Top 12 HRIS Specialist Skills to Put on Your Resume
In today's crowded job market, an HRIS (Human Resources Information System) specialist needs a sharp mix of technical depth and practical savvy—systems thinking, clean data habits, and the nerve to keep things humming when processes sprawl. A resume that shines does more than name tools; it shows impact, fluency, and the ability to steer HR data systems without drama.
HRIS Specialist Skills
- Workday
- SAP SuccessFactors
- PeopleSoft
- ADP Workforce Now
- Oracle Cloud HCM
- BambooHR
- UKG Pro (formerly UltiPro)
- UKG Workforce Management (formerly Kronos)
- Dayforce (formerly Ceridian Dayforce)
- SQL
- Microsoft Excel
- Tableau
1. Workday
Workday is a cloud platform for human capital management, finance, and planning—one system to run core HR, payroll, talent, and reporting without stitching together a dozen tools.
Why It's Important
It centralizes HR processes and data, boosts accuracy, reduces manual work, and arms leaders with timely insights.
How to Improve Workday Skills
Level up by focusing on what moves the needle:
Training and certification: Build a base, then go deep in modules tied to your remit. Workday Education and structured learning paths help you get there.
Process automation: Replace repetitive clicks with workflows. Audit current processes, then streamline approvals, notifications, and self-service.
Data analytics and reporting: Craft dashboards and custom reports aligned to HR and business outcomes. Standardize definitions. Validate everything.
Integration: Use Workday integration tools to connect payroll, finance, ATS, and identity systems. Tight integrations prevent reconciliation headaches.
User adoption: Run bite-size training. Write simple job aids. Gather feedback and iterate. High adoption beats fancy configs every time.
Stay current: Track release notes and major events like Workday Rising to harvest new features and best practices.
Do these well and Workday quietly becomes the reliable backbone of HR operations.
How to Display Workday Skills on Your Resume
2. SAP SuccessFactors
SAP SuccessFactors is a cloud HCM suite covering core HR, payroll, talent, learning, and analytics—built to centralize people processes and improve execution.
Why It's Important
It streamlines HR operations end to end, improves data quality, and gives HRIS pros the tools to deliver consistent, data-informed decisions.
How to Improve SAP SuccessFactors Skills
- Stay updated: Follow release cycles and community updates; map new features to business wins.
- Training and certification: Formal learning accelerates mastery and reduces configuration missteps.
- Data quality: Institute validation rules, cleanup routines, and ownership. Bad inputs ruin even the prettiest dashboards.
- User experience: Configure pages, tiles, and workflows to match how teams actually work. Simple wins.
- Reporting and analytics: Build standard packs and ad hoc views for HRBPs and leaders. Document metric definitions.
- Security and compliance: Apply least-privilege access, review roles regularly, and log critical changes.
- Automation: Identify manual steps across onboarding, performance, and comp—then remove them.
- Feedback loops: Collect input after each release or change. Fix friction fast.
How to Display SAP SuccessFactors Skills on Your Resume
3. PeopleSoft
PeopleSoft, from Oracle, is a mature HRMS with deep functionality for core HR, payroll, time, benefits, and talent—stable, configurable, and still widely used.
Why It's Important
It offers robust tools to standardize HR processes, secure sensitive data, and power analytics in organizations that rely on on-prem or hybrid stacks.
How to Improve PeopleSoft Skills
Optimization: Tune configurations and performance settings. Monitor slow queries and heavy pages; fix root causes, not symptoms.
Sustainable customization: Use PeopleTools wisely. Favor configuration over customization. Keep upgrades in mind.
Training: Equip admins and end users with practical training and quick-reference guides to reduce tickets.
Integration: Leverage delivered integration capabilities to connect payroll providers, identity tools, and finance systems.
Update cadence: Apply patches and images through the Update Manager on a predictable schedule with good regression testing.
Security: Enforce role-based access, periodic access reviews, and encryption for sensitive fields.
Reporting: Standardize PeopleSoft Query and BI Publisher outputs. Curate a library of trusted reports.
How to Display PeopleSoft Skills on Your Resume
4. ADP Workforce Now
ADP Workforce Now is a cloud HCM platform covering HR, payroll, time, benefits, and talent—built for mid-market scale with strong compliance features.
