What does a Human Resources Internship do?
A human resources intern is responsible for assisting the human resources department in daily operations under a direct supervisor. Duties of a human resources intern include reviewing job postings and qualifications, updating employees' information in the database, scheduling candidate interviews, responding to employees' concerns, processing payroll disputes, and reiterating the company's policies and procedures. A human resources intern must be detail-oriented and a fast-learner and display excellent communication and organizational skills to be familiarized with the management operations.
Human resources internship responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real human resources internship resumes:
- Manage the background process while maintaining the applicant tracking system (ICIMS).
- Maintain and manage all confidential documents including offer letters, I9 documentation, vendor and equity agreements.
- Integrate efforts on actions and programs where joint OPM functional effort are necessary to accomplish recruitment and enhance organizational effectiveness.
- Ensure the completion of all new hire paperwork and entry into HRIS, timekeeping, and e-Verify systems.
- Improve the presentation process by reformulating overhead projection slides to PowerPoint slides for orientation, open enrollment and other benefits information.
- Assist in payroll process using KRONOS system.
- Track vacation or sick time for employees in KRONOS payroll program, while adhering to strict deadlines.
- Coordinate and input data and new hires paperwork for new employees and enter information into system (e-verify).
- Disseminate and communicate EEO information throughout organization.
- Administer employment applications and record EEO forms.
- Submit pertinent payroll information to ADP administration.
- Help implement a new HRIS PeopleSoft system leading to significant improvements in time-to-hire.
- Work with HRIS systems to ensure accuracy and coordinate personal information to upper management.
- Complete all tasks relate to projects, which involve writing detail documents reviewing and editing PowerPoint presentations.
- Classify position descriptions, and review or revise prior classification work done according to OPM classification standards and/or classification guides.
Human resources internship skills and personality traits
We calculated that 13% of Human Resources Interns are proficient in Resources Intern, PowerPoint, and Customer Service. They’re also known for soft skills such as Integrity, Organizational skills, and Communication skills.
We break down the percentage of Human Resources Interns that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Resources Intern, 13%
Created Human Resources Intern Procedures Manual Planned and Organized various volunteer appreciation events Improved volunteer relations with the organization
- PowerPoint, 9%
Improved the presentation process by reformulating overhead projection slides to PowerPoint slides for orientation, open enrollment and other benefits information.
- Customer Service, 8%
Provided customer services to internal and external customers involving telephone and email inquiries and ensured proper action and customer client satisfaction.
- Internship Program, 7%
Managed summer internship program agenda, which included organization of training workshops and planning of community service events and extracurricular activities.
- HRIS, 6%
Partnered with organizational development team to test and troubleshoot performance management process in an HRIS System.
- Payroll, 5%
Facilitated in the bi-weekly payroll process including entering garnishments/deductions, preparing/sorting all printed payroll checks, and updating employee information.
Most human resources interns use their skills in "resources intern," "powerpoint," and "customer service" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential human resources internship responsibilities here:
Integrity. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a human resources internship to have is integrity. Their role and responsibilities require that "information clerks, particularly human resources assistants, have access to confidential information." Human resources interns often use integrity in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "reviewed over 1000 requisition templates in taleo recruitment software for accuracy and integrity. "
Organizational skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling human resources internship duties is organizational skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "information clerks must be able to retrieve files and other important information quickly and efficiently." According to a human resources internship resume, here's how human resources interns can utilize organizational skills in their job responsibilities: "provided assistance in recruitment processes, benefits management, and organizational development processes. "
Communication skills. This is an important skill for human resources interns to perform their duties. For an example of how human resources internship responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "information clerks must be able to explain policies and procedures clearly to customers and the public." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a human resources internship: "assigned and developed a sharepoint (internal website) to facilitate increased communication with employees in the rotational management development program. ".
