Attention: 4 Corner Resources is being used in a phishing scam. Read more about how to protect yourself.

HR Administrator Job Descriptions, Average Salary, Interview Questions

What Does an HR Administrator Do?

HR administrators help manage and prepare different human resources documents, help employees with issues that arise, facilitate employee onboarding and training, and may even help with payroll. As they are the first point of contact between employees and the HR department, they may assist with employee contracts, recruiting, and parts of interviewing for the company. They will need to be knowledgeable about company processes and various HR issues as well. HR administrators should possess strong written and verbal communication skills, excellent time management skills, and a passion for the company they work for.

The job of HR administrator can be described at times as being high-stress, very fast-paced, and difficult. It can also be rewarding and provide opportunity to grow as a professional. HR administrators will need to be able to multitask, stay organized, and explain things in layman’s terms since they often will be the face of the HR department to their coworkers.

Are you a job seeker?

Browse zengig’s
comprehensive list
of job openings
and apply online

National Average Salary

HR administrator salaries vary by experience, industry, organization size, and geography. To explore salary ranges by local market, please visit our sister site zengig.com.

The average U.S. salary for an HR Administrator is:

$57,250

HR Administrator Job Descriptions

When it comes to recruiting a HR administrator, having the right job description can make a big difference. Here are some real world job descriptions you can use as templates for your next opening.

Example 1

HR administrators manage the human resources department of an organization. They make sure the HR department runs smoothly by helping to answer employee questions, preparing HR documents, updating personnel records, and more. HR administrators are excellent at multitasking and need to be organized and have exceptional interpersonal and time management skills. [Your Company Name] is looking for an experienced HR administrator to take our company to new heights. As an ideal candidate, you have solid leadership skills and proven experience maintaining personnel records, managing HR documents, and updating internal databases. 

Typical duties and responsibilities

  • Facilitate HR department processes
  • Prepare HR documents
  • Help employees with their questions and issues
  • Assist with employee hiring, onboarding, and training
  • Help with employee health plans, payroll, and benefits

Education and experience

This position requires a bachelor’s degree in human resources management, business administration, or a related field. 

Required skills and qualifications

  • Ability to multitask and organize  
  • Exceptional interpersonal and time management skills
  • Adaptability and accountability
  • Proficiency using Microsoft Office Suite
  • Able to work with minimal direction
  • Excellent customer service skills

Preferred qualifications

  • Master’s degree in business, human resources, or related field
  • 3+ years of experience working in HR
  • Bilingual
  • Strong interpersonal skills

Example 2

ABC Company is partnering with a global broker that provides specialist insurance, reinsurance, and capital markets advisory services to assist them in bringing on an HR Administrator. This is a direct hire opportunity, offering a competitive salary and fantastic benefits.

HR Administration, HR Information System (HRIS), Metrics, and Reporting

  • Act as a go-to HR professional for day-to-day employee questions, as well as respond to employees in a timely and accurate manner ensuring complete follow-through
  • Assist with annual and off-cycle compensation, bonus, and promotion processes
  • Work with other HR team members to ensure the annual HR checklist is completed
  • Update HR reports on a monthly basis to provide accurate metrics to the business
  • Create ad hoc reports and manipulate data, as needed, in an accurate and concise manner
  • Prepare and submit the annual EEO-1 report

Benefits Administration

  • Answer day-to-day questions regarding benefits plans; refer employees to the Benefits Resource Center for claims resolution issues or escalate to other HR team members, as needed
  • Assist with leaves of absence tracking, including disability plan coordination
  • Review discrepancy reports from the medical carriers when issues arise between HRIS and medical carrier record-keeping systems
  • Reconciliation benefit carrier invoices on a monthly basis

Recruiting and Onboarding

  • Perform initial phone screens and in-person interviews, as requested
  • Assist in the preparation of offer letters, agreements, and all other relevant new hire paperwork
  • Onboard new employees in a welcoming way, ensuring they receive timely and accurate instruction needed regarding their employment and benefits options

Project Work

  • Participate in various projects in order to gain exposure to different areas within the HR
  • Complete project work in a timely and accurate manner and provide clear communication on project status to project leader(s)

Required education, experience, and skills

  • 4-year degree from an accredited college or university or a combination of some advanced education/training along with equivalent years of experience in Human Resources
  • Minimum of three years of experience in a Human Resources role in a professional environment
  • Strong attention to detail with excellent follow-up and follow-through skills
  • Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office suite of products, including Teams
  • Ability to see the big picture yet has the ability to work in a detailed and thorough manner

Example 3

The primary purpose of this position is to provide process and transactional support for HR systems & processes, including support for all users through the resolution of cases (using Service Now technology), chat, and phone support. This position is expected to be the first point of contact with handling all support calls routing to the People Operations team and other tasks as required to resolve first-level support requests.

