Personnel Consultant
Personnel consultants work in human resource departments to perform tasks ranging from screening and placing new employees to communicating with outside business associates and assessing quality control systems in other HR departments. Qualified personnel consultants can also work independently by providing temporary assistance to start-up companies or established businesses that are reassessing their HR needs.
Educational Requirements to Work as a Personnel Consultant
Obtaining a position as a personnel consultant requires earning a bachelor's degree in any one or more of these fields:- Human Resource Management
- Organizational Development
- Business Administration
- Business Management
- Project Management
Personnel consultants can also take courses to specialize in specific industries, such as healthcare, marketing, technology, supply chain or retail. For example, a student wanting to work as a personnel consultant in the healthcare industry would take courses about electronic health records (EHR) systems, hospital administration procedures and how to assess potential employees for positions in a medical environment.
Additional courses helpful to pursuing a career as a personnel consultant include:- Industrial/organizational psychology
- Interpersonal communication
- Principles of labor relations
- Computer technology/database management
- Fundamentals of sociology
- Public speaking
- Employment laws
- Accounting and payroll
Succeeding as a Personnel Consultant
Successful personnel consultants are skilled mediators who can resolve conflicts, handle multiple disputes simultaneously and defuse interpersonal conflicts that often occur in industrial and business settings. In addition, they should be adept at coordinating company events and activities, develop insight into hiring the right employees and be able to provide relevant instruction to new hires entering the HR department.
Becoming a Certified Personnel Consultant
Individuals can become a certified personnel consultant after earning a BA or BS by enrolling with a professional organization such as the National Association of Personnel Services (NAPS). Offering several different certifications that include the Certified Personnel Consultant qualification, NAPS also provides online classes and examinations concerning ethics and standards as well as legal aspects of the staffing/human resources field.
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