How to Write an HR Generalist Resume That Gets Noticed

What do employers look for in an HR generalist resume?

An HR generalist, sometimes called an HR associate, typically works in various functions. These may include day-to-day management of an HR department, hiring staff, managing pay, benefits, and employment law, ensuring company regulations and policies are met, and performing general HR administration work. Make your experience clear by including skills, experience, and education relevant to an HR generalist role. 

Discover the process of writing an HR generalist resume with our comprehensive guide.

Read more: What Does an HR Generalist Do? Your Career Guide

HR generalist skills

For hiring managers to come across your HR generalist resume, it's helpful to have relevant skills listed so that the applicant tracking system (ATS) identifies your resume. Examples of in-demand skills recruiters are currently looking for include:

• Human resources information system (HRIS)

• Performance management

• Exit interviews

• Payroll processing

• Employee engagement

• Compliance

• Employee relation management

• Recruiting

• Innovation

• Communication

Read more: What Is Human Resources (HR)? Description, Duties, and Jobs

HR generalist resume template

When writing your resume, start by thinking about what you have to include. This will help determine how to format your resume. Standard sections include contact details, your professional experience, education, and skills—but you may want to include additional sections, such as certifications, awards, and volunteer experience. 

Your experience level determines how to order the sections. Generally, a reverse chronological order works well for an HR generalist resume, allowing you to show off your most recent experience first. The format is logical, easy to read, and displays progression. If you have less experience or are a recent graduate, you may prefer a resume layout that isn’t so focused on professional experience, opting for a functional format that puts more emphasis on skills. 

Read more: Tips for Writing an Impactful HR Resume

Step 1: Add your contact details. 

Include your personal details at the top of your resume. This ensures recruiters can contact you once they've read your resume. Generally, this section includes your name (also used as the title for your resume), phone number, email address, and sometimes your address or city, along with links to relevant portfolios and your LinkedIn profile. Only include these if they are relevant and add value. 

Step 2: Write a summary statement or objective.

Recruiters spend an average of seven seconds on a resume before deciding whether to read on or discard it [1]. A summary statement helps make the most of that time.

A resume summary should clearly and concisely explain who you are, highlight your most relevant skills, experience, and strengths, and briefly describe what you want to do. An effective summary includes evidence and results backed by numbers. Consider including your years of experience, any accolades you’ve received, and any solid results you can include, such as a percentage increase in employee engagement. Keep it short, positive, and impactful, and write in a style that is professional yet gives insight into your unique personality traits. Your summary should ideally be a few sentences, not usually more than four, but this guidance varies across sources. 

If you are a new graduate without much experience, an objective might be more appropriate than a summary. An objective is a short statement detailing the type of role you are looking for, why you are a good option, and your future ambitions. Remember to show how you will add value and highlight any relevant achievements to date. 

Example resume summary

HR professional with 5+ years of experience working in a range of HR teams covering various responsibilities, including managing payroll, recruiting and training staff, and writing HR policies. Educated to master’s degree level with an MBA and certifications in HR procedures. 

Step 3: Highlight your skills.

A good resume includes a dedicated skills section, demonstrating what you can offer while also helping optimize your resume with keywords used by applicant tracking systems (ATS). An ATS is any screening software used by recruiters to sift applications. Including keywords in your skills section makes your resume more ATS compliant. 

Your HR generalist resume skills section should ideally include a mix of workplace and technical skills, either as a list or subheadings, with examples to demonstrate each skill, depending on the resume format you choose. Select them based on what the job listing asks for so you can tailor your resume to meet the recruiter's criteria. Remember that while a skills section is important, highlighting your skills in other sections is equally valuable. 

Along with the in-demand skills mentioned above, examples of additional relevant skills for an HR generalist role include:

• Training

• Recruitment strategies

• Technology proficiency

• Conflict resolution

• Problem-solving

• Employment law

Step 4: Include your work experience. 

Your professional experience is what recruiters really want to see, which is why it works well near the top and in reverse chronological order. This section helps make clear to recruiters whether you have the skills and experience for the position. 

It is key to making yourself stand out from other applicants with relevant experience. You do this by focusing on your accomplishments rather than listing responsibilities, which will be equal to someone in a similar role. 

Describe your contributions with action verbs, such as “spearheaded,” “formulated,” “consolidated,” and “directed.” Use numbers, such as percentages, dollar amounts saved, and staff satisfaction statistics, to describe your achievements. 

If you don’t have much paid professional experience, include internships, volunteer work, or even personal projects if they are relevant to work in HR. 

Here’s an example of how to layout your experience section:

Recruitment Solutions, New York, NY

HR Associate

July 2021- July 2024 

• Led training and onboarding of new hires for five partnering companies

• Worked closely with company directors to action diversity hiring policy

• Actioned payroll for 250 employees

• Managed interview schedules and feedback requests

Ann Impago, New York, NY

HR Associate

Jan 2020- July 2021

• Acted as subject lead for the IT department on HR matters

• Designed job descriptions and advertised for new staff members

• Interviewed staff and followed up on references

• Led training for all departments on inclusion and diversity

Step 5: Add your education and certifications.

Depending on your level of experience and whether you are still studying, this section may go above or below your experience section. Each education entry should include the dates of study, name of course, and educational institution. This is where you list your degree and further study and also where you can include any certifications relevant to HR. Some roles will ask for specific certifications, so double-check those to ensure you list the ones you earned.

How to write keywords to satisfy ATS

Keywords play an important role in your resume. Place keywords throughout your resume in the skills, experience, and summary sections. To ensure you are using the right keywords, search through the job description and essential criteria of the role you’re applying for, pick out the main words used, and then incorporate them into your resume. These could include programs, certifications, technical terms, and skills. 

Tips for writing a strong resume 

Aside from making sure you have an effective HR generalist resume format and all the appropriate sections, here are several more tips to make your resume the best it can be:

• Use a plain font in size 11 or 12, such as Arial or Times New Roman. Also, write clear headings, and keep your resume to a single page if possible.

• Tailor your resume to the role you’re applying for, carefully matching your skills, experience, credentials, and keywords to the job description.

• Be positive and enthusiastic. Make clear how much you love what you do and want the job in question.

• Proofread your resume to make sure it’s free of mistakes.

Resume resources

For further help putting together a winning HR generalist resume, explore some of Coursera’s resources:

• How to Make a Resume: Resume Writing Guide

• How to List Certifications on Your Resume: Guide + Examples

• Types of Resumes: Choosing the Right Format For Your Needs

• Writing Winning Resumes and Cover Letters

Get started with Coursera

As an HR generalist, you have a number of skills, experience, and credentials to include on your resume. Ensure that your resume has the appropriate sections, is ATS compliant, and is tailored to the position you are applying for. 

As you prepare to apply for your next position as an HR generalist, a course in HR can help you refresh your knowledge and add another credential to your resume. Consider Recruiting, Hiring, and Onboarding Employees by the University of Minnesota on Coursera. You could also build your interview skills with Advanced Interviewing Techniques, delivered by the University of Maryland.