How to write an HR resume?

[Click here to directly go to the complete HR generalist resume sample]

How many times have you sent out your human resource resume only to never hear from recruiters again?

Is it because your resume for human resources did not have what it takes, or is it because the competition is just too high?

A little bit of both.

One of the most common mistakes that candidates make is that they send out a single human resource resume for multiple job postings without tailoring it to the job description.

Plus, many of the applicants are unaware that many recruiters now use an Applicant Tracking Software (ATS) that scans resumes for keywords that demonstrate their skills and ranks resumes based on it.

Making it critical for human resource resumes to be ATS-friendly if they want to get shortlisted for interviews.

Read on to learn how you can build a compelling human resource resume and other related topics like the following:

• How to format a human resources generalist resume?
• How to add contact details in your human resource resume?
• What should be the job title in your HR resume?
• How to write the professional experience section of your human resources generalist resume?
• How to add core competencies and key skills to your HR resume?
• How do you write an HR summary on a resume?
• How to present the education section in your HR generalist resume?
• What should you add in the additional section of an HR resume?
• What are some advanced tips to write an impressive HR resume?

Resume Format for an HR Generalist Resume

A well-formatted HR resume not only looks professional but also increases the readability of your resume.

Additionally, your HR resume format affects your resume's ATS-friendliness.

Given below are some tips to help you correctly format your human resource resume:

• Unless you have 10+ years of experience, limit your HR resume to a single page
• Avoid using infographics, logos, and tables in your HR resume as ATS cannot scan them
• Write your full name as the header of your resume and avoid writing "CV" or "Resume"
• Check the listing if the employer has specified which format they want candidates to submit their human resources resumes in (.docx, .pdf, etc.). If there's nothing mentioned, stick to PDF format
• Opt for professional fonts like Times New Roman and Cambria that don't have special characters
• Use a font size of 10-12 points in your human resources resume
• Avoid underlining words, which can affect the readability of lower case letters such as a, g, j or y
• Keep a 1" margin on all sides of your HR resume
• Use the reverse chronological format to showcase your professional experience
• Use bullet points instead of bulky paragraphs in your HR resume
• Avoid using flashy resume designs and stick with minimal & professional resume designs that don't distract the recruiters from the content

Also read: What are the top 3 resume formats in 2023?

Contact Information in an HR Generalist Resume

Most US resumes for human resources follow a set standard for writing your contact details.

Here's what you must mention in your contact information:

• A reachable phone number with an ISD code and a "+" sign before the number
• A professional email address
• Your location (city and state)
• A link to your LinkedIn profile or online portfolio (if any)

Avoid writing your complete address down to the flat number.

Why? Think about it.

What is HR going to do with your address at this stage of your recruitment, when no one knows if you’ll even be considered for the next round?

So stick with just the city and state.

Look at the below-given HR resume contact information section for reference:

Also read: How to write the contact information section on a resume?

How to Write the Job Title in your HR Resume?

Right after the contact information section in your HR resume comes your profile title.

Profile title is the title of your current or past job title.

But since a single job profile can have multiple titles, which one should you write in your resume?

Should it be HR Representative or an HR Associate?

The best way to go about this is by referring to the job posting you're targetting.

For instance, if they have used an HR representative in the job description, write that in your resume.

This will increase your HR resume's chances of being noticed by employers and also help you rank higher in ATS.

Take a look at the following snapshot showcasing the profile title of a human resources resume:

Also read: What is a resume profile?

HR Resume Summary and Objective

The summary of your human resources resume must serve as an intriguing glimpse of your career trajectory in not more than 3-4 lines.

It should focus on how your skills and experiences can benefit the company.

Although this section is placed at the part of your HR resume, it must be written only after you finish writing other sections of your resume.

Doing so will help you get more clarity on what you need to summarize.

Begin with the years of experience you have and highlight your most notable achievements which are in line with the job description provided by the recruiters in the listing.

In case you are a fresher who's writing a human resources resume with no experience, you must write a resume objective instead of a summary.

While the basic guidelines for writing an HR resume objective remain the same as the summary, the only difference is that you must focus on how your knowledge and academic qualifications make you a good fit for the role.

Take a look at the following sample of a HR resume summary:

Also read: How to write a compelling resume summary?

Human Resources Resume Skills Section

The skills section of your HR resume is where you must list your core skills.

To identify your core skills, you can review your professional experience and past achievements

You can also do some research to find the industry keywords that you can add to your skills section (if you possess them).

