Most Common College Majors for Aspiring Recruiters

Choosing a college major for recruitment can be daunting, but certain fields of study help students gain key technical skills and knowledge for success. Degrees in business, engineering, marketing and computer science, are consistently in high demand among recruiters since they equip students with relevant technical and soft skills. Let’s explore some of the top college majors that technology companies prioritize when recruiting human resources professionals.

Top College Degrees for Becoming a Recruiter

Business Administration and Management

A business administration or management degree can help recruiters understand how businesses work, how people behave in organizations and how to manage HR. It often includes coursework in HR management on aspects of recruitment, training and employee relations. The degree also emphasizes leadership strategies to understand team dynamics and identify top talent. 

A business administration major may include data analysis and problem-solving coursework to help tech recruiters evaluate resumes and address hiring challenges.

HR Management

A major in HR management focuses on finding and hiring talent and managing employee relationships, compensation and benefits. Courses also give recruiters an in-depth knowledge of recruitment processes, legal considerations and strategies for attracting and retaining top talent.

The job outlook for HR managers is positive, with potential for growth. The median annual wage is $136,350 with comprehensive benefit packages. Investing in this degree can lead to a rewarding and well-compensated career.

Psychology

A degree in psychology helps these professionals understand human behavior, motivation and decision-making processes. Specializing in organizational behavior can familiarize recruiters with group dynamics, conflict resolution and employee motivation. Here are some key areas in psychology relevant to recruitment:

• Social psychology: Helps recruiters understand group behavior, social influence and interpersonal skills
• Industrial-organizational psychology: Helps them become familiar with workplace policies, productivity and employee satisfaction
• Cognitive psychology: Tells recruiters about a candidate’s personality traits, creativity and how they communicate

Psychology provides an evidence-based approach to hiring by evaluating candidates’ psychological suitability, cognitive abilities and mental health.  

Communications

Recruitment depends on being able to communicate well when finding talent, keeping candidates interested and making the company look good. A degree in communications builds a solid starting point for those hoping to recruit in tech. It teaches adaptable, useful skills to use across many tech recruiting positions.

Communications majors also learn to develop professional relationships and collaborate in team settings. They become familiar with digital platforms and social media to source and network with tech talent. Some relevant communication courses include:

• Public relations: PR helps recruiters manage how companies present themselves and share what they stand for to bring in the best people.
• Digital media: This course teaches about using social media platforms and online resources for marketing job openings.
• Organizational communication: This course explores internal communication dynamics so recruiters can match their hiring plans with what the business needs to accomplish.

Marketing

Recruitment requires strong marketing skills to create job advertisements and develop employer value propositions. All marketing principles, such as audience segmentation, targeted messaging and brand promotion, help with recruitment. These strategies help attract top tech talent by creating job listings and promoting the company’s culture. Recruiters can take the following courses:

• Digital marketing: This course teaches recruiters how to use online platforms, such as social media and search engines, to reach target audiences. It’s very useful for sourcing candidates and promoting job openings.
• Market research: Market research helps recruiters understand candidate preferences, industry trends and the competitive job market.
• Brand management: This course focuses on building and maintaining a strong employer brand to attract strong candidates.

Computer Science or Information Technology

A degree in computer science or information technology gives recruiters a deeper understanding of technical roles and requirements. According to the BLS, the job growth projection for computer science roles through 2032 is 23%, significantly higher than the average across industries. Here’s how a CS or IT degree helps tech recruiters:

• Assess the technical skills of candidates during interviews.
• Screen resumes by identifying relevant technical proficiencies.
• Understand nuanced job descriptions, and align them with appropriate candidate qualifications.

Such a degree also familiarizes recruiters with in-demand technologies such as artificial intelligence, cloud computing and cybersecurity. Some of the relevant areas in CS and IT include:

• Software development: Knowledge of software engineering principles helps recruiters assess coding skills and familiarity with development frameworks.
• Data science: Data analysis tools such as Python, R and SQL enable them to evaluate candidates for analytics roles.
• Networking and systems management: Insight into IT infrastructure helps identify talent for systems administration or network engineering roles.

Interdisciplinary Studies or Liberal Arts

An interdisciplinary studies or liberal arts degree exposes prospective recruiters to social sciences, humanities and natural sciences. Courses in human resources, organizational leadership and psychology are common in such programs and provide a basis for recruitment work. Graduates gain transferable skills in the technology sector. The two degrees also help with analytical thinking and problem-solving skills. 

Choosing the Right Major for a Career in Recruitment

Selecting the right major for recruitment is all about gaining knowledge and skills relevant to the profession’s requirements. Recruiters may select popular majors such as business and marketing, sociology, human resources and communications. When selecting a major, they need to consider their interests and strengths. Interest in the field tends to override the degree in determining long-term job satisfaction. Regardless of the major, well-developed soft skills, business knowledge and understanding people is beneficial.

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Key Takeaways:

• Majors like business administration and HR management help with the understanding of business operations and organizational behavior.
• These majors offer a strong foundation for a career in tech recruitment by combining business acumen, people skills and technical knowledge.
• Many of the transferable skills from the majors are applicable across various tech recruiting positions.