Karen M asked:
I wanted to take human resources program in university, but it is not offered by my school, so I was wondering if anyone knows something about public relations or affairs and public admin, if they are similar/not to human resources. Thank you
I wanted to take human resources program in university, but it is not offered by my school, so I was wondering if anyone knows something about public relations or affairs and public admin, if they are similar/not to human resources. Thank you
Tags: Administration Jobs, Human Relations, Human Resources Program
Human Resources (HR) is a discipline which includes hiring, sometimes training, personal assistance and improvement, discipline, sometimes firing. Often the HR department administers the company’s health care program. It’s also been known as Personnel Administration, or the Hiring Office. An HR manager usually has a Bachelor’s, although many career HR managers have Masters degrees. If you wanted to go for the post-grad degree, you could do your Bacc in a general business management environment, then do your Masters in HR.
Public Relations has to do with an organization’s interface with the public or the marketplace in which they operate. PR people must have good people, language, and writing skills. Often people who are involved in PR will also have duties that are closely allied to Marketing. Sometimes Marketing and PR departments are co-mingled, or Marketing personnel are given job descriptions which include a little of both disciplines. Public speaking is often part of the PR professional’s job requirements. In a marketing function, the research and writing of marketing plans is a must. In PR, writing press releases, company brochures, even putting together the Annual Report is part of the PR person’s duties. In a large organization, these are usually degreed positions. A Bachelors degree will generally suffice.
Public Administration (if it’s what I think you’re asking about) is the management of public sector organizations like local or state governments (city/county manager), some not-for-profit organizations (United Way), etc. These are definitely degreed positions, with a Bachelor’s as the minimum requirement. Many cities and counties look for MPAs (Masters of Public Administration). Achievers and those who aspire to really big organizations can also pick up their Doctorate. You manage large staffs of people, many assets (vehicle fleets, real estate holdings, etc.). There is a great deal of formal planning and budgeting activity. These are very visible jobs in the community. Therefore people and political skills are absolutely necessary for survival. One also needs the ability to interface with the public and often the Press. Background checks are usually very thorough, and you need to be almost squeaky clean to land a good job in the field.
Hope this helps a little.