INDUSTRY STATS
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, HR Project Manager positions are at a 9% growth rate, which is as fast as average. With that said, there are currently 161,700 jobs in the market right now. The total number of jobs is expected to increase by 14,800 to 176,500 in the period of 2020-30.
What’s more, the median annual wage for the HR Project Manager jobs was $121,220 in May 2020. The lowest 10% earned less than $71,180, and the highest 10% more than $208,000.
Our conclusion? The HR Project Manager job market is wide open for candidates.
Top HR project manager sections that make the best resume
- Header
- Professional summary
- Experience (with numbers and results)
- Relevant skills
- Education
- Certifications
How to write an HR project manager resume experience section
HR project manager resume's job experience checklist:
- Use 4-6 bullet points per job title;
- Don’t go further than a decade behind when describing your job history, unless you’re applying for an executive position;
- Combine job responsibilities as well as achievements with numbers in results when you describe your past work;
- Start each sentence with a power verb and avoid overused buzzwords;
- Use either C-A-R or S-T-A-R methodology, when describing your experience.
The work experience samples below come from real HR Project Manager resumes that got people hired at top companies. You can use them as an inspiration to build your own resume:
- Set up new ways of working in HR processes cross the globe
- Led team of Learning & Development experts (8 countries)
- Deployed global HR projects (Onboarding, LM excellence)
- Analysis on the I&C population: Turnover, Hires, Diversity, Age
- Monthly Talent Meeting Preparation
- Preparation and coordination of external studies : salary, recruitment & diversity
- Salary review : preparation of scatter plot & analysis
- Tracking the flow of the expatriate population
- Coordination on topics of employee savings
- Development of Campus Relations and Partnerships
- Job Fair & automotive events Coordination & participation
- Analysis on the I&C population: Turnover, Hires, Diversity, Age
- Preparation and coordination of external studies : salary, recruitment & diversity
- Salary review : preparation of scatter plot & analysis
- Tracking the flow of the expatriate population
- Coordination on topics of employee savings
PRO TIP
Don't make the same mistake everyone else does. What we mean is, don't list your HR Project Manager job responsibilities instead of your achievements. Recruiters know what you do. They want to know what kind of difference you can bring to their company. Focus on what you've accomplished.
Action verbs for your HR project manager resume
Recommended reads:
HR Project Manager Resume Skills’ Tips & Tricks to Impress Recruiters
Resume skills section checklist:
- Ensure your hard skills section (including technologies) are exactly matching the job description.
- Don’t simply list your soft skills. Apply the “show, don’t tell” principle - let your job achievements speak for themselves.
- Find a way to showcase your skills beyond the skills section.
- Your resume’s skill section is important to ATS systems - so don’t skip it.
Top skills for your HR project manager resume
Microsoft Office
Project Management
Jira
Slack
Taleo
Workday
Organisation
Communication
confidentiality
Time management
Team work
Adaptability
PRO TIP
Don’t feel obliged to spend a separate section for your soft skills - you can weave them throughout your job experience or career summary. But, don’t just write empty words - back them with examples.
Recommended reads:
HR project manager resume header: tips, red flags, and best practices
Checklist for your HR project manager resume header
- Your name and surname in a legible and larger resume font
- The job title you’re applying for or your current job title as a subheading to your name
- Link to your portfolio or online profile, such as LinkedIn
- Address (City and State for the US; just your city for rest of the world)
- Email address
- Headshot (required or welcomed in the EU; not required and sometimes frowned upon in the US)
Stick to popular email providers such as Gmail or Outlook. And use these professional formats to create your username:
- first.last@gmail.com
- last.first@gmail.com
- firstlast@gmail.com
- f.last@gmail.com
- first.l@gmail.com
Recommended reads.
PRO TIP
Some companies, states, and countries have non-discrimination policies about what kind of information can be included on your HR Project Manager resume. This might include a photo (which is often included in a resume header and might be on personal web pages you link to). You can always email the company’s HR department to ask about their policies before you apply.
