Your resume should reflect key human resource skills like organization, communication, and the ability to handle confidential information. Highlight experiences where you've used these skills, such as managing employee records or leading training sessions.

Include specific software knowledge that is essential in HR roles, like applicant tracking systems or HR information systems. This shows you're ready to jump in with the tools used in the field every day.

Emphasize any successful projects or initiatives you managed that improved employee engagement or streamlined hiring processes. This shows your impact and ability to add value to an organization's human resources department.

Also, if you've advised on policy changes or helped resolve complex employee relations issues, detail these achievements. They demonstrate your expertise and problem-solving ability in real-world HR scenarios.

When you apply for a job, your resume should show how you are a good fit. You have to change it to match the job you want. Do this by adding details that show you have the skills and experience they need. Use clear examples from your past work that relate to the job in human resources.

• For a job dealing with people at work, share times when you helped solve problems between staff or improved staff happiness.
• For a high level in human resources, show how you've led big projects or teams. Say how many people were involved or times you've talked to top bosses.
• If you're coming from a different job, think about what you do that's like human resources work. Maybe you've planned training or kept records. Add that to your resume.

When you create your resume, using strong action verbs can help you make a good impression. Start each bullet point with a verb that shows your skills and achievements in human resources. This makes your experiences stand out more clearly to the hiring manager.

Here is a list of verbs to start your bullet points. These words are chosen to show you can manage people and tasks well. They are simple and clear, which is good for all readers, including those who know basic English.

• To show you can build and lead teams, use organized, coordinated, led, developed, motivated.
• To show you can solve problems, use resolved, mediated, addressed, reconciled, ameliorated.
• To show you understand and manage hiring, use recruited, screened, interviewed, hired, onboarded.
• To show you can manage projects, use implemented, executed, administered, oversaw, launched.
• To show you are good at training and development, use trained, coached, mentored, guided, instructed.

Want inspiration for other action verbs you can use? Check out synonyms to commonly used action verbs like Presented, Help, Worked, Conduct, Use.

When you're applying for a role in human resources, your resume should show that you have the right skills for the job. Here's a list of important skills to include:

• Recruitment
• Employee relations
• HRIS (Human Resource Information System)
• Performance management
• Payroll processing
• Benefits administration
• Compliance knowledge
• Training and development
• Labor law understanding
• Conflict resolution

Choose skills that match the job you want. For example, if you are interested in recruitment, focus on skills like applicant tracking systems and candidate screening. If you aim for a generalist role, show a broad range of skills. Remember, you don't need to include all these skills, just the ones that apply to your career goals.

Put these skills in a dedicated section on your resume to help you get past the Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) that many companies use. ATS helps employers sort through resumes by matching skills with job descriptions. Make sure these skills are also mentioned in your work experience where you've applied them. This shows you not only have the skills but also know how to use them.

If you have moved up in your work or led a team, it's key to show this on your resume. This tells employers that you can take on more responsibility and guide others. Here are ways to show leadership or promotion experience that are specific to human resources roles.

• Use bullets to list roles like 'team lead' or 'project manager' and note how many people you guided or what projects you led. For example, 'Led a team of 5 in a company-wide recruitment initiative.'
• Include any awards or recognition for your leadership skills. For instance, 'Awarded Employee of the Month for exceptional leadership in conflict resolution.'

Think about times you took charge of a situation or helped your team succeed. Even if you weren't formally the boss, these are good examples of leadership. Here are more ideas:

• Mention any successful training programs you ran, like 'Developed and delivered a diversity training program that was adopted across the company.'
• Show how you improved things, like 'Introduced a new HR software system that increased department efficiency by 20%.'

When you write your resume, it's key to show your impact with clear numbers. This helps you prove your worth. Here are ways to think through your past work and find numbers to share:

• Think about how you have improved hiring. Did you cut down the time to fill positions? If so, show this by writing, 'Reduced time-to-hire from 60 to 30 days.'
• Have you helped save money? Maybe you found a way to make recruiting less expensive. You could say, 'Cut recruitment costs by 25% through efficient sourcing strategies.'
• Consider your work in training and development. You can measure your impact by the increase in employee skills. For example, 'Boosted employee skill levels by 40% with targeted training programs.'
• Think about employee satisfaction. If you have run surveys or made changes that made people happier at work, note this improvement. For instance, 'Increased employee satisfaction scores by 15% year-over-year.'
• If you have worked on policies that reduce issues, mention this. You might write, 'Reduced workplace incidents by 20% through improved safety programs.'
• Think about your role in keeping good staff. If fewer people left their jobs, this is key to share. Say something like, 'Decreased employee turnover by 10% with better engagement strategies.'
• Have you been part of a team that grows the company? If you hired many people for new roles, share the number. For example, 'Supported company growth by recruiting 100 new hires in 12 months.'
• If you have made your team's work better or faster, share this too. You might say, 'Enhanced HR team productivity by 30% through streamlined processes.'

Remember, these numbers show the results of your hard work. They help you stand out as a good choice for the job.

If you are applying to a small company or startup, highlight your ability to wear many hats and adapt quickly. Use phrases like "managed multiple HR functions" or "adapted HR strategies to dynamic business needs." Smaller companies like Buffer or Basecamp will value your ability to be flexible and proactive.

For larger corporations like Google or IBM, focus on your experience with specialized HR functions and large-scale projects. Mention specific systems and processes you have used, such as "implemented SAP SuccessFactors" or "led a team of 10 in compliance audits." Big companies prefer candidates who have deep expertise in particular areas and can manage larger teams.