The field of human resources management offers a rich set of potential career options. These include:

Recruiting and Placement Managers

Search for promising job candidates through advertisements, employment agencies, search firms, college campuses, and even from competing firms. Recruiters tend to be more involved with the search process, while interviewers talk to job applicants and administer and interpret tests. Some make the final hiring decisions. Others are involved with internal placement, transfers, promotions and firings. Jobs include: recruiter, college recruiter, interviewer, headhunter, test administrator, employment manager.

Development and Training Specialists

Analyze, plan, develop, coordinate, and conduct training and orientation for all levels in the organization. Trainers help educate employees in necessary job skills and for advancement. They also create training manuals, procedures, and training aids for the organization. Training programs can range from sales techniques to safety issues, and from computer skills to team building. Jobs include: counselor, career planner, recruiter, junior training specialist, senior training specialist, technical recruitment specialist, orientation specialist.

Compensation specialists

Develop and administer job evaluation systems; write job descriptions; manage wage and salary systems; design and administer incentives, stock options, and deferred compensation; and conduct executive programs. Jobs include: compensation analyst, salary administrator, executive compensation manager, compensation manager, EEO administrator.

Benefit specialists

Benefit specialists provide information and counseling to employees concerning fringe benefits offered. They also analyze benefit plan costs and effectiveness. Jobs include: benefits administrator, benefits planning analyst, group insurance manager, employee assistance program manager.

Employee and Labor Relations Supervisors

Establish and maintain employee-management relationships. Employee relation specialists deal with quality of work life programs and employee grievances; while labor relations specialists deal with union contracts, negotiate collective bargaining agreements, and handle formal union-negotiated grievance procedures. Jobs include: labor relations specialist, employee counselor, mediator, arbitrator, director of industrial relations.

Health, Safety, and Security Specialists

Develop health and safety programs; conduct safety inspections; collect accident data and report safety records; prepare government reports; maintain contacts as needed with government security agencies like local police and the federal Department of Homeland Security. Jobs include: safety specialist, security specialist, industrial nurse, employee welfare managers.

Other HR Specialists

Work for private employment agencies, governmental agencies, executive search firms, outplacement firms, HR consulting firms. Jobs include: human resource information system specialist, employee assistance counselor, employee assistance program manager, employee communications director, equal employment opportunity representative, affirmative action coordinator, outplacement consultant.

"As for the genius of innovation, clearly the one percent spark of inspiration is nurtured by a positive culture. But the 99 percent perspiration ingredient comes from employees who love what they do, as well as where they do it, and who invest in that Holy Grail of productivity called “discretionary effort.”

Stephanie Quappe, David Samso Aparici, Jon Warshawsky