Job Description of Human Resources Assistants:
Human resources assistants (HR assistants) keep an organization's personnel records up-to-date. They keep track of employees' address changes, changes in job titles, benefits, and salaries. Tasks may vary depending on the size of the organization. At a larger company, for example, an HR assistant may perform additional clerical duties or screen job candidates.
Employment Facts for Human Resources Assistants:
There were 168,000 working HR assistants in 2006. About 17 percent of them worked for the Federal government or for state and local governments. Other HR assistants worked in a variety of industries in the public and private sector.
Educational Requirements for Human Resources Assistants :
Employers prefer human resources assistant job candidates who have at least a high school diploma or a General Equivalency Diploma (GED). Successful candidates should also have training in computers, filing and maintaining filing systems, organizing, and human resources practices.
Other Qualifications for Human Resources Assistants:
Human resources assistants must be tactful, diplomatic and possess the ability to communicate with individuals at all levels of an organization.
Job Outlook for Human Resources Assistants:
The job outlook for hr assistants is good — the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that employment in this field will grow about as fast as the average for all occupations through 2016.
How Much Do Human Resources Assistants Earn?:
Median Annual Earnings for Human Resources Assistants were $33,750 (U.S., 2006).
Use the Salary Wizard at Salary.com to find out how much human resources assistants currently earn in your city.
A Day in a Human Resources Assistant's Life:
On a typical day an HR assistant might perform some of the following duties:
- update the appropriate form when an employee receives a promotion or switches health insurance plans;
- prepare reports for managers elsewhere within the organization;
- provide authorized information from the employee's personnel records when requested by credit bureaus and finance companies;
- screen job applicants to obtain information such as education and work experience;
- administer aptitude, personality, and interest tests;
- explain the organization's employment policies and refer qualified applicants to the employing official;
- request references from present or past employers of applicants;
- inform job applicants of their acceptance or rejection for employment;
- conduct Internet research to locate resumes
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2008-09 Edition, Human Resources Assistants, Except Payroll and Timekeeping, on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos150.htm (visited March 28, 2008).
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