What does a human resources assistant do?
Human resources (HR) assistants are responsible for various activities of the human resources department of the organization. This is usually an entry-level position for those who intend to build a career in human resources. Human resources assistants usually do administrative and clerical activities for the department. They are also exposed to various facets of HR, such as recruitment, training, compensation and benefits, employee relations, and organizational development. They get trained to do different activities, and as time goes by, they get to have more significant responsibilities within the department.
Human resources assistant responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real human resources assistant resumes:
- Manage all candidate activity and conduct full life- cycle recruiting through an applicant tracking system (ATS).
- Manage new employee orientation training, including e-verify.
- Operate TALEO software system for managing prospective and current employee application status and procedures
- Manage short-term disability and FMLA claims; notified/educate employees of eligibility and qualification requirements.
- Maximize efficiency of HRIS system by participating in initial design, managing ongoing system enhancements and streamlining reports.
- Conduct compensation analyses, manage EEO compliance tracking activities and deliver presentations to corporate management regarding process improvement.
- Provide support to offices of the Sr.
- Complete due diligence and research tasks relate to employee investigations and appeals.
- Monitor and process unemployment claims and assist in the appeals process on claims.
- Verify attendance, hours work, and pay adjustments, and post to KRONOS payroll system.
- Process all enrollment forms, terminations, KRONOS, and other employee changes by verifying data and keying accurately.
- Assist employees with benefit enrollments/changes through employee self-service system, and help them update their personal information in ADP system.
- Process new employee setup, terminations, status changes and transfers with payroll system (ADP) an audit for accuracy.
- Process temporary hire paperwork and e-verify approvals.
- Conduct background checks; verify I9 eligibility and present/past employment.
Human resources assistant skills and personality traits
We calculated that 10% of Human Resources Assistants are proficient in Customer Service, Payroll Processing, and Background Checks. They’re also known for soft skills such as Integrity, Organizational skills, and Communication skills.
We break down the percentage of Human Resources Assistants that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Customer Service, 10%
Dedicated Customer Service Representative motivated to maintain
- Payroll Processing, 8%
Reference and Background checks Scheduled customer appointments for service technicians Data entry, Payroll processing and verification using Excel software
- Background Checks, 8%
Determine candidate eligibility for employment by reviewing background checks and drug tests and communicating results to appropriate parties.
- HRIS, 7%
Maximized efficiency of HRIS system by participating in initial design, managing ongoing system enhancements and streamlining reports.
- Data Entry, 6%
Completed administrative duties including appointment management, calendar maintenance, data entry, and payment tracking.
- Assist Human Resources, 4%
Supported Human Resource Director in daily operations including creating statistical staffing spreadsheets, recording meeting minutes, and numerous clerical tasks.
Common skills that a human resources assistant uses to do their job include "customer service," "payroll processing," and "background checks." You can find details on the most important human resources assistant responsibilities below.
Integrity. The most essential soft skill for a human resources assistant to carry out their responsibilities is integrity. This skill is important for the role because "information clerks, particularly human resources assistants, have access to confidential information." Additionally, a human resources assistant resume shows how their duties depend on integrity: "record keeping, i-9 forms/ethical sourcing audits and global internal audits. "
Organizational skills. Many human resources assistant duties rely on organizational skills. "information clerks must be able to retrieve files and other important information quickly and efficiently.," so a human resources assistant will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways human resources assistant responsibilities rely on organizational skills: "assisted with special projects that included performance reviews, organizational charts, and editing and reviewing disciplinary documents. "
Communication skills. This is an important skill for human resources assistants to perform their duties. For an example of how human resources assistant responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "information clerks must be able to explain policies and procedures clearly to customers and the public." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a human resources assistant: "developed and maintained communication with prospective students throughout the recruitment process. ".
