinator role may be a single position or there may be multiple HR coordinators working as part of a larger team.

Enhance your employability and take your human resource expertise to the next level

If you want to develop the specialist skills and know-how to succeed in senior human resources roles, the University of Lincoln’s online MSc Management with Human Resources programme will give you the opportunity to.

Providing a holistic, real-world understanding of business, HR management and leadership – designed to prepare you for complex, fast-paced work environments – this degree will cover organisational design and development, people management, HR strategy, project management and more. This flexible programme aims to equip you with the business acumen needed to navigate the challenges and changing needs of modern human resource settings.