Every major company has a human resources (HR) department, and most people know these folks as the people you send your resume to when you're hunting for a job or internship. But compensation managers don't typically handle hiring. Rather, these number-crunchers manage the pay scale and figure out what employees should earn based on a bunch of factors like fairness, consistency, the current job market, legal regulations, and, of course, what the company can afford. Depending on how things are set up, they may also handle benefits, raises, and bonuses, though at smaller firms, compensation duties are sometimes just divided among a small HR staff. To do this work you'll need to be good at strategizing. That means keeping an eye on the company's bottom line, but also tempting potential new employees with attractive salaries—and paying your current staff enough so they don't bail.