This role will be responsible for assisting with a large volume of data entry and review related to team member business processes, including hires, terminations, salary adjustments, and other confidential items. This position will also monitor various HR inboxes and respond or escalate to the appropriate team, including COE, HR Strategic Partners, or Leadership

Essential duties and responsibilities

  • Receives and provides basic navigation support for routine correspondence following established procedures (such as address changes, application support, background check corrections, and employee self-service support)
  • Review and update key business processes and general master data components
  • Collaboration with the People Operations team to achieve faster support service level agreements that ensure department key performance indicators are met

Education

  • Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education and experience preferred

Experience

  • 2+ years of a relevant customer support role and past data entry experience

Computer skills

  • Intermediate computer skills including generating simple letters, spreadsheets, and/or graphics for personal business use or creating simple queries and simply formatted data output
  • Must be proficient in Microsoft Excel, Word, and Powerpoint
  • Understanding HR systems and processes is a plus

Communication skills

  • Ability to interact with and communicate with a broad range of end users providing excellent support
  • Requires excellent communication skills, both verbal and written
  • Bilingual preferred

Special skills

  • Must possess excellent customer service, basic analytical and troubleshooting skills, planning, and organizational skills
  • Must be detail-oriented and work well in a team environment.
  • Must be able to work in a fast-paced environment
  • Must be able to multitask when applicable
  • Strong interpersonal skills, particularly as it relates to working effectively with others and building successful relationships throughout the organization
  • Excellent judgment and proven ability to analyze issues quickly & take appropriate action under limited time constraints
  • Perseveres to locate necessary data quickly to support customer resolution; Consistently delivers high-quality, timely work, resulting in highly satisfied customers
  • Passion for learning
  • Familiarity with SAP/HR and Workday is highly valued
  • Team player

Example 4

ABC Company is looking for a Human Resources Assistant to assist with the administration of the day-to-day operations of the Human Resources functions and duties. In addition to providing clerical support to the HR department and employees regarding human resources-related activities, policies, processes, and procedures, the Human Resources Assistant will be in charge of a number of different personnel-related administrative tasks. This opening is based in the (City, State) area and is a short-term contract/temporary opportunity.

Key responsibilities

  • Explore the internet to locate potential customers
  • Oversee office and administrative tasks
  • Partake in planning new employee orientation meetings
  • Update employee database information

Requirements

  • Approachable and appropriate interaction with staff at all levels in a rapidly changing environment
  • Proven knowledge of Human Resources (HR) Administration
  • Deep understanding of Employee Timesheets
  • Onboarding experience preferred
  • Computer Files experience
  • Spanish Language experience desired
  • Data entry experience required
  • Accomplished in office applications and software, as well as Human Resource Information Systems (HRIS)
  • Desire to thrive in scenarios of team-based work or independent tasks, always looking to learn more and take initiative on a number of different projects and tasks
  • Excellent verbal, written, and social communication skills
  • Experience handling confidential business matters and information with discretion

Candidate Certifications to Look For

  • Professional in Human Resources (PHR). This course is designed for HR professionals who have experience working in an HR environment and who are accountable to other HR professionals within an organization. Candidates learn about employee and labor relations, business management, talent planning and acquisition, and rewards. To be eligible to sit for the exam, candidates must have a certain combination of education and experience. The PHR certification is valid for three years. They must earn 60 recertification credits over the three years to maintain certification or retake the exam. 
  • Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR). The SPHR is an advanced certification demonstrating your HR leadership, policy making, and management skills. The exam covers topics such as leadership and strategy, employee relations and engagement, and learning and development. Candidates will need a master’s degree and 4+ years of experience, a bachelor’s degree and 5+ years of experience, or 7+ years of experience without a degree to be eligible. The credential is good for 3 years, during which time candidates must take 60 credits of continuing education to recertify or retake the exam.

