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Hiring profile for:

Payroll Specialist

HighMatch’s team of workplace psychologists break down the critical qualities, skills, and knowledge Payroll Specialists need to be successful.

Employment Outlook

5%+
avg Growth rate

149k+
job openings annually

$49K+
median pay

Role Snapshot

Payroll specialists process employee payrolls and maintain an accurate record of the personnel database to ensure employees are paid on time.

Payroll specialists are in charge of addressing and resolving employee complaints regarding wages, and they also manage the company’s budget and expenses and prepare reports for the relevant departments.

common work activities:

Verify and record attendance, hours, and adjustments
Process and issue paychecks and statements of earnings
Compute wages and deductions and enter data into computers
Process paperwork for new employees
Prepare reports and reconcile issued payrolls to bank statements

Common Challenges

equality

Women make up 83% of Payroll Specialists yet earn only 97% of their male counterparts

Diversity

The majority of Payroll Specialists are older (avg. age: 48) and White (58%)

retention

The average Payroll Specialist stays at their job for less than 2 years

Payroll Specialist Job Profile

HighMatch’s workplace psychologists developed a job profile for Payroll Specialists that outlines the measures that are most predictive in determining success.

They have also defined behavioral measures hiring managers should explore further during the interview.

Additional titles for this role include:

Human Resources Assistant (HR Assistant), Payroll Assistant, Payroll Clerk, Payroll Coordinator, Payroll Representative, Payroll Specialist, Payroll Technician, Personnel Assistant, Personnel Technician, Timekeeper

Personality Measures

There are several personality traits that often align with success in this role, however every role is unique.

Our workplace psychologists personalize the assessment to your role, adjusting the weighting and target ranges of each trait to align with your needs.

Priority measures:

Attention to Detail: being thorough in completing tasks
Cooperation: displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude
Integrity: being honest and ethical
Dependability: being reliable, responsible, and dependable
Self-Control: maintaining composure in difficult situations

These accounting Firms Trust HighMatch:

The HighMatch Accountant Assessment

HighMatch’s Accountant Assessment, personalized to your specific role and company culture by our I-O psychologists, is the modern alternative to legacy off-the shelf assessments.

HighMatch’s highly configurable assessment solutions are delivered on our fast, mobile-first platform for the ideal candidate experience.

You get relevant insights into what matters most in your roles and culture, in your preferred language.

Ready to take our Accountant Assessment for a spin?

Cognitive Measures

Our workplace psychologists have identified several cognitive measures that help identify if a candidate has the ability to be successful in this role.

Our workplace psychologists personalize the assessment, adjusting the weighting and target ranges of each ability to align with your needs.

Priority measures:

Oral Comprehension: listen to and understand verbal information
Written Comprehension: read and understand written information
Written Expression: communicate information in writing
Oral Expression: verbally communicate information

VIDEO TESTIMONIAL

Wayne Homes uses HighMatch to Identify Qualified Applicants

Hear from Michael Luckie-Ewing, former VP of People and Culture at Wayne Homes, a custom home builder serving 5 states for over 40 years.

Michael and his team used HighMatch to better filter applicants for the qualities and skills that contribute to success across every role in their organization.

Skill & Knowledge Measures

Our workplace psychologists have identified several cognitive measures that help identify if a candidate has the ability to be successful in this role.

Our workplace psychologists personalize the assessment, adjusting the weighting and target ranges of each ability to align with your needs.

Priority measures:

Microsoft Excel: a quick, mobile-friendly assessment designed to test a candidate’s knowledge of MS Excel
Computer Literacy: This fast, mobile-friendly test assesses candidate’s understanding of basic computer use
Advanced Math: This test assesses candidate’s understanding of advanced mathematical concepts
English Fluency: This fluency test assesses a candidate’s understanding of the English language

HighMatch can also quickly create short, personalized skills tests covering topics like Accounts Payable, Accounting Terminology or Bookkeeping, all powered by our modern, mobile-first assessment engine and tailored to your role and organization.

Logical Reasoning Assessments

Payroll specialists are responsible for keeping track of financial records and ensuring the data is accurate and reliable. When a discrepancy arises, payroll specialists must figure out how to locate and resolve the problem.

A logical reasoning assessment, which asks candidates to react to real-life client scenarios they are likely to encounter, can help hiring managers understand how they are likely to react to similar situations when on the job.

Have Better Interviews

Interviews are an opportunity to take insights from the Candidate Report and dive deeper, ensuring alignment between the role, the individual and the organization.

This guide provides actionable tips on how to have more meaningful interviews, from asking relevant questions, making the interview conversational and avoiding conversation threads that can lead to unconscious bias.

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