HR Manager job description: duties, skills and qualifications.

Core duties

16

O*NET task statements

Preparation

Job Zone 4 of 5

considerable preparation

Typical entry education

Bachelor's degree

BLS 2025–35

Median pay

$149,280

BLS May 2025

Data Government data groups this job as Human Resources Managers (O*NET-SOC 11-3121.00). Figures on this page are for that occupation.

1. Serve as a link between management and employees by handling questions, interpreting and administering contracts and helping resolve work-related problems. importance 4.7 of 5
2. Plan, direct, supervise, and coordinate work activities of subordinates and staff relating to employment, compensation, labor relations, and employee relations. importance 4.5 of 5
3. Perform difficult staffing duties, including dealing with understaffing, refereeing disputes, firing employees, and administering disciplinary procedures. importance 4.5 of 5
4. Represent organization at personnel-related hearings and investigations. importance 4.4 of 5
5. Negotiate bargaining agreements and help interpret labor contracts. importance 4.3 of 5
6. Advise managers on organizational policy matters, such as equal employment opportunity and sexual harassment, and recommend needed changes. importance 4.3 of 5
7. Plan and conduct new employee orientation to foster positive attitude toward organizational objectives. importance 4.1 of 5
8. Analyze and modify compensation and benefits policies to establish competitive programs and ensure compliance with legal requirements. importance 4.0 of 5
9. Identify staff vacancies and recruit, interview, and select applicants. importance 4.0 of 5
10. Investigate and report on industrial accidents for insurance carriers. importance 4.0 of 5
11. Analyze statistical data and reports to identify and determine causes of personnel problems and develop recommendations for improvement of organization's personnel policies and practices. importance 4.0 of 5
12. Administer compensation, benefits, and performance management systems, and safety and recreation programs. importance 3.9 of 5
13. Prepare and follow budgets for personnel operations. importance 3.9 of 5
14. Maintain records and compile statistical reports concerning personnel-related data such as hires, transfers, performance appraisals, and absenteeism rates. importance 3.8 of 5
15. Provide current and prospective employees with information about policies, job duties, working conditions, wages, opportunities for promotion, and employee benefits. importance 3.7 of 5
16. Plan, organize, direct, control, or coordinate the personnel, training, or labor relations activities of an organization. importance 3.6 of 5

Work activities O*NET rates most important here: Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others, Making Decisions and Solving Problems and Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards.

Also part of the job

Supplemental tasks O*NET lists for this occupation: less central than the core duties above, and not done in every job.

• Develop, administer, and evaluate applicant tests.
• Contract with vendors to provide employee services, such as food service, transportation, or relocation service.
• Provide terminated employees with outplacement or relocation assistance.

Knowledge areas: Personnel and Human Resources, English Language, Administration and Management, Customer and Personal Service and Education and Training.

Software O*NET lists for this occupation: Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft PowerPoint, Workday software, Applicant tracking software. These are examples O*NET records for the job, not a list of tools every employer uses or a checklist of what you must know.

• Education: BLS lists a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education.
• Experience: BLS lists 5 years or more of work experience in a related occupation as typical.
• Training on the job: BLS lists no typical on-the-job training once hired.
• Preparation: O*NET places the job in Job Zone 4 of 5 (considerable preparation). A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations.
• Licenses and certifications: not listed here. A license is a legal requirement set by a state; a certification is a credential from a private or professional body. Rules vary by state and employer, and a missing entry on this page does not mean none is required: check with your state's licensing board and see how to become an HR manager.

Most O*NET's occupation experts for this occupation (82%) name a bachelor's degree as the education the job requires.

Job title: HR Manager
[Company] · [City, State] · [Full-time or part-time] · [Pay range, where your state requires one]

About the role
[Company] is hiring an HR Manager to plan, direct, or coordinate human resources activities and staff of an organization.
[One sentence on your team and why this role matters.]

What you will do
- Serve as a link between management and employees by handling questions, interpreting and administering contracts and helping resolve work-related problems.
- Plan, direct, supervise, and coordinate work activities of subordinates and staff relating to employment, compensation, labor relations, and employee relations.
- Perform difficult staffing duties, including dealing with understaffing, refereeing disputes, firing employees, and administering disciplinary procedures.
- Represent organization at personnel-related hearings and investigations.
- Negotiate bargaining agreements and help interpret labor contracts.
- Advise managers on organizational policy matters, such as equal employment opportunity and sexual harassment, and recommend needed changes.
- Plan and conduct new employee orientation to foster positive attitude toward organizational objectives.
- Analyze and modify compensation and benefits policies to establish competitive programs and ensure compliance with legal requirements.

What we are looking for
- [Education: BLS lists a bachelor's degree as typical for this occupation; set the level this role truly needs]
- [Experience: BLS lists 5 years or more in a related occupation as typical; adjust to this role]
- Strength in active listening, management of personnel resources and reading comprehension
- Working knowledge of Personnel and Human Resources and English Language
- [Software your team uses, e.g. Microsoft Excel or Microsoft Office software]
- [Any license or certification your state or company requires]

[Schedule, benefits and how to apply]

Illustrative: every name, employer, school, date and number in these samples is fictional or a bracketed placeholder. Replace each bracket with your own true details; never copy a result you did not achieve.

Not a real job posting. This template is TryHired's illustration built from government occupational data. It is not an opening at any employer, and no employer wrote it.

The median annual wage was $149,280 in May 2025. The median hourly wage was $71.77. BLS estimates about 220,660 jobs in this occupation in the U.S.

BLS projects employment of HR managers to grow 5.5% from 2025 to 2035, with about 16,800 openings a year over that period, including openings to replace workers who leave.

See the full HR manager salary breakdown by percentile, state and metro.

• Read a real HR manager posting next to the core duties above. Duties it repeats, such as “Serve as a link between management and employees by handling…”, tell you what that employer weighs most; anything it adds is specific to that team.
• Tailor your resume to the posting, not to this page: describe only HR manager work you have actually done, with your own results.
• Prepare a story for each of the top-rated skills (active listening and management of personnel resources); HR manager interview questions turns them into practice questions.