Portfolio Project

Instructor: Elizabeth Kropf

Jeannie McCall 6/14/19 English 202

Introduction:

The two potential career paths I have chosen are to become a Human Resources assistant or a Human Resources specialist for a business firm. I have chosen to possibly become a Human Resources assistant to get hands-on experience. The other possibility I have chosen is to become a Human Resources specialist. The reason for this is that I have noticed that sometimes, organizations fail because of employees who take advantage of the organization internally and externally. I want to be one of the people who make sure they are compliant with the rules and regulations.

Statement of Focus:

I will compare the two positions by researching the salaries (whether one pays more than the other) and what job duties are required. I also need to find out what the education requirements are.

Methods:

Using the internet to find the jobs I have chosen will aid me in figuring out which one I really need to focus on more. I can use a job search tool or find articles related to the job of my choice. I can also use the school’s virtual library for my job choices.

Limitations:

An obstacle I might face is difficulty finding enough information on the two job positions I have chosen, as I might not find the right information on the two positions. After researching the positions, there is a possibility that I might start to have doubts.

Conclusion:

The research that I will conduct will help me choose the career for me. This depends on what the research determines, such as a good salary, which is this something that I want to know about. I will have to look at both positions in depth to figure this out. The job requirements and salary will be key factors in my choice.

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Research Questions

Research question that will inform you generally about chosen career.

Whether there will be a demand for a career in the field of marketing in the future.

What trends will affect that career in the near future?

Research questions that will inform one of your future career paths that will be addressed in the professional plan.

What are the skills, knowledge, and experience required for a sales officer role in the marketing field?

Where I can get a job? In the local area, or I must relocate to another city?

Research questions that will inform a second future career path that will be addressed in your professional plan.

What skills, knowledge and expertise are required to be a financial officer in the banking field?

Is the pay package good in this field?

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Annotated Bibliography

1. McGrath, C., & Percival, J. (2013). Short-term and long-term returns to innovation from the application of technology and training practices. International Journal of Innovation Management, 17(5), 1. doi:10.1142/S1363919613500230 www.researchgate.net/publication/263986950

The intention of McGrath’s paper was to investigate innovation outcomes associated with complementary sets of training practices. An issue any manager will face when choosing which training practices or new technologies to implement is predicting the timing of returns generated by these investments (pg. 2). Returns can be measured in terms of revenue, productivity and efficiency. They predicted that the complexity of technology and process of learning by using/doing it would result in short-term innovation returns being far less than those experienced in the long-term (pg 11). They also predicted the opposite would occur for the training factors due to the obsolescence of acquired skills over time (pg. 14). Their results show that short-term innovation returns for training factors are consistently higher than those for technology.

2. Sara Nolan, (2011) "Employee engagement", Strategic HR Review, Published by

EmeraldGroupPublishingLimited2011Designhttps://www.glassdoor.com/Salary/Amazon-HR-Assistant-Salaries-E6 The fulltext of this document has been downloaded 4521 times since 2013 036_D_KO7,19.htmhttps://www.humanresourcesedu.org/hr-specialist/# Vol. 10 Issue: 3, https://doi.org/10.1108/shr.2011.37210caa.001

A growing awareness of unavoidable demographics is creating a greater urgency for HR professionals everywhere to focus more attention and energy on retaining talented employees and keeping them actively engaged in their work. Nolan investigates this principle which I will in turn use to strengthen my case about employee engagement. New strategies are emerging that go well beyond traditional solutions, holding much promise in the effort to keep and engage well-performing employees. This was in agreement with a lot of what I believe talent acquisition should be about. This was a little dated but it has strength in current standards in its work.

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3. Shuck, B., Twyford, D., Reio, T. G., & Shuck, A. (2014). Human resource developmentPractices and employee engagement: Examining the connection with employee turnoverintentions. Human Resource Development Quarterly, Volume25, Issue (2,) 239-270. doi:10.1002/hrdq.21190. F https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/hrdq.21190

The relationship between how an employee perceives support for participation in HRD practices, engagement and turnover intent has been underrepresented in the article. Using social exchange theory as a guiding framework, this research sought to better understand the possible links between HRD practices and employee engagement to turnover intentions. An Internet-based self-report survey battery utilizing a four-stage preparation method was used as the primary data collection tool. The findings support the utility of supporting employee participation in HRD practices to improve employee engagement and reduce turnover intent.

4. Chang, W., Huang, C., & Kuo, Y. (2015). Design of employee training in Taiwanese nonprofits. Article first published online: September 10, 2013; Issue published: February 1, 2015 Wei-Wen Chang, National Taiwan Normal University, No. 162, HePing East Road, Section 1, Taipei 106, Taiwan. Email: changw@ntnu.edu.tw Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 44(1), 25-46. doi:10.1177/0899764013502878.

