Human Resources is the backbone of any organization. Learn how to break into this people-focused career path.
Talent Acquisition
Sourcing, screening, interviewing candidates
HR Operations
Payroll, compliance, employee records
Employee Engagement
Culture, events, retention programs
Learning & Development
Training programs, skill development
TCS, Infosys, Wipro, Accenture, Cognizant (large HR teams)
Swiggy, Zomato, CRED, Razorpay (fast-paced, diverse exposure)
Mercer, Aon, Korn Ferry, Michael Page
HR is a diverse field with many career paths. Here's what each specialization involves:
Finding and attracting the best candidates for open positions.
Key Activities: Job posting, sourcing candidates, screening resumes, conducting interviews, offer negotiations
Tools Used: LinkedIn Recruiter, Naukri, Greenhouse, Lever, ATS systems
Best For: People-oriented individuals who enjoy networking and sales-like work
Managing day-to-day HR processes and employee lifecycle.
Key Activities: Payroll processing, attendance management, employee records, compliance, documentation
Tools Used: Zoho People, Darwinbox, BambooHR, greytHR, Excel
Best For: Detail-oriented people who enjoy systematic work and process improvement
Creating positive workplace culture and keeping employees happy.
Key Activities: Events planning, pulse surveys, recognition programs, wellness initiatives, team building
Tools Used: Culture Amp, Officevibe, Slack, event management tools
Best For: Creative, energetic people who love organizing and making others feel valued
Designing and delivering training programs for skill development.
Key Activities: Training needs analysis, course design, workshop facilitation, LMS management
Tools Used: LMS platforms, Articulate, Skillsoft, Coursera for Business
Best For: Those who enjoy teaching and helping others grow professionally
Designing fair and competitive pay structures and benefits.
Key Activities: Salary benchmarking, benefits design, bonus structures, equity planning
Tools Used: PayScale, Glassdoor, Excel, compensation software
Best For: Analytical minds who like data and financial modeling
Using data to make better HR decisions.
Key Activities: Attrition analysis, hiring metrics, engagement score tracking, predictive models
Tools Used: Excel, SQL, Tableau, Power BI, Python
Best For: Data enthusiasts who want to bring analytics to HR
Modern HR relies heavily on technology. Familiarize yourself with these tools to stand out:
Popular in Indian startups. Handles attendance, leave, performance, and employee database. User-friendly interface.
Leading HRMS in India. Used by Swiggy, Myntra, JioMart. Covers entire employee lifecycle from hire to retire.
Enterprise-grade HCM used by large MNCs. Industry standard for global companies.
Premium tool for sourcing candidates. InMail, advanced search, and candidate tracking features.
Job posting and resume database. Essential for India market recruitment.
ATS (Applicant Tracking System) for managing hiring pipeline. Popular in tech companies.
Still essential! Used for reporting, data analysis, and quick calculations. Master pivot tables and VLOOKUP.
Internal communication. HR often manages company-wide announcements and channels.
Here's what a typical day looks like for HR interns at different types of companies:
HR interviews focus heavily on behavioral questions and situational judgment. Here's how to prepare:
Show genuine interest in people, workplace culture, and organizational development. Connect it to your experiences.
Use STAR format. Show empathy, listening skills, and fair resolution. Focus on how everyone's needs were addressed.
Emphasize discretion, understanding of privacy importance, and ethical handling. Give concrete examples if possible.
Discuss remote work, employee wellness, DEI initiatives, people analytics, or AI in recruitment. Show you follow industry news.
"A high-performing employee's performance has dropped significantly in the last 3 months. How would you handle this?"
Approach: Investigate causes (personal issues, workload, conflict), have empathetic conversation, create support plan, document appropriately while being supportive.
"Two candidates are equally qualified for a role. One has more experience, the other has better culture fit. Who do you choose?"
Approach: Consider role requirements, team needs, growth potential. Usually culture fit + potential beats pure experience. Explain your reasoning.
Here's the typical career progression in HR:
Salary: ₹10K-25K/month (internship) | Learn basics across HR functions
Salary: ₹3-6 LPA | Handle specific function (recruitment, operations)
Salary: ₹8-15 LPA | Lead a team, own HR function for business unit
Salary: ₹15-25 LPA | Strategic HR partner to business leaders
Salary: ₹30L-1Cr+ | Lead entire HR function, shape company culture
Stay ahead by understanding where HR is heading:
Networking is especially important in HR since it's a people-focused field:
Find an HR mentor early in your career. This could be your internship supervisor, a professor, or a senior HR professional you connect with. A good mentor can accelerate your learning, provide guidance on tough situations, and open doors to opportunities.
Not for internships or entry-level roles. Skills, attitude, and people orientation matter more initially. An MBA can help for senior positions and wider opportunities, but many successful HR professionals built careers without it.
Absolutely! Every company needs HR. With digital transformation, HR roles are becoming more strategic and well-compensated. People analytics, HR tech, and employee experience are hot areas with great growth potential.
Generally good compared to many other fields. Can get busy during hiring sprees, annual reviews, or policy changes. Corporate HR tends to be more stable; startup HR can be more demanding but offers faster learning.
No! While HR has traditionally had more women, this is changing. Diversity in HR teams brings better perspectives. Many successful CHROs are men. What matters is people skills, not gender.
Yes! HR skills transfer well to operations, customer success, consulting, and general management. People analytics can lead to data roles. Many founders and CEOs have HR backgrounds.
For entry-level, not critical—experience matters more. Certifications like SHRM, HRCI, or specific tool certifications can help later in career. Free LinkedIn Learning courses are a good start.
Recruiting (Talent Acquisition) is one function within HR. Recruiting focuses on hiring; HR encompasses the entire employee lifecycle—onboarding, development, engagement, compensation, compliance, and exit. Many start in recruiting and expand.
Start as a generalist to understand all functions. After 2-3 years, specializing (recruiting, L&D, analytics) can boost your career. HR Business Partner roles require generalist experience. Specialization pays more but generalists have more flexibility.
Balancing employee advocacy with business needs. HR serves both employees and the organization—sometimes these conflict. Learning to navigate this tension while maintaining trust from both sides is the core challenge. Also, building credibility as a young professional in a field that deals with senior employees.
(1) Event organization demonstrates planning and coordination (2) Conflict resolution in any setting shows people skills (3) Teaching or mentoring shows training ability (4) Any customer- facing role demonstrates communication (5) Data analysis in any field is relevant (6) Volunteer work shows empathy and service.
Basic: Excel, HRMS platforms (Zoho People, Darwinbox), LinkedIn. Intermediate: ATS systems, data visualization basics. Advanced: People analytics, Python for HR, AI tools for recruitment. Focus on being comfortable with technology—it's essential for modern HR.
(1) Prepare thoroughly—know the facts (2) Stay calm and neutral (3) Listen more than you speak (4) Ask clarifying questions (5) Avoid taking sides (6) Document everything (7) Escalate to senior HR when needed (8) Maintain confidentiality always. Practice difficult conversations with mentors.
HR is about understanding and supporting people. If you're empathetic, organized, and love working with people, HR is a great career choice.
The best HR professionals started by caring about people. Start there. 💼
Written by Sproutern Career Team
Based on insights from HR professionals across industries.
Regularly updated
