The paper discusses methods and strategies for effective personnel management. The subject of research is the automation of personnel management. The paper presents the study of the personnel management system to identify the problem for which the development of an information system is necessary; the study of the structure, the process and main trends in the development of the personnel management system. Moreover, the author tries to identify problems of the personnel management system and their solution. An overview of information technologies and information systems providing information processes in the personnel management system has been carried out and promising directions of automation are proposed.