Interpersonal skills. A big part of what human resources assistants do relies on "interpersonal skills." You can see how essential it is to human resources assistant responsibilities because "information clerks who work with the public and customers must understand and communicate information effectively to establish positive relationships." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical human resources assistant tasks: "utilized my communication, interpersonal, organizational and customer service skills in order to increase productivity in the organization. "
The three companies that hire the most human resources assistants are:
- Robert Half108 human resources assistants jobs
- Randstad North America, Inc.22 human resources assistants jobs
- AppleOne Employment Services19 human resources assistants jobs
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Compare different human resources assistants
Human resources assistant vs. Administrative assistant and recruiter
An administrative assistant and recruiter's primary task is finding new personnel for a company. They provide accurate assessments of applicants, go over resumes, and select the best options. A recruiter works alongside supervisors and the human resources department to determine how to fill positions. Additionally, an administrative assistant and recruiter handles the data for applicants and newly recruited employees. They must be able to quickly discern talent, and they must have strong interpersonal and communication skills.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, human resources assistant responsibilities require skills like "customer service," "payroll processing," "hris," and "assist human resources." Meanwhile a typical administrative assistant and recruiter has skills in areas such as "hr," "interview schedules," "candidate interviews," and "phone screens." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Administrative assistant and recruiters earn the highest salaries when working in the technology industry, with an average yearly salary of $54,329. On the other hand, human resources assistants are paid more in the technology industry with an average salary of $41,575.administrative assistant and recruiters tend to reach similar levels of education than human resources assistants. In fact, administrative assistant and recruiters are 2.8% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.1% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Human resources assistant vs. Staffing assistant
A staffing assistant performs support tasks to help offices run smoothly and efficiently. Most of their responsibilities include assisting executives with their needs, answering calls and correspondence, preparing and processing documentation, arranging meetings and appointments, organizing and disseminating files, and maintaining records and databases. They must also assist in arranging staff schedules, training new staff, and coordinating with the human resources department. Furthermore, a staffing assistant may also monitor the inventory of office supplies, processing procurement requests when necessary.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real human resources assistant resumes. While human resources assistant responsibilities can utilize skills like "customer service," "payroll processing," "background checks," and "assist human resources," staffing assistants use skills like "patients," "human resources," "criminal background checks," and "schedule interviews."
On average, staffing assistants earn a higher salary than human resources assistants. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, staffing assistants earn the most pay in the health care industry with an average salary of $34,582. Whereas human resources assistants have higher pay in the technology industry, with an average salary of $41,575.staffing assistants earn similar levels of education than human resources assistants in general. They're 2.7% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for human resources assistants in the next 3-5 years?
Denise Barton
Senior Professor of Human Resources, Wake Technical Community College
Human resources assistant vs. Recruiting assistant
A recruiting assistant is responsible for supporting the staffing needs of an organization, updating the company's job boards, and coordinating with the department managers to identify their staffing requirements and candidate qualifications. Recruiting assistants schedule the interviews and evaluations of the qualified applicants, endorsing them for final assessments with a department's hiring managers. They also assist with the processing of requirements for the hired candidates and managing their onboarding procedures. A recruiting assistant performs administrative and clerical duties as needed, especially on updating the candidate's information and doing background checks.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, human resources assistants are more likely to have skills like "payroll processing," "assist human resources," "clerical support," and "eeo." But a recruiting assistant is more likely to have skills like "hr," "phone screens," "payroll," and "linkedin."
Recruiting assistants earn the highest salary when working in the government industry, where they receive an average salary of $48,173. Comparatively, human resources assistants have the highest earning potential in the technology industry, with an average salary of $41,575.When it comes to education, recruiting assistants tend to earn similar degree levels compared to human resources assistants. In fact, they're 0.4% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.1% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Human resources assistant vs. Personnel assistant
Personnel assistants are professionals who perform administrative duties while assisting the human resources director to maintain and keep the records and confidential files of employees working in an organization. These assistants must communicate with all personnel about their compensation policies while ensuring that the company policies and procedures are consistently applied. They are required to coordinate with supervisors to create job descriptions and develop recruiting advertisements. Personnel assistants must also purchase office supplies while maintaining the cleanliness and orderliness of their office area.
Types of human resources assistant
Updated January 8, 2025
