Human Resources Adviser Kaitohutohu Pūmanawa Tangata

Human resources advisers are responsible for recruitment advice, performance management and pay, wellbeing, training and development, employment relations and policies for the staff of an organisation.

Human resources advisers may do some or all of the following:

  • deal with HR queries from management and staff
  • advise and train managers on recruitment and selection strategies
  • advise on staff career development or training needs
  • negotiate terms and conditions of employment with staff
  • review and update job descriptions
  • develop and assist with recruitment campaigns
  • review and update HR policies so they are in line with current legislation
  • provide advice on employment legislation and health and safety regulations.

Useful Experience

Useful experience for human resources advisers includes:

  • any work in human resources
  • administrative or legal work 
  • advisory or management support work
  • coaching, teaching or social work
  • work involving negotiation.

Personal Qualities

Human resources advisers need to be:

  • good at listening and communicating
  • trustworthy, with high levels of integrity
  • able to keep information private
  • skilled at networking and relationship management
  • able to negotiate and solve problems
  • able to relate to a wide range of people.

Skills

Human resources advisers need to have knowledge of:

  • human resources policies and processes
  • employment contracts and procedures
  • training and development planning and design strategies
  • relationship management techniques and processes
  • employment legislation, such as the Employment Relations Act, Human Rights Act, Equal Pay Act and Privacy Act.

Conditions

Human resources advisers:

  • usually work regular business hours
  • work in offices
  • may travel locally to conferences, meetings and training courses.

Subject Recommendations

NCEA Level 3 is required to enter tertiary training. Useful subjects include English, business studies, economics and social studies.

Related Courses

Human Resources Advisers can earn around $70K-$115K per year.

Pay for human resources advisers varies depending on skills, experience and region. 

  • Human resources advisers usually earn between $70,000 and $115,000 a year.
  • Human resources managers can earn between $95,000 and $200,000.

Sources: PERSOLKELLY, '2023- 2034 Salary Guide', 2023; and Hays, 'FY 23/24 Salary Guide', 2023.

Human resources advisers may move into managerial positions such as:

  • human resources manager
  • training and development manager.

They may also specialise in an area of human resource management such as:

Employee Relations Adviser
Employee relations advisers help management, staff and union members to work together co-operatively, and manage the negotiation of employment agreements, personal grievances or disputes, and other employment issues.
Health and Safety Adviser
Health and safety advisers monitor workplace health and safety hazards, train employees on health and safety procedures, and investigate accidents.
Organisation Development Adviser
Organisation development advisers improve staff capabilities such as leadership, skills and culture.
Recruitment Consultant
Recruitment consultants work with candidates (people looking for work) and clients (employers looking for people to hire) to help match candidates to jobs.
Training and Development Adviser
Training and development advisers identify the learning needs of organisations and plan training based on these.

Years Of Training

1-3 years of training usually required.

To become a human resources adviser you usually need to have a diploma or degree in human resource management and work experience in human resources.

Professional qualifications in other relevant areas such as industrial relations, employment law, industrial psychology or business management may also be useful.

Human Resources Adviser