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HR director resume example

An HR director’s resume with eighteen years of experience, leading HR for a multi-plant manufacturer. CEOs and CHROs hiring a director want proof you can run HR as a business function, so the bullets show strategy, money, scale and change.

HR director resume example, page 1 of 2INGRID HALVORSENDirector of Human Resourcesingrid.halvorsen@example.com · (414) 555-0194 · Milwaukee, WI · linkedin.com/in/ingridhalvorsenSUMMARYHR director with eighteen years in HR, leading the function for a 2,300-employee food manufacturer with five plants in threestates. I build HR teams that operations leaders trust, run people strategy alongside the business plan, and have led HRthrough two acquisitions and a Workday implementation. SPHR and SHRM-SCP.EXPERIENCEDirector of Human ResourcesSep 2019 – PresentKettle Moraine FoodsMilwaukee, WI•Lead an HR team of 18 across 5 plants in Wisconsin, Illinois and Minnesota; member of the executive leadership teamreporting to the CEO.•Set the 3-year people strategy tied to a plan to grow revenue from $640 million to $900 million; hiring, skills and successionplans met every annual target so far.•Cut company-wide turnover from 51% to 33% with a new production wage structure, a skills-based pay progression andsupervisor development for 140 leaders.•Led HR integration of 2 acquisitions (650 employees): job mapping, benefits harmonization and retention plans, keeping92% of key employees after a year.•Delivered Workday HCM, payroll and recruiting across all sites in 14 months and $200,000 under budget.•Negotiated 4 collective bargaining agreements with two unions, all settled without strikes and within the cost mandate.Senior HR ManagerMar 2013 – Aug 2019Cream City PackagingMilwaukee, WI•Led HR for 3 plants and 1,100 employees with a team of 7.•Redesigned total rewards with the CFO, moving to a self-funded medical plan that saved $1.6 million over three years.•Built a succession plan for 40 critical roles; 70% of plant leadership openings were filled internally.HR Manager, then HR GeneralistJun 2008 – Feb 2013Lakefront Health SystemMilwaukee, WI•HR for nursing and support services in a 400-bed hospital; led the first nurse retention program, cutting first-year RNturnover from 28% to 17%.EDUCATIONM.S. in Human Resources and Labor Relations2010 – 2013University of Wisconsin-MilwaukeeMilwaukee, WIB.A. in Psychology2003 – 2007Marquette UniversityMilwaukee, WIIngrid Halvorsen · 1 / 2
HR director resume example, page 2 of 2CERTIFICATIONSSHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP)2016SHRMSenior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR)2014HRCISKILLSPeople strategy · HR team leadership · Total rewards · Labor relations and negotiations · Mergers and acquisitions ·HRIS implementation (Workday) · Succession planning · Organizational design · Culture and engagement · HR budgeting ·Executive coachingIngrid Halvorsen · 2 / 2
HR directorUse this example

What recruiters look for

  • Seat at the table: who you report to, whether you sit on the leadership team, and how HR plans connect to the business plan.
  • Size of the function: HR team, budget, headcount supported, locations and countries.
  • Big moves: acquisitions, HRIS implementations, restructurings, new rewards programs, culture change.
  • Money: labor cost, benefits savings, turnover cost, budget delivered.
  • Leaders developed: HR managers you grew, succession plans that worked, internal fill rates.

Writing the summary

Say years in HR, the size and type of organization, who you report to and two or three signature accomplishments. Add your senior certification. Directors should sound like business leaders who run HR.

The summary in this example

HR director with eighteen years in HR, leading the function for a 2,300-employee food manufacturer with five plants in three states. I build HR teams that operations leaders trust, run people strategy alongside the business plan, and have led HR through two acquisitions and a Workday implementation. SPHR and SHRM-SCP.

Head of people at a tech scale-up

Head of people with fifteen years in HR, the last six building people teams at venture-backed software companies. Took a company from 120 to 600 employees in three years with a 6-person team, launching leveling, equity refresh and a global employer-of-record setup in 9 countries.

HR director ready for a VP or CHRO role

HR director with twenty years in HR, leading a 25-person function for a 5,000-employee healthcare system and serving on its executive team. I have run HR through a merger, a union campaign and a system replacement, and want to lead people strategy as a VP or CHRO.

Bullet points that work

Strong lines for this role, beyond the ones in the example. Borrow the shape and put in your own numbers.

  • Reduced total labor cost by 4% ($9 million) through scheduling, overtime controls and a float pool, while turnover fell.
  • Built an HR shared services center that handled 80% of employee questions at first contact.
  • Launched a leadership academy for 200 managers; internal promotion rate rose from 35% to 58%.
  • Led HR through a private equity sale, delivering due diligence data in 3 weeks and retention plans for 25 executives.
  • Grew the HR team’s capability from administration to partnership, with 3 HR managers promoted to HRBP roles.
  • Introduced a pay-for-performance merit program that tied 100% of increases to ratings for 4,000 employees.
  • Brought engagement from the 35th to the 68th percentile of the survey vendor’s benchmark in 3 years.
  • Cut time to fill for plant roles from 45 to 19 days with a regional talent team and text-to-apply.
  • Managed an HR budget of $6.5 million and a benefits spend of $38 million.

Skills to list

Hard skills

  • People strategy and workforce planning
  • Total rewards design
  • Labor relations and collective bargaining
  • M&A due diligence and integration
  • HRIS strategy and implementation
  • Succession and leadership development
  • HR budgeting and labor cost analysis
  • Employment law risk management

Soft skills

  • Executive presence
  • Advising the CEO and board
  • Building HR teams
  • Leading through change
  • Negotiation

Certifications and licenses worth listing

  • SHRM-SCP or SPHR: expected or preferred for most HR director roles.
  • GPHR: for directors with international teams.
  • Executive education (for example a Cornell ILR certificate or a university HR leadership program): a short line if it adds to your story.

Length and format

Two pages. Use page one for your current role and one or two biggest results from the previous role. Roles from more than fifteen years ago can be one line each. The executive template gives a calm, senior look.

Common mistakes

  • A director resume that reads like a long generalist resume. Cut tasks; keep strategy, scale and outcomes.
  • No business context. Say what the company does, how big it is and where it was heading.
  • Hiding the HR team you built. Team size and how you developed it are core to the job.
  • Too many soft words (“strategic”, “transformational”) with no numbers behind them.

Questions and answers

Should an HR director’s resume be two pages?

Yes, usually. Eighteen years of experience with acquisitions, systems and labor relations needs the space. Keep page one strong enough to stand alone.

How do I show strategic impact as an HR director?

Link people work to the business plan: the growth target, the cost goal, the acquisition. Then show the HR result that made it happen, with numbers.

What is the difference between an HR director and a CHRO resume?

A CHRO resume shows enterprise-wide accountability, board work and partnership with the CEO on company strategy. An HR director resume shows running the HR function well for a business or a large unit. See the chief human resources officer example for the step up.

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