Top 12 Human Resource Assistant Skills to Put on Your Resume

Hiring teams skim quickly, compare relentlessly, and remember what looks sharp and balanced. As a Human Resource Assistant, you win attention by blending tech fluency with people sense—fast, precise admin chops paired with steady, human judgment. The skills below anchor a resume that reads clean and credible, with enough muscle to handle the messy bits of HR life.

Human Resource Assistant Skills

1. Payroll Processing
2. HRIS (Human Resource Information System)
3. ATS (Applicant Tracking System)
4. Employee Relations
5. Recruitment Coordination
6. Benefits Administration
7. Compliance Monitoring
8. Performance Management
9. Workday
10. SAP SuccessFactors
11. ADP Workforce Now
12. Microsoft Office

1. Payroll Processing

Payroll processing means calculating pay accurately, applying taxes and deductions, issuing payments on time, and keeping records straight while staying compliant with current laws.

Why It's Important

Timely, accurate pay is trust in action. It protects morale, keeps you compliant, and prevents costly errors that ripple through benefits, taxes, and employee relations.

How to Improve Payroll Processing Skills

Sharper payroll comes from clean data, smart tools, and tight controls.

1. Automate the routine: Use reliable payroll software (for example, QuickBooks Payroll, ADP, Gusto, Paychex, UKG) to cut manual entry and reduce errors.

2. Integrate systems: Sync HRIS, timekeeping, and payroll so hours, rates, and status changes flow without rekeying.

3. Standardize inputs: Lock in cutoffs, templates, and approval steps. Fewer exceptions, fewer surprises.

4. Reconcile every cycle: Audit gross-to-net, taxes, and deductions. Spot variances quickly and fix the source.

5. Stay current on regulations: Track federal, state, and local changes—minimum wage, overtime, garnishments, taxation, filing deadlines.

6. Enable self-service: Give employees access to payslips, tax forms, direct-deposit updates, and address changes to reduce tickets and delays.

Do this, and payroll becomes quiet and reliable—the way it should be.

How to Display Payroll Processing Skills on Your Resume

2. HRIS (Human Resource Information System)

HRIS platforms centralize employee data and streamline processes across onboarding, payroll, benefits, time, and performance—clean records, faster reporting, fewer errors.

Why It's Important

One source of truth unlocks accuracy and speed. It shrinks admin time, improves insights, and supports better decisions across the employee lifecycle.

How to Improve HRIS (Human Resource Information System) Skills

1. Train consistently: Short refreshers, role-based guides, and sandbox practice prevent bad habits and data drift.

2. Clean the data: Run regular audits for duplicates, missing fields, and stale records. Create clear ownership for fixes.

3. Tighten security: Enforce least-privilege access, MFA, and change logs. Review permissions after role changes.

4. Integrate wisely: Connect payroll, ATS, LMS, and time systems with tested mappings and version controls.

5. Document processes: SOPs for data entry, approvals, and corrections. Consistency beats guesswork.

6. Measure and iterate: Use dashboards to track data quality, ticket volume, and processing times. Improve what you can see.

How to Display HRIS (Human Resource Information System) Skills on Your Resume

3. ATS (Applicant Tracking System)

An ATS manages job postings, applications, screening, scheduling, and candidate communication—organized hiring with fewer manual handoffs.

Why It's Important

It shortens time-to-fill, improves candidate experience, and gives you clean tracking from sourcing through offer—no more spreadsheets groaning under version history.

How to Improve ATS (Applicant Tracking System) Skills

1. Customize workflows: Tailor stages, scorecards, and auto-tags to match how your teams actually hire.

2. Write findable roles: Use clear titles and keywords candidates search for. Job posts should be skimmable and specific.

3. Streamline applications: Keep forms short, mobile-friendly, and accessible. Drop the duplicate questions.

4. Automate touchpoints: Confirmation notes, status updates, and rejection templates keep candidates informed without bottlenecks.

5. Integrate sourcing: Connect job boards, referrals, and career sites so all applicants land in one pipeline.

6. Review analytics: Watch conversion rates, time-in-stage, and source quality. Fix slow steps and double down on what works.

