What should I study if I want to work in HR?

These are the training paths that allow you to work in Human Resources.

The world of Human Resources (HR) is one of the most stimulating professional fields to work in, as well as offering an important source of work: there are always companies in need of this type of professional, due to the very nature of organizations.

However... How to specialize in HR? What do you have to study to find a job in this field? Let's take a look.

What can I study to become a Human Resources specialist?

The field of HR is very diverse and draws on the contributions of different disciplines related to the world of organizations and organizations related to the world of organizations and group behavior. Here we will see, first of all, which are the university degrees that can train professionals who specialize in this type of work.

In any case, it should be clear that there are no rigid criteria that limit the entry route to Human Resources; there are simply a series of degree programs that are better equipped to produce graduates or graduates who are more likely to be hired by companies or to be accepted for specialization Master's degrees. These are precisely the university training programs that we will highlight here.

1. Business Administration and Management

The degree in Business Administration and Management (ADE) provides a global vision of the functioning of a company.This makes it relatively easy for this type of graduate to enter the field of Human Resources.

Thanks to their preparation, they will be able to easily understand the role of each type of professional in the organization, as well as the internal logics that take place within these entities and that mark the rhythms in the behavior of their members.

2. Psychology

The Psychology career allows learning about many central aspects in the world of Human Resources: dynamics of group behavior, the functioning of communication in different contexts, the creation of a work environment, types of incentives, sources of motivation, and the role of the human resources.The course also provides graduates with the knowledge and skills they need to solve motivational issues, types of incentives, sources of motivation and needs to solve, etc.

In addition, it also provides graduates with tools to measure the state of affairs in a company, as well as resources to apply in personnel selection tasks.

3. Labor Relations

People trained in Labor Relations are qualified to plan and execute all types of personnel administration functions at the lowest level of detail, in everything related to hiring protocols, vacation scheduling, payment and termination management, etc.They are able to plan and execute all types of personnel administration functions at the lowest level of detail, in everything related to hiring protocols, vacation scheduling, payment and severance management, etc. They also know everything necessary about the relationship with unions, the negotiation of collective bargaining agreements, etc. They are therefore knowledgeable in law.

Thus, this area of work focuses on the details of the more conventional and routine tasks of personnel management in a formal and bureaucratic sense, as well as the key moments of negotiation in situations where there are significant discrepancies between management and employees.

Other related training paths

While the easiest ways to get into Human Resources is to study the careers we have seen, there are others that, to a lesser extent, also help as long as you have the right specialization. These are the following.

Law

People who have a degree in law can be very valuable to certain companies, especially in terms of support tasks for the in terms of support tasks for Labor Relations professionals, or directly leading this kind of work groups.. This is especially useful in large companies based abroad and prone to pushing new corporate policies on a relatively frequent basis, since you want to avoid going in blind.

Sociology

Studying Sociology provides some skills and tools appreciated by certain organizations when it comes to enriching the functioning of their Human Resources departments, especially in large companies with large workforces and databases to manage. and databases to manage. Sociologists can conduct ad hoc research to detect problems, risks and opportunities in the work dynamics of these entities.

How to specialize?

If you already have a bachelor's or graduate degree that meets the requirements of the world of organizations and you only need to study to specialize in Human Resources, a very good option to take into account is the University Master's Degree in Selection and Talent Management promoted by the University of Malaga (UMA)..

This training program includes, in addition to 300 hours of internships in external companies and a Master's Thesis, two blocks of content that can also be taken individually as postgraduate training and that define the two main thematic poles of this Master: the University Expert in Talent Selection, on the one hand, and the University Expert in Training, Personal and Organizational Development, on the other.

Thus, through the University Master's Degree in Selection and Talent Management it is possible to to learn about the selection processes in recruitment and promotion of workers, as well as the training and empowerment of the aptitudes of those who are already part of the organization. of those who are already part of the organization. On this page you can find more information about the Master.

Among the contents taught here, always by a team of teachers dedicated mainly to the organizational field and with very consolidated careers, subjects such as the mastery of qualitative and quantitative selection tools, the management of the contractual relationship, the design of an internal communication plan, conflict management, the study of real cases in well-known companies (from the hand of representatives of these organizations), leadership, incentive systems for workers, and much more, stand out.

Bibliographical references:

• Bohlander, G.; Sherman, A., & Snell, S. (2001). Human resource management. Andover: Cengage Learning Publishers.
• Collings, D.G. & Wood, G. (2009), Human resource management: A critical approach (pp. 238-259). London: Routledge.
• Chiavenato, A. (2000). Human resource management. New York: MacGraw Hill.
• Ulrich, D. (1996). Human Resource Champions. The next agenda for adding value and delivering results. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.