Human Resources Manager resume keywords
Most human resources manager applications are screened by software before a person reads them: the ATS ranks resumes by how many of the posting's words they contain. The lists below are the terms that show up most in human resources manager job ads. Use the ones that are true for you, with the same spelling the ad uses.
Hard skills and ATS keywords
- Recruitment
- Employee relations
- HRIS (Workday)
- Onboarding
- Performance management
- Labour law
- Compensation
- Training
- Talent acquisition
- Employee relations
- Performance management
- HRIS
- Compensation and benefits
- Onboarding
- Employment law
- Workforce planning
- Policy development
- Payroll
Soft skills recruiters look for
- Discretion
- Empathy
- Conflict resolution
- Leadership
- Influence
Soft skills only count when a bullet proves them. "Team player" is ignored; "Cut time-to-hire from 52 to 34 days by restructuring the interview process." shows it.
Action verbs to start your bullets
- Hired
- Reduced
- Implemented
- Developed
- Led
- Resolved
- Improved
- Designed
How to use these keywords
- Mirror the job ad: if it says "Talent acquisition", do not write a synonym.
- Put the top 6–8 in a skills section and repeat the key ones inside experience bullets with a number.
- Never list a skill you cannot talk about in an interview.
- Keep the file text-based (no skills inside images or tables), or the ATS cannot read it.
Which ones is your resume missing?
Every posting is different. Paste your resume and the job ad — free ATS Match Score Score your resume free (0-100)
No signup. It lists the keywords from the ad that your resume does not contain.
Need the resume itself? See the human resources manager resume example and generate one free from rough notes.