If you work in human resources, you’ll have a lot of interpersonal skills and soft skills that you can use in many other career paths. A survey found that 92% of employers believe that soft skills are equally or more important than hard skills.
This is why if you’re an HR professional looking to change your job, you’ll have a diverse range of career opportunities. And to help you out, I’m going to list the 17 best alternative career options for HR professionals. So let’s dive right in!
Read More: 7 High-Paying Alternative Careers for Engineering Dropouts
The Best Alternative Career Options for HR Professionals
Here are the 17 best career changes from HR:
- Human Resources Professor
- Payroll Specialist
- HR Consultant
- Data Scientist
- Social and Community Service Coordinator
- Personality Development Coach
- Business Analyst
- Wellness Manager
- Business Coach
- Digital Marketing Specialist
- Recruiter
- Corporate Trainer
- Professional Resume Writer
- Administrative Services Manager
- Project Manager
- Medical and Health Services Manager
- Compensation and Benefits Planner
1. Human Resources Professor
Annual average earnings: $95,142
If you still love your HR career, why not upgrade to a human resources professor? Since you already know the ins and outs of the career, you’ll be able to transition out of HR and into a professor easily.
In this role, your duties include crafting course curricula, developing syllabi for classes, delivering lectures to students, conducting exams and quizzes, evaluating and grading coursework, and providing guidance to students. Basically, you’ll be teaching the new generation of HR managers and professionals.
2. Payroll Specialist
Annual average earnings: $39,789
Do you consider a career in finance? Well, you might be wondering, “What can I do with an HR background and deal with finances?” The answer: become a payroll specialist.
Here, you’ll collaborate with companies to manage payment processing, as well as oversee employee retirement and health insurance. You’ll also deal with salaries, work hours, payment and benefit errors, and tax details. You’ll be the one handling the company’s payroll.
3. HR Consultant
Annual average earnings: $73,545
The best careers for HR professionals deal with people skills. And as a human resources consultant, you’ll be dealing with all kinds of clients.
You’ll help these clients with a range of matters, including compliance issues, talent management, and other financial performances. The NoCode Institute team says, “With your extensive knowledge of HR policies and procedures, you’ll be a valuable asset to companies seeking guidance and expertise in their HR operations.”
4. Data Scientist
Annual average earnings: $123,620
If you’re looking to earn 6-figures, then consider becoming a data scientist. Here, you’ll analyze and interpret complex data to extract valuable insights, inform decision-making, and solve business challenges effectively.
How in the world does a career in human resources help you become a data scientist? Well, you can utilize your understanding of human behavior and organizational necessities. This can contribute significantly to interpreting trends and patterns in data.
5. Social and Community Service Coordinator
Annual average earnings: $50,294
If you have a heart to help the general public, you can choose to be a social and community service coordinator. With this job, you’ll identify community needs and implement programs for support. You’ll plan and track outreach initiatives.
I don’t need to go into detail about how much of a rewarding career this job can be. The even better news is that, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, this fulfilling career will see a 9% growth from 2022 to 2032.
6. Personality Development Coach
Annual average earnings: $81,767
With your HR experience and skills, you’ll make a great personality development coach. This is a very similar alternative career for human resources – only this time, you won’t be in a corporate setting.
You’ll be dealing with people on a personal level. You’ll help them unleash their potential, overcome obstacles, and attain their goals.
7. Business Analyst
Annual average earnings: $74,248
A business analyst digs into how things work in a company, as well as uses data to improve efficiency, solve problems, and aid decisions. Here’s what Thirumoorthy Rathinakumar, a project manager and problem-solving coach, says:
For human resource professionals, this field offers a natural transition, leveraging their skills in data interpretation and understanding organizational needs to drive strategic decisions.
8. Wellness Manager
Annual average earnings: $59,521
A survey by Deloitte discovered that 91% of employees say that they have well-being goals. It’s no wonder wellness managers are wanted.
So an alternative career for HR professionals is a wellness manager. You’ll be in charge of organizing workplace health programs to encourage healthy habits and tackle health issues. You’ll address stress, weight loss, fitness, diet, and substance abuse.
9. Business Coach
Annual average earnings: $79,267
Are you great at coaching? Then you can use your unique set of skills as an HR to become a business coach. This great career will see you supporting owners in running and expanding their businesses.
You’ll advise on plans, assess strengths and weaknesses, and help enhance and grow businesses. You can choose to work with startup businesses or already established ones.
10. Digital Marketing Specialist
Annual average earnings: $114,703
Here’s another alternative career option for HR professionals that earns BIG. Now, as a digital marketing specialist, you’ll get to leverage online platforms and promote products or services.
For this, you’ll manage online campaigns, analyze data for insights, optimize strategies, and enhance brand visibility. You can use your HR expertise to communicate strongly, predict consumer behavior, and do strategic planning, just to name a few.
11. Recruiter
Annual average earnings: $55,194
The HR department has a great understanding of recruitment processes. This is why you’ll make the perfect recruiter.
You’ll help a company recruit new candidates who are the perfect fit for a role. Here’s how the Indeed editorial team explains this job:
Recruiters find potential candidates, screen applicants for their eligibility, interview candidates, provide employment offers, and serve as an overall liaison between the business and an applicant.
12. Corporate Trainer
Annual average earnings: $65,276
As a corporate trainer, you’ll help with employee training and development. You’ll create and deliver training programs aimed to boost skills, knowledge, and performance. In turn, you’ll help the employees meet organizational goals.
The corporate sector’s increasing focus on employee skill development and ongoing learning indicates a high demand for professionals in this field. So you’re sure to be a great use to an organization.
13. Professional Resume Writer
Annual average earnings: $62,990
There are LOTS of job seekers who don’t know how to craft a great resume. No wonder 70% of resumes get rejected during the first screening.
As an HR, you already know what a good resume should look and sound like. This is why an alternative career path you can consider is a professional resume writer. Yes, the name itself describes exactly what you’ll do. Your main mission is to help job seekers land their dream jobs.
14. Administrative Services Manager
Annual average earnings: $58,307
Administrative services managers supervise support services in an organization. They manage staff, maintain a safe work environment, oversee facility upkeep, and handle records. Some even assist in identifying improvements and setting goals.
If this is the area that you love most about your HR job, then you’ll love being an administrative services manager even more.
15. Project Manager
Annual average earnings: $82,248
A project manager plans, organizes, and oversees tasks to achieve project goals. If this is your career choice, you’ll coordinate team efforts, manage resources, monitor progress, and ensure projects are completed on time and within budget.
HR skills beneficial for a project manager include communication, team collaboration, conflict resolution, and understanding organizational dynamics for effective project coordination.
16. Medical and Health Services Manager
Annual average earnings: $77,817
Are you interested in medical and health? Then this is the perfect new career path you can consider.
As a medical and health services manager, your days will be filled with overseeing facilities or departments. While there, you’ll have lots of responsibilities. You’ll set goals, train staff, create schedules, ensure legal compliance, maintain records, manage budgets, and represent units at meetings.
17. Compensation and Benefits Planner
Annual average earnings: $103,975
Employee compensation and benefits are an important aspect of a business. This is why employers are willing to pay lots of money for a compensation and benefits planner.
Well, if you take this role, you’ll create and manage company benefits. You’ll come up with insurance, retirement, leave, and wellness programs. You’ll also ensure legal compliance and explore cost-effective benefit options for companies.
Final Words
Looking for alternative career options for HR professionals? Then consider the best 17 that I listed here. All these jobs have transferrable HR skills that you can use to your advantage. So go ahead and pick the best match for YOU. Good luck!
No Comments