How To Write a Human Resources Business Partner Resume
As a human resources (HR) business partner, your resume should illustrate how you deliver value and results to organizations that enlist your expertise. Cross-functional collaboration and strategic planning are key functions of your role, but beyond simply listing these skills, your resume must provide metrics that demonstrate your success. We’ll provide expert tips to help you create an accomplishment-driven resume highlighting the most compelling aspects of your experience within the HR industry.
- Entry-level
- Mid-career
- Senior-level
1. Craft an outstanding profile summarizing your human resources business partner qualifications
Your HR business partner resume should engage prospective employers and demonstrate your success with specific examples of how you bring value to organizations. Begin your profile by listing your job title, years of experience, and three to four specializations that align with the job posting. Then, add details to establish yourself as a successful professional in the HR industry.
For example, if you designed and implemented a company’s onboarding program, note this and offer a metric that spells out exactly how successful it was. You might specify that your orientation increased productivity for new hires by 12%. If you played a key role in developing a succession plan, concisely explain how this prepared the organization for transition.
Profile Example #1
Resourceful HR Business Partner with 6+ years of experience and broad, deep HR knowledge to help organizations grow and thrive. Skilled in developing and implementing programs for a more positive, collaborative work culture.
Profile Example #2
Collaborative HR Business Partner with 6+ years of advancement and experience. Focused on providing top-quality HR guidance to department managers. Work across functional lines to advance broad change initiatives for short- and long-term company success.
3. Outline human resources business partner-related certifications and education
To create this professional experience section, bullet-point your career achievements vs. job responsibilities. Companies are interested in results. As an HR business partner, your experience should detail how you contributed to improving employee retention, talent acquisition, strategic planning, and improving the workplace culture. Again, demonstrate the bottom-line value of your expertise by including metrics, percentages, and dollar amounts. This helps substantiate your claims and defines the positive impact you bring to organizations.
Professional Experience Example #1
HR Business Partner, EFG Corporation, New York, NY
June 2020 to Present
- Advise on organizational development to help build and maintain a streamlined, high-performing workforce
- Build positive, productive relationships with diverse internal and external stakeholders
- Advised on new compensation plan that improved transparency and increased staff retention by 12%
Professional Experience Example #2
HR Business Partner, OPQ Corporation, Philadelphia, PA
June 2020 to Present
- Consult with business executives and other leaders on key workforce challenges
- Guide managers on actively addressing and resolving conflicts with staff members
- Helped develop an onboarding and orientation program that boosted new hire productivity by 9%
3. Outline your education and human resources business partner-related certifications
Aside from listing your education and advanced degrees, feature any relevant certifications you have achieved throughout your HR business partner career. For example, the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) provides training to earn a Senior Certified Professional designation, which will position you ahead of candidates who have not completed the course. Here is an example of how to showcase certifications and education.
Education
Template
- [Degree Name]
- [School Name], [City, State Abbreviation] | [Graduation Year]
Example
- Master’s Degree, Human Resources
- Temple University | Philadelphia, PA | 2019
Certifications
Template
- [Certification Name], [Awarding Organization], [Completion Year]
Example
- Senior Certified Professional, Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) | 2021
- Strategic HR Business Partner, Human Capital Institute | 2017
4. Make a list of your human resources business partner-related skills and proficiencies
Most organizations rely on some form of applicant tracking system (ATS) to identify qualified candidates for job openings. To get your resume through the initial screening process and into the hiring manager’s hands, incorporate keywords from the job description directly into your profile, professional experience, and skills section. Below is a list of key terms and skills you may encounter while applying for HR business partner positions:
| Key Skills and Proficiencies | |
|---|---|
| Business needs analysis | Coaching and mentoring |
| Compensation planning | Conflict resolution |
| Cross-functional collaboration | Employee morale |
| Employee relations and communications | Leadership consulting |
| Organizational development | Performance management |
| Policy and strategy development | Program development |
| Recruiting and onboarding | Staff training and development |
| Stakeholder relations | Strategic planning |
| Succession planning | Talent retention |
5. Highlight your cross-functional collaboration skills
As an HR business partner, demonstrate your ability to work across teams and departments to deliver value to the organization. Illustrate your cross-functional collaboration skills and share metrics that explain the results of your expert consulting. For example, you might note you developed a staff incentive program for all departments that resulted in a 10% improvement in employee retention. Or, you can highlight conflict resolution skills to drive employee satisfaction across departments.
