How Do I Become a Personnel Administrator?

To become a personnel administrator, you will typically need a bachelor's degree, strong administrative skills, and some experience working in an office environment, preferably in a human resources or personnel department. Depending on your employer, you may also need to complete ongoing training programs in the form of continuing education or workshops at professional conferences in order to develop your skills and knowledge of personnel issues. To advance in your career, you may need to complete a postgraduate degree in human resources or personnel administration as well as one or more professional certification programs offered by industry organizations.

A personnel administrator is someone who specializes in the recruiting, training, and care of an organization's employees. After you become a personnel administrator, you will generally be expected to assist in hiring employees, developing training programs for both new hires and current employees, and administering the employee evaluation process. In addition, you will typically be expected to keep records on employees and to advise managers and supervisors on handling difficulties with their subordinates. You may also be expected to handle tasks such as exit interviews with those who are leaving the company. In companies that have very small personnel or human resources departments, you may take on additional duties, such as handling employee benefits.

While education can be important in furthering your career in human resources, you may not need a degree in human resources to become personnel administrator. In fact, it may be difficult to find a human resources or personnel administration undergraduate degree in some countries. It is often possible, however, to take coursework in human resources within a university's school of business. Another option is to complete a program in office administration, as administrative skills are essential when working in human resources or personnel administration. After you complete a bachelor's degree, you may decide to earn a master's degree in human resources.

Regardless of your educational background, actual on-the-job experience is essential to progressing in a human resources career. Before you become a personnel administrator, you'll typically want to get an entry-level job in a human resources department. During this time, you will probably be engaged in a variety of clerical tasks as you learn your company's policies and how to be an effective human resources specialist. Typical human resources managers will want to see evidence that you are able to perform standard administrative tasks while also maintaining a high level of confidentiality. As you continue your job, you should seek out additional management and supervisory opportunities so that you can demonstrate your competency in human resources and personnel administration tasks.