How to Become an HR Consultant: Jobs, Salaries, Courses

Human resources (HR) personnel support employees in an organization. An HR consultant is an outside specialist the organization employs to bring in particular knowledge to improve functions, processes, and strategies. If you are an HR professional looking to progress, an HR consultant role has excellent prospects and a competitive salary. 

What is an HR consultant?

An HR consultant is an outside specialist who provides HR knowledge and expertise to various businesses and organizations. HR consultants are usually hired to provide high-level recommendations and solutions. You will typically enter an organization, evaluate processes and inefficiencies, and implement strategies to improve functions and ensure best practices.

What does an HR consultant do day-to-day?

Day-to-day work varies for an HR consultant because the tasks depend on a company’s needs. Some HR consultants have a niche that they specialize in. This could be talent acquisition, payroll and compensation, compliance and legal policies, or analytics, or it might be a niche with the company you’re working for. 

Regardless of the type of business, HR consultants will start by meeting with the HR and management team to:

• Understand the issues and requirements

• Assess and evaluate the current process

• Recommend solutions

• Develop strategies and monitor progress

Typical HR consultant job responsibilities

HR consultant responsibilities may depend mainly on why you were hired and what they need you to address. In general, you may cover the following:

• Identifying workforce issues, goals, and specific requirements

• Researching to assess current processes and inefficiencies and suggesting solutions to existing problems

• Advising management on human resources plans and processes

• Developing strategies tailored to the organization 

• Managing the implementation of new HR strategies and monitoring changes

• Ensuring HR agendas align with employment law issues

• Formulating HR-related reports and presentations for management 

• Acknowledging, suggesting, and overseeing any necessary changes to workflow following the implementation of new systems

• Assisting with the recruitment and management of employees

• Training staff on new procedures, policies, and direction 

• Keeping up to date with industry trends

Contracting as an HR consultant vs. working for a consultancy firm

As an HR consultant, you can work independently as a contractor or at a consultancy firm. Both have pros and cons. Working as a contractor means running your own business and having flexibility. You may be able earn more because you’re receiving the entirety of the money rather than a salary, however you'll likely have additional business costs to cover.

Working for a company means you don't have to spend time and money on marketing, administrative tasks, training, and other business expenses. While it’s possible to earn more money working for yourself, if you work for a consulting firm, you have consistent work and a consistent salary. 

Skills and qualifications for an HR consultant 

The varied paths to an HR career are education, experience that begins with entry-level HR jobs, and skill development. The top levels, such as HR consultants, usually require higher qualifications, certifications, and on-the-job experience. 

Read more: What Can I Expect from a Human Resources Degree?

Education

The starting point for a career as an HR consultant is a bachelor’s degree in a related field, such as human resources or business. A bachelor’s degree generally takes four years to complete. To advance to higher levels, you may want to consider a master’s degree in human resources management to give you the edge in this competitive field. A master’s degree in HR management will focus on strategic planning, pay equity, employee rights, and working at an international level. Typically it takes two years to complete a master’s degree. 

Certifications

To go a step further and boost your credentials as a consultant, you can earn several HR consultant certifications. These are designed to help develop or strengthen specific career skills. While there isn’t a specific certification that you must have, several popular certifications to consider include:

• SHRM Certified Professional (SHRM-CP)

• Professional in Human Resources (PHR)

• Global Professional in Human Resources (GPHR)

• Human Resource Information Professional (HRIP) Certification

• HR Certification Institute (HRCI) certifications

• ASA Certified Health Care Staffing Professional 

• Certified Employee Benefits Specialist (CEBS)

• Certified Payroll Professional (CPP)

Required skills

There are several workplace and technical skills that companies look for in an HR consultant. In addition to expertise in your chosen niche, here are some common skills:

• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal

• Analytical thinking and problem-solving

• Project management, ideally in an HR setting

• Organizational skills 

• Teamwork

• HR data analytics

• Employment law

• HR information systems (HRIS) software to manage payroll, benefits, employee data, and other HR functions

HR consultant generalist vs. specialist

You can choose to be an HR consultant generalist who offers a wide variety of HR services or an HR consultant specialist who focuses on one area of HR. As a specialist, you can choose an area you're most interested in or have expertise in. Some of the main specialty areas in HR include recruiting and staffing, training and development, performance management, HR compliance, compensation and benefits, organizational structure, and workplace safety and health issues.

What do HR consultants earn? 

According to Glassdoor, the average HR consultant salary in the US is $128,456, with a senior HR consultant earning an average of $146,302 [1]. HR consultants working as contractors charge between $99.39 and $186,67 per hour, with an average of $143.03 per hour [2]. 

Keep learning about HR

If you’re looking for a career change and have the relevant experience to move into the field, a great starting point is a foundation-level HR course. Consider taking Human Resource Management: HR for People Management Specialization offered by the University of Minnesota on Coursera.

You can also pursue a range of online courses to learn about the basics and specialist knowledge to start or progress your HR career. Try Hiring Practices or Human Resources Analytics, for starters.