How To Pick the Best Human Resources Business Partner Resume Template
When selecting your template, prioritize structure and readability over graphics and visual appeal. While your HR business partner resume must be clean and attractive, avoid using too many different colors or oversized graphics that can take away from the most important aspect of your resume: the content. Remember, hiring managers will always be more interested in your achievements and qualifications than the style of your template.
Human Resources Business Partner Text-Only Resume Templates and Examples
- Example #1
- Example #2
- Example #3
Joseph Corbin
123 Carpenter Street, Philadelphia, PA 12345
(123) 456-7890
[email protected]
Profile
Collaborative HR Business Partner with 6+ years of advancement and experience. Focused on providing top-quality HR guidance to department managers. Work across functional lines to advance broad change initiatives for short- and long-term company success.
Work Experience
HR Business Partner, OPQ Corporation, Philadelphia, PA
June 2020 to Present
- Consult with business executives and other leaders on key workforce challenges
- Guide managers on actively addressing and resolving conflicts with staff members
- Helped develop an onboarding and orientation program that boosted new hire productivity by 9%
HR Business Partner, RST Inc., Philadelphia, PA
June 2016 to June 2020
- Coached and mentored business managers on employee relations issues
- Advised on new training strategy that helped leaders raise staff engagement and performance
Education & Certification
Bachelor’s Degree – Human Resources
Temple University, Philadelphia, PA
Professional in Human Resources (SPHR)
Key Skills
- Coaching & Mentoring
- Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Employee Morale & Retention
- Leadership Consulting
- Organizational Development
- Policy & Strategy Development
- Program Development
- Staff Training & Development
- Strategic Planning
- Business Needs Analysis
- Conflict Resolution
Frequently Asked Questions: Human Resources Business Partner Resume Examples and Advice
What are common action verbs for human resources business manager resumes?-
Action verbs help hiring managers visualize your contributions, but it’s easy to run short on action verbs during the resume-building process. Differentiating your word choice can enhance the quality of your bullet points and eliminate redundancies. Communication skills are paramount for HR business partners, so hiring managers might take a close look at the way you describe your professional experience.
Use these action verbs to craft your professional experience section:
| Action Verbs | |
|---|---|
| Advance | Advise |
| Build | Clarify |
| Coach | Consult |
| Design | Enhance |
| Execute | Formalize |
| Generate | Guide |
| Improve | Increase |
| Introduce | Mentor |
| Navigate | Pinpoint |
| Prepare | Raise |
How do you align your resume with a human resources business partner job description?-
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, jobs for HR business partners, also known as HR specialists, are projected to grow by 6% from 2022 to 2033, which is faster than average for most occupations. This growth could be attributed to the challenging labor market and organizations’ need to fulfill positions to support growth and replace employees who have moved on to other jobs. With companies’ recruitment demands comes onboarding, training, career advancement, strategic planning, employee satisfaction, and a host of other functions that HR business partners deliver. Highlight these qualifications in your HR business partner resume, and be sure to align your resume with the job opening’s description.
What is the best human resources business partner resume format?-
The combination (or hybrid) format is most suitable for HR business partner resumes. True to its name, this format combines two important features of other resume formats: the chronological format’s experience section and the functional format’s profile section.
A combination resume offers the best of both worlds by fusing these two sections. The experience section lets you outline your recent work history – essential information for most employers. At the same time, the profile section lets you display your career highlights at the top, regardless of whether they’re from that work history or another part of your background. This gives hiring managers the clearest possible view of your background and relevant skills, so they can decide to proceed with your candidacy.
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Crafting a strong cover letter helps your chances of landing an interview during a job search. The key to creating a compelling cover letter is to customize your document for the organization you’re applying to. Read our human resources cover letter guide to learn how. For other related cover letter examples, see our business and recruiter cover letter guides.
