How to Write an HR Director Resume
Want to write an HR Director resume? You’ve come to the right place.
This article will serve as a reliable guide for you to write a Human Resources Director Resume without wasting any time. Save time and create a resume that lands you high-paying jobs.
The Director of human resources is a strategic thinker and develops policies for talent and performance management, in line with the company’s vision and employment laws. The position requires exceptional grip on interpersonal and communication skills.
It is one of the highest-paying jobs in the US, with an average salary of $112,613. This is a ballpark estimate as some HR Directors earn more than $160,000.
But there’s a problem. You don’t have much time and need to create a job-winning HR Director resume. We understand writing a human resources resume is not easy.
We’ve got your back. While writing your HR Director resume, keep in mind that it should be no longer than 1 page. Hiring managers receive hundreds of applications for every job. They don’t have time to go through each one. Imagine 100 job applicants have applied and it takes 1 minute to skim through 1 page. This would add up to 1 hour and 40 minutes!
What if every resume was longer than 1 page? This would double the amount of time for hiring managers. This means it would take them 3 hours and 20 minutes to get the same job done.
Don’t take your HR Director resume length for granted. Make it short, concise, and easy for the employer to understand you as a professional.
Here is what we’ll be covering in this guide:
- Job-winning HR Director resume sample.
- How to write a job-winning HR Director Resume with the right set of skills?
- How to put your qualifications, certifications, and experience relevant to each job?
- How to remain relevant and use the Applicant Tracking System to reach the hiring manager?
- How did your HR policies and procedures prove fruitful in the previous companies?
How to Write an HR Director Resume?
An HR Director reports to the CEO and the senior management of the company. They develop and implement the best HR policies, and best practices and improve the company’s workforce morale and diversity.
Their solid grip on employment laws and regulations qualify them as exceptional in their field.
Your human resources Director resume needs to mention the most relevant skills, qualifications, certifications, and experiences to increase your job prospects.
Follow these 4 steps to write your human resources Director resume:
- Search for the hiring manager and the company.
- Find out more about the job description.
- Make an HR Director resume with complete details.
- Write a cover letter personalized to the hiring manager.
You need to act like the hiring managers if you want to increase your prospects of landing a high-paying job. Once you do this, you will have a better understanding of the company’s requirements.
Trust me, many people apply to jobs in haste and fail to put themselves in the employer’s shoes. Here are some questions to ask yourself before applying:
- Do you have occupational development, change management, and restructuring experience?
- Do you have a commercial understanding of the business and its leaders?
- Do you have a sound understanding of state and federal employment laws?
- Do you have patience?
- Are you a quick decision maker?
- Are you a socially responsible person that encourages the input of your team members?
Many HR Directors include details not relevant to their resumes. Having these will not create a positive impact on the hiring managers. Please remove them:
- Created HR policies.
- Helped in talent acquisition and talent management.
- Created employee satisfaction programs.
- Drafted policies for organizational development.
- Helped the team in Human Resources Management to conduct various tasks.
The hiring manager expects you to have these skills. But listing these skills won’t qualify you for the job. You have to quantify them and give evidence in numbers.
How about you rewrite the above statements with quantifiable results? Here’s what they would look like:
- Drafted HR policies and procedures to reduce new employee onboarding time from 4 weeks to 10 days.
- Orchestrated new talent acquisition programs including job fairs and witnessed a 15% rise in retaining top talent.
- Boosted employee satisfaction rates with new benefit and compensation programs, and work from home policies, witnessed a 35% rise in a new survey within 6 months.
Did you notice the difference? You need to quantify and justify the work delivered in the past company through numbers.
Numbers increase your likelihood of landing the job interview. Employers prefer candidates that can prove their actions with positive results.
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What is the Best HR Director Resume Example?
The best HR Director resume checks the following:
- Reverse chronological order
- ATS-compliant with relevant keywords
- 1-page
- Crisp and attractive headings
- Relevant work experiences
- Quantified results
- Other relevant skills and achievements
- Relevant portfolio (better to have a website)
As mentioned earlier, it takes time to skim through hundreds of resumes. The human resources manager and the senior management will not have time to determine your most recent working experience.
That’s why you need to use a reverse chronological order to get the most recent and relevant work experience at the top.
There was a time when hiring managers used to filter out resumes. Today, automation has taken over. All Fortune 500 companies, and multinational firms with a global presence, use a sophisticated mechanism for selecting the most relevant resumes.
ATS, also known as the Applicant Tracking System is what employers use today. This is an automated method of searching resumes with relevant skills and keywords.