Interpersonal skills. For certain human resources internship responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "interpersonal skills." The day-to-day duties of a human resources internship rely on this skill, as "information clerks who work with the public and customers must understand and communicate information effectively to establish positive relationships." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what human resources interns do: "utilized communication, interpersonal, organizational and customer service skills. "
The three companies that hire the most human resources internships are:
- The Borgen Project130 human resources interns jobs
- JBS USA16 human resources interns jobs
- Parker Hannifin15 human resources interns jobs
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Compare different human resources interns
Human resources internship vs. Personnel assistant
Personnel assistants are professionals who perform administrative duties while assisting the human resources director to maintain and keep the records and confidential files of employees working in an organization. These assistants must communicate with all personnel about their compensation policies while ensuring that the company policies and procedures are consistently applied. They are required to coordinate with supervisors to create job descriptions and develop recruiting advertisements. Personnel assistants must also purchase office supplies while maintaining the cleanliness and orderliness of their office area.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, human resources internship responsibilities require skills like "resources intern," "customer service," "internship program," and "payroll." Meanwhile a typical personnel assistant has skills in areas such as "human resources," "office equipment," "cac," and "personnel actions." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Personnel assistants really shine in the non profits industry with an average salary of $40,808. Comparatively, human resources interns tend to make the most money in the manufacturing industry with an average salary of $37,766.personnel assistants tend to reach similar levels of education than human resources interns. In fact, personnel assistants are 3.2% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.1% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Human resources internship vs. Recruiting assistant
A recruiting assistant is responsible for supporting the staffing needs of an organization, updating the company's job boards, and coordinating with the department managers to identify their staffing requirements and candidate qualifications. Recruiting assistants schedule the interviews and evaluations of the qualified applicants, endorsing them for final assessments with a department's hiring managers. They also assist with the processing of requirements for the hired candidates and managing their onboarding procedures. A recruiting assistant performs administrative and clerical duties as needed, especially on updating the candidate's information and doing background checks.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, human resources internship responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "resources intern," "internship program," "eeo," and "performance management." Meanwhile, a recruiting assistant has duties that require skills in areas such as "hr," "interview schedules," "arranging interviews," and "candidate interviews." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
On average, recruiting assistants earn a higher salary than human resources interns. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, recruiting assistants earn the most pay in the government industry with an average salary of $48,173. Whereas human resources interns have higher pay in the manufacturing industry, with an average salary of $37,766.In general, recruiting assistants achieve similar levels of education than human resources interns. They're 2.7% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for Human Resources Internships in the next 3-5 years?
Denise Barton
Senior Professor of Human Resources, Wake Technical Community College
Human resources internship vs. Recruiting coordinator
A recruiting coordinator's tasks include posting job vacancies, coordinating candidate travel, setting up schedules for interviews and handling last-minute scheduling changes, preparing offer letters, and conducting background checks on aspirants. The coordinator assists in the company's recruiting and talent acquisition procedures and strategies by hiring job-seekers to fill in vacant positions and to supply the company's workforce needs and goals. To be effective, he/she should have excellent communication skills and intimate knowledge about hiring best practices to be able to attract aspirants.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a human resources internship is likely to be skilled in "resources intern," "performance management," "data analysis," and "scheduling interviews," while a typical recruiting coordinator is skilled in "human resources," "onsite interviews," "candidate travel," and "coordinators."
Recruiting coordinators make a very good living in the finance industry with an average annual salary of $47,481. On the other hand, human resources interns are paid the highest salary in the manufacturing industry, with average annual pay of $37,766.Most recruiting coordinators achieve a similar degree level compared to human resources interns. For example, they're 0.6% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Human resources internship vs. General internship
A general intern is responsible for supporting the business operations by performing administrative and clerical duties under the supervision of a direct manager or tenured staff. Interns shadow employees from different teams to have a good grasp of the services and processes offered by the company, understanding each group's functions, and analyzing how the business works for the clients. They also attend and write meeting reports, assist with organizing programs and events, and conduct data processing procedures.
Even though a few skill sets overlap between human resources interns and general interns, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a human resources internship might have more use for skills like "resources intern," "customer service," "hris," and "payroll." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of general interns require skills like "patients," "patient care," "community services," and "financial statements. "
The professional industry tends to pay the highest salaries for general interns, with average annual pay of $68,231. Comparatively, the highest human resources internship annual salary comes from the manufacturing industry.The average resume of general interns showed that they earn similar levels of education compared to human resources interns. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 2.4% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 6.3%.Types of human resources internship
Updated January 8, 2025
