Explore career options in human resource management
Here you can find information on the types of careers and employment roles a human resource management degree may land you.
You can also discover where to look for job vacancies, as well as professional associations, mentoring and international opportunities.
Opportunities
Human resource management professionals are employed in medium and large enterprises across all sectors of the workplace. They are responsible for supporting the functions associated with the people resources or staffing of an organisation. These include the development of policies, recruitment and selection, training and development, safety, staff planning, benefits and entitlements, remuneration, superannuation and redundancy.
Career fields
- State and federal government departments
- Human resource consultancies
- Large and medium-sized private companies
- Training organisations
- Not-for-profit sector
- Accounting and law firms
- Insurance companies
- Hospitals and health authorities
- Recruitment services
- Mining sector
- Agricultural sector
- Organisational change management
- Business advisory services
Employment roles
- Human resources assistant
- Human resources coordinator
- Human resources officer
- Payroll clerk graduate
- Placement administration officer
- Project officer human resources
- Training and development officer
- Employee relations coordinator
- Recruitment officer
- Employment assistance consultant
- Learning coordinator
- Learning and development consultant
- Trainee recruiter
- People systems administrator
- Workforce coordinator
- Organisational change consultant*
- Case manager*
- Career coach*
(* denotes further study at postgraduate level likely to be required)
Occupation snapshot
Employed
88,800
Future growth
13.1%
Weekly earnings
$1,870
Part-time share
17%
This data is based on the occupation profile for Human Resource Professionals, retrieved from the Government's Jobs and Skills Australia website and the Seek Explore Careers website July 2024.
Your employability
In addition to knowledge and skills directly related to your program of study, you will also develop a range of other skills such as teamwork, analytical, communication through academic study, employment, voluntary work, sporting and recreational activities and life experience.
Recognising the value employers place on these skills is an important factor in your graduate job search. You can further develop your employability with these resources:
Vacancies
Information on relevant vacancies can be found in a wide range of sources:
- CareerHub
- Prosple (formerly Grad Australia)
- GradConnection
- Australian Public Service Jobs
- Brisbane City Council vacancies
- Australian Local Government Directory
- Queensland Government jobs
- Queensland Government Graduate Portal
- Seek
- Research Career Jobs (Australia & New Zealand)
- Seek HRM vacancies for graduates
- Hays Personnel Services
- Hudson Recruitment
- Jobs in HR
- Adzuna HRM vacancies
Job application resources
Craft a stand-out resume and cover letter, and learn how to prepare for job interviews.
Approach potential employers
Many work opportunities are not advertised, so we recommend approaching potential employers with the aim of researching their needs and how your skills, experience, interests and qualifications could match theirs.
This is called informational interviewing and will benefit you by:
- clarifying your specific career direction
- enhancing your professional network
- increasing your chances of being offered a job.
Industry outlook
The Your Career website includes helpful information such as job descriptions, employment prospects, average weekly earnings and skills requirements. Every job title in the database has a skills section to help you identify and describe essential skills for your future career.
The My Future website also has job descriptions and a useful career insight section.
The Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching website has up-to-date information on graduate salaries, especially the Graduate Outlook Survey (GOS) National Report, which contains undergraduate salary figures.
More detailed information is available at the Labour Market Insights portal.
Professional associations
Joining a professional association is a great way to interact with people in your field who can assist you to explore your career options and potentially find employment opportunities. These associations hold regular professional development and networking events:
- Australian Human Resources Institute
- Australian Institute of Training and Development
- Industrial Relations Society of Queensland
- The International Association for Human Resource Information Management
- Recruitment and Consulting Services Association
Students are welcome to join and often receive a discount on their membership.
Mentoring
The award-winning Industry Mentoring Program provides an excellent opportunity to further develop your employability and build professional networks.
The program is available to students with more than 80CP as well as recent graduates.
Sustainable Development Goals
Griffith University is aligned to the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals ( SDGs ) and is committed to promoting decent work and economic growth, advancing the principles of responsible and sustainable consumption and production, and advocating for peace, justice, and resilient institutional frameworks.
Further careers information
Careers counselling
Individual career counselling sessions are available to all current students and recent graduates.
You can book an initial appointment via CareerHub.
Career planning
Our website has an array of career planning resources you can explore at any stage of your student journey.
Career Readiness
Check out our Career Readiness site in Learning@Griffith for additional information and resources for your career development learning:
Similar career options
Please note: The content on this webpage is a guide only. Please refer to degree-specific information and accreditation requirements of your profession on the Degree and Course Finder website and with the relevant professional accreditation body for your degree.