How to Display ATS (Applicant Tracking System) Skills on Your Resume

4. Employee Relations

Employee Relations manages the day-to-day health of the workplace—communication, conflict resolution, policy application, and trust.

Why It's Important

Good ER prevents small problems from turning into loud ones. It lifts morale, steadies performance, and protects the company when things get sticky.

How to Improve Employee Relations Skills

1. Listen deliberately: Regular check-ins, simple feedback channels, and fast follow-up build credibility.

2. Apply policies consistently: Fair, documented, and repeatable. Consistency beats charisma in tough moments.

3. Coach managers: Equip them with scripts, frameworks, and practice for hard conversations.

4. Recognize wins: Peer shout-outs, quick notes, and small rewards lift the room without breaking budgets.

5. Track themes: Log issues, timelines, and outcomes. Spot patterns early and address root causes.

6. Prioritize psychological safety: Encourage voice, reduce retaliation risk, and handle investigations with discretion.

How to Display Employee Relations Skills on Your Resume

5. Recruitment Coordination

Recruitment Coordination keeps hiring moving—scheduling, communication, documentation, and candidate care from first touch to offer.

Why It's Important

Smooth coordination shortens timelines and makes candidates feel respected. That boosts acceptance rates and your employer brand.

How to Improve Recruitment Coordination Skills

1. Automate scheduling: Use calendar links and shared availability to end the email ping-pong.

2. Standardize templates: Create crisp, consistent notes for confirmations, instructions, and next steps.

3. Tidy interview loops: Define interview panels, rubrics, and back-up plans. No last-minute scrambles.

4. Centralize files: Keep job descriptions, scorecards, and approvals in one controlled location.

5. Measure the flow: Track time-to-schedule, no-show rates, and candidate satisfaction. Improve the friction points.

How to Display Recruitment Coordination Skills on Your Resume

6. Benefits Administration

Benefits Administration covers plan setup, eligibility, enrollment, life-event changes, carrier files, and employee questions—plus compliance with plan and legal rules.

Why It's Important

Benefits touch health, finances, and families. Done well, they drive retention and goodwill. Done poorly, they spark frustration fast.

How to Improve Benefits Administration Skills

1. Use your HRIS: Configure eligibility rules, automated feeds, and self-service changes to reduce manual updates.

2. Clarify choices: Plain-language guides, comparison charts, and Q&A sessions help employees choose wisely.

3. Control data flow: Validate carrier files, run test events, and reconcile invoices each month.

4. Review vendors: Compare service levels, fees, and employee experience annually. Keep competition healthy.

5. Log inquiries: Track common questions and update FAQs or training where confusion clusters.

6. Stay compliant: Monitor rules around ERISA, ACA, COBRA, HIPAA, and state mandates. Document notices and deadlines.

How to Display Benefits Administration Skills on Your Resume

7. Compliance Monitoring

Compliance monitoring means keeping HR policies, practices, and records in line with laws and internal standards—and proving it when asked.

Why It's Important

It prevents fines, lawsuits, and reputational bruises. It also clarifies expectations so employees know the rules of the road.

How to Improve Compliance Monitoring Skills

1. Map requirements: Build a calendar for filings, trainings, posters, audits, and document retention.

2. Use checklists: Standardize onboarding, I-9s, FLSA classifications, leaves, and separations. Fewer misses.

3. Run internal audits: Spot-check personnel files, time records, and pay practices. Fix gaps fast.

4. Create safe reporting: Offer confidential channels and follow clear investigation steps with timelines.

5. Train often: Short, practical refreshers for managers and staff on harassment, wage-and-hour, and data privacy.

6. Document everything: Policies, acknowledgments, decisions, and rationales—organized and retrievable.

How to Display Compliance Monitoring Skills on Your Resume

8. Performance Management

Performance management plans, observes, and reviews work—aligning goals, feedback, development, and outcomes.

Why It's Important

Clear goals and steady feedback sharpen results, reveal training needs, and make promotions and pay decisions defensible.