HR project manager resume summary best practices
Checklist: What to include in your HR Project Manager resume summary:
- Years of experience;
- Highlight top 3 skills and proficiencies;
- One big professional accomplishment you’re most proud of, that you can tie with the aforementioned skills;
- Use short, direct sentences - but no more than three - to keep the HRs interested.
Resume summary formula:
PRO TIP
When writing a resume summary or objective, avoid first-person narrative.
Recommended Reads:
Listing your education, certifications and courses
Resume education section checklist:
- Ensure your hard skills section (including technologies) are exactly matching the job description.
- Don’t simply list your soft skills. Apply the “show, don’t tell” principle - let your job achievements speak for themselves.
- Find a way to showcase your skills beyond the skills section.
- Your resume’s skill section is important to ATS systems - so don’t skip it.
Top certifications for your HR project manager resume
The Project Management Course: Beginner to PROject Manager
The Complete Course for becoming a Successful Project Manager
Project Management for Beginners: Fundamentals Crash Course
Project Management Training - Introduction to Project Management Certification - PMP - Project Manager - Agile project
Practical Project Management for Managers and First Time PMs
Learn Project management so you can deliver your next project be on time, on budget, and to requirements.
Project Management : Kickoff Your Project Manager Career
Project Management learning experience that will help students go from learners to competent project managers.
Hybrid Project Management for Project Managers
Agile? Waterfall? Why not both? Learn the benefits of these approaches to develop your own recipe for project success.
Recommended reads:
PRO TIP
If you hold a certain major and a minor, your majors should be mentioned first.
How to write an HR project manager resume
There are three basic resume formats you can choose from:
- Reverse-chronological resume format;
- Functional resume format;
- Hybrid (or Combination) resume format;
The most optimal format for your particular case will depend on your years of experience, as well as whether you’re switching industries or not.
Reverse chronological resumes are best suited for experienced individuals who are sticking to their industry. The experience section takes a central place, and its bullets contain your responsibilities and achievements, coupled with numbers and results.
Functional resumes are used by less experienced jobseekers or career changers. Note that it’s not a format that recruiters prefer, as most are used to the classic chronological alignment. Instead of a list of job titles, functional resumes focus on your skills, and through what experiences you gained them.
Hybrid resumes are great for both experienced and entry-level candidates, as well as career changers. They combine the best of both worlds - most often in a double column format, where one side of the content is focused on your experience, whereas the other - on your skills, strengths, and proudest moments.
Here are more resume tips regarding your layout and style:
- Clear and legible 12p resume font size;
- Use 10’’ resume margins - that’s default for a great resume design;
- Use a one-page template resume length if you’ve got less than 10 years of experience; otherwise, opt for a two-page resume;
- Save your resume as PDF before sending it to the recruiter.
To take it a step further, check out how your resume can stand out without leaning too much on the creative side.
Recommended reads.":
PRO TIP
Sometimes you’ll want to go after a job which requires more experience than you have. Instead of using a typical HR Project Manager resume layout, you can use a creative layout. Getting noticed is the most important challenge and a creative resume layout might help you get invited for an interview as most of other accountants have boring resume designs.
Other sections to include in your resume
Depending on the type of company (corporation or start-up; innovative or traditional), job seniority level and your location, you may want to include more sections to your HR Project Manager resume:
HR project manager resume: How to make yours more creative & stand out
When you send your resume to a potential employer, chances are it's the fiftieth one they've seen that day. That's why you need to make your HR Project Manager resume stand out for the right reasons. That means showing your personality, not just your professional experience. Employers are far more likely to remember a candidate who seems like a genuine person and not a robot. Do this by including your passions (which is also a great place to demonstrate skills on a resume), share your favorite books, or even what your usual day looks like.
What makes a great HR project manager resume: key takeaways
- Choose a resume layout that sends the right message across and fits your current career situation;
- Create a resume header that shows your desired job title, and easy to find contact numbers;
- Be specific about your experience, accomplishments and future goals in your summary;
- Feature detailed metrics and specific examples that show the impact you made in your previous roles when describing your experience;
- List soft skills backed by examples;
- Add all of your technical skills and certifications that you have and match the job description;
- Show off a dash of personality in your resume that will demonstrate your culture fit and the right mix of hard and soft skills.
