Top 12 Human Resources Assistant Skills to Put on Your Resume

In the crowded world of HR, standing out takes a resume that blends technical know‑how with people sense and steady execution. The right skills make you look sharp, dependable, and ready to plug into an HR team without missing a beat. Below are the 12 core capabilities that signal you’re prepared to handle the day-to-day and support the bigger picture.

Human Resources Assistant Skills

  1. Payroll Processing
  2. HRIS (Human Resources 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. Onboarding Facilitation
  12. ADP Workforce Now

1. Payroll Processing

Payroll processing covers calculating and delivering wages, salaries, deductions, and taxes on time and in line with laws and company policy.

Why It's Important

Accurate, timely pay keeps trust intact and morale steady. It also protects the organization from penalties and compliance headaches.

How to Improve Payroll Processing Skills

Make it clean, consistent, and auditable.

  1. Automate core steps: Use payroll software to handle gross-to-net calculations, tax withholdings, and direct deposits.

  2. Integrate systems: Connect timekeeping, HRIS, and accounting to cut manual entry and mismatched data.

  3. Train regularly: Refresh knowledge on new tax rules, wage laws, and system features.

  4. Document policies: Spell out overtime, leaves, stipends, and cutoff dates so everyone plays by the same rules.

  5. Audit on a schedule: Reconcile payroll registers, taxes, and GL entries to catch issues early.

  6. Enable employee self-service: Let staff view payslips, update details, and submit time-off requests to reduce ticket volume.

Small process gains here pay off every single pay period.

How to Display Payroll Processing Skills on Your Resume

How to Display Payroll Processing Skills on Your Resume

2. HRIS (Human Resources Information System)

HRIS is the digital backbone for HR—centralizing employee data and powering tasks like payroll, benefits, recruiting, time, and performance tracking.

Why It's Important

One source of truth speeds up work, improves accuracy, supports data-led decisions, and reduces repetitive admin toil.

How to Improve HRIS (Human Resource Information System) Skills

  1. Keep it current: Stay on the latest version; apply security patches and feature updates promptly.

  2. Simplify workflows: Map processes, remove duplicate steps, and standardize forms and approvals.

  3. Protect data: Use role-based access, MFA, audit logs, and routine permission reviews.

  4. Integrate smartly: Connect HRIS with payroll, time, finance, and ticketing tools to prevent data drift.

  5. Train and support: Offer bite-size training, quick guides, and office hours to boost adoption.

  6. Listen and iterate: Gather user feedback; adjust layouts, fields, and reports for clarity and speed.

  7. Use analytics: Build dashboards for headcount, turnover, time-to-fill, and compliance to inform decisions.

Strong HRIS habits reduce errors and free time for higher-value work.

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

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

3. ATS (Applicant Tracking System)

An ATS organizes the hiring pipeline—posting jobs, parsing resumes, tracking candidates, and keeping hiring teams aligned.

Why It's Important

It speeds screening, sharpens search, and keeps candidates moving, which helps teams hire faster and better.

How to Improve ATS (Applicant Tracking System) Skills

  1. Write clear, inclusive jobs: Use role-specific keywords and plain language; avoid jargon that filters out good people.

  2. Streamline applications: Make forms short, mobile-friendly, and saveable. Drop duplicate questions.

  3. Stay updated: Enable new ATS features—templates, bulk actions, scorecards, and automations.

  4. Nurture candidates: Set automated confirmations, status updates, and interview prep notes.

  5. Train users: Align on tagging, feedback standards, and fair, consistent evaluations.

  6. Track the right metrics: Watch time-to-fill, stage conversion, source quality, and candidate satisfaction—then act on the signals.

Less friction for candidates, fewer bottlenecks for hiring teams.

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

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

4. Employee Relations

Employee relations focuses on healthy employer–employee dynamics: resolving conflicts, clarifying expectations, and upholding policy and law.

Why It's Important

Trust rises, churn falls. Communication improves. Teams get more done when issues are handled early and fairly.

