Tips for a Strong Recruiter Resume

Recruiters spend a large portion of their time reviewing resumes and assessing candidates, so you may think preparing their own resumes would be a piece of cake. However, that’s not always the case. If you’re looking for a recruiting job and struggling to write about yourself, read on for some specific tips and strategies on how to create a winning recruiter resume.

Generally speaking, recruiter resumes are no different than those for any other industry, field, or specialty. If you want to learn more about basic rules of resume writing, feel free to review iHire’s related articles and resume tips. For now, we can focus on what makes a strong resume for recruiting jobs.

Title, Summary & Key Skills

At the top of your resume, include a straightforward title such as Recruiter, Recruiting Professional, Recruiting Manager, or Director of Recruiting. If you wish, you can be even more precise and specify the industry or career level that best fits your background (e.g., Healthcare Recruiter, IT Recruiter, or Executive Recruiter). However, you may risk pigeonholing yourself by using a title that is too exact.

Your resume summary should be no longer than 3–5 sentences and include your experience level, areas of expertise, and notable skills that are relevant to the job listing. For example:

Versatile and results-driven hiring specialist with more than 10 years of experience devising and implementing winning recruitment strategies for the financial services, IT, and healthcare industries. Effective executive recruiter with expert ability to determine proper fit and maximize success of top-level candidates. History of driving down recruiting costs, accurately assessing staffing requirements, and devising hiring approaches that attract high-quality talent and align with organizational goals. Respected leader and valued contributor to C-level management teams.

Following your summary, list 10–15 industry-specific resume buzzwords (no more than 3 lines) to supplement those mentioned in your summary paragraph. This section is designed to aid the resume in getting past applicant tracking system (ATS) screenings. Plus, this section will make it easier for the recruiter to assess your core competencies. Here are some examples of HR and recruiter resume skills:

• Industry Research & Analysis
• Diversity Management
• Needs Assessment
• Contract Negotiation
• Vendor Relations
• Behavioral Interviewing
• Project Management
• Benchmarking

If you’re not sure which skills to put in your core competencies section, look for examples in the job listings found on iHireHR. Before you apply, pick out some skills that are listed in the job posting and add them to your resume if they apply to you. Including skills that appear in the job ad will increase your chances of being called in for an interview.

Below is a job listing for a Senior Talent Acquisition Specialist with a few potential buzzwords marked:

• Manage full life cycle recruiting process from specification through the employment offer.
• Lead a team of up to 4 direct reports comprised of recruiters & coordinator(s).
• Partner with HRBP team, hiring partners, and leaders to identify personnel needs & workforce planning as well as partner with FP&A to manage allocated budgets for headcount.
• Consult with hiring managers on recruiting process, strategy and expectations.
• Prepare candidates for interviewing with ABC Company and specific hiring managers by providing detailed information on the company, business strategy, job descriptions and expectations.
• Organize post-interview debrief/feedback with interview teams and candidates.
• Maintain records on department specific recruiting activities via detailed metrics and reporting.
• Develop an effective pipeline of key talent potentially available for immediate hire as succession planning needs dictate.
• Stay informed of trends and innovative recruiting techniques to attract and compete for top talent in the market.
• Ensure team is organized and efficient with daily practices including; ATS, reporting, OFCCP compliance, active and closed requisitions, new requisition guidelines, interview procedures and training, workflow processes and other team responsibilities as necessary.