How to Write an HR Manager Resume

Applying as an HR manager? Then you came to the right place. This article covers how to write a human resources manager resume that increases your job prospects.

Human resources managers are responsible for the administrative function of HR departments. They oversee recruitment and hiring, develop training programs, manage employee benefits, and draft HR company policies.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual salary for an HR manager is $116,720. Multiple HR managers may be employed in larger organizations, each with their own area of responsibility. The HR manager may also be responsible for other administrative tasks in smaller businesses, such as bookkeeping or office management.

This comprehensive guide contains examples of the best manager resumes and practices for landing that dream job. Here is what we’ll be studying in more detail:

• Best examples of human resources management skills on your resume.
• Best manager resume samples.
• What type of employment law and talent acquisition skills must you list on your resume?
• How to create an ATS-compliant human resource manager resume?
• How do you put your education, experience, and skills in the resume?

Without further ado, let’s get started!

How to Write an HR Manager Resume?

The job responsibilities of an HR manager vary depending on the size and needs of the organization. However, there are some typical duties that all HR managers must perform. One of the most essential responsibilities is recruiting and hiring new employees. This includes advertising job ads for open positions, conducting interviews, and performing background checks.

They are also responsible for maintaining employee records, such as performance management reviews and attendance records, and managing discipline and termination procedures. The HR manager works with senior management to develop competitive benefits management packages, health insurance, and retirement plans.

As an HR manager, you must provide skills, education, and experiences relevant to the job description. This means you may need to create different HR resumes for other jobs. Every job description will be different, and you must tailor your resume.

There are four steps to applying as a professional in human resources at a company. Here are these:

1. Search for the hiring manager and the company.
2. Find out more about the job description.
3. Make a human resources manager resume with complete details.
4. Write a cover letter personalized to the hiring manager.

You have to think and act like the hiring managers to write a convincing HR manager resume. But before writing the resume, here are a few questions you need to take into account:

1. Do you have the skillsets and qualifications to apply as a human resources manager?
2. Have you developed employee benefits and compensation programs to improve employee relations?
3. Have you read the job description?
4. Are you a reliable team player?
5. Do you value the input of your colleagues, such as HR business partners and senior management?

Many HR managers add irrelevant information to their resumes, such as:

• Worked with department managers to recruit new employees.
• Conducted exit interviews.
• Developed a hybrid working model.
• Helped senior management improve HR processes.

These statements do not add any value to your resume. As a human resources manager, employers expect you to do these tasks. What is so unique about them? Here is what you can add to the human resources manager resume to differentiate yourself from others:

• Introduced safety training programs and helped reduce on-job illness from 35% to 15%.
• Developed worker’s compensation plans to improve employee relations and retention by 20%.
• Spearheaded a $1 million annual budget for employee benefit programs and reduced 35% absenteeism rate.
• Orchestrated successful human resources strategy impacting business development, performance management processes, career development, and payroll management for more than 500 employees.
• Drafted, implemented, and updated the company’s Human Resource policies in an employee handbook.
• Introduced employee training programs to uplift employees’ skills and enable them to add value.
• Contributed to the knowledge of HR professionals in the human resources department.
• Implemented performance management systems to increase profitability and work morale by 35% within 1 year.
• Motivated the human resources team and helped with capacity building.
• Improved labor relations by negotiating with unions for better health and safety standards.
• Provide necessary Human Resources leadership and support for all employees.
• Oversaw employee relations and orchestrated employee development programs, resulting in 15% business revenue in 6 months.
• Introduced disciplinary procedures to reduce conflict resolution time from 2 months to 1 week.

The company’s human resource management supervises its people efficiently. Your job as an HR manager will enable you to take control of the steering wheel and drive the company toward growth and profitability.

Want to create the best HR manager resume and land your dream job? Then this HR course is the perfect choice for you.

What is the Best HR Manager Job Resume Format?

There are different ways to format an HR manager’s resume; the best option depends on your skills and experience. For example, if you have a long and varied work history, use a chronological resume, which lists your jobs in reverse chronological order.

If you’re applying for a senior-level position, use a hybrid resume, combining elements of chronological and functional resumes. For an HR position, it’s important to emphasize your experience managing recruitment and training programs and your ability to resolve employee conflict. You’ll give yourself the best chance of landing an HR job by highlighting these key skills.

