HR assistant CV: example, skills and writing tips

HR assistant CV example

The example below shows how the advice in this guide fits together on one page. The person, the employers and all the figures are invented: use the structure, not the content, and replace every detail with your own.

Notice what makes this CV useful to a recruiter: every line says which HR process, for how many employees, with which tool and at what level of autonomy. The rest of this guide explains how to build each section in the same way.

Job title and professional summary

Choose a title that reflects your HR focus

Two HR assistants can have very different jobs: one may focus on contracts, absences and payroll, another on recruitment, onboarding and training. When your focus is clear, put it in the title:

HR Assistant – employee administration and payroll inputs
HR Assistant – recruitment and onboarding
Generalist HR Assistant – 250 employees
HR Assistant – multi-site organisation (300 employees)

A precise title lets recruiters, and the search tools they use, understand your scope quickly.

HR assistant, HR administrator, HR coordinator: which title fits?

Titles for entry and mid-level HR roles vary between employers and countries. Pick the one that matches what you actually do, and check the job description.

Professional summary example: experienced HR assistant

The professional summary (often called a personal profile or personal statement in the UK) is three to five lines that say what your HR scope is, how much experience you have and which tools you use.

HR assistant with 5 years’ experience in employee administration. Handles contracts, absences, payroll inputs and onboarding for 220 employees. Confident user of Workday and Excel for HR reporting.

Professional summary example: recruitment and administration

HR assistant with 3 years’ experience in recruitment support and HR administration: job postings, application screening, contract preparation, onboarding and employee records.

Professional summary example: junior HR assistant

HR graduate ([degree], [year]) with first experience in employee administration through a [12-month] apprenticeship: contract preparation, absence tracking, HRIS updates and interview scheduling.

Replace phrases such as “passionate about people, organised and a good listener” with concrete facts: they do not show which HR processes you can handle.

HR assistant CV skills by area

Do not list every possible HR task. Select the skills that match your real scope and the role you are targeting, then phrase them so a recruiter can see how you used them.

A skills line such as this gives little information:

HR – Admin – Organised – Discreet

This one is far more useful:

Employee administration · Contracts · Absence tracking · Payroll inputs · Onboarding · Workday · Excel

Describing your experience and achievements

For each role, show the processes you handle, the headcount, the tools and your level of autonomy. Where possible, follow this order:

context → your own action → tools or method → scope → result

For example: “In a two-site manufacturing company (context), I collected and checked monthly payroll inputs (action) from Workday absence data (tool) for 220 employees (scope), which reduced last-minute corrections before payroll close (result).” The figures in this sentence are illustrative.

Too vague

HR administration
Payroll
Recruitment
Absences

More informative

Illustrative figures.

Handled employee administration for 230 employees
Prepared contracts and contract changes from approved templates
Tracked probation periods, leave and sickness absence
Collected and checked monthly payroll inputs
Posted job ads and scheduled interviews with managers
Updated a monthly HR dashboard in Excel

Payroll: say exactly what you do

Many HR assistants contribute to payroll without running it end to end. Distinguish collecting and checking payroll inputs from producing payslips. “Collected and checked absences, overtime and bonuses, then sent them to the payroll provider” is more accurate than “Managed payroll” if you do not produce the payslips yourself.

Confidentiality and employment law

Rather than writing “discreet”, describe the information you handle: employee files containing personal and sensitive data, access managed in line with internal procedures and data protection rules. For employment law, state the level you really have, for example “working knowledge of employment procedures applied to HR administration”, and avoid “employment law expert” unless it is your specialism.

Achievement examples to adapt

Replace [X] and [Y] with your own verified figures, or leave the line out if you cannot support it.

• Handled employee administration for [X] employees across [Y] sites.
• Coordinated onboarding for [X] new starters a year, from paperwork to first-day set-up.
• Collected and checked monthly payroll inputs for [X] employees.
• Set up a probation and contract-end tracker that [describe the verified effect].
• Organised [X] training sessions a year: bookings, joining instructions and attendance records.

HR systems and tools: show how you used them

HR systems can be an important selection criterion. Name the tools you have actually used and what you did with them. Depending on your background, this may include an HRIS such as Workday, SAP SuccessFactors or ADP, payroll software, an applicant tracking system, and office tools.

Workday: employee data, absences and changes of circumstances
Excel: pivot tables, XLOOKUP, headcount and absence tracking

This is more informative than:

Microsoft Office – HRIS – Excel: excellent

Do not list a system you have only seen demonstrated: you should be able to describe what you did in it during an interview.

Education and qualifications

On your CV, use the format qualification – specialism – institution – year:

[Degree or qualification] – [specialism]
[Institution] — [year]

HR qualifications differ from country to country: for example CIPD qualifications in the UK, or SHRM certifications in the US. List a professional qualification only if you hold it or are formally enrolled, and state your exact level. Short courses (payroll, HR systems, Excel) are worth listing when they are relevant to the role; avoid a long list of unrelated training.

