I’m interested in pursuing HR when I graduate, so when looking at jobs that I thought I’d reasonably want after college I focused on those in the field of HR. Because I would be looking for an entry level position, I began looking at HR assistant jobs. I first looked at HR jobs in Corvallis because I want to move after I graduate, but ideally I’d like to be paid to move by a company so I thought it would be a good idea to look in Corvallis incase I do stay for awhile. The pay for an HR assistant at a local Co-op in Corvallis was $15.60, which is not ideal pay for my first job out of college. I kept looking and found for a larger company in Corvallis, Market of Choice, the pay range for an HR assistant would be around $37-54k. This seems to be consistent with the market for these jobs.
For me this range is okay, especially because having a position as an HR assistant is a stepping stone for me to eventually be an HR manager, coordinator or specialists which pay much better. My goal when I graduate college or before I graduate is to obtain the HR certifications you need to have a career in the field. Because of this, I think I as a new college graduate would land on the higher end of this pay range. I would give them a range of $50-55k, but I think a reasonable number would be anything over 50k. I think this because it doesn’t seem like a college degree is required for an HR assistant position, much less the HR certifications. The only required qualifications listed in the Market of Choice job description are things like excellent verbal and written communication skills, public relations skills, and basic knowledge of hiring/firing, workers comp, leave, ADA, and basic computer skills. At this point in my life I will hopefully have an extensive knowledge of these things just not the experience to be an HR manager yet. So I think it’s fair to expect to be on the higher end of the pay scale for an HR assistant. If I were to decide to pursue an HR manager position right out of college, which, a more realistic pay range for those jobs is anywhere from 70k-140k. I would fare at the bottom of this range because I wouldn’t have any experience in the field yet. That’s why I think starting as an HR assistant is reasonable, because I can gain some experience and then try for a higher paying HR job after a few years.