How to Hire an HR Administrator

Consider the following when hiring an HR administrator:

  • Recruiting: Do you have the internal resources and tools to source and recruit for this role successfully?
  • Complexity: Do you need a senior professional, or will mid, or even junior-level skills suffice?
  • Duration: Is this a one-time project, or an indefinite need?
  • Management: Can you effectively direct the work effort?
  • Urgency: Are there any deadlines associated with this need?
  • Headcount: Do you have the budget and approval for an internal employee, or should you consider alternate options?

Answering these questions will help determine the best course of action for your current hiring need. Fortunately, various great options exist for every scenario, no matter how unique. When hiring an HR administrator, we recommend the following options:

1. Use 4 Corner Resources (or another professional recruiting firm)

The heavy lifting is done for you when working with a top-tier staffing company like 4 Corner Resources. We source, screen, recruit, and deliver only the most qualified candidate(s), saving you significant time and effort throughout the hiring process while you remain focused on your core business. Understanding your needs and ensuring the right candidate for the position is the key to our success.

This is the best route to take when:

  • You need to fill the position quickly
  • You want access to a vast talent pool of high-quality, prescreened candidates
  • Your position is suited for temporary hiring services, contract staffing, or contract-to-hire recruiting, and you intend to direct the work activity.
  • You are hiring an employee as a direct placement but aren’t able to recruit effectively or efficiently with your internal staff. 
  • You aren’t familiar with current salary rates, market trends, and available skill sets
Purple 4 Corner Resources banner that says award-winning staffing and recruiting solutions with learn more button

2. Advertise your opening on a top job board

Your best option may be to advertise your opening on a proven job board. There are many widely used job sites out there that draw visits from qualified candidates. If you have someone internally who can dedicate the time and energy to sort through applications and screen individuals effectively, this can be a great choice. 

We recommend using a job board when:

  • Your internal recruiting team has the knowledge and experience to assess candidate qualifications
  • You are hiring a direct employee and have time to manage the entire recruiting effort 
  • You have a process for receiving, screening, and tracking all resumes and applications
  • You are prepared to respond to all applicants

We recommend CareerBuilder for HR administrator openings:

CareerBuilder

CareerBuilder has been a trusted source for hiring since 1995. Reach 80+ million unique, diverse U.S. job seekers annually by posting your jobs through their talent acquisition channels. Through CareerBuilder, you can engage candidates and drive them into your sourcing pipeline. We recommend using CareerBuilder for hiring when you have the internal resources and processes to review, screen, and reply to all applicants.

white CareerBuilder affiliate banner that says post your job and start your free 5-day trial today

3. Leverage your internal resources

You can utilize your own website, social media, and employees to assist in your search for top candidates. 

A company website posting should be the first step in notifying prospective candidates that you are hiring. Social media can also be a powerful tool for spreading the word about your new opening. As far as exposure is concerned, this option can be as good as some job boards when you have a large enough following across various platforms, like LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and Twitter.

Current employees are every organization’s greatest asset. Encourage your internal team to promote job openings to their network by offering cash and other incentives.

We recommend these options when:

  • Your brand has great name recognition
  • You can consistently monitor and respond to candidate activity through your website and social media accounts
  • You have a process in place to quickly and broadly communicate job openings and requirements
  • You have an effective employee referral program in place

If you aren’t sure which path is best, schedule a discovery call today with our seasoned recruiting professionals. The 4 Corner team is on standby to help you find the best option for your unique hiring need.

Sample Interview Questions

  • What interests you about human resources?
  • How have you used creativity in an HR position?
  • Which area of HR do you enjoy working in the most?
  • Are you familiar with HR software and systems, and what strategies do you use to ensure employee data is accurate and current?
  • Which strategies do you use to ensure employees are following HR policies and procedures?
  • How do you ensure that both the employee and your organization have a positive experience during employee onboarding and offboarding?
  • What steps do you take to ensure privacy and security of employee files and records?
  • Is there a particular tool or software you use for data analysis in HR reporting and analytics?
  • What steps do you take to stay up-to-date on changes to relevant laws and regulations related to HR?
  • Are you familiar with enrolling employees, making changes, and communicating benefits?
  • Do you see human resources professionals facing any major trends or challenges in the coming years, and how will you respond to those challenges?
  • Describe a time when you had to learn a new HR software system, and what steps you took to become proficient with it?

Need help hiring a HR Administrator?

We match top professionals with great employers across the country. From filling urgent job openings to developing long-term hiring strategies, our team is here to help. Review our staffing solutions, browse our award-winning Staffing Corner blog, or call today. We look forward to connecting with you soon.

Browse A-Z Job Descriptions