If you are only in high school or college and are already considering a career in Human Resources, you can get things started by studying English, math, science, computers and communications. Programs such as Excel, PowerPoint and Word by Microsoft are crucial to master since they are often used in entry level HR jobs in tracking employee information. Learning how to operate basic office equipment such as a multi-line telephone, voicemail functions, computers, printers, fax or copy machines is a must since nearly every office in every company uses some or all of these machines every day. Entry level HR jobs often require you to copy employee handbooks, write and distribute memos and fax important documents.
Many HR assistants or executives are also responsible for employee tax information, so a business tax course could prove very helpful once you have been hired for an assistant HR job. Studying the particular HR laws for the field you want to go into could also be helpful. Many fields, such as legal HR jobs or healthcare HR jobs are governed by laws specific to that field. When in doubt about anything, make sure to ask someone who knows before giving out any information requested.
If you are still in school, you may find it helpful for your future HR career to study another language. Many companies have multiple offices around the globe or frequently hire people whose first language is not English. Being able to communicate with other employees in another language is an invaluable tool for any HR job.
Once you have completed your schooling and are ready to apply for an entry level HR job, you might consider having an HR manager or job recruiter review your resume before you start sending it out to help you make your resume as professional-looking as you can. Those in HR Manager jobs or HR executive jobs spend hours looking at resumes and mistakes will only make you look less qualified to work with them. Also, make sure you put together a clean, well-tailored outfit for potential HR job interviews –suits are usually best.