How to Improve Employee Relations Skills

  1. Open the channels: Use regular check-ins, pulse surveys, and anonymous feedback options.

  2. Recognize wins: Celebrate contributions—publicly, promptly, and specifically.

  3. Invest in growth: Offer clear development paths, training, and stretch assignments.

  4. Build team cohesion: Run collaborative projects, cross-functional meetups, and low-lift team rituals.

  5. Be fair and consistent: Apply policies evenly; support equity, inclusion, and respect.

  6. Resolve fast: Address conflicts quickly with neutral fact-finding and documented outcomes.

  7. Support wellbeing: Promote mental health resources, reasonable workloads, and flexible options where possible.

Good relations don’t happen by accident—they’re engineered with intention.

How to Display Employee Relations Skills on Your Resume

How to Display Employee Relations Skills on Your Resume

5. Recruitment Coordination

Recruitment coordination manages the moving parts of hiring—scheduling, communication, documentation, and logistics—so interviews happen smoothly and feedback flows.

Why It's Important

Strong coordination shortens timelines, keeps candidates engaged, and helps hiring teams make confident decisions.

How to Improve Recruitment Coordination Skills

  1. Standardize the flow: Use templates for outreach, scorecards, and scheduling. Define SLAs for response and feedback.

  2. Centralize comms: Keep all notes, messages, and decisions in one system to avoid confusion.

  3. Lean on tools: Use an ATS with built-in scheduling, calendar sync, and structured interview kits.

  4. Prep interviewers: Offer quick refreshers on structured interviews and bias awareness.

  5. Close the loop: Collect feedback from candidates and hiring teams; fix pain points quickly.

Logistics done right makes the whole process feel easy.

How to Display Recruitment Coordination Skills on Your Resume

How to Display Recruitment Coordination Skills on Your Resume

6. Benefits Administration

Benefits administration covers the setup, communication, and ongoing management of health plans, retirement, leave, and other perks—while staying compliant.

Why It's Important

Clear, well-run benefits boost retention and help attract talent. Compliance reduces risk. Everyone wins.

How to Improve Benefits Administration Skills

  1. Adopt modern platforms: Use systems that support self-service enrollment, life-event changes, and clean carrier feeds.

  2. Communicate simply: Provide plain-language guides, FAQs, and deadlines. Repeat key messages across channels.

  3. Educate regularly: Host short sessions on plan choices, HSA/FSAs, and retirement options.

  4. Listen and refine: Survey employees about value and coverage gaps; use data to adjust offerings.

  5. Stay compliant: Track eligibility rules, notices, and filings; calendar key dates and audit annually.

Clarity saves time and prevents costly missteps.

How to Display Benefits Administration Skills on Your Resume

How to Display Benefits Administration Skills on Your Resume

7. Compliance Monitoring

Compliance monitoring means checking that HR policies and practices meet legal and internal standards—and fixing gaps quickly.

Why It's Important

It limits legal exposure, fosters fairness, and protects employees and the business.

How to Improve Compliance Monitoring Skills

  1. Stay informed: Track changes in labor laws, wage rules, leave requirements, and privacy regulations.

  2. Use checklists and audits: Review I-9s, overtime, classifications, and required postings on a set cadence.

  3. Leverage tooling: Use systems to automate reminders, document acknowledgments, and training completion.

  4. Clarify policies: Keep handbooks current; require acknowledgments after updates.

  5. Train consistently: Offer concise sessions on harassment prevention, safety, and data handling.

  6. Enable reporting: Provide anonymous reporting channels and clear investigation procedures.

  7. Correct and prevent: Document corrective actions and update processes to avoid repeat issues.

Proactive beats reactive, every time.

How to Display Compliance Monitoring Skills on Your Resume

How to Display Compliance Monitoring Skills on Your Resume

8. Performance Management

Performance management is the ongoing cycle of setting goals, coaching, feedback, and reviews to lift results and develop people.

Why It's Important

It aligns work with strategy, spots skill gaps early, and motivates progress through clear expectations.

How to Improve Performance Management Skills

  1. Set SMART goals: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound. No ambiguity.

  2. Give frequent feedback: Short, timely check-ins beat once-a-year surprises.

  3. Develop skills: Pair feedback with training, mentoring, and stretch work.

  4. Use tools: Track goals, feedback, and recognition in one place for visibility.

  5. Recognize often: Tie praise to outcomes and values to reinforce the right behaviors.

  6. Continuously refine: Review the process yearly; simplify forms and focus on meaningful conversations.

Consistency turns performance from a task into a habit.

