A Job Winning Recruiter Resume Example [+Pro Tips]

That doesn’t mean you’re perfect in resume writing – so here we’re helping you recall the process of resume writing step-by-step.

Let’s write a perfect recruiter resume.

You already know most of these techniques, but you know what, every recruiter who applies for the same position knows how to write a resume. That’s where our PRO resume tips will boost your chances.

This article includes:

• A complete guide to writing a recruiter resume from A to Z
• Resume examples that are better than 95% of the general resumes
• The latest resume format, layout, and template guide
• Writing examples for each section of the recruiter resume
• 30+ key resume skills for recruiters

You know how hiring works in companies: the moment you see a resume, you know which folder it ends up in. If you want your resume to end up in the shortlisted folder, try one of our resume templates to create a stunning resume for FREE.

If you’re writing a senior recruiter resume, technical recruiter resume, staffing recruiter resume, corporate recruiter resume, or an entry level recruiter resume, you could copy the above complete example to start with. Also, refer to these examples to get inspired👇

• Secretary resume
• Administrative assistant resume
• Data entry resume
• Office assistant resume
• Sales assistant resume
• Customer service resume
• Administrative Coordinator
• And more

How to Create a Perfect Recruiter Resume?

Creating a perfect recruiter resume starts with you: ask these questions yourself:

• What do you expect as a recruiter in an application you receive?
• What were the characteristics of the best resumes you’ve received?
• What factors made you pick a resume for an interview?

Because you know it all.

You may know some companies use Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to carry out the first level of shortlisting. In ATS, the recruiter feeds the job description and other relevant keywords for the job – and the systems match the applications with relevant keywords and keyword density.

Your resume should include what they’re looking for to pass the ATS test.

There are many factors that contribute to physical shortlisting, including your resume design and format, recent experience, relevant experience, skills, etc.

In short, your resume should convince the hiring manager that you could take up the recruitment task from them – your resume should communicate you’ve handled similar work.

You should also list your achievements and accomplishments by being very specific about the tasks – you could add numbers to make them interesting.

You should follow the latest resume writing guidelines along with the design guidelines – if you don’t know what you should and shouldn’t write in your resume, you won’t be able to shortlist others.

Let’s start with your resume layout, format, and template. Defining these simplifies your resume writing process – saves you a lot of time – and makes sure your resume adheres to the current HR standards.

Recruiter Resume Layout

A resume layout is a plan to write your resume. Write down your plan on a piece of paper. The headings and subheadings you’re going to put, important information you’re going to include – and in what order.

The layout makes your writing task easier – it organizes your content and makes sure you don’t miss anything.

We recommend the following layout for a recruiter resume:

• Header.
• Professional summary.
• Work Experience.
• Education.
• Skills.
• Additional sections (certificates, languages, and interests).

The Right Resume Format for Recruiters

The format defines the order in which you write your experience section. The right resume format makes it easy for the reader to understand.

You might have seen resumes that you’ve to read a couple of times up and down to find out the applicant’s recent experience. Did you like that experience?

Hiring managers love to read resumes that they understand faster – because, they have a limited time to go through hundreds of resumes.

Listen to yourself, what format would you like to read as a recruiter?

There’re three standard resume formats in use:

The functional (skill-based) format: in this, you list your skills and under each skill, you should write the relevant work experience.

I know what you think – if you see a skill-based resume, you would probably think, the candidate is hiding a career gap. The same would happen to you. So if you have a career gap, you should mention it on your resume. Also, it’s a good practice to state your career timeline for clarity.

Reverse chronological order format: in this format, you should state your most recent experience first and follow the chronological order to list the rest of your experience.

This is the traditional resume format, but still is the most effective and clean format to use on any occasion.

Combination format: in this format, you should use a mix of the above two formats. Sometimes when candidates have freelance or project experience to list, they use this format.

Unless you have a special requirement to use another format we recommend you to list your experience in reverse chronological format for a recruiter resume. You know how clear it is when the candidate has mentioned their recent experience first.

A Killer Recruiter Resume Template

When you’re shortlisting hundreds of resumes in your last job, do you remember a time you stopped at a particular resume and started reading it because you liked how it looked?

That’s what a great template can do.

It organizes your resume content and makes the overall appearance.

You know how long a great first impression could go, right?

