INDUSTRY STATS
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Payroll Director positions are at a 7% growth rate, which is As fast as average. With that said, there are currently 1,392,200 jobs in the market right now. The total number of jobs is expected to increase by 96,000 to 1,488,200 in the period of 2020-30.
What’s more, the median annual wage for the Payroll Director jobs was $73,560 in May 2020. The lowest 10% earned less than $45,220, and the highest 10% more than $128,680.
Our conclusion? The Payroll Director job market is wide open for candidates.
Top payroll director sections that make the best resume
- Header
- Professional summary
- Experience (with numbers and results)
- Relevant skills
- Education
- Certifications
What to write in your payroll director experience section
Perfecting your payroll director resume experience section:
- Focus on results, not responsibilities;
- Use 4-6 bullet points per position;
- List only positions that are relevant to what you’re applying for;
- Include at least some form of quantitative data – it can be linked to the number of people you’ve managed or the - percentage decrease in costs that’s followed from your work - you decide;
- Choose action verbs over buzzwords.
We’ve collected some of the top resume experience sections from real Enhancv users. Check them out when drafting your own Payroll Director resume!
- Prepare payroll for 150+ employees bi-weekly & supervise a small team of administrative assistants
- Scored the highest in all of Missouri facilities based on fewest mistakes on per weekly enrollment report for the whole year of 2019
- Compute and submit employee time and information for payroll, deductions, withholdings, and garnishments
- Establish and maintain operations standards, procedures, and policies of associates, along with onsite human recourse function
- Maintain record of employee absences, tardiness, vacation and overtime
- Maintain records for storage (resident files, A/P, A/R, patient trust, administrator audit reports, payroll, etc.)
- Administer background checks to corporate office
- Conduct new employee orientation weekly
- Enroll employees in company benefit programs (Insurance, 401K, Direct Deposits)
- Prepare and finalize all journal entries, monthly bank reconciliations, bank transactions and account analyses
- Achieved 100% accuracy in all payroll cycles for multiple entities
- Implemented new process improvement initiatives resulting in a 20% increase in efficiency
- Led and trained team members on new operation procedures resulting in a 50% reduction in payroll processing errors
- Managed and resolved payroll compliance issues resulting in a 90% decrease in compliance risks
- Developed and maintained expert knowledge in PeopleSoft and Kronos Timekeeping systems
- Maintained compliance with all state and federal regulations
- Managed year-end close and distribution of W2's for multiple entities
- Assisted Payroll Director with company acquisitions
- Maintained good working relationships with HR, legal, benefit, timekeeping and IS departments
- Streamlined payroll processes and procedures, resulting in a 15% increase in efficiency
- Developed and implemented training program resulting in a 50% reduction in payroll processing errors
- Implemented new timekeeping system, resulting in a 90% decrease in manual time card processing
- Managed and resolved payroll compliance issues resulting in a 95% decrease in compliance risks
- Managed and distributed W2's for over 5,000 employees
- Maintained good working relationships with HR, legal, benefit, timekeeping and IS departments
- Developed and implemented a global payroll strategy that streamlined payroll processing across 30 countries.
- Led the transition to a new payroll system resulting in a 20% reduction in processing time.
- Developed and implemented policies and procedures that ensured compliance with local tax laws and regulations.
- Managed vendor relationships and negotiated contracts resulting in a 15% reduction in costs.
- Implemented an employee self-service portal that reduced HR inquiries by 40%.
- Managed a team of payroll processors and improved processing time by 30%.
- Developed and implemented payroll policies and procedures that improved accuracy by 20%.
- Implemented an electronic timekeeping system that reduced errors and improved payroll processing time by 15%.
- Maintained compliance with state and federal regulations, resulting in zero penalties or fines.
- Developed and delivered training programs for managers and employees on payroll policies and procedures.
PRO TIP
The person reading your Payroll Director resume will be busy, make sure you never waste their time with fluff.
Action Verbs for Your Payroll Director Resume
Recommended reads:
Payroll director resume skills section to impress recruiters
Checklist for a perfect payroll director resume skills section:
- Make sure to include most if not all essential skills for the job;
- Check the job description and add some keywords to pass ATS;
- List both hard and technical skills;
- When it comes to soft skills – elaborate on them in other sections of your resume (e.g. the experience section).
Top skills for your payroll director resume
Microsoft Office
SAP
Excel
Salesforce
Data Entry
Quickbooks
Project Management
Customer Service
CRM
Communication
Negotiation
Critical thinking
Problem solving
Collaboration
Flexibitly
Resilience
Dedication
Empathy
PRO TIP
When describing your experience, don’t go too far from its terminology. Recruiters use ATS systems to filter resumes based on them having certain keywords, so make sure you use at least a few keywords mentioned in the job description.