In this study, Chang & Kuo (2015) focused on the factors that affect the design of employee training. This began with a discussion over training practices of nonprofits as a result of those factors. Smaller nonprofits in Taiwan were studied; larger nonprofits, such as the Red Cross and World Vision, were not included in the present study (pg. 25) Through interviews with 20 participating companies in Taiwan, Chang & Kuo (2015) found that the widely used linear training design framework, including assessment, design, development, implementation and evaluation might not be appropriate for many nonprofits due to organizational factors such as human resources (pg. 30). Due to the influence of these factors, the practice of training in nonprofits has moved beyond structured design and diverse on-the-job approaches are now being applied. This will show a contrast with employee training.

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The two career choices that I have chosen after getting my degree is to become a Human Resource assistant or a Human Resource specialist. (Journal of Business Ethics, 8(4), 217-230.) Human Resources is about making it so that the human capital has sufficient skills, motivation, and inclination to perform their part in converting the company's resources to the final products as well as the fact that the human resource of a company sets apart in terms of differentiation, the service it provides, its consistency with the customers, and, most importantly, the innovation it brings to the functionality of the company.

A Human Resources Assistant works for office firm organizations and office team agencies, while a Human Resources Specialist works in hotels, hospitals, grocery stores companies, and retail companies, as well as a host of other firms, and can be a private hire to help organizations take care of their firms. Human Resources is known as a worldwide organization career (learn.org).

A Human Resource Assistant. The position requires multitasking. It includes the ability to use critical thinking, problem solving, organizing, effective communication, and listening skills. HR assistant duties involve recruiting, hiring, and training new employees. The most typical tasks an HR assistant performs include writing job descriptions for openings, gathering information on new applicants, posting jobs, contacting references, and informing employees of hiring status (Collier & Esteban). The HR assistant of an HR team is often responsible for answering employee questions and processing incoming mail. The HR assistant must be able to create and distribute documents as well as providing customer service to organization employees. The HR assistant must be able to serve as a point of contact with benefit vendors/administrators. The HR assistant has the responsibility of making sure that the company's employee and HR data is maintained by updating and entering data, setting appointments, and arranging meetings, and you also have to maintain calendars of the HR management team and compiling reports and spreadsheets and preparing and handling travel arrangements for company executives.(hiring.monster.com/employer-resources/job-description)

The HR specialists' responsibilities can be, for example, staffing, planning, organizing, controlling, directing, and being able to decide what guidelines the organization must follow, such as new laws and old laws and what is best for the company and the organization. As an HR specialist, you are responsible for preparing or updating employment records related to hiring, transferring, promoting, and terminating, explain HR policies, procedures, laws, and standards to new and existing employees. Another responsibility is to ensure that new hiring candidates have all their paperwork completed and processed (Bratton, J., & Gold, J. Having the paperwork completed and processed can help a lot in any legal situations that can arise. The paperwork is evidence and helps the HR managers to win the case. The HR manager can save the company from fraud, theft, and other issues.) This also includes informing job applicants of job duties, responsibilities, benefits, schedules, working conditions, promotion opportunities. One of the most important responsibilities, is addressing any employment related issues, such as work complaints and harassment allegations. This is a major responsibility because the company needs

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to be protected from any kind of bad reputation. An HR specialist's responsibility is to process all personnel action forms and ensure proper approval. This is also very important because a Human resource specialist wasn’t to make sure there is no lawsuits or sanctions against the company for avoidable issues. This responsibility is considered as an everyday task, which is to oversee the hiring process, including coordinating job posts, reviewing resumes, and performing reference checks.

Regarding the positive and negative sides of being a Human Resource assistant, (HR assistant), assistant is that the assistants gets to gain more experience in their job profile and in terms of remuneration. Another positive part of being an HR assistant is that HR assistants are responsible for the payroll. This gives them financial authority to ensure that employees are paid properly. This would be great for gaining better management experience. HR assistants also qualify candidates that are suitable for an open position to fulfill the organization's requirements (Bonn & Fisher, 2005). This work requires management skills and allows them to gain better management experience. My last pro of being an HR assistant is having job satisfaction; meaning there will be new experiences and challenges every day. Overcoming those challenges will make the job more satisfying and interesting. A possible negative side of being in an HR assistant career is that human resource personnel, especially HR assistants, are the mediators between top management and employees. Making decisions and taking sides among them can be a tough, as one cannot satisfy every side's demands at the same time.