98%. That’s how many Fortune 500 companies use ATS to find the best talent from the market. If you cannot optimize your resume for the ATS, you will have a hard time getting a call back from prospective employers. An ATS-compliant resume could be the difference between landing the job or slipping through the cracks!
Since you are applying as the HR Director, here are some of the most relevant keywords to include in your resume. Please note that not all skills may be relevant. Only add those specific to the job position:
- Leadership development
- Performance management
- HR initiatives
- HR processes
- Employee training programs
- Company culture
- Business management
- Business partner
- Human resources functions
- Leadership team
- Talent review process
- Project management
- Human resource policies
- Human resource activities
- MS Office
- Salary planning
Here are some tips to make your resume compliant for ATS:
- Reverse chronological order with the most recent experience at top.
- Use long-form and acronym versions of the keywords.
- Use bullet points.
- Don’t use tables or columns.
- Use 12-point Times New Roman or Arial font for readability.
- Avoid putting any information in headers and footers.
- Use a PDF version
An ATS should be able to read, scan, and parse your resume. Apply the tips above and you’ll avoid slipping into the file shredder.
What Sections Should You Put on Your HR Director Resume?
There are many sections of an HR Director’s resume, but you need to include the following ones:
HR Director Resume Professional Header
The hiring managers will glance at your professional header when they receive the application.
Make sure to include the following details:
- Full name and contact information including phone number and email address.
- Job title.
- A portfolio, if you have one.
- City.
- Educational institutes with names of degree, and graduation year.
- Relevant skills, tools, and certifications.
Other than the essentials, you also need to include the most relevant experiences when applying to different jobs. Weigh in on the following factors before finalizing everything:
- 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?
It’s your resume, don’t take it for granted.
Here is one example of the HR Director resume example and format.
Did you notice it is ATS-compliant? There are no tables, graphs, or columns. Yet, it appeals to the hiring manager!
HR Director Resume Experience Example
HR Directors have invested more than a decade serving in the HR Department and drafting financially successful policies. A typical job description requires experience of 10 to 20 years, with the vast majority of them demanding at least 15 years.
What are some of the most important job responsibilities that you can write in your HR Director resume? Here are these:
- Orchestrated successful recruiting strategies reducing recruitment costs by 15% within the first 6 months.
- Introduced several new HR activities of training programs, performance appraisal, and compensation.
- Coordinated with leading medical teams and doctors to provide support on health, safety, and mental wellness for all employees.
- Boosted employee engagement by 25% within the first year of operations.
- Revised employee compensation and benefits programs as per the employment law.
- Orchestrated new contracts for remote employees.
- Introduced employee recognition programs such as promotions, salary planning, and increments.
- Provided appropriate solutions to challenging problems.
- Helped the company in bringing a positive work environment through workforce diversity and employee surveys.
- Consulted business units for their training and recruitment strategies.
- Drafted HR agenda with clear company policies on hiring, termination, and provident funds.
- Boost employee morale by allowing work from home and relaxing the performance appraisal review process.
- Provided HR leadership and consultancy to the business leaders.
- Helped the HR administration in capacity building.
- Introduced employee engagement and recognition programs for HR staff that completed HR professionals certifications.
Take into account the following when writing experiences:
- Remain relevant and only list experience specific to the job title.
- Create a customized cover letter for each job role.
- Provide appropriate solutions in your cover letter.
- How did you conduct workforce planning within your HR operations?
- What was the process of attracting qualified job seekers to your previous company?
- Other than MS Office, what tools did you use for HR management?
- Why are you the best fit for this job?
- What makes you different than others?
Listing Skills
As an HR Director, you have mastered the art of crafting successful policies, boosting employee morale, orchestrating talent acquisition programs, and advising the senior management on the future direction of the company.
It is now time to shine. List these skills under the “skill” section of your resume:
- Strong 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 learn HRIS and talent management systems.
Listing Education
The minimum degree requirement for an HR Director is Bachelor’s in HR, Management, or a relevant field. Applied or organizational psychology is a good choice, as an in-depth understanding of human behavior and workplace dynamics is vital to the role.
Listing Certifications
HR certification and courses are helpful for your professional development in any management position.
Taking courses gives you tools to broaden your management abilities, learn new HR strategies, and keep up with important changes in employment law and labor relations.
Here are some relevant HR certifications to get ahead of others as an HR Director:
Listing Achievements
Hiring managers need to know not the work you’ve done, 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 your HR policies have made a difference?
- What measurable results have you produced?
