If you have great interpersonal skills, are organised and enjoy helping people, a career as a Human Resource Manager could be for you.
Read on to learn more about this career and whether it’s something you’re looking to go into.
Career Overview: Human Resources Manager
As a Human Resources Manager, you will implement and interpret all company policies when it comes to staffing, employment, payroll or other issues relating to employees and bosses. You would essentially manage how staff members are used according to their skills and abilities within a company framework, in such a way that the company gets the best out of employees and the employees are well looked after.
Required School Subjects
You will need to have taken the following subjects in high school:
- English (Home Language or First Additional Language)
- Pure Mathematics
Recommended subjects:
- Accounting
- Business Studies
Institution and APS
The following institutions are highly recommended for further studies:
- Durban University of Technology (DUT) – APS of 24-30
- Rhodes University (RU) – APS of 40 or above
- University of Western Cape (UWC) – APS of 30
- University of Johannesburg (UJ) – APS of 28
- University of Pretoria (UP) – APS of 35
- University of Witwatersrand (Wits) – APS of 30+
Required Qualification/s
In order to become a qualified Human Resources Manager in South Africa, you will need a diploma or degree in a relevant field of study. Studying organisational psychology, human resources development or industrial psychology would be a good bet.
Required Skills
You will need to have the following skills to succeed as a Human Resource Manager:
- an ability to work with people
- strategic thinking
- able to understand and regulate company rules and policies
- developmental and communication skills
- problem solving
- time management
- interpersonal skills
- ability to make a difference
- leadership
- management
- negotiating skills
- disciplinary skills
- IT
- good with numbers and finance
Where you can work
As a Human Resource Manager, you will be able to work in one of the following areas:
- Private companies, big or small
- Government, public offices
- Charities and the like (NGO, NPO etc.)
- Corporate companies worldwide
- Universities
Working Hours
Regular working hours would be between 40 – 45 hours per week and sometimes Human Reseource Managers would be required to work shifts or overtime depending on the company you work for.
Expected Salary
The average salary per year in South Africa as a Human Resource Manager is around R377,031 and an hourly rate of about R161, according to PayScale.
What to expect
Here are a few things you can expect from a career as a Human Resource Manager:
- Expect to work with other people and to have an understanding of how to communicate regulations clearly.
- Expect to learn and understand different sets of company regulations with regards to staffing, employment contracts, company agreements and the way things are run.
- Expect to hold staff members accountable to their contracts and manage disciplinary action if needed.
- Expect to work with other people and be subject to management and others in authority around you.
- Expect to manage finances to some degree depending on the place you work in.
Related Articles
Understanding a Career in Human Resource Management
Not sure what you want to become but know you like working with people?
Human Resource Management at VUT
Interested to find out what it’s like to study Human Resource Management at Vaal