Why It's Important
It consolidates core processes, improves payroll accuracy, and simplifies audits and regulatory reporting—vital for lean HR teams.
How to Improve ADP Workforce Now Skills
Configuration: Tune workflows, dashboards, and roles to match policies. Clean design prevents errors.
Integration: Connect via APIs and vetted connectors through the ADP marketplace to keep data consistent across systems.
Training: Offer short, targeted sessions and refreshers. Explore ADP learning paths and certification for admins.
Advanced features: Put analytics, mobile features, and benchmarks to work for workforce planning and executive reporting.
Release management: Track ADP updates, pilot changes, and use a feedback loop to refine configurations.
How to Display ADP Workforce Skills on Your Resume
5. Oracle Cloud HCM
Oracle Cloud HCM (Oracle Fusion) is a comprehensive suite spanning core HR, payroll, talent, learning, and workforce management with native analytics and strong security.
Why It's Important
It unifies HR workflows and data on a single cloud platform—helping HRIS teams improve compliance, decision-making, and employee experience.
How to Improve Oracle HCM Skills
Keep current: Follow release readiness and apply new features with intention—turn on what solves real problems.
Training and certification: Build admin depth with structured courses; it pays off during implementations and quarterly updates.
Configuration hygiene: Document setups, naming standards, and approvals. Revisit configurations after org or policy changes.
Analytics: Deploy KPIs, dashboards, and embedded analytics for HRBPs and leaders. Align metrics with business goals.
Automation: Use workflows and self-service to eliminate manual routing and data entry.
Community and ideation: Engage with peer groups and idea forums; borrow what works, avoid what doesn’t.
How to Display Oracle HCM Skills on Your Resume
6. BambooHR
BambooHR is a cloud HRIS tailored to small and midsize businesses—employee records, onboarding, PTO, performance, and simple reporting with a friendly UI.
Why It's Important
It reduces admin drag, consolidates data, and gives growing teams clean, repeatable processes without bloat.
How to Improve BambooHR Skills
Tailored configuration: Align time-off policies, review cycles, and access with how your company operates. Less friction, fewer tickets.
Integrations: Connect via the BambooHR marketplace or API to payroll, ATS, and SSO—no double entry.
Reporting: Build custom reports for turnover, hiring velocity, and headcount changes. Automate distribution.
Self-service: Drive adoption for profile updates, PTO requests, and document access. Clear how-tos help.
Training and updates: Track product releases, join trainings and webinars, and refresh help content as features evolve.
Feedback: Collect user input and tweak forms, fields, and permissions to smooth sharp edges.
How to Display BambooHR Skills on Your Resume
7. UKG Pro (formerly UltiPro)
UKG Pro is a cloud HCM suite for HR, payroll, time, talent, and analytics—born from the Ultimate Software and Kronos merger.
Why It's Important
It centralizes employee data and processes while offering strong reporting and automation for complex organizations.
How to Improve UKG Pro Skills
Configuration: Adjust fields, forms, and workflows to mirror real policies and approval paths.
Integrations: Use marketplace connectors and APIs to link finance, identity, ATS, and benefits platforms.
Automation: Streamline time tracking, benefits events, and onboarding tasks with schedulers and triggers.
Training: Offer regular admin and manager training. Document common tasks. Keep a quick tips library.
Analytics: Build dashboards and scheduled reports for compliance, headcount, and cost drivers.
User experience: Simplify navigation and forms. Gather feedback, then iterate.
Security: Review roles and audit logs routinely. Protect sensitive data with strong controls.
How to Display UltiPro Skills on Your Resume
8. UKG Workforce Management (formerly Kronos)
UKG Workforce Management (previously Kronos Workforce) focuses on timekeeping, scheduling, leave, and labor optimization—at scale.
Why It's Important
It automates time and attendance, enforces scheduling rules, and reduces compliance risk while giving leaders visibility into labor costs.
How to Improve UKG Workforce Management Skills
Fit-to-policy configuration: Align pay rules, accruals, and scheduling templates to actual rules—no “close enough.”
Training: Teach managers how to handle exceptions, swaps, and approvals. Train employees on the essentials.
Integration: Connect to payroll and HRIS to keep employee data, job codes, and cost centers synchronized.
Analytics: Use labor, overtime, and schedule adherence reports to guide staffing and cost control.
