You may assume that human resources (HR) is solely about recruiting new people and handling employee complaints. In reality, the scope of HR extends far beyond that. HR professionals play a pivotal role in their organization’s training, payroll, benefits, reporting, analytics, IT services and so much more.
You probably don’t need anyone to tell you just how rewarding HR careers can be. This career field offers many benefits, including career stability, fair compensation and rewarding work.
However, you may be surprised to learn just how varied HR careers can be and all the different opportunities you can find. Below, we’ll explain what this subset of HR entails. We’ll also discuss how to transition to human resources careers and provide tips and tricks for landing a job in HR shared services.
What is HR Shared Services?
Within the world of HR, there are two main types of roles: generalists and shared services professionals.
- HR generalists have a broad range of responsibilities. In addition to performing nearly every task in an HR department, HR generalists also serve as their organization’s main points of contact for HR matters
- HR shared service professionals typically specialize in a specific area of HR, such as payroll, benefits administration, data management, employee onboarding and employee inquiries. Due to their depth of expertise, HR shared service professionals are often involved in finding innovative ways to streamline their workflows and standardize key processes, enhancing their organizations’ overall efficiency and effectiveness
HR shared services is a strategic approach for leveraging an organization’s scale to optimize HR processes, reduce administrative overhead and enhance the employee experience.
Why Switch to a Career in HR Shared Services
Transitioning from an HR generalist role to a career in HR shared services can offer several advantages and may be a good move for some HR professionals.
- Specialization – HR shared services staff typically focus on specific HR functions and gain deep expertise in areas such as payroll, benefits or leave administration
- Career growth – Moving into HR shared services can open up new career growth opportunities since they are larger operations with multiple departments
- Service delivery improvements – By specializing in certain HR functions, you can become better equipped to provide high-quality service to employees and managers who rely on HR support
Find your HR Shared Service Niche with UCPath
If you like the sound of HR shared services, you may be interested in applying for a position at UCPath. As the transactional hub for the prestigious University of California (UC) system, UCPath provides payroll, benefits and workforce administration services for UC employees statewide.
Our HR shared services division includes the following teams:
- Benefits
- Employee services
- Finance
- Human resources (workforce) administration
- IT services
- Payroll
- Product management
- Training
Together, these departments serve the UC system’s 230,000+ employees. By joining UCPath, you support our vision to be the premiere shared services provider in US higher education by providing excellent customer service, pursuing continuous process improvement and leveraging the latest technologies.
What Skills are Transferable to a Shared Services Role
Professionals from various backgrounds can transition into HR shared services, bringing valuable skills such as:
- Attention to detail
- Organization
- Communication
- Collaboration
- Time management
- Critical thinking
- Conflict resolution
- Problem-solving
- Process improvement
- Project management
Your professional background can uniquely position you for success in specific departments. Individuals with analytical skills and math/accounting experience might excel in payroll or finance. Those with a teaching background could be a great fit for the training team.
How to Make Your Resume Stand Out
If you think that HR shared services is for you, the next step is perfecting your resume. Here are some tips to make it stand out:
- Shine a light on your relevant skills: If you don’t have work experience in HR, that’s okay! Just make sure that you highlight your transferable skills in your resume and cover letter
- Include keywords from the job posting: Make it easy for hiring managers to picture you in the position by using HR-related terms and keywords from the job listing
- Connect the dots for the reader: It’s easy to assume that hiring managers will automatically understand how your experiences make you an ideal fit for their role, but this isn’t always the case. Make sure you clarify why you’re a qualified candidate so they can make the connection
In addition to following these tips, it’s always a good idea to run your resume through a grammar and spelling checker to ensure it’s polished and professional.
Secure Your Next Position in HR Shared Services at UCPath
If you’re craving a career change, UCPath would love to pave the way for your next chapter. At UCPath, you can join a team with a passion for customer service and organizational excellence. Are you ready to take your career in a new direction? Explore the job opportunities at UCPath today.
