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Human resources (HR) management is a constantly changing field. "Every day is a new day, with new problems and issues to deal with," says Grant Close, a human resources manager. "In human resources, we get to deal with the whole corporation, see the whole picture."

Close says he was interested in human resources before the position even had a name. For him, it was a common topic around the dinner table when he was growing up.

"In those days it was called personnel, and I first learned about it from my father, who worked in this field," says Close. "He'd talk about it at home while we ate."

Even as a child, Close remembers being interested in what his father had to say about his work, because it was all about people.

"It seemed like a really interesting area, dealing with people and their needs and requirements, dealing with issues that were changing every day," says Close.

Human resources has changed a lot since then, but the part that Close likes best has stayed the same; he's dealing with people all the time.

Close says his job is challenging and fun, but admits it can be frustrating at times. As a human resources manager, Close says you can't just walk into a department and start telling people what to do, even if you think you have the right answer.

"When you're working with people you have to try to have an influence without saying, 'This is how it has to be,'" he says. This can be tough when you really believe you have the answer to a problem, but Close says you need to be a good listener and consider other points of view.

"You have to learn to listen and hear what people have to say and realize there isn't a black or white [side to] every issue. There may be other ways, besides your own, of getting things done," says Close.

Like many HR managers, Close has his hands full with a variety of different tasks, all aimed at keeping the good employees he has, finding excellent new ones and making sure the corporation makes the best use of this valuable resource.

"I'm involved in all the people-related things in the corporation -- hiring, recruiting, union dealings, promotions, postings, training and development, loss prevention, staffing needs and designing programs to reward and recognize people for good work," says Close.

Any human resources manager will tell you a good staff is important in any operation, and Close is no exception. He says creating a "good mix" -- finding people who not only do good work but get along with others in the office -- is no accident. It takes planning and experience.

"People cost so much in terms of wages, so you want to hire the right ones. In recruiting, you use your instincts, but other things are also involved," says Close. These other things might include writing an ad that will attract the kind of people you're looking for, placing the ad in the right places and coming up with the right questions to ask in the interview.

While Close agrees the interviewing process is toughest for the applicants, he says it can also be hard on him and his human resources staff. "Recruiting can be tiring," he says. "You want to be fresh for every candidate, because even after interviewing people all day, the last person of the day might be the best. Everyone deserves as good an interview as the first person got when you were fresh."

Marlise McCammon agrees that recruiting can be tough on HR managers. She says the process has become especially difficult in recent years because of a tight job market.

"Recruiting is the biggest job in HR right now," says McCammon, who is the director of employee relations at Wichita State University. "Managers are having to travel a lot more to find the right people. You're not just sitting at your desk sorting through resumes anymore. You've got to get on a plane and travel to another city, another state or maybe even another country."

McCammon says another change in the job has to do with the number of skills HR managers now have. "It used to be that HR managers specialized in a certain area, like labor relations, employee development or benefits," she says. "But in today's marketplace, companies want one person to do all those things, so we've become much more generalized."

If you're thinking of entering the field, McCammon has this advice for you. "The number one thing is that you have to like working with people," she says. "The burnout rate is high in this profession. There's a lot of stress. You really have to care about people."

And to get a leg up on the competition, McCammon suggests you put a lot of emphasis on your education. "I tell students to go to the very best school they can afford," she says. "If you have an MBA with an emphasis in HR then you're better off than just having a HR degree. You always want to enhance your marketability."