How to Improve Performance Management Skills

1. Set goals that matter: Link individual objectives to business priorities. Make them specific, measurable, and time-bound.

2. Adopt frequent check-ins: Short, regular conversations beat annual surprises. Capture notes for continuity.

3. Use structured rubrics: Calibrated ratings and defined competencies reduce bias and confusion.

4. Pair feedback with growth: Tie observations to resources—coaching, stretch projects, and targeted training.

5. Review the system: Watch completion rates, distribution of ratings, and employee sentiment. Tune the process each cycle.

How to Display Performance Management Skills on Your Resume

9. Workday

Workday is a cloud HCM platform that centralizes HR data and processes—staffing, benefits, payroll, time, and analytics—under one roof.

Why It's Important

It boosts accuracy, enables self-service, and delivers reports that leaders actually use. Less swivel-chair, more signal.

How to Improve Workday Skills

1. Learn in layers: Tackle security roles, business processes, then reporting. Build confidence module by module.

2. Master reporting: Create custom dashboards and scheduled reports for HR, finance, and leaders.

3. Automate approvals: Configure business processes to route tasks cleanly with clear SLAs and escalations.

4. Document variants: Track tenant-specific configurations and change history. Future you will thank you.

5. Stay current: Review release notes and test new features in preview before enabling them in production.

How to Display Workday Skills on Your Resume

10. SAP SuccessFactors

SAP SuccessFactors is a cloud HR suite for core HR, talent, learning, payroll, and analytics—built for scale with flexible modules.

Why It's Important

It connects people data across the talent lifecycle, giving HR a cleaner view of skills, performance, and growth paths.

How to Improve SAP SuccessFactors Skills

1. Pursue formal learning: Take structured courses and hands-on practice to understand configuration and administration.

2. Tailor processes: Configure workflows, permissions, and forms to match local policies and business needs.

3. Elevate analytics: Build reports that inform actions—headcount, mobility, succession, and compliance.

4. Streamline UI: Simplify navigation, labels, and help text. Reduce clicks for common tasks.

5. Automate the repetitive: Identify tasks ripe for automation and set up scheduled jobs or integrations.

6. Collect feedback: Survey users after launches and iterate quickly on pain points.

How to Display SAP SuccessFactors Skills on Your Resume

11. ADP Workforce Now

ADP Workforce Now is a cloud HCM platform covering payroll, time, benefits, talent, and analytics—widely used by mid-sized organizations.

Why It's Important

It consolidates core HR tasks, enforces compliance basics, and reduces manual lift with sturdy payroll and benefits features.

How to Improve ADP Workforce Now Skills

1. Invest in training: Complete role-based courses and refreshers. Practice in a test environment when possible.

2. Optimize payroll flows: Standardize earnings codes, deduction setups, and pre-processing audits.

3. Use integrations: Connect time, HRIS, and benefits for clean data movement. Validate mappings routinely.

4. Leverage dashboards: Build widgets for payroll exceptions, missing punches, and open enrollments.

5. Gather user input: Ask managers and employees where they get stuck. Update instructions and quick guides accordingly.

How to Display ADP Workforce Now Skills on Your Resume

12. Microsoft Office

Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook—and often Teams, OneNote, and Power Automate—power the daily HR toolkit.

Why It's Important

From clean letters to workable dashboards, Office apps make HR communication crisp and repeatable.

How to Improve Microsoft Office Skills

1. Excel: Learn VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, INDEX-MATCH, PivotTables, conditional formatting, and data validation. Templates save time.

2. Word: Use styles, templates, content controls, and mail merge for offers and policy updates.

3. Outlook: Rules, shared mailboxes, and calendar sharing tame the inbox and keep interviews aligned.

4. PowerPoint: Build executive-ready slides—clean layouts, minimal text, clear charts.

5. Teams & OneNote: Centralize notes, track actions, and keep hiring panels aligned.

6. Power Automate: Trigger notifications and approvals for forms, offers, or onboarding tasks.

How to Display Microsoft Office Skills on Your Resume