If you are experienced, education can take less space than your most recent roles.

Making your HR assistant CV easy to read for ATS

HR teams use applicant tracking systems (ATS) and recruitment software daily to store and search applications. The aim is not to “beat” or trick an ATS: it is to make sure your key information is extracted correctly and easy to find.

• an explicit job title and HR focus;
• employers, dates and headcount easy to identify;
• HR processes named precisely (contracts, absences, payroll inputs, onboarding);
• HR and payroll systems named, with their use;
• skills written as text, not only as icons or rating bars;
• qualifications stated clearly.

“Collected payroll inputs for 220 employees” is more precise than “Payroll participation”, for both the software and the recruiter.

Tailoring your HR assistant CV to each job

HR assistant roles can lean heavily towards one process. Your background does not change, but you can bring forward the experience that matches the job’s main focus.

Before applying for a payroll-focused, recruitment-focused or generalist HR role, it helps to see which elements of the job description your CV already covers and which are missing. CVReader compares your CV with a job description and highlights the points of correspondence.

Compare my CV with a job description

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Junior HR assistant or career changer

With little HR experience, the same principle applies: be precise about what you have actually done.

• Apprenticeships, internships and placements: describe them like real jobs, with tasks, tools and volumes. A one- or two-year apprenticeship is genuine professional experience.
• Career changers: bring forward transferable experience such as document management, confidential files, Excel tracking, data checks or candidate screening, and keep it distinct from direct HR experience.
• Training in progress: state the qualification, the institution and the expected completion date, without presenting it as already obtained.

Former office administrator moving into HR, currently studying for [HR qualification]. Three years’ experience managing confidential files, onboarding paperwork for new staff and Excel trackers.

Trained or working in France?

If your HR background is French, a few adjustments make your CV clearer to English-speaking recruiters.

French qualifications

Keep the French name and add a short explanation, without presenting it as equivalent to a qualification from another country:

• BTS Gestion de la PME: French two-year higher technician diploma in small and medium-sized business management.
• BUT GEA – Gestion des entreprises et des administrations: three-year French university technology degree in business and administration management.
• Titre professionnel Assistant ressources humaines: French state-registered vocational qualification for HR assistants.
• Licence or bachelor in human resources: give the institution and the specialism.

French HR terms

Translate the process, not the acronym. The “DPAE” is the French mandatory pre-employment declaration; you can write “pre-employment declarations (French DPAE)”. “CDI” and “CDD” are permanent and fixed-term contracts; “mutuelle et prévoyance” are company health insurance and protection schemes; “visites médicales” are occupational health appointments; the “plan de développement des compétences” is the company training plan. French tools such as Lucca, Silae, Sage Paie or Cegid deserve a few words on what you did with them.

Mistakes to avoid and final checklist

Writing only “HR administration”

It is too vague: name the processes you handle.

Leaving out your scope

The number of employees and sites gives essential context.

Writing “managed payroll” when you prepare inputs

Describe your exact responsibility.

Confusing recruitment support with full responsibility

Say which stages you actually handle: posting, screening, scheduling or interviewing.

Presenting yourself as a legal expert

Do not go beyond your real level of employment law knowledge.

Forgetting HR systems

HRIS and payroll software can be decisive criteria.

Checklist before you apply

• My title states my HR focus and, if useful, my level of experience.
• My summary fits in three to five lines and mentions my scope and tools.
• Each role shows the processes, the headcount, the tools and my autonomy.
• Payroll and recruitment tasks are described at their real level.
• Every figure is accurate and not confidential.
• Each system listed is one I have actually used, with its context.
• Foreign qualifications and HR terms keep their original name, with a short explanation.
• I have brought forward what matches the job’s main focus.

HR assistant CV: frequently asked questions

What skills should I put on an HR assistant CV?

Put first the processes you really handle: employee administration, contracts, absences, payroll inputs, recruitment support, onboarding, training administration, HR systems and reporting.

How should I describe payroll if I do not produce payslips?

Write that you collect and check payroll inputs (absences, overtime, bonuses) and send them to the payroll team or provider, rather than claiming to run payroll.

Should I mention how many employees I support?

Yes. The headcount, and the number of sites if relevant, is one of the most useful pieces of context on an HR CV.

Which HR software should I list?

Only the HRIS, payroll software and applicant tracking systems you have actually used, with a few words on what you did in each.

Is an HR assistant resume different from an HR assistant CV?

“Resume” is the usual American term; “CV” is used in the UK and much of the world. For a job application, the advice in this guide applies to both.

Do I need a different CV for every HR job?

You do not need to rewrite your career. Bring forward what matches the role: payroll, employee administration, recruitment, training or HR systems.