If you want to bring the best possible people onto your company’s team, then you are going to need to start the hiring process on the right track by writing a solid job description. When you work as a company’s recruiter or hiring manager, you are tasked with filling multiple positions simultaneously with the expectation that the individuals you bring on board are going to fit in well. This can quickly become an exhausting exercise, however, when most of the resumes you receive feel like half-hearted efforts or are entirely unqualified for the job. If your writing is clear about what you really want in a candidate, though, you can narrow the playing field considerably and make the choices you are presented with far more appealing. To show you what we mean by this, consult the Human Resources Administrative Assistant job description sample below.
Human Resources Administrative Assistant Job Summary
In this position, you will provide support to the team in our human resources department. To do this, you will perform a number of tasks on a regular basis, including interviewing and sorting through applicants, familiarizing new hires with company practices and arranging the distribution of payroll and benefits programs to all employees.
Human Resources Administrative Assistant Job Responsibilities and Duties
- Provides great candidates for job openings by arranging applicant screenings, interviews and tests, informing current employees of internal openings, bringing in agency-provided temporary workers and keeping records of all personnel.
- Arranges payment of employees through calculations, check distribution and record maintenance.
- Informs employees of eligibility for medical insurance, savings bonds, student loans and disability programs. Also guides employees through the application processes for these and informs them of approvals.
- Keeps records of human resources activities, including any new hires, firings or transfers that take place as well as time taken by employees for vacation, illness and other personal reasons.
- Reviews claims and documentation regarding unemployment, and consults with legal counsel when necessary.
- Familiarizes new hires with company culture and practices by distributing packets of necessary information and reviewing policies, payment systems and benefit programs.
- Keeps knowledge of human resource department practices up-to-date by taking part in any workshops or other educational meetings and reading any new materials.
Human Resources Administrative Assistant Skills and Qualifications
- Solid written and verbal communication skills
- Updating personnel files
- Ability to adapt to company wage and compensation structure
- Familiarizing new employees with company practices
- Administering programs for employee benefits
- Crafting and posing interview questions to job candidates
- Ability to work as part of a team
Company Profile
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Best Practices for Writing a Job Description
- The Human Resources Administrative Assistant job description sample shown above is a great guide for writing your own description for the same position in your company. However, more often than not, outlines like this one are not going to be available for every open position that lands on your desk. We have you covered on that front as well, with a list of practices that, when implemented into your writing, will increase the appeal of your job descriptions to talented individuals.
- Don’t overuse blocks of text. While text blocks that are a few sentences long in your summary sections are fine, bullets are the best method of presenting information in the body of the job description. This allows candidates to quickly scan the document for the information they need to decide whether or not to apply.
- Do convey the culture of the company in your language. The information you present to readers as well as the tone with which you present it is one of the most effective ways to find your ideal candidate. If your writing reflects the attitude and values of the company, you are much more likely to find someone with a similar personality who will be able to hit the ground running.
- Do provide relevant contact information. When an applicant knows that he or she can have their questions and concerns addressed quickly, you start to establish a sense of loyalty that is invaluable if and when you recruit him or her.
If you use these principles to demonstrate a genuine interest in your applicants, the talent will flock to you.
Human Resources Administrative Assistant Job Responsibilities
This section of your human resources administrative assistant job description is crucial to attracting high-quality applicants. According to a recent survey by CareerBuilder, clearly defined job duties are the number one factor in jobseekers’ decision whether to apply for a position. Use this portion to give potential candidates an accurate description of their day-to-day responsibilities and feature the most exciting aspects of the position.
Just as a well-crafted resume exhibits an applicant’s skills and accomplishments at a glance, the job responsibilities section of the human resources administrative assistant job description should also present information in way that is easy to grasp quickly. The best way to do this is to create a bullet-point list of the 5–10 most important functions of the position. Use present-tense verbs at the beginning of each bullet-point to give a sense of action to the workday. Make sure to draw attention to tasks that are business-critical and convey the importance of the position.
A few examples of human resources administrative assistant job responsibilities are below:
- Act as point of contact for new hires, including tracking all new hire paperwork
- Conduct background and reference checks, salary and employment verifications
- Work with HR team and office manager to coordinate employee appreciation events
- Assist recruiting team as needed
Human Resources Administrative Assistant Job Specifications
Since it is the shortest section of your human resources administrative assistant job description, you may think that it will be simple to write the job qualifications and skills section. But while this part simply lists the minimum requirements and skills needed to perform the job, it does require careful consideration. This is your first opportunity to weed out both underqualified and overqualified candidates before their resumes even hit your inbox.
Clarity is the most essential aspect of this piece of the human resources administrative assistant job description. You want to be certain to differentiate the skills and qualifications required for the position from those that are preferred but not necessary. The easiest way to do this is to create two separate lists, one for must-haves and one for nice but not necessary experience or expertise. Think through factors like years of experience, certifications, higher education, language proficiency or software expertise when making this list. Then, if possible, run your list by a hiring manager before posting it to make sure that you’ve hit all of the crucial points.
Below are four possible human resources administrative assistant job specifications:
- Strong data entry and software management skills with excellent accuracy
- Demonstrated ability to maintain high levels confidentiality
- Talent for building camaraderie among colleagues within various departments and at all professional levels
- Prior HR experience preferred