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Army MOS · Support

42A Human Resources Specialist

Current service use not established

This code is listed in the directory. Inclusion alone does not confirm current service use.

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Overview

A human resources specialist performs or supervises personnel and administrative functions across supported organizations and advises commanders, staff, and Soldiers on human resource matters. The specialist maintains officer and enlisted personnel records, processes personnel actions concerning Soldiers and their families, and participates in occupational classification and human resources management.

Minimum clearance: Secret, often with SCI exposure

Minimum ASVAB: CL 90

ASVAB policy: Not policy-reviewed · coverage unknown · as of 2026-10-19

Program scope has not been reviewed.

Policy applicability and coverage of the program's score routes have not been reviewed. Shown-route arithmetic is not an eligibility decision.

Source: smartbook-611-21-ch10c-fy2025 (source date 2025-12). Policy applicability has not been established.

See if you would hit this score: free ASVAB practice test

Core Skills

  • Occupational classification and personnel management support
  • Officer and enlisted personnel records maintenance
  • Personnel actions for soldiers and families
  • Human resources advice to commanders and staff

Civilian Career Paths

Career associations are editorial assessments of the cited evidence, not an official crosswalk unless the evidence explicitly says so. O*NET supplies civilian occupation information, not proof of a military match. Related experience does not confer civilian qualifications. Tasks and tools below describe civilian work, not military training.

Human Resources Assistants, Except Payroll and Timekeeping

Maintaining military personnel records, processing personnel actions, and advising soldiers and staff on human resources matters transfer directly to civilian HR documentation and employee support.

How to prepare: Build a sample employee-record change log in Microsoft Excel using fictitious data, with checks for missing information and a record of each update.

What the civilian work involves
  • Process, verify, and maintain personnel related documentation, including staffing, recruitment, training, grievances, performance evaluations, classifications, and employee leaves of absence.
  • Explain company personnel policies, benefits, and procedures to employees or job applicants.
Civilian tools and software (examples)
  • Microsoft Excel
  • Microsoft Word

Notes & Sources

Evidence for this guidance (2 documents)
  1. Army COOL MOC feed: 42A Human Resources Specialist

    [1] data/authority/army-codes.json entry 42A (OSD COOL feed, fetched 2026-07-25); DB rank enlisted, authority codeType enlisted

    Supports: Occupational classification and personnel management support, Officer and enlisted personnel records maintenance, Personnel actions for soldiers and families, Human resources advice to commanders and staff, Human Resources Assistants, Except Payroll and Timekeeping (O*NET 43-4161.00)

  2. O*NET: Human Resources Assistants, Except Payroll and Timekeeping

    [2] O*NET 30.3 occupational data

    Supports: Human Resources Assistants, Except Payroll and Timekeeping (O*NET 43-4161.00)

Defense contractor jobs for 42A

Predecessor codes

Historical codes with documented links to 42A. Each history page explains the change.

42F1Human Resources Information Systems Management Specialist42F2Human Resources Information Systems Management Specialist42L1Administrative Specialist42L2Administrative Specialist42L3Administrative Specialist42L4Administrative Specialist42L5Administrative Specialist75B1Personnel Administration Specialist75B2Personnel Administration Specialist75H1Personnel Services Specialist75H2Personnel Services Specialist75H3Personnel Services Specialist75H4Personnel Services Specialist75H5Personnel Services Specialist

Descriptions may be summarized for clarity. Verify all information with your branch career counselor or official military documentation before making career decisions.

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