There are three ways to write a resume for a VP of Human Resources:

1. Reverse Chronological (Most recent work experience first)
2. Combination (ATS compliant)
3. Functional (Non-ATS compliant)

The reverse chronological order starts with the most recent work experience first. This allows employers to understand your upward career progression and trajectory.

How to Make Your HR Manager Resume ATS-Compliant?

98% of Fortune 500 companies use an applicant tracking system to scan resumes and filter out irrelevant ones. If your HR manager’s resume misses essential keywords, the ATS will not shortlist you for the position.

Here are some keywords to include in your HR manager resume. It is essential to include the ones relevant to the job description:

• Organization development
• Proven track record
• Employee engagement
• Employee relations issues
• HR strategies
• Counseling employees
• Human resources function
• Talent acquisition
• Talent management
• Benefits plan participation
• Employment law
• Government reporting regulations
• HR professional
• Business objectives

Not every hiring manager will go through every application. Here are some tips to make your resume ATS-compliant:

• Pay attention to the requirements in the job description.
• Include relevant education, skills, and previous work experience.
• Avoid using tables or columns, as ATS cannot parse them.
• Go through some of the resume formats found in this guide.
• Use a 12-font Arial or Times New Roman.
• Use a reverse chronological format to showcase the most recent experience first.
• Use long-form and acronym versions of the keywords.
• Use bullet points.
• Do not put any information in headers and footers.
• Do not stuff your resume with all keywords, remain relevant.
• Only apply qualified.

What sections should you put on your HR Manager Resume?

The most common sections of a manager’s resume are:

• A Professional Header
• Past Experience
• Skills
• Qualifications & Certifications
• Achievements

Here are these in more detail:

HR Manager Resume Professional Header

The header is the first thing your hiring manager will go through. Make it compelling, easy to understand, and include the following details:

• Full name and contact information, including phone number and email address.

• Job title.

• Link to an online portfolio if you have one.

• City.

• Educational institutes with names of degrees and graduation years.

• Relevant skills, tools, and certifications.

Besides the essentials, you must include the most relevant experiences when applying to different jobs. Take into account the following before crafting your human resources manager resume:

• Does your resume have relevant keywords?

• Can you justify the skills and results?

• Does it fit one page?

• Do the job responsibilities define your roles?

Your human resources manager resume is your first impression. Don’t take it for granted.

Here is one example of a great human resources manager resume format.

Did you notice it is ATS-compliant? There are no tables, graphs, or columns. Yet, it appeals to the hiring manager!

HR Manager Resume Experience Example

Most HR managers have at least five years of experience in the field, with some having 10 or more. Other than managing the day-to-day activities of the HR department, HR managers are responsible for developing and implementing employee policies, overseeing benefit programs, and ensuring compliance with labor laws.

As a result, they need to understand the HR field and the business world. With the right mix of experience and knowledge, HR managers can help to create a positive and productive work environment for all employees.

What are some of the most important job responsibilities that you can write in your human resources manager resume? Here are these:

• Planning and coordinating employee recruitment and selection processes.
• Conducting job interviews and selecting employees.
• Developing and implementing employee training and development programs.
• Counseling employees and assisting them with work-related problems.
• Administering salary and benefits programs.
• Developing and enforcing employee policies and procedures.
• Investigating complaints of sexual harassment or discrimination.
• Overseeing the performance evaluation process.
• Coordinating employee records management.
• Providing employee statistics data to the senior management, such as employee retention.
• Advising business leaders and human resources managers on the best HR programs.

Here are some of the factors managers need to take into account when writing their resumes:

• Listing relevant experience: Managers need to list any relevant experience they have in the field. This could include previous roles in HR or any other jobs that involved dealing with people.
• Showing leadership skills: Managers should demonstrate strong leadership skills and list any previous roles in which they have displayed leadership qualities.
• Highlighting soft skills: Managers must be good at communication and conflict resolution. Therefore, they should highlight any soft skills they have on their resumes.
• Including educational qualifications: HR manager roles always require a specific academic qualification. Make sure to include your relevant qualifications and certifications, if any.

Listing Skills

Human resources managers are responsible for the most important asset of any company: its people. To be successful in this role, managers need to have a wide range of skills, from communication and conflict resolution to employer branding and employee relations. Here are the skills you can add in your resume:

• Effective in managing the recruitment process and hiring the best candidates.
• Well-versed in labor laws and compliance issues.
• Strong understanding of both the business side of things and the human side.
• Ability to understand and solve complex problems
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills.
• Excellent grip on employment law and regulations.
• Data analytics and projection.
• Excellent time management skills with a proven ability to meet deadlines.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
• Ability to manage a team of HR generalists and professionals by delegating tasks.
• Demonstrated ability to use HRIS and talent management systems.