How to Display Performance Management Skills on Your Resume

How to Display Performance Management Skills on Your Resume

9. Workday

Workday is a cloud platform for HR and finance that covers payroll, time, recruiting, talent, and analytics in one system.

Why It's Important

It centralizes data, automates routine tasks, and improves accuracy across core HR processes.

How to Improve Workday Skills

  1. Master the fundamentals: Learn core HCM objects, security roles, business processes, and reports.

  2. Tune your homepage: Customize dashboards, worklets, and shortcuts for high-frequency tasks.

  3. Automate where possible: Build business process rules, validations, and notifications to reduce manual work.

  4. Track releases: Review new features each update and enable what helps your team most.

  5. Join the community: Share tips, troubleshoot, and learn best practices from other users.

  6. Grow with training: Take role-based courses and, if helpful, pursue certification paths.

Workday rewards curiosity—explore and refine continuously.

How to Display Workday Skills on Your Resume

How to Display Workday Skills on Your Resume

10. SAP SuccessFactors

SAP SuccessFactors is a cloud HR suite spanning recruiting, onboarding, performance, learning, and more, with robust analytics.

Why It's Important

It streamlines HR processes and surfaces insights that guide workforce decisions.

How to Improve SAP SuccessFactors Skills

  1. Train continuously: Keep up with module updates; share quick tips with your team.

  2. Clean the data: Establish data standards, run validations, and audit for duplicates or gaps.

  3. Optimize processes: Align workflows to how your organization actually operates; remove extra steps.

  4. Use analytics: Build reports and dashboards for recruiting funnels, talent movement, and compliance.

  5. Integrate systems: Connect SuccessFactors with ERP, payroll, and identity tools for smooth data flow.

  6. Gather feedback: Monitor user friction points and iterate on configurations and training.

Great configuration plus good data equals real insight.

How to Display SAP SuccessFactors Skills on Your Resume

How to Display SAP SuccessFactors Skills on Your Resume

11. Onboarding Facilitation

Onboarding facilitation guides new hires from offer to ramped-up—paperwork, orientation, systems access, training, and cultural immersion.

Why It's Important

Good onboarding accelerates productivity, strengthens connection, and reduces early attrition. First impressions stick.

How to Improve Onboarding Facilitation Skills

  1. Start before day one: Share schedules, contacts, and tasks; complete paperwork in advance.

  2. Build a structured plan: Define the first day, week, and 90 days with clear outcomes and check-ins.

  3. Automate the basics: Use onboarding tools for tasks, equipment requests, and account provisioning.

  4. Assign a buddy: Pair new hires with a guide for culture, norms, and unwritten rules.

  5. Check in often: Gather feedback at key milestones and resolve blockers quickly.

Make it welcoming, predictable, and personal.

How to Display Onboarding Facilitation Skills on Your Resume

How to Display Onboarding Facilitation Skills on Your Resume

12. ADP Workforce Now

ADP Workforce Now is a cloud platform covering payroll, HR, time, talent, and benefits—built to centralize and streamline HR operations.

Why It's Important

It reduces manual work, supports compliance, and gives employees easy access to their information and tasks.

How to Improve ADP Workforce Skills

  1. Explore training resources: Learn modules thoroughly; keep up with feature releases.

  2. Automate routine tasks: Configure rules for timesheets, approvals, and leave workflows.

  3. Design useful reports: Create custom dashboards for payroll accuracy, overtime, and headcount trends.

  4. Integrate systems: Connect with HRIS, accounting, and scheduling tools to reduce duplicate entry.

  5. Promote mobile access: Encourage employees to use the app for pay, time, and requests.

  6. Collect feedback: Ask end users what’s clunky; tweak setups and training accordingly.

  7. Review regularly: Audit security roles, permissions, and data mappings at least twice a year.

Set it up well once, and it quietly powers the day-to-day.

How to Display ADP Workforce Skills on Your Resume

How to Display ADP Workforce Skills on Your Resume
Top 12 Human Resources Assistant Skills to Put on Your Resume
Top 12 Human Resources Assistant Skills to Put on Your Resume