How to Write a Human Resource Management Resume

- Liz, I'm so frustrated! I'm not getting interviews. - What jobs are you applying for? - Mostly jobs like my current job - my title is Onboarding Specialist. - It's an HR role? - Yes. - That's very specific. Are you committed to that job title only? - No, but what else would I be qualified for? - You're qualified for tons of jobs! You've been designing training, delivering it, coaching employees and managers, creating onboarding plans and materials - you can go in so many directions. Your first task is to pick a career direction. - Like, any HR job for instance? - You need a career direction that's not as specific as "Onboarding Specialist" which is a job that doesn't exist in every company, but not as broad as "all HR jobs." You want a career direction where there are likely to be several new job openings popping up on Indeed each week. Of course, you want to pick a career direction that will let you grow, use your many talents and have fun in the job. - I'm interested in an HR Business Partner role but I applied for a couple of those jobs and didn't get anywhere. - That's probably because your resume is all about onboarding. When people (or worse, machines) are sorting resumes, they're not thinking deeply. They're not typically looking past the specific terms and jargon to see how rich and transferable your skills are. You need to help them see you as an HR BP. You create the frame and invite the reader to step into it - and many of them will. - How do I do that? - As an Onboarding Specialist you've done many of the same things an HR Business Partner does. You've partnered with hiring managers throughout your organization. You've listened to their needs and captured them to design onboarding programs that not only equip newcomers to be effective in their jobs right away, but also give them an understanding of your organization, its customers and the new employee's influence on its success. That's part of the HRBP role, too. - How do I bring that across in my resume? - Put on an HR Manager's glasses and see yourself through their eyes. Make it clear in your resume that you understand the HR BP role and already have the skills, experience, professionalism and sensitivity to step into the job. Tell quick Dragon-Slaying Stories(TM) that highlight the most HR Business-Partner-esque aspects of your Onboarding Specialist job. - I see it now! I need to write my resume as though I'm already in the HR BP community, not a hopeful outsider who needs permission to enter. - That's it exactly. Brand yourself for the job you want - that's my motto. - I'm ready to do it. I need help. Where can I find that? - Jump over to my Career Coach Directory - the link is in the comments. Our tremendous Career Coaches can help you zero in on your next career direction and brand yourself for the HR Business Partner job you want - and help with the other steps in your job search process, too. - This is cool, Liz. Thanks!

I got interviews from companies like Amazon, SAP, Siemens, etc., and everyone talks about resumes with a STAR format and quantifying impact. But what about the resume details that actually make a difference? Based on what’s worked for me, I’m sharing a few overlooked (but practical) tips that can help you. Let’s dive in 👇 1. Use U.S. Letter Size & Thoughtful Formatting: 🧠 Why it matters: Many ATS systems and recruiters in the U.S. are used to U.S. letter format(8.5x11, not A4). A4 may cause layout issues, especially with margins and alignment on different systems. 🎯 How to do it: ▪️ Use 0.9–1.15 line spacing, and margins of 0.5 to 1 inch for a perfect balance. Helps your content breathe without looking bare. ▪️Design psychology: Cramped resumes feel overwhelming; too much white space feels empty. ▪️Some candidates try to trick ATS by adding keywords in white text, invisible to humans. It’s detectable, unethical, and can actually get you blacklisted. 2. Human-First, Then ATS-Friendly 🧠 Why it matters: You’re not interviewing with an algorithm. Recruiters, often not from your domain, are the first to read your resume. 🎯 How to do it: ▪️Use clean formatting, consistent font sizes (10.5–12 pt), and easy-to-skim sections. Make sure your sentences make sense to anyone and not just someone technical. ▪️AI can help refine your wording, but always proofread for clarity and tone. Include context when numbers alone aren’t clear: ❌ “Increased sales by xy%” sounds great but without context, it’s meaningless.  So, add scope + baseline if you can: ✅"Boosted monthly sales by xy% within xy months by introducing a GTM strategy across 2 digital channels." 3. Pass the 6-Second Scan with Story-Driven Bullets 🧠Why it matters: Recruiters skim resumes fast, often under 6 seconds, so your bullet points need to do more than just list tasks. (PS: Studies show recruiters scan resumes in an F-shaped pattern: left to right, top to bottom. The top third of your resume (the “hot zone”) gets the most attention.) 🎯 How to do it: ▪️Start each bullet with the intent or principle behind the action (e.g., “Customer Obsession,” “ETL Pipelines”). ▪️Avoid robotic phrasing like: ❌“Built a dashboard to track engagement metrics.” Instead, make it strategic: ✅Customer Obsession: Launched in-product surveys in Excel to surface user pain points, leading to a 22% increase in feature engagement. Hope this helps!  Please share what worked for you, or if you need a template. #ResumeTips #ProductManagement #JobSearch #CareerAdvice #InternationalStudents #TechCareers #EarlyCareer #LinkedInTips

About six months ago, I met a man who had a mid-level job doing human resources with the federal government. He told me how frustrated he was because he had applied for almost 100 private-sector HR management jobs but with very little response from hiring managers. "I've only had one interview," he said, "and the HR Director told me to my face she was hesitant to hire me because I wasn't that familiar with labor law compliance. "That's ridiculous, because that's something I can always ask a co-worker about if I need to." Federal HR employees, I'm sorry to tell you it doesn't work that way. Private sector HR teams are usually "lean and mean," made up of individuals who either specialize in being an expert in *one* HR field ("Specialists") or who know a lot about *every* HR field ("Generalists.") There aren't backups or redundancies to assist co-workers who don't fall into one of these categories and need their HR technical knowledge supplemented. I'm sorry to confirm that there is a private-sector bias against hiring mid/long-term federal HR employees. If you're a federal HR employee who's seriously considering looking for a job in the private sector, here's just some of my advice in how to shape your resume and your interview performance to make that jump and overcome stereotypes: ➡️ Don't use a lot of acronyms or jargon that are unique to the government. Make sure your resume reads as "universal HR," in plain English, so that a hiring manager can easily understand exactly what you've done as an HR pro and see how that is applicable to their mission. ➡️ Go into interviews prepared to talk about how you personally have exhibited the traits that are so highly valued in the private sector: independent, critical thinking; proactivity; grit and hustle; and initiative. ➡️ Don't ask about how much paid time off the job offers until you get that job offer. It's ok to ask generally about "benefits" as you get toward or to that final interview. #HR friends, is there any other advice you would give federal government employees to help them with their private-sector job search? #humanresources #federalgovernment #recruiting