Now let’s create a perfect resume template for you:

• Define a color theme that matches your personality and the industry you’re applying for.
• For headings, subheadings, and texts, use consistent fonts, colors, and sizes.
• Define the document margins – make sure enough margins are available on all sides.
• A multiple-column resume would allow you to fit more information on a page.
• Consider limiting your resume to one or two pages.

You could use Microsoft Office to create a template or try one of our ready-to-fill resume templates. These are time-tested, ATS-friendly resume templates that you could tailor to your requirement.

Start Your Recruiter Resume with the Header

Your resume should start with the header. It should consist of your name and contact information. Be very careful not to make this section bulky by adding more information – keep it simple and clean.

Refer these examples to find out what makes a good resume header👇

A good & a bad header

Why do we call the first one a good header and the second one a bad header? Here’re the reasons:

• Start with the name – use a bigger font for your name and not for the position.
• Use your personal email – not your current employer’s email.
• You do not have to write your physical address unless the employer asks you to do so.
• Include the link to your LinkedIn profile or portfolio – make sure they are active and updated.

Hook the Reader with a Professional Summary

Some recruiters argue that the use of a professional summary is outdated and you should effectively use that space to list important skills.

They got a point. Those typical resume summaries you saw as a recruiter 5 years ago are outdated – the summaries that talk about the candidate’s education, experience, and skills that they send to every job they apply for.

Let’s see how we can write a modern professional summary to include in your resume. These are tailored statements to the job you’re applying for.

You should state your key skills, experience, and achievements together with how they align with the job description.

Keep your professional summary to 2 or 3 sentences. It’s a summary of your resume that communicates to the hiring manager how you fit the role.

For an entry-level recruiter, as you don’t have much experience, you could write an objective summary highlighting your reasons to join the company, your career objectives, and achievements.

Example professional summary/ career summary

Example objective summary/ resume objective

Demonstrate Your Recruitment Experience

You know what you were looking for in resumes when you were doing the shortlisting. Remember, you skipped everything else and moved to the experience section to save your time?

History repeats – now, it's your time. You know exactly what they’re looking for: Experience.

You put your experience section right and stay close to your phone – they will call you.

Now the problem is if you do not possess much experience as a recruiter. You need to secure your first job to show them your talents. Won’t you get any chance?

Here’s the good news. Whether you have recruitment experience or not, your recruiter judges you based on how well you write it on your resume. Similarly, you’ll be further judged in the interview based on how well you explain your experience.

Even though you have a limited experience as a recruiter, we’ll show you how to write it well to increase your chances.

Remember the ATS we talked about? You should analyze the job ad and find out the important keywords they have listed – those are key to get your resume through the ATS.

Check out these examples:

Experience section for a senior recruiter resume

Senior recruiters need to write their experience sections focusing more on advanced technical and soft skills.

Demonstrate your leadership, team building, communication, and decision-making skills together with your technical skills.

Experience section for an entry level recruiter resume

Highlight your strong communication skills in your experience section. Apart from that, focus on writing more technical skills as an entry level recruiter – the tools and technologies you used and the results you achieved.

Showcase Your Education

Most job descriptions highlight the required academic qualifications for the job. In most cases, you’ll need a Bachelor’s degree in HR or a related field – a Master’s degree would be an advantage.

Even if you do not have relevant education to become a recruiter, you should list your education in detail. If you have done any minors or academic subjects that relate, you may list them together.

Write your education section starting with your highest qualification. Use a consistent format throughout.

30+ Key Recruitment Skills That Get You the Job

You should demonstrate your skills throughout your recruitment resume. However, there’ll be a dedicated SKILLS section on your recruiter resume – that’s what your hiring manager reads.

There you should include the most in-demand and relevant skills for the job. There’re two types of skills you should write in this section:

Soft Skills: These are basically personality traits of the candidate – difficult to measure. Your job is to find the right soft skills that fit the job context. Hard Skills: These are technical skills. Find out the tools, software, technologies, and practices your employer wants you to know. You could easily acquire most of these hard skills online.

Include around 5 to 8 skills in your recruiter skills section – make sure it's a mix of soft skills and hard skills – also prioritize hard skills.

