CV example
HR officer CV example
HR professionals read CVs all day, so yours has to be the one that does it right. This example shows an HR generalist who quantifies hiring, retention and process work instead of describing duties.
Below you'll find a full example CV (also called a résumé), summaries for different experience levels, the skills and keywords employers search for, stronger bullet points, and the interview questions to prepare for.
HR officer CV summary examples
Your summary is the first thing a recruiter reads. Two or three sentences: who you are, your strongest evidence, and what you want next. Here is the example CV's summary, plus versions for other levels.
Example CV
CIPD-qualified HR generalist with 5 years supporting teams of 150 to 600 people in retail and tech. I handle recruitment, employee relations and HR operations, with a focus on fair, consistent processes.
Entry level
HR assistant with 1 year in a busy recruitment team, scheduling 40 interviews a week and keeping candidate records accurate. Studying for the CIPD Level 3 Foundation Certificate.
HR business partner
HR business partner with 10 years advising senior leaders through growth and restructuring. Supported 3 acquisitions and led a company-wide performance review redesign.
Skills to put on a HR officer CV
Hard skills
- Recruitment and selection
- Employee relations and case management
- Onboarding and offboarding
- HR policies and employment law for your country
- HR systems (Workday, BambooHR, SAP SuccessFactors)
- HR data and reporting
- Payroll and benefits administration
Soft skills
- Discretion and confidentiality
- Fairness and consistency
- Coaching managers
- Difficult conversations
Show soft skills through your bullet points rather than listing them on the CV itself.
Keywords recruiters and ATS look for
Many employers screen CVs with an applicant tracking system (ATS) that matches words from the job ad. These come up often in HR officer postings. Use the ones that are true for you, in the same wording as the job you're applying for. To compare your CV with a specific job ad, use the free CV keyword checker, or have Litjob tailor your CV to the job description for you.
- HR officer
- HR generalist
- recruitment
- employee relations
- onboarding
- HR policies
- employment law
- HRIS
- talent acquisition
- performance management
- employee engagement
- CIPD
For live figures, see the skills most requested in HR and recruiting job ads, updated weekly from thousands of postings.
Bullet points: before and after
Strong bullet points say what you did, how big it was and what changed. Compare:
WeakResponsible for recruitment.
StrongerHired 60 people in a year across sales and operations, with 90% passing probation.
WeakDealt with employee issues.
StrongerManaged 25 employee relations cases a year, resolving most informally and without tribunal claims.
WeakImproved onboarding.
StrongerRedesigned onboarding, raising new-starter satisfaction from 3.4 to 4.5 out of 5.
WeakUpdated HR policies.
StrongerRewrote 8 HR policies to reflect new legislation and trained 40 managers on the changes.
Only use numbers you can explain in an interview. An honest estimate (“about 30%”) is better than a made-up exact figure.
Tips for writing a HR officer CV
Show the size of the workforce you support
Headcount and number of sites tell a recruiter immediately what level of HR work you do.
Measure HR outcomes
Time to hire, turnover, absence rates and engagement scores make HR work concrete.
Mention local employment law
HR is country-specific. Name the jurisdictions you have worked in and any HR qualifications (CIPD, SHRM, CIPM).
Keep confidential details out
Describe cases in general terms. Naming people or sensitive details on a CV is a red flag for HR employers.
Common HR officer interview questions
Your CV gets you the interview, and interviewers will ask about what's on it. Prepare for these:
- How would you handle a grievance against a manager?
- Walk through a fair process: listen, investigate impartially, document and follow policy.
- How do you balance employee and business needs?
- Use an example where you found a solution that worked for both.
- Tell me about a process you improved.
- Give the before and after, ideally with a number.
- How do you keep up with employment law changes?
- Name your sources and a recent change you put into practice.