Listing Education

To become an HR manager, you need a bachelor’s degree in human resources or a related field. Some companies may require a master’s degree. You must have experience working as an HR generalist or specialist to advance to an HR management position.

Listing Certifications

HR certification and courses are helpful for your professional development in any management position.

As an HR manager, certifications play an important role in your salary and career growth. While many factors, such as experience and education, will impact your salary, having certifications can put you ahead of the competition.

Certifications also help you progress in your career. By demonstrating your knowledge and expertise in HR, you show employers that you are a capable resource capable of handling more responsibility.

Here are some relevant HR certifications to get ahead of others as an HR manager:

• HR.University HR Management Course
• Senior Professional in Human Resources – SPHR

• Certified Professional in Human Resources – IPMA CP

Listing Achievements

Hiring managers need to know not your work but the results you’ve achieved. Here are some questions to help you write the best achievements:

• How did your work contribute to the business objectives?
• How have your HR policies made a difference?
• What measurable results have you produced?
• Were you able to reduce the employee turnover rate?
• Did your HR policies increase employee retention and productivity?

You cannot underestimate the importance of including achievements. Although there will be many achievements during your entire career in HR, you need to list the most relevant ones.

Many managers will write:

“Developed hiring policies and talent acquisition programs.”

As an HR manager, this is obvious. It doesn’t prove any results. Companies expect you to make HR policies and hire. However, an HR manager is more than just hiring and firing.

Here are some great examples of quantifying your results:

• Introduced talent acquisition programs that reduced employee turnover by 30% within 6 months.

• Planned, organized, and executed career fairs at top universities.

• Developed new benefits and workers’ compensation programs to increase employee retention by 25%.

Listing Interests

Employers have too much on their plates. They can’t go through your interests. Plus, this section is irrelevant. Discard it.

Listing Languages

One of the most important skills for any HR manager is communicating with employees from a wide range of backgrounds. In the United States, this often means being able to speak and write in English.

While there is no official language in the United States, English is by far the most commonly used, followed by Spanish. As a result, managers fluent in English and Spanish will have a distinct advantage when it comes to communicating with employees. This will show potential employers that you are multilingual and can interact with employees from all walks of life.

HR Manager Resume Example

After going through many human resources resume samples, here is one format you can copy:

This is an excellent manager resume format that fits one page and lists all skills, certifications, and experiences in a well-organized manner.

My HR Manager Experience

Here are 2 approaches to using as an HR manager:

• The shotgun approach – Applying on all job applications without customizing your cover letter and resume.

• The sniper approach – A laser-focused approach where you read every job description and apply with a customized cover letter.

The shotgun approach works like this:

• 35 job applications submitted

• 0 responses

The laser-focused sniper approach works like this:

• 30 job applications submitted

• 5 responses to interviews

• 3 last round interview

• 3 job offers

This is how you need to apply.

How Many Pages Should Your HR Manager Resume Be?

As any job-seeker knows, there is a lot of competition out there. Human resources managers are no exception. To stand out from the crowd, your resume must be top-notch. But how long should it be?

Many experts recommend a two-page resume. Since employers skim and scan through resumes, they don’t have much time to read all the pages. The truth is that your resume should be no more than one page.

10 seconds. That’s what it takes for your prospective employer to read your resume and decide if you are a perfect fit for the company.

This is also why you need to include the most relevant skills, education, and experience in your resume to fit different job descriptions.

Five HR Manager Resume Tips

Here are some tips for writing your

1. Personalized cover letter for each role

Many managers will send a cover letter shorter than a tweet with statements like:

“Hello, hiring manager.

I have attached my human resource manager resume. Please review it and give me feedback.

If this is how you write a cover letter, there’s no point. Employers still expect you to send them a customized cover letter. Here is what your employers expect:

• Customized cover letter addressing the hiring managers with their names.
• Listing skills from the job description.
• The personal value you’ll be adding to the organizational development.
• Why you are the best person for this job?

2. Update your HR Manager resume

Update your human resource manager resume with the latest skills, certifications, and experiences. Study trends in the HR industry to stay competitive.

3. Highlight achievements

Your achievements should be reflected in your resume and demonstrate what kind of employee you are. We covered this segment earlier, and you can take some examples from it.