Maintenance: Apply updates on a schedule, test thoroughly, and archive stale items to keep performance crisp.
Feedback: Encourage frontline input on scheduling pain points; tune configurations to remove friction.
How to Display Kronos Workforce Skills on Your Resume
9. Dayforce (formerly Ceridian Dayforce)
Dayforce is a unified HCM platform that brings together HR, payroll, benefits, workforce management, and talent—with continuous calculation for payroll.
Why It's Important
One system means fewer handoffs, better data integrity, and faster decisions—ideal for organizations chasing real-time accuracy.
How to Improve Dayforce Skills
Configuration and workflows: Tailor forms, rules, and approvals to your operating model. Document decisions.
Training programs: Build role-based training for admins, HRBPs, managers, and employees. Reinforce with refreshers.
Integrations: Use delivered connectors and APIs for benefits, finance, and identity—clean interfaces, clean data.
Analytics: Stand up dashboards for headcount, turnover, overtime, and pay accuracy. Standardize metric definitions.
User feedback: Gather comments after each release or change; prioritize fixes that cut time and clicks.
Release readiness: Track updates, test in lower environments, and communicate changes clearly.
Community and support: Engage peers, compare approaches, and learn shortcuts that actually work.
How to Display Ceridian Dayforce Skills on Your Resume
10. SQL
SQL (Structured Query Language) lets you query, update, and manage relational databases—critical for extracting HR data, validating loads, and building trustworthy reports.
Why It's Important
It’s the backbone for data access and integrity checks in HRIS work. When you can write clean queries, you resolve issues fast and explain the numbers with confidence.
How to Improve SQL Skills
Foundations: Nail the basics—SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE; data types; NULLs; grouping and filtering.
Joins and subqueries: Master inner/outer joins, EXISTS, and window functions to handle real-world HR schemas.
Performance: Learn indexing strategy, query plans, and how to spot anti-patterns. Faster queries, happier stakeholders.
Hands-on practice: Use HR-like datasets (jobs, positions, comp, time) to solve realistic tasks—audits, headcount snapshots, tenure bands.
Platform specifics: Dive into the nuances of Oracle, SQL Server, PostgreSQL, or MySQL—dialects matter.
Data governance: Build habits around validation, reconciliation, and secure handling of PII.
How to Display SQL Skills on Your Resume
11. Microsoft Excel
Excel is the trusty spreadsheet workhorse—analysis, modeling, ad hoc reporting, quick audits; indispensable in HR data work.
Why It's Important
It bridges gaps between systems and stakeholders, enabling fast exploration, clear visuals, and structured handoffs without waiting on IT.
How to Improve Microsoft Excel Skills
Advanced formulas: Go beyond the basics—INDEX/MATCH or XLOOKUP, nested IFs, SUMIFS, COUNTIFS, TEXT functions.
PivotTables and charts: Summarize data quickly and present it cleanly. Slicers and timelines make interactivity painless.
Power Query: Automate data cleanup and reshaping. Turn messy CSVs into tidy tables on refresh.
Macros and VBA: Script repetitive steps. Even small automations pay big dividends.
Data visualization: Choose the right chart, reduce clutter, tell the story. Labels matter.
Security: Lock sheets, protect files, and handle PII carefully—compliance lives here too.
How to Display Microsoft Excel Skills on Your Resume
12. Tableau
Tableau turns complex datasets into intuitive visuals and dashboards—perfect for slicing HR data into insights people actually use.
Why It's Important
It speeds up analysis, clarifies trends, and helps leaders act—no SQL required at the point of consumption.
How to Improve Tableau Skills
Core skills: Get comfortable with joins, blends, calculations, parameters, and Level of Detail expressions.
HR context: Learn the metrics that matter—headcount, turnover, time-to-fill, compa-ratios, diversity metrics—and define them consistently.
Design for clarity: Favor clean layouts, sensible color, and minimal noise. Interactivity should help, not distract.
Practice with real data: Build end-to-end dashboards using anonymized HR datasets; iterate with stakeholder feedback.
Performance: Optimize extracts, reduce row counts, and simplify calculations for snappy dashboards.
Storytelling: Present insights with context and actions—what changed, why it matters, what to do next.
How to Display Tableau Skills on Your Resume