- How you’ve strengthened the HR Department?
- Have you implemented HR processes leading to improvements?
- How often did you work with the management team?
- What you’ve done to reduce the employee turnover rate, and foster a healthy work culture?
We understand it may not be easy to quantify achievements in the HR Department. But I encourage you to find the problems that you solved, and the impact that your solutions had on the company. Talk about your experience in numbers.
Many HR Directors will write:
“Overlooked the recruitment process and shortlisted candidates for interviews.”
As an HR Director, this is obvious. It doesn’t prove any results.
Here are some great examples of quantifying your results:
- Sourced qualified candidates through social media and resume databases from networking events.
- Planned, organized, and executed hiring events partnering with 12 local community organizations
- Cut new hire processing time from 3 weeks to 1 week and cost by 35%.
Listing Interests
When applying as an HR Director, interests don’t matter. Employers don’t have time to see this section, hence it’s better not to include it.
Listing Languages
Most companies in the US only require exceptional communication skills in the English language. But it doesn’t hurt to list additional languages if you’re proficient in them.
HR Director Resume Example
After going through many human resources resume samples, here is one format you can copy:
This is an excellent HR Director resume format that fits one-page land lists all skills, certifications, and experiences in a well-organized manner.
HR Director Experience
As an HR Director, you don’t have time to apply to all possible jobs. Here are two strategies of applying to different jobs:
- The shotgun approach – Applying on all job applications without customizing your cover letter and resume.
- The sniper approach – A laser-focused approach where you carefully read every job description and apply with a customized cover letter.
The shotgun approach works like this:
- 25 job applications submitted
- 0 responses
Laser-focused sniper approach works like this:
- 15 job applications submitted
- 4 responses to interviews
- 2 last round interview
- 2 job offers
Even though you submitted your resume to 15 jobs, the response rate was much better than the previous approach. It takes time to write a customized cover letter and adjust your resume to each job role, but it’s worth it.
How Many Pages Should Your HR Director Resume Be?
One page. This is enough to showcase your professional skills and experiences. I understand you have a lot of experience, and it may be difficult for you to cram sum it up in one page, but think like a hiring manager.
Employers only skim and scan through your resume.
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.
Five HR Director Resume Tips
Your resume must be clear, and concise and present your qualifications to land you a high-paying job. It should also illustrate what you can do for your prospective employer. Here are 5 HR Director resume applying tips:
1. Personalized cover letter for each role
Many HR Directors send a cover letter shorter than a Facebook post, requesting the hiring managers to have a look at the resume. If this is how you’re writing a cover letter, then there’s no point in writing one. Employers still expect you to send them a cover letter if it is mentioned in the job description. 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 add to organizational development.
2. Update your HR Director resume
Keep your HR Director resume updated with the latest skills, certifications, and experiences.
3. Highlight achievements
Your achievements should reflect in your resume and demonstrate what kind of employee you are.
4. List the relevant work history
HR Director has 15 to 20 years of work experience. If you combine your entire work experience, it may well exceed the one-page limit. Therefore, try to include the most relevant ones to keep your resume within 1 page.
5. Proofread your resume before applying
When you’re done writing your HR Director resume, have someone go over it for spelling and grammar mistakes. One mistake can lead to immediate disqualification from the interview rounds. Don’t let it happen to yourself.
HR Director Job Resume Don’ts
Here are a few other don’ts.
Resume objective and summary
These are long and boring. Please don’t include them in your resume. Hiring managers have a lot on their plate to read these.
Headshot
Headshots are not required with a resume unless either you’re applying as a model.
Old experience
If what you did 10 years ago was significant enough to make an impression on your potential employer, then go ahead and include it in your resume. Exclude old experiences if they aren’t relevant to the job you’re applying for.
Where Can You Apply with Your HR Director Resume?
A good HR resume for the post of a Director can be all you need to win the job.
Here are some of the most common websites where you can find jobs relevant to HR Director:
We’ve discussed a lot about the Human Resources Director’s resume. Here are key takeaways and summary:
- Stay relevant and use a reverse chronological order for your resume.
- Use an ATS-compliant format.
- Be clear, 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 Director 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 HR Directors with strategic decision-making skills to lead the company in the right direction.
Good luck in job hunting. Now go ahead and apply this guide in writing that perfect CV.
If you are new to Human Resources and are looking to break into an HR role, we recommend taking our HR Certification Courses, where you will learn how to build your skillset in human resources, build your human resources network, craft an excellent HR resume, and create a successful job search strategy.
