By Bethany Clark
Today on After the J.D. we have a path to Human Resource Management. Corporations need talented professionals to oversee their staff. As an attorney, you have unique skills that will benefit you working as a human resource consultant or human resources administrator/manager.
What skills do lawyers and human resource management have in common?
Human resources management is a great field to work in for an attorney. People in human resources need to have strong interpersonal and problem-solving skills. In law school and your legal career, these skills are constantly nourished by class discussion, study groups, analyzing cases, and extracurricular activities like moot court, journal or law review. Moreover, in human resource management, you must be comfortable taking a leadership position. Lawyers are often tasked with being the leader, so to speak, by their client. Clients look to lawyers for guidance just like employees look to their human resource managers.
There are certain attorneys who would be better at transitioning into HR than others. Labor, employment and civil rights attorneys with hands-on experience with HR compliance, federal and state laws, labor relations, employee relations, and affirmative action, etc. are some. That’s not to say if you don’t have this experience you can’t get there. Your journey will just be a little different.
How do I break into the Human Resource field?
There are a couple of steps you need to take to start you on your way.
1. Check out the Society for Human Resource Management (“SHRM”). This is an excellent resource for seasoned HR professionals and for rookie HR professionals looking for more information. It breaks down the different HR disciplines like benefits, consulting, employee relations, etc. This will help you decide what area of HR you would like to go into.
2. Get certified. The organization also features information about preparing for the PHR/SPHR Certification. This certification will be a foundation for you finding an HR position. The Professional in Human Resources (PHR) and the Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) are to the human resource professional what the bar is to attorneys (meaning it is a certification that is extremely important). The HR Certification Institute says,
HR certification is a career-long commitment that shows your peers, your employees and your organization that you have mastered the core HR principles and that you are dedicated to staying current in your profession.
To become certified, you must meet strict professional experience and educational requirements before taking the exam. To remain certified, you must recertify every three years to make sure that you stay current in the HR profession.
After you are done deciding what field of HR you would like to go into and getting your certification, you are on your way! There is only one more thing to do:
3. Find a position. Individuals transitioning into HR from another field typically start out in entry level positions. This could be as an HR Assistant or entry level HR Generalist. SHRM has a international job bank for HR professionals. This is a great place to start looking for your first HR position.
Good luck!
Follow Bethany Clark on Twitter @beclark12
peter, 2 months ago
HR connection is an employee self-serve HR center for insurance benefits, policies and forms, time-off tracking and more.