Regarding the positive and negative aspects of being a Human Resources Specialist (HR specialist), one positive Bonn & Fisher, 2005). is that it provides the opportunity to gain management experience, while working to motivate employees to perform well. Being an HR specialist also provides better professional growth. Another great perk for an HR specialist is having the ability to work side by side with employees and management level personnel, which improves strategic thinking ability and communication skills. Another positive is that HR specialists get a sense of accomplishment by working to resolve employee issues and job satisfaction through handling work duties and responsibilities effectively. A negative side of being a Human Resources specialist is that they must face legal obligations, as they hold the financial authority for employee compensation and other packages, therefore they must be trustworthy and responsible. Being an HR specialist, one must maintain some professional distance from the employees.

(glassdoor.com) Majority of Human Resource assistant’s education levels or high school diplomas or equivalent for Human Resource assistants’ position. Some Human Resource employers may prefer to hire HR candidates who have a bachelor's degree in human resource management, business or a related field. Certificate and associates’ degree programs in human resource management are also available.

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HR Specialist Education and Certification Requirements (humanresourcesedu.org) HR specialists education Requirements qualifications for Human Resource Specialist who must generally possess, at a minimum, a bachelor’s degree in human resources, business management, or a related field (some states like New York a Associate’s Degree can qualify for a minimum level of education Bryant & Stratton college) majority common career paths for HR specialists involves acquiring experience in the field of human resources and, often, pursuing a master’s degree in an Human Resource specialization. Specialization is available to only students who are receiving their master’s degree in human resources (Master of Arts/Master of Science in Human Resource Management) this often for students who want to go into the human resource management, organizational development, and human resource performance field. Another Human Resources specialist is the Master of Business Administration (MBA) which is in the Human Resource Management field. A Master of Business Administration in Human Resource Management trains HR specialists to work well in a number of HR disciplines, why it focuses on the key aspects of leadership, interpersonal and organizational behaviors, and approaches for managing and motivating employees.

Professional Certification Options for HR SpecialistsThe two most widely recognized certifying bodies in HR include:

Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM)SHRM-CP (certified professional)SHRM-SCP (senior certified professional)HR Certification Institute (HRCI)Professional in Human Resources (PHR)Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR)Global Professional in Human Resources (GPHR)Human Resource Management Professional (HRMP)Human Resource Business Professional (HRBP)California Certification for PHR and SPHR certified professionals

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Salaries per certification are as follows,

(humanresourcesdu.org) Options for associate degree Holders in Human Resource ManagementAssociate’s degrees in Human Resource Management (HRM) open the lowest level position in an HR department: Job Title Salary RangeHR Assistant/Generalist $33,250 – $54,000Benefits Assistant $25,100 – $44,400Compliance Specialist $38,700 – $39,700 

(humanresourcesdu.org) Career Options and Salary Ranges with a Bachelor’s in HR ManagementA bachelor’s degree opens the door to well-paying entry-level roles in every aspect of HRM. Jobs can include: Job Title Salary RangeBenefits Coordinator $48,250 – $64,000Recruiting Specialist $35,250 – $57,250Development/Training Specialist $49,900 – $113,100Benefits Supervisor $71,300 – $85,000

After reading the requirements and required skills from education, salary, and the pros and cons regarding each career path. I have decided to focus on building my experience in the Human Resources field, so the pathway for my future is to start off as a Human Resources assistant, to get the hands-on skills I need. Then, in time, I plan to get further educational experience and take the second career path as a Human Resources specialist who has more experience to move on to a great job with better range of pay. But I know whatever path I take; I have the skills to accomplish whichever I set my mind to.

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References

Daskin, M., Arasli, H., & Kasim, A. (2015). The impact of management commitment to service quality, intrinsic motivation and nepotism on front-line employees' affective work outcomes. International Journal of Management Practice, 8(4), 269-295. doi:10.1504/IJMP.2015.073492https://hiring.monster.com/employer-resources/job-description-templates/human-resources-assistant-job-description-sample/https://www.bls.gov/ooh/business-and-financial/human-resources-specialists.htmPerez, T. E. (2015). The Fair Labor Standards Act: A living document. Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society, 54(4), 529-532. Retrieved from: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_Labor_Standards_Act_of_1938Boisjoly, R. P., Curtis, E. F., & Mellican, E. (1989). Roger Boisjoly and the Challenger disaster: The ethical dimensions. Journal of Business Ethics, 8(4), 217-230.Bonn, I., & Fisher, J.bn Insights from the strategic planning experience. Corporate Governance: An international review, 13(6), 730-738.Bratton, J., & Gold, J. (2012). Human resource management: Theory and practice. Palgrave Macmillan.Collier, J., & Esteban, R. (2007). Corporate social responsibility and employeecommitment. Business ethics: A European review, 16(1), 19-33.Farr, J. V., Lee, M. A., Metro, R. A., & Sutton, J. P. (2001). Using a systematic engineering

Designhttps://www.glassdoor.com/Salary/Amazon-HR-Assistant-Salaries-E6036_D_KO7,19.htm https://www.humanresourcesedu.org/hr-specialist/#

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