4. List the most relevant work history

When crafting your resume as an HR manager, you must include the skills and experience that are most relevant to the role. An HR manager handles various duties, from recruiting and onboarding new employees to managing employee benefits and training programs.

As such, your resume should reflect your ability to perform all of these tasks. Be sure to highlight any relevant experience you have in each of these areas and any specialties or certifications you may have.

5. Proofread your resume before applying

A human resources resume is often the employer’s first impression of a job candidate, so it is important to make it error-free. Even a tiny mistake will reduce the chances of an interview.

Proofreading ensures your human resources resume is free of typos, grammatical errors, and other potential problems. By taking the time to proofread their resume before applying, job seekers can increase their chances of making a positive impression.

HR Manager Resume Don’ts

Here are a few other don’ts.

Resume objective and summary

These are long and boring. Plus, your prospective employers will not have time to read the resume summary.

Headshot

LinkedIn is the best source for showcasing your professional headshot, not your resume.

Old experience

If what you did 10 years ago was significant enough to make an impression on your potential employer, include it in your resume. If not, leave it out.

Where Can You Apply with Your HR Manager Resume?

A good HR resume for the manager post can be all you need to win the job.

Here are some of the most common websites where you can find jobs relevant to managers:

• Linkedin

• Indeed

• Glassdoor

• Ziprecruiter

Key Takeaways and Summary

Here are key takeaways and summary:

• Stay relevant and use a reverse chronological order for your resume.

• Use an ATS-compliant format.

• Be clear and concise, and use simple language.

• Write a customized cover letter.

• Proofread before applying.

• Highlight relevant achievements.

• Do not include objectives, summaries, and a headshot.

• Use the right keywords.

• Proofread your resume.

• Use a sniper approach and only send resumes to relevant jobs.

Writing an HR manager’s resume isn’t easy, but the results are worth it. Once you have your resume, the opportunities are endless. There is a high demand for managers with strategic decision-making skills.

Good luck in job hunting. Now go ahead and apply this guide when writing that perfect resume.

FAQs

Here are the most frequently asked questions about crafting an effective HR manager resume.

What should I include in my HR manager resume to highlight employee engagement initiatives?

When describing your experience in employee engagement initiatives on your HR manager resume, focus on specific programs you’ve developed or managed that helped boost employee morale and improve workplace culture. Detail any initiatives to increase retention, support professional development, or foster team cohesion. For example, include metrics such as increased engagement scores or decreased turnover rates to demonstrate the effectiveness of your efforts in employee engagement.

How do I showcase my talent management skills on an HR manager resume?

Talent management is a core competency for HR managers, and it’s essential to highlight this on your resume. Outline your experience in recruiting, onboarding, and developing employees and any strategies you’ve implemented to ensure long-term employee growth and satisfaction. Mention specific approaches, such as succession planning or skills assessments, that have contributed to identifying and nurturing top talent within your organization. These accomplishments show your ability to manage and retain valuable employees effectively.

What is the best way to demonstrate experience in organizational development on my resume?

To illustrate your expertise in organizational development, describe how you have contributed to aligning team structures, processes, and practices with the company’s long-term goals. Examples include restructuring teams for efficiency, implementing new performance management systems, or leading change management efforts during mergers or organizational shifts. Demonstrating your role in facilitating organizational growth and adaptability will strengthen your resume, positioning you as a strategic partner in driving business success.

How do I effectively incorporate strategic workforce planning into my HR manager resume?

Strategic workforce planning is a valuable skill for any HR manager. To highlight this on your resume, emphasize your experience in forecasting staffing needs, analyzing workforce data, and aligning human resources with business goals. Provide examples of how you have planned for future workforce requirements, addressed skill gaps, and developed plans to meet short-term and long-term objectives. These examples demonstrate your proactive approach to HR planning and ability to support the company’s growth.

Why is it important to focus on both employee engagement and organizational development in an HR resume?

Focusing on employee engagement and organizational development in your HR manager resume shows potential employers that you understand the importance of a balanced approach to managing people and processes. Employee engagement initiatives help to build a positive workplace culture, while organizational development ensures that the company’s structures and strategies are optimized for efficiency and growth. Highlighting both demonstrates that you can foster a motivated workforce while aligning HR practices with overall business objectives.

Josh Fechter

Josh Fechter is the founder of HR.University. He's a certified HR professional and has managed global teams across 5 different continents including their benefits and payroll. You can connect with him on LinkedIn here.