Skills
Human Resources Specialist Skills & Tools
The technical skills, people skills and tools employers look for in human resources specialists, and how to build and show them.
Human Resources Specialists need technical skills such as recruiting and interviewing, employment law basics, and hris and ats software, plus people skills like confidentiality and empathy. They also use tools such as Applicant tracking systems (ATS) and HRIS platforms such as Workday or BambooHR.
Technical (hard) skills
- Recruiting and interviewing
- Employment law basics
- HRIS and ATS software
- Benefits administration
- Onboarding and I-9 compliance
- HR data and reporting
People (soft) skills
- Confidentiality
- Empathy
- Communication
- Fairness and judgment
Tools, equipment and technology
- Applicant tracking systems (ATS)
- HRIS platforms such as Workday or BambooHR
- Payroll systems
- Background check services
- E-Verify
- Excel and survey tools
Skills in action: common tasks
These step-by-step guides show how human resources specialists put their skills to work:
- How to complete form I-9 correctly
- How to run a structured interview
- How to plan a new hire’s first week
How to show these skills on a resume
- Lead your skills section with the technical skills from the job posting, for example, “Recruiting and interviewing” and “Employment law basics.”
- Prove soft skills with results: instead of listing “confidentiality,” describe a situation where you used it.
- List credentials such as SHRM-CP and SHRM-SCP near the top, with the issuing organization and date.
- Use the employer’s vocabulary. Our human resources specialist glossary covers the terms hiring managers expect.
How to build these skills
Formal training, supervised practice and certification are the most direct routes. Our Human Resources Specialist training introduces each of these skills with plain-language lessons, procedures and a final knowledge check: a strong foundation before hands-on training or your first day.