Human Resources Managers build management of personnel resources, coordination and complex problem solving skills that carry over to other work. Below are 25 careers ranked by how closely their skills match, with pay from BLS May 2025. The closest match is Compliance Managers (86%).
Updated October 2026 · Data: O*NET 31.0 and BLS OEWS May 2025 · How we match careers
Sorted by skill match.
| # | Career | Skill match | Median pay | Pay change | Extra education |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Compliance Managers | 86% | $141,900Pay for the broader BLS group “Managers, All Other” | Not compared | None |
| 2 | Public Relations Managers | 84% | $146,910 | −2% | None |
| 3 | Medical and Health Services Managers | 83% | $123,860 | −17% | None |
| 4 | Industrial-Organizational Psychologists | 83% | $193,950 | +30% | Graduate degree |
| 5 | Sales Managers | 83% | $148,270 | −1% | None |
| 6 | Chief Executives | 82% | $213,990 | +43% | Graduate degree |
| 7 | Labor Relations Specialists | 80% | $95,420 | −36% | None |
| 8 | Loss Prevention Managers | 79% | $141,900Pay for the broader BLS group “Managers, All Other” | Not compared | None |
| 9 | Marketing Managers | 78% | $166,790 | +12% | None |
| 10 | Advertising and Promotions Managers | 77% | $133,660 | −10% | None |
Compared with Human Resources Managers, median $149,280. Skill match is our estimate (0–99) from O*NET 31.0 skills, knowledge, work activities and interests, adjusted for preparation and big pay drops. Pay: BLS OEWS May 2025, national median.
How important each skill is in work as human resources managers (O*NET importance, scale 1–5).
The gaps that show up most often across your top 10 matches.
Free and low-cost training: use the CareerOneStop training finder below.
A concrete first step, the skills to add, and the hard parts of each job, from O*NET 31.0 education, training and work context data.
86% skill match · $141,900 (broader BLS group)
Quality Control Analysis · Operations Monitoring · Operation and Control
84% skill match · $146,910 · −2% pay
Operation and Control · Operations Monitoring · Technology Design
83% skill match · $123,860 · −17% pay
Operations Analysis · Management of Material Resources · Troubleshooting
If you want to stay close to what you do now, these roles are the nearest.
The closest matches are Compliance Managers (86% skill match, median $141,900), Public Relations Managers (84% skill match, median $146,910) and Medical and Health Services Managers (83% skill match, median $123,860), based on O*NET 31.0 data and BLS May 2025 pay.
Among the 25 matches, 3 pay more than human resources managers at the median. The biggest increases: Chief Executives (+43%, $213,990), Industrial-Organizational Psychologists (+30%, $193,950) and Marketing Managers (+12%, $166,790).
20 of the 25 matches usually need no more education than you have now, based on O*NET Job Zones. 5 usually need a graduate degree: Industrial-Organizational Psychologists, Chief Executives and Chief Sustainability Officers.
We compare the importance of skills, knowledge, work activities and interests in O*NET 31.0 for your job and every other career, then adjust for extra preparation and big pay drops. The full method is on our Methodology page.