How To Become A Senior Human Resources Assistant: What It Is and Career Path

What is a senior human resources assistant and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted experts

Denise Barton,

Thomas Byrnes

Senior human resources assistants administer tests, schedule appointments, maintain records and information. They are involved in overseeing nearly all programs and services that relate to a company's human resources division. They also measure the success of initiatives and programs developed by the team. Senior human resources assistants earn an average sum of $36,000 annually or $17 per hour.

Senior human resources assistants are involved in the recruitment process for the firms they work for, posting job ads, and organizing resumes and job applications. They substantiate applicants' skills by administering and scoring tests, maintaining employee information by entering and updating employment and status-change data.

Senior human resources assistants typically hold a high school diploma or GED with prior experience in human resources roles. They may also possess undergraduate degrees in areas such as finance and business administration. Some employers may prefer to gain some years of experience in fields concerning human resources.

What general advice would you give to a senior human resources assistant?

Denise Barton

Senior Professor of Human Resources, Wake Technical Community College

I would advise graduates beginning their careers to earn a human resources certification from the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) and Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI). Both organizations are internationally recognized for high-quality HR knowledge-based exams.

ScoreSenior Human Resources AssistantUS Average

Salary

3.1

Avg. Salary $39,874

Avg. Salary $59,228

Diversity

8.3

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.97%

Asian 10.96%

Black or African American 10.45%

Hispanic or Latino 17.44%

Unknown 5.05%

White 55.13%

Gender

female 88.40%

male 11.60%

Age - 42

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 42

Stress level

5.8

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

5.9

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

7.0

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a senior human resources assistant

Explore senior human resources assistant education requirements

Most common senior human resources assistant degrees

Bachelor's

69.2 %

Associate

17.1 %

Master's

6.6 %

Start to develop specific senior human resources assistant skills

Skills	Percentages
Customer Service	12.49%
HRIS	11.25%
Process Improvement	9.43%
Office Equipment	8.63%
Data Integrity	7.57%

Complete relevant senior human resources assistant training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New senior human resources assistants learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a senior human resources assistant based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real senior human resources assistant resumes.

Research senior human resources assistant duties and responsibilities

Manage e-mail for SVP by reviewing and identifying critical areas requiring attention.
Enter hours adjustments, vacation, holiday pay and sick pay into Kronos.
Maintain employee records in PeopleSoft, process new hires, terminations, lay off status and leaves.
Process and maintain weekly payroll hours for all hourly employees using the timekeeper system Kronos & ADP.

Get senior human resources assistant experience

Generally, it takes 1-2 years to become a senior human resources assistant. The most common roles before becoming a senior human resources assistant include human resources assistant, administrative assistant team lead and human resources coordinator.

Prepare your senior human resources assistant resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your senior human resources assistant resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a senior human resources assistant resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable senior human resources assistant resume templates

Build a professional senior human resources assistant resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your senior human resources assistant resume.