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Human resources internship vs personnel assistant

The differences between human resources interns and personnel assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a human resources internship and a personnel assistant. Additionally, a personnel assistant has an average salary of $38,830, which is higher than the $32,702 average annual salary of a human resources internship.

The top three skills for a human resources internship include resources intern, powerpoint and customer service. The most important skills for a personnel assistant are human resources, data entry, and office equipment.

Human resources internship vs personnel assistant overview

Human Resources InternshipPersonnel Assistant
Yearly salary$32,702$38,830
Hourly rate$15.72$18.67
Growth rate--
Number of jobs88,8266,684
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 75%Bachelor's Degree, 53%
Average age4343
Years of experience22

What does a human resources internship do?

A human resources intern is responsible for assisting the human resources department in daily operations under a direct supervisor. Duties of a human resources intern include reviewing job postings and qualifications, updating employees' information in the database, scheduling candidate interviews, responding to employees' concerns, processing payroll disputes, and reiterating the company's policies and procedures. A human resources intern must be detail-oriented and a fast-learner and display excellent communication and organizational skills to be familiarized with the management operations.

What does a personnel assistant do?

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.

Human resources internship vs personnel assistant salary

Human resources interns and personnel assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

Human Resources InternshipPersonnel Assistant
Average salary$32,702$38,830
Salary rangeBetween $25,000 And $42,000Between $29,000 And $51,000
Highest paying CityLacey, WAMonterey, CA
Highest paying stateWashingtonCalifornia
Best paying companyKLAPaul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison
Best paying industryManufacturingNon Profits

Differences between human resources internship and personnel assistant education

There are a few differences between a human resources internship and a personnel assistant in terms of educational background:

Human Resources InternshipPersonnel Assistant
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 75%Bachelor's Degree, 53%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeNorthwestern UniversityUniversity of Pennsylvania

Human resources internship vs personnel assistant demographics

Here are the differences between human resources interns' and personnel assistants' demographics:

Human Resources InternshipPersonnel Assistant
Average age4343
Gender ratioMale, 29.3% Female, 70.7%Male, 18.5% Female, 81.5%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 11.9% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 16.3% Asian, 11.7% White, 54.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%Black or African American, 12.5% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 17.2% Asian, 9.1% White, 55.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
LGBT Percentage15%15%

Differences between human resources internship and personnel assistant duties and responsibilities

Human resources internship example responsibilities.

  • Manage the background process while maintaining the applicant tracking system (ICIMS).
  • Maintain and manage all confidential documents including offer letters, I9 documentation, vendor and equity agreements.
  • Integrate efforts on actions and programs where joint OPM functional effort are necessary to accomplish recruitment and enhance organizational effectiveness.
  • Ensure the completion of all new hire paperwork and entry into HRIS, timekeeping, and e-Verify systems.
  • Improve the presentation process by reformulating overhead projection slides to PowerPoint slides for orientation, open enrollment and other benefits information.
  • Assist in payroll process using KRONOS system.
  • Show more

Personnel assistant example responsibilities.

  • Manage new employee orientation training, including e-verify.
  • Maintain employee's timekeeping and personnel records.
  • Coordinate staff reports, monthly activity, insurance updates and EEO activity.
  • Record data for each employee, including absences, coaching and timekeeping.
  • Maintain and handle confidential information such as grievances, EEO relate matters, etc.
  • Create and maintain a database for the sick line, FMLA tracking, payroll document tracking, and benefit adjustment tracking.
  • Show more

Human resources internship vs personnel assistant skills

Common human resources internship skills
  • Resources Intern, 13%
  • PowerPoint, 9%
  • Customer Service, 8%
  • Internship Program, 7%
  • HRIS, 6%
  • Payroll, 5%
Common personnel assistant skills
  • Human Resources, 16%
  • Data Entry, 13%
  • Office Equipment, 7%
  • CAC, 5%
  • Personnel Actions, 4%
  • Background Checks, 4%

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