Resume Writing Tips

The HR department of a business is accountable for hiring and retaining, allocating compensation budgets, promoting staff participation, keeping business compliance with federal and state employment policies, and much more; in a sense, HR is the lifeblood of a business and will always be in demand.

If you are interested in an HR career and are in search of HR jobs, it is only a matter of persistence and appropriate work experience to get your foot in the gate. While advisable, a degree in Human Resources Studies is definitely not needed, although it might strengthen your credentials in the future if you aspire to a top-level HR role.

To assist you in your pursuit of becoming an HR professional, we’ve provided an excellent HR resume sample along with our supplemental writing guide to show you what to include in your own resume.

1. Write a Strong HR Resume Objective That Mentions Your Experience and Specialization.

A resume's career goal acts as your opening statement; it's your greatest chance to sell yourself and attract the attention of a hiring manager. You can mention the best HR strategies you have used to boost your resources  Our resume sample begins with a powerful career goal that demonstrates the field experience of the applicant. Let's look at it:

• "Human Resources Specialist with 5 years of experience in recruitment and staffing, monitoring turnover and retention and compliance with the business." Our applicant starts with a powerful note by highlighting their time in the industry and knowledge fields. This provides employers instantly an idea of what type of candidate you are. Next, the applicant reflects the company's interest: 

• “Desire to apply knowledge of the industry to assist your company in all HR related needs and strategic goals.”

• Here, the applicant clearly states their intent. Being explicit is crucial because it tells the employer what you want. Lastly, we see their level of education and an important certification:

"Possess a BA in Human Resources and a Professional in Human Resources (PHS) certification." HR is a field requiring powerful computer expertise and familiarity with a multitude of technical software, so it is highly recommended to highlight any demonstrated computer program capability.

For employees, adding certificates to your resume for HR demonstrates that you are genuinely invested in the field. Like degrees, they are not a must, but they certainly help.  

2. Outline Your Accomplishments in Your Professional Experience Section

Professional experience in both your present and previous roles should show any notable achievements. This is where you can really emphasize your importance as a candidate by showing what you are capable of through appropriate career accomplishments. Let's look at the applicant's professional experience to get an idea of what you should do: “Saved branch 17% annually by implementing cost-containment measures related to benefits, compensation, and overhead.”

Notice how our applicant quantifies their experience. By doing this, the employer can gather that the candidate effectively applied their knowledge and skill to save the respective company money. This means the applicant found a way to better divvy out salary, benefits, etc. in a way that benefited the company–a huge plus. Let’s see one more example:

“Assisted in reallocating resources by incorporating an algorithmic approach that reduced labor costs by 25% in 2016.”

Remember that certification we stressed earlier? Here’s how it can come in handy: the applicant demonstrates their mastery of the technical side of HR by showing their involvement in the designing of an algorithm that pinpoints expenditure of a company’s resources. In this example, they found a way to reduce labor costs, making them an asset to any team.

Again, professional experience is meant to enhance your resume for HR. Be sure it puts your achievements in the best light by quantifying your experience and including results-oriented examples.

3. Top off Your HR Resume with an Additional Skills Section

By listing appropriate soft skills or certifications, your extra abilities section should conclude your resume. Mention the qualities that make you a team player and how you are capable of performing extraordinary tasks. HR is a field that requires powerful computer knowledge and familiarity with a multitude of technical software, so it is highly recommended to highlight any demonstrated capacity with computer programs. Our applicant included the following additional skills to strengthen their resume 

• Micro strategy certified

• Familiar with Kronos, Sage People, and Clear Company software

• Working proficiency in Spanish

• We see several software’s mentioned above, all of which are frequently in use by HR departments worldwide. The applicant demonstrates here that they are a self-starter type, implying they need less hand-holding. Also, they include that they have a “working proficiency in Spanish,” a skill that is becoming more and more useful.

• There are many other certifications and learnable skills out there to include on your HR resume. Here are a few we found to help you out:

• FileMaker Pro

• ADP Workforce Now

• VGC Pointwing recruiting software

• Silk Road software

• Orange HRM

• BambooHR

• Be sure to check out our writing guide for a more comprehensive explanation of how to construct your additional skills section.