Payroll director resume header: tips, red flags, and best practices
Checklist for your payroll director resume header
- Your name and surname in a legible and larger resume font
- The job title you’re applying for or your current job title as a subheading to your name
- Link to your portfolio or online profile, such as LinkedIn
- Address (City and State for the US; just your city for rest of the world)
- Email address
- Headshot (required or welcomed in the EU; not required and sometimes frowned upon in the US)
Stick to popular email providers such as Gmail or Outlook. And use these professional formats to create your username:
- first.last@gmail.com
- last.first@gmail.com
- firstlast@gmail.com
- f.last@gmail.com
- first.l@gmail.com
Recommended Reads:
PRO TIP
Include a link to your portfolio in your Payroll Director resume header. Most companies will require that you include one in your resume, and even if they don’t, it’s an excellent opportunity to directly show them your proudest projects.
Writing an effective payroll director resume summary
Impressive Payroll Director resume summary checklist:
- Point out the achievements that make you a valuable applicant;
- Mention the total years of experience you have;
- Highlight the things you believe make you the best fit for the position;
- Keep it short: aim at having no more than 3-5 sentences.
Resume summary formula:
PRO TIP
When writing a resume summary or objective, avoid first-person narrative.
Recommended reads:
Drawing the attention to your payroll director resume education section
Crafting a job-winning education section.
- Use the reverse-chronological format when listing your degrees;
- Tailor the classes you’ve taken to the position you’re applying for if you’re an entry-level candidate;
- Mention the awards and honors you’ve received;
- Add your certifications (but only those relevant to the position).
Top certifications for your payroll director resume
Payroll Management
Use free UK payroll software to perform essential payroll management
Understanding Payroll for Beginners
Payroll calculation, processing payroll, taxes, and reporting
Effective Bookkeeping and Payroll
Effective Bookkeeping and Payroll
Financial Accounting – Payroll
Payroll calculations - federal income tax, social security, Medicare - Payroll journal entries posted to ledger accounts
QuickBooks Payroll - QuickBooks Online
Processing QuickBooks Online payroll for a small business, generating paychecks, processing payroll tax forms
Recommended reads:
PRO TIP
If you hold a certain major and a minor, your majors should be mentioned first.
Choosing the best format for your payroll director resume
The content of your Payroll Director resume is what will get you hired, right?
But even when your content’s amazing and you’re a true over-achiever, recruiters might not think you’re a good fit if your resume looks messy or is not formatted the right way.
In general, there are three basic resume formats we advise you to stick with:
- Reverse-chronological resume format;
- Functional skills-based resume format;
- Combination (or Hybrid) resume format.
Deciding which one to use depends on your experience, the industry, and the company. In short — you need to know what your applicant profile is.
For instance, reverse-chronological resumes are great for people with over 10 years of experience and no employment gaps. Here, you need to list all your relevant experience in a reverse-chronological format, starting from the most recent and going back to less recent positions.
Functional skills-based resumes, on the other hand, are great for entry-level applicants, graduate students, or people who have different kinds of experience. It focuses on skills, education, and character traits, rather than experience.
If none of these work for you, and you dream of adopting a more creative approach that makes a difference, the combination (or hybrid) resume format is exactly what you’re looking for. It allows you to focus on both your experience and your skills, making it a ‘best of both worlds’ format. It’s also suitable for those who want to spice things up by adding different creative sections (e.g. ‘life philosophy’ or ‘what my day looks like’).
Here are some additional tips on perfecting your resume layout and style:
- Go for a traditional resume font sized 12p;
- Use standard 1-inch resume margins for increased readability;
- Make sure your resume fits on a one-page template. In case you’ve got 10 years of experience or more, your resume’s length can reach two pages;
- Avoid unwanted editing and plagiarism – save your resume as PDF before sending it to the recruiters.
Want to take it a step further? Learn how to make your resume stand out without relying too much on creativity.
Recommended reads:
PRO TIP
Sometimes you’ll want to go after a job which requires more experience than you have. Instead of using a typical Payroll Director resume layout, you can use a creative layout. Getting noticed is the most important challenge and a creative resume layout might help you get invited for an interview as most of other accountants have boring resume designs.
Want to include something more to your payroll director resume?
So you’ve already listed details about your education, experience, and skills. You’ve also crafted an amazing summary.
But now you feel a creative urge to showcase your personality and not just your expertise.
We’ve got you! Thanks to our modern templates, you can now include a chart of what your typical day looks like or even a word or two about your life philosophy. All this without sacrificing your Payroll Director resume’s professional feel.
Some non-traditional sections for your resume include:
Making your payroll director resume stand out
You want to make a strong first impression to all recruiters that get a hold of your resume. Sure you do! But how?
Well, the easiest way to stand out is by adding a bit of creativity to your Payroll Director resume. You could do this by going for a colorful layout or adding a creative section or two. It all depends on the industry and the position you’re applying for!
For instance, a position in design would allow for a more colorful resume, while a position in finance would probably not.
What makes a great payroll director resume: key takeaways
- Choose a resume layout that sends the right message across and fits your current career situation;
- Create a resume header that shows your desired job title, and easy to find contact numbers;
- Be specific about your experience, accomplishments and future goals in your summary;
- Feature detailed metrics and specific examples that show the impact you made in your previous roles when describing your experience;
- List soft skills backed by examples;
- Add all of your technical skills and certifications that you have and match the job description;
- Show off a dash of personality in your resume that will demonstrate your culture fit and the right mix of hard and soft skills.