Soft Skills for Recruiters

• Teamwork
• Multitasking
• Emotional intelligence
• Communication skills
• Interpersonal skills
• Compassion
• Reliability & resourcefulness
• Leadership skills
• Accountability
• Critical thinking
• Attention to detail
• Time management
• Presentation skills
• Organizational skills
• Problem-solving

Hard Skills and Tools for Recruiters

• Full cycle recruiting
• Interviewing skills
• Recruitment planning
• Microsoft Office Suite
• Recruitment budgeting
• Job posting
• LinkedIn outreach
• LinkedIn jobs and Indeed
• Applicant tracking systems
• Office Administration
• Email automation
• Cold calling
• Job post creation: Canva, photoshop
• Market research
• Social media accounts management
• Zoom, Microsoft team, Google Meets, and similar communication software
• Google documents

Additional Sections for Recruiter Resumes

Your resume is almost complete, but we need to make sure it is among the top 5% of the resumes the hiring manager gets.

For that, we need to walk a couple of steps that most candidates do not take.

Additional resume sections: these are smaller sections on your resume that gets the immediate attention of the hiring manager. You should include key information that could change the balance in the hiring process – make your hiring manager surprised.

Here’re some of the additional sections you could use on your resume:

• Computer skills & certifications
• Extracurricular activities
• Freelance work
• Languages
• Interests

Computing Skills & Certifications

Your computer skills and trade certifications would play a major role in enhancing your chances. Whatever the industry you’ll be working in, these skills would be important.

Getting qualified with recognized certifications is easier than ever –you can complete most of these certifications online.

Check out these online certifications relevant to your profession and choose what would add value to your profile:

• Microsoft Office Specialist Certification (MOS)
• Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) by the Project Management Institute
• HR Certified Professional by The International Public Management Association for Human Resources (IPMA-HR)
• Talent Management Practitioner Certificate by the Talent Management Institute
• Google Analytics IQ Certification
• Google Digital Garage: Fundamental of Digital Marketing
• Hootsuite Social Marketing Certification
• Hubspot Inbound Marketing Certification

Learn how to list certifications on your resume with tons of examples with our complete guide to writing resume certifications.

Languages

As a recruiter having proficiency in a couple of relevant languages would be an added advantage. Based on the industry and the company you’re applying for, this might even be a requirement.

List your language proficiency with the level of fluency using one of our resume templates to make it look exceptionally organized.

Freelance work

If you're involved in corporate-level freelance work as a recruiter or a similar role, you could list them here.

The work outside your main job would showcase your talent, time management, and the demand for your service.

Corporate employee training programs, talent acquisition programs, and keynote speeches are some of the achievements you could list on your resume that may distinguish your application from the rest.

Tips to Improve Your Recruiter Resume

Here’re more tips to make your recruiter resume better:

• Use a tool like Grammarly to proofread your resume and cover letters.
• Acquire the key certifications that would make your application stand out.
• Tailor your resume to each job application or keep different versions of your resume for different industries and positions.
• Research is the key – start with the job advertisement and check their website, social media, and other sources to find out what the company is up to.
• Use a modern resume template and tailor it to your profile as it represents you.

Key Takeaways: Writing a Winning Recruiter Resume

• Write your name and contact information in your resume header.
• Use the professional summary as your sales pitch.
• Spend more time writing and optimizing your work experience section.
• Use a consistent format to clearly state your educational qualifications.
• Write a list of soft and hard skills that are relevant to the job.
• Use additional sections to make your application stand out.

Complement Your Resume with a Cover Letter

Every job advertisement does not ask you to submit a cover letter along with your resume. However, we advise you to send your resume with an excellent cover letter.

The cover letter allows you to create a personal connection with the recruiter – it's the document that directly talks to them.

Show how your skills, expertise, and experience aligns with the job advertisement – demonstrate how interested you’re in working for the company or the industry.

Creating cover letters for each job you’re applying for would be time-consuming, but here’s the trick – try our resume builder where you could create your resume and cover letters with the same format you choose saving you hours every day.

FAQ

Can I become a recruiter with no experience?

No hiring manager would hire a recruiter with no experience at all. However, there’re ways to demonstrate that you’ve relevant experience even though they are not directly related.

For example, if you have worked in a different role in administration, sales, or marketing, you can describe the times you’ve been involved in hiring people. In most small companies, recruitment is handled by other talented employees.

Rest is all about how you write your resume and how you present your experience in an interview.

How can I increase my chances of getting hired?

Increase the number of interviews you’re getting with a quality resume – that’s the easiest way to increase your chances of getting a job.

Also, understand the skills and certifications required to be successful in your role and try to get them.

Another way is through connections: use professional social media such as LinkedIn to build professional connections with managers and recruiters in different companies.