RECRUITMENT GUIDE
How To Hire A Payroll Consultant
A payroll consultant is responsible for everything relating to the payroll in an organisation. This includes ensuring the correct amount of pay is given to each employee on time, and that the correct amount of tax is calculated and collected. A payroll consultant is also required to create payroll statements for the business, on either a monthly, quarterly or annual basis depending on the needs of the company.
Payroll consultants are required to also alter and keep summaries of pay depending on leave taken, taxes, and any deductions made. Another important role that they are responsible for is collecting the bank details for new employees, and giving them information regarding when they can be expected to be paid, their rate and entitlements.
As a role that is responsible for ensuring that all employees in the organisation are paid the correct amount and on time, a payroll consultant must be extremely organised and have strong attention to detail skills.
Day-to-day tasks of this role:
- Making sure that all pay transactions go through successfully.
- Keeping track of pay summaries.
- Calculating and collecting data to maintain and update pay records.
- Calculate termination and redundancy payments.
- Prepare and deliver pay slips.
Recruitment Process
UNDERSTAND THE ROLE
Skills profile for a Payroll Consultant
Qualifications required for this role differ depending on the organisation. Relevant industry experience is most favourable, however some companies may require candidates to have completed a Diploma or Bachelor degree in finance, accounting, financial reporting, or economics. There are some common skills required for this position.
An essential skill required for the role of a payroll consultant is attention to detail. A payroll consultant must prioritise attention to detail in all work and every task, and understand its importance. They must also have quality checks in place to ensure that all their work is accurate regardless of how long they have been in the role for.
It is important that a payroll consultant has exceptional time management skills. They must be able to work with multiple stakeholders at different stages of a project, and also work within tight deadlines without compromising a high standard of quality in their work. They must also have the ability to set realistic time frames for work to be completed with clients and stakeholders, and work productively to meet these time frames.
Another vital skill for payroll consultants is the ability to communicate effectively with others, as well as effectively manage stakeholders. They must be able to communicate in a clear, concise manner, and have excellent written and verbal skills. A payroll consultant must be able to interact with internal and external stakeholders regarding confidential information, and adhere to protocol when it comes to managing sensitive information.
Once you’ve determined the skills required for the role, you can write the job description to advertise for your position.
SOURCE APPLICANTS
Payroll Consultant Job Description
Summary:
- Why is this role being filled?
- How does this role fit into the organization and the team?
- What makes your company unique?
- What would it be like to work for you?
Requirements:
- What technical skills are needed for this role?
- Which soft skills are applicable?
- What are the nice-to-have experiences of your ideal candidate?
- Include availability preferences in this section
Responsibilities:
- What are the key deliverables for this role?
- What does the day-to-day of this role look like?
Benefits:
- Compensation & bonuses
- Employee benefits & perks
- Ongoing training benefits
PRO TIP #1
As a payroll consultant is quite a technical role and the applicant will be required to use online platforms to perform tasks such as pay employees, update pay records, and calculate termination/redundancy payments, it is important that the programs/platforms that the candidate will be required to use are included in the job application.
PRO TIP #2
Ensure that the entire recruitment process from job description to assessment to interview reiterates your company vision and values. This will help you identify the right people for the role, and applicants will know whether your company is the right fit for them.
SKILL ASSESSMENT
Sample skills assessment
Question 1
Communication
Question Type: Document
Imagine you are changing the payroll process within an organisation. How would you communicate this change throughout the business? Please answer this on the document below.
Question 2
Time Management
Question Type: Text
Have you ever missed a deadline? Why? What would you do differently next time?
Question 3
Attention to Detail
Question Type: Video
How do you stay up to date with regulations?
INTERVIEW
Interview guide for a Payroll Consultant
Once your Vervoe skills assessment has surfaced the most qualified people for your open role, you can focus on interviewing these candidates. The PDF interview guide contains structured questions against each of the competencies for this role.
This interview guide is intended to be used in conjunction with the Vervoe skills assessment. Where a candidate has scored Low – Medium on a skill, focus on asking more questions from that skill to gain deeper insight into their level of competency.
PDF INTERVIEW GUIDE
Get your copy of the interview guide to complete the hiring process. Includes questions against each of the skill competencies for the role.
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