Additionally, going through the job description will help you identify the core requirements of the employers to determine which skills can help you prove your potential for the role.

Following these practices will increase the keyword count in your human resources resume and help it rank higher in the ATS.

Here's a sample of a human resources resume skills section:

Also read: What skills should you put in a resume?

How to Write Your Professional Experience in HR Resume?

The professional experience section of your HR resume plays a vital role in determining whether or not you'll receive an interview callback.

Given below are some pointers that you must follow to ensure that your professional experience hits the mark:

• Mention details of your past title, date of joining & leaving, name of the company, and location
• Write one-liners or bullet points to present your professional experience
• Begin your one-liners with an action verb to make them more impactful
• Use the cause and effect relation to frame your sentences
• Use numbers and achievement figures to emphasize your accomplishments and experiences
• Group similar points under a single heading to increase readability and highlight keywords to grab the recruiter's attention

If you are not sure about which experiences you must prioritize, refer to the job listing and the requirements mentioned by the recruiters.

Accordingly, you can prioritize those past experiences which demonstrate your ability to meet the recruiters' requirements.

You can follow the cause and effect relationship in your one-liners by talking about the task you were assigned and the results you achieved.

To put everything in perspective, here's a sample of the professional experience section in a human resources resume:

Also read: How to showcase professional experience in a resume?

HR Generalist Resume Education Section

The education section of your HR resume must include the following details:

• The name of the college/university you attended
• The name of the degree you pursued
• Date of commencement & completion in month and year format
• Location (city and state) of the university/college
• Your GPA if it is higher than 3.5

If you are a professional with 3+ years of experience, you can avoid providing details of your high school diploma in your human resources resume.

Take a look at the below-given snapshot of the education section in a HR resume:

Additional Sections in an HR Generalist resume

If you have extra HR certifications other than your formal education under your belt, you can create an additional section like the certification section in your HR resume.

You must list the following details under your certification section:

• The name of the certificate
• The name of the certifying institute
• Date of commencement & completion in month and year format

Showcasing your certifications in your human resource resume can help you get an edge over other candidates and increase your chances of getting shortlisted.

Additionally, you can create other sections to showcase any relevant training and projects that you may have been a part of.

If you are multilingual, you can also mention the languages that you speak in your human resources resume.

Refer to the following example of additional sections that you can add to your human resources resume:

Also read: How to list certifications on a resume?

Advanced Tips for HR Resume

Given below are some additional tips that will help you streamline the process of building a stellar human resources resume and receive 3x interview callbacks:

• Before you begin writing your HR resume, compile all the details of your professional trajectory in a master file to make it easier for you to build your current HR resume and also to update it in the future
• Analyze the job description thoroughly to tailor your HR resume according to it
• Avoid using first-person pronouns and full-stops in your professional experience bullet points
• Avoid writing personal details like age, gender, religion, marital status, race, etc., in your human resources resume
• Proofread your HR resume to avoid any grammatical errors and spelling mistakes
• Mirror the wording from the job description to help your HR resume rank high in the ATS. For instance, if the job description mentions MBA as a requirement, ensure that you use the acronym version in your HR resume too instead of writing ‘Masters in Business Administration
• Use cloud services like Wordle and TagCrowd to pick keywords to form the job listing. These portals analyze the frequency of each word to help you identify the keywords

Also read: What are some resume dos and don'ts in 2023?

Human Resource Resume Sample

Key Takeaways

• Unless you have 10+ years of experience, limit your HR resume to a single page and avoid using infographics, logos, and tables in your HR resume as ATS cannot scan them.
• Opt for professional fonts like Times New Roman and Cambria that don't have special characters and use a font size of 10-12 points in your human resources resume.
• Use the reverse chronological format and bullet points to showcase your professional experience.
• The summary of your human resources resume must serve as an intriguing glimpse of your career trajectory in not more than 3-4 lines.
• In case you are a fresher who's writing a human resources resume with no experience, you must write a resume objective instead of a summary.
• You can identify your key skills by referring to the professional experience section.
• Use the cause and effect relation to frame your sentences and use numbers to emphasize your accomplishments & experiences.
• If you are a professional with 3+ years of experience, you can avoid providing details of your high school diploma in your human resources resume.
• You can create an additional section like the certification section in your HR resume if you have extra HR certifications or training.
• Analyze the job description thoroughly to tailor your HR resume according to it.
• Proofread your HR resume to avoid any grammatical errors and spelling mistakes.

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