Human Resources CV Example & Writing Guide

A compelling human resources CV can help showcase your professional potential, but a poorly formatted CV can significantly hinder your chances of getting noticed by employers. 

At cvapp.nz, our online CV builder and human resources CV examples can help you create a powerful, successful CV highlighting your human resources skills and expertise. 

Whether you’re looking for professional templates or expert tips to take you to the next level, our human resources CV examples and writing guides will take your human resources CV to the next level. 

How to write a human resources CV

Your CV should contain the following sections: 

• The CV header
• The CV personal statement
• The employment history section
• The skills section
• The education section

No matter what industry you’re applying to, an effective CV should highlight your expertise and qualifications in a way that sets you apart from other candidates. 

To help create a standout human resources CV, we recommend following these expert tips: 

1. Highlight your expertise in recruitment, employee relations and performance management. Provide concrete examples of how you have used these skills to drive positive outcomes within organisations.
2. Enhance your CV with industry-specific terms and phrases related to human resources to successfully navigate bypass Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS).
3. Customise your CV for each job application by including skills and experiences that align with the role's specific requirements. Focus on keywords from the job description to demonstrate your suitability for the role.
4. Choose a professional, well-formatted CV design that aligns with the style of the company you're applying to.

Pick the best CV format for human resource jobs 

Effective CVs should be organised, clean and tidy.  A well-structured CV not only showcases your skills and experiences in a clear and concise manner but also demonstrates professionalism and attention to detail.

For HR professionals, the reverse chronological format is typically the best choice. This CV format focuses on previous employment experiences, listing positions in order of most to least recent to help portray the progression of your career.

Highlight important contact information

Your CV’s header should contain the following information:

• Name & Job Title: List your first and last name and indicate the position you are applying for.
• Professional Email Address: Include a professional email address that includes your name, like ‘[email protected].’
• Phone Number: List your phone number with a professional, appropriate voicemail greeting.
• Location: Provide your city and whether you are willing to relocate, for example, ‘Sione Fatu, Auckland (Willing to Locate).’
• LinkedIn Profile: Provide links to professional websites, such as LinkedIn.

Avoid including irrelevant or sensitive details unrelated to the human resources role, such as relationship status, ethnicity, IRD numbers, or passport numbers.

Craft a persuasive personal statement

Your personal statement plays a vital role in showcasing your suitability for human resources jobs. In 2-4 concise sentences, outline your employment history, skills, standout achievements and relevant career achievements. 

Emphasise skills that underscore your capacity to excel in recruitment, employee relations, and talent development. 

For example: "Skilled in conducting strategic talent acquisition efforts and fostering a positive employee experience to drive organisational success."

Highlight your HR work experience: mapping your career growth

When detailing your work experience, use bullet points to highlight your previous roles and elaborate on the specific responsibilities and achievements in each position. 

To quantify your impact, incorporate relevant action verbs and data, such as numbers and percentages. 

Consider the following responsibilities of an HR manager:

• “Hired new talent and managed onboarding processes.”
• “Created strategies to increase new hires.”
• “Developed training programs to boost employee engagement.”

These duties can be restructured with data for more impact: 

• "Implemented strategic recruitment processes resulting in a 20% increase in qualified candidate hires."
• "Designed and delivered training programs for a diverse workforce, resulting in a 15% improvement in employee engagement."
• “Led employee performance evaluation programs, achieving a 90% completion rate and feedback implementation.”

By providing quantifiable data and measurable outcomes in your employment history section, you can effectively demonstrate your qualifications for the HR role you’re applying for. 

Outline essential human resources skills

In the skills section of your CV, include keywords and highlight your specific human resources skills. Don’t forget to mention the skills outlined in the job description. 

Employers may be looking for technical skills such as expertise in performance management, proficiency in HRIS software, or talent development.

Additional skills include: 

Provide concrete examples to help illustrate these skills, for example:

• Recruitment skills: Quantify recruitment outcomes by tracking metrics such as time-to-fill, cost-per-hire and conversion rates.
• Performance management skills: Highlight the impact of performance evaluations by tracking changes in KPIs, employee satisfaction ratings, and increases in productivity levels.
• Training and development skills: Assess training program effectiveness through pre and post-training assessment and compare performance metrics between trained and untrained employees.

Detail your education & relevant human resources certifications

In the education section of your CV, focus on your academic qualifications and key professional achievements, listing these entries in reverse chronological order. 

Include the following details:

• Qualifications: Provide information about your academic qualifications, including the institution attended and the completion date.
• Certifications: Include details of any HR-specific certifications or professional qualifications obtained. HR certifications from organisations like the HR Institute of New Zealand (HRINZ) can help boost your credibility and expertise.
• Professional training: Highlight any relevant on-the-job training programs, workshops, or courses that have enhanced your HR skills, such as recruitment, employee relations, or HRIS training.

Select an appropriate design for a human resources CV

When choosing a CV layout, opt for a clean and organised design with organised lines and easy-to-read text. 

Consider using a professional or modern design template that allows for customisation and personalisation. 

Ensure your chosen CV layout emphasises the most significant moments of your human resources career and tells a cohesive story rather than a laundry list of experiences and achievements. 

Human resources text-only CV example

HR professionals play a crucial role in recruiting, developing talent, and fostering a positive workplace culture.

Our professional online CV builder makes it easy to craft a professional and impressive human resources CV tailored for HR professionals.

Explore our collection of professional templates and CV examples to help kickstart your career in human resources today.