Most commonly reported Work Activities

• Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
• Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
• Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others Handling complaints, settling disputes, and resolving grievances and conflicts, or otherwise negotiating with others.
• Staffing Organisational Units Recruiting, interviewing, selecting, hiring, and promoting employees in an organisation.
• Making Decisions and Solving Problems Analysing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
• Getting Information Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
• Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
• Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
• Provide Consultation and Advice to Others Providing guidance and expert advice to management or other groups on technical, systems-, or process-related topics.
• Judging the Qualities of Things, Services, or People Assessing the value, importance, or quality of things or people.

The Work

HR Managers have a wide variety of tasks, depending on the nature and sise of the organisation they work for.

Larger companies may have specialists in areas like recruitment, employee development or human resource planning. In smaller organisations, the HR Manager is more likely to deal with all aspects of HR.

In general, however, HR manager is a senior position which involves overseeing the organisation’s overall administrative needs and implementing HR policies. HR managers may also supervise HR generalist.

HR departments work with other departments and senior management to determine staffing needs, place job opening adverts, review CVs and interview candidates, set up interviews between qualified applicants and the department with the job vacancy, make job offers, teach new employees about the company and handle all aspects of new-hire and other employee-related paperwork, from contracts and payroll to tax forms. They are also concerned with health and safety issues and policies.

Most commonly reported Work Tasks

• Serve as a link between management and employees by handling questions, interpreting and administering contracts and helping resolve work-related problems.
• Advise managers on organisational policy matters, such as equal employment opportunity and sexual harassment, and recommend needed changes.
• Analyse and modify compensation and benefits policies to establish competitive programs and ensure compliance with legal requirements.
• Perform difficult staffing duties, including dealing with understaffing, refereeing disputes, firing employees, and administering disciplinary procedures.
• Represent organisation at personnel-related hearings and investigations.
• Negotiate bargaining agreements and help interpret labor contracts.
• Identify staff vacancies and recruit, interview, and select applicants.
• Plan, direct, supervise, and coordinate work activities of subordinates and staff relating to employment, compensation, labor relations, and employee relations.
• Prepare personnel forecast to project employment needs.
• Provide current and prospective employees with information about policies, job duties, working conditions, wages, opportunities for promotion, and employee benefits.

Further Information

• Human Resources Manager - from: GradIreland
• Human Resources Manager - from: N.C.S. [UK]

This occupation is typically suited for people with the following Career Interests:

Social

The Social person's interests focus on interacting with the people in their environment. In all cases, the Social person enjoys the personal contact with other people in preference to the impersonal dealings with things, data and ideas found in other groups.

Many will seek out positions where there is direct contact with the public in some advisory role, whether a receptionist or a counsellor. Social people are motivated by an interest in different types of people and like diversity in their work environments. Many are drawn towards careers in the caring professions and social welfare area, whilst others prefer teaching and other 'informing' roles.

Enterprising

Enterprising people like situations that involve using resources for personal or corporate economic gain. Such people may have an opportunistic frame of mind, and are drawn to commerce, trade and making deals. Some pursue sales and marketing occupations. Many will eventually end up owning their own business, or in management roles in larger organisations. They tend to be very goal-oriented and work best when focused on a target. Some have an entrepreneurial inclination.

Administrative

Administrative people are interested in work that offers security and a sense of being part of a larger process. They may be at their most productive under supervisors who give clear guidelines and while performing routine tasks in a methodical and reliable way.

They tend to enjoy clerical and most forms of office work, where they perform essential administrative duties. They often form the backbone of large and small organisations alike. They may enjoy being in charge of office filing systems, and using computers and other office equipment to keep things running smoothly. They usually like routine work hours and prefer comfortable indoor workplaces.

Having experience in a professional HR role and knowledge of current employee legislation and administrative systems often gives candidates a major advantage.

Training & Development Pathways

FET Centre Traineeship: Business Admin, Customer service, Supervisory & Project Management in centres around Ireland NFQ Level 5-6 Search FET Courses

FET PLC Courses: Psychology, Business Management, Human Resource Management at NFQ Levels 5-6 Search FET PLC Courses

Apprenticeship: Recruitment Executive Apprenticeship NFQ level 8 Search Apprenticeships

Higher Education CAO Entry: Business Administration, Human Resource management, Arts Psychoology NFQ Levels 6-8 Search CAO courses

Professional Development & associations

Working as a HR Generalist can provide many career opportunities to move upward within the HR function, to HR Manager and eventually HR Director for example.

There are plenty of courses in HR management and employment law that can support you in your role and help you progress in your career as you need to stay up-to-date on employment law, GDPR and other regulations.

Postgraduate Study Options Business Administration, HR Management NFQ level 9

Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development in Ireland: Membership in professional bodies can give you access to news, events and training opportunities.

The 30% club: Diversity Initiative 

Last Updated: October, 2023

Salary Range (thousands per year)* €50k - €110k

Salaries vary based on employer, location, experience, duties, and role.

Data Source(s):
Azon/ Brightwater/ Morgan McKinley/ Lincoln/ Collins McNicholas / Exce Recruitment

Last Updated: April, 2023

* The lower figures typically reflect starting salaries. Higher salaries are awarded to those with greater experience and responsibility. Positions in Dublin sometimes command higher salaries.

View Salary information from Indeed.ie
Note: data not aways available

This occupation has been identified as a Job in Demand by the most recent National Skills Bulletin.

This information has been derived from the Solas National Skills Bulletin (2023).

The annual average employment growth rate for this occupation was almost on a par with the national average, with employment growing by 3,600 persons between 2021 and 2022. Of the total employment permits issued in 2022, over half were for the ICT sector. The number of online job adverts (OVATE) declined by 5% in 2022, following strong growth the preceding year.

Although there was little evidence from employers that these roles were proving difficult-to-fill, the skills required for this occupation have shifted somewhat, with data from Spotlight on Skills indicating a strong demand for talent management/employee engagement skills, as companies increasingly focus on staff retention rather than recruitment in a tight labour market.

Demand for this occupation depends very much on hiring activity in the economy overall; slower growth and a reduced number of job-changers, particularly in sectors such as ICT, will likely dampen the demand for HR staff, and a return to the 2021 increase in employment (driven by post-pandemic re-hiring) is unlikely in the short-term.

• Irish Management Institute

  • Clonard, Sandyford Road, Dublin 16
  • 1800 22 33 88
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• IITD - Irish Institute of Training and Development

  • 4, Sycamore House, Millenium Business Park, Naas, Co. Kildare
  • (045) 881 166
  • [email protected]
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• Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development in Ireland

  • CIPD, A3 The Locks, Charlotte Quay Dock, Dublin 4
  • (01) 678 0090
  • [email protected]
  • Click Here