Ensure your CV format is structured to best highlight your unique experience and life situation.
HR administrator CV template (text format)
PERSONAL STATEMENT
Dedicated HR Administrator with 3+ years of experience managing end-to-end employee lifecycles, recruitment coordination, and payroll support. Strengths include attention to detail and organisational skills. Adept at handling confidential information while maintaining compliance. Seeking to contribute my HR expertise to SOCOTEC UK.
WORK EXPERIENCE
HR Administrator
Mitie Group, Manchester | Dec 20XX–Present
- Manage the administration of the full employee lifecycle, from onboarding to offboarding
- Assist in recruitment by reviewing job adverts, posting vacancies, and preparing employment contracts
- Maintain and update employee records while ensuring compliance with GDPR and company policies
- Provide payroll support by preparing documentation and addressing queries
- Handle general HR administration tasks, ensuring smooth HR operations
HR Assistant
Balfour Beatty, London | Jun 20XX–Nov 20XX
- Supported HR processes, including recruitment coordination and onboarding of new employees
- Managed confidential records, ensuring accuracy and compliance with company policies
- Assisted in payroll processing by collating relevant data and supporting payroll inquiries
- Handled multiple HR administrative tasks while prioritising workload to meet tight deadlines
KEY SKILLS
- Recruitment support & job postings
- Employee lifecycle administration
- Payroll assistance
- Contract & offer letter preparation
- Data privacy
- HR records management
PROFESSIONAL INTERESTS
- Employment law training
- HR process optimisation
How to write an HR administrator CV
HR administrators face a dynamic yet competitive job market. Recent increases in employment taxes have slowed recruitment across the economy. At the same time, the growing importance of AI and diversity initiatives have shifted the skill sets applicants are expected to demonstrate to employers.
To get ahead and land a great HR administrator job in this often challenging environment, you need to write a CV that emphasises your adaptability and expertise.
Follow the tips below to achieve that goal and stand out from other candidates.
1. Write a strong HR personal statement
Your personal statement should summarise your skills and experience in about 50 words or 2–3 sentences.
If you have previous work experience, specify how many years you’ve worked in the industry. HR is a broad field, and it’s also a good idea to mention what you specialise in, whether you’ve worked in recruitment, employee relations, or compliance. You should also include a key achievement that gives context to your expertise.
Three years of experience in HR operations, specialising in payroll processing, compliance, and employee records management. Adept at streamlining workflows to improve accuracy and efficiency. Successfully implemented an audit system that reduced discrepancies by 30%, ensuring compliance with HMRC regulations. Seeking to apply expertise in the HR Administrator at Adecco.
If this is your first time writing a CV for an HR position, highlight your transferable skills (e.g., data management, general administration, or customer service).
Including a relevant qualification (e.g., CIPD Foundation Certificate in People Practice) or an HR-related internship can strengthen your case even further.
Motivated and detail-oriented professional with strong customer service and administrative skills gained from a part-time retail role. Experienced in handling queries, managing records, and working in fast-paced environments. Currently completing a CIPD Foundation Certificate in People Practice to build a career in HR, with a keen interest in payroll and employee relations.
2. Outline your HR administrator skills
A concise, bullet-pointed list is best — no need for explanations. Aim for 6–8 highly relevant skills so recruiters can instantly match your CV to the job requirements.
Here’s an example of how you might format skills on your CV:
- HRIS & payroll systems (e.g., Workday, SAP)
- Employee record management
- Recruitment & onboarding support
- HR policy compliance
- Data entry & reporting
- Confidentiality & GDPR knowledge
- Conflict resolution support
- Strong written & verbal communication
When writing this section of your HR administrator CV, prioritise technical and process-driven skills over general soft skills (which you should highlight when you write your cover letter instead).
Technical skills like HRIS proficiency, data accuracy, policy compliance, and employment law basics will stand out and quickly catch the employer’s attention.
3. Write a value-driven work experience section
Dedicate one bullet point per job entry to briefly summarise your key responsibilities.
Provided administrative support across recruitment, employee relations, and payroll, ensuring compliance with company policies and employment law.
This approach gives immediate context, freeing up the rest of your bullet points to focus on achievements rather than routine tasks.
Here are a few examples of HR-relevant achievements you can consider when describing work experience on your CV:
- Process improvements – Did you streamline onboarding? Reduce payroll errors? Improve record-keeping accuracy?
- Technology use – Have you implemented or improved HRIS usage? Automated reports? Managed a transition to a new system?
- Employee experience – Have you helped improve engagement, onboarding, or employee communications?
- Compliance & data accuracy – Have you ensured GDPR compliance? Improved document retention?
- Recruitment support – Have you reduced time-to-hire? Organised high-volume hiring?
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