How to write a standout HR CV

maart 3, 2026

What to include in your CV at any level
Career stages for HR candidates
Academic CVs for HR and general reward
Common mistakes to avoid
Final checks before submitting
Quick HR CV outline you can copy
How we can help

Whether you’re being headhunted, referred by your network, working with a recruiter or applying directly, your CV should never be the reason you fall out of contention. In HR, it is your clearest marketing document. It should communicate professional experience, achievements and relevant skills quickly to a recruiter or hiring manager and to applicant tracking systems.

As an HR professional, you may be more used to writing a job description than a CV. They serve different purposes. A job description lists responsibilities, while a strong CV shows measurable impact, leadership and business outcomes. It should be clear, concise and easy to scan with clean section headings, bullet points and white space.

This guide covers what to include at any level, how to adapt for HR specialisms, how expectations shift by seniority and the regional nuances you should know across the Netherlands.

What to include in your CV at any level

Include the fundamentals recruiters scan first:

Full name at the top of page one

Contact information with phone number, email address and location

Link to LinkedIn and any relevant social media or docs that showcase work examples

Personal profile that is tailored to the role

Professional experience in reverse chronological order

Key skills and relevant skills aligned to the job description

Education section with certifications and professional development

Professional memberships or professional associations

Volunteer work, internships or extracurricular activities where they add value

Optional items

Date of birth is not required in many European markets. In the Netherlands it remains optional. If you include it, place it discreetly in personal information

A headshot is not expected but is accepted in the Netherlands. If you add a photo, make it professional, clear and recent

Optimise for applicant tracking systems

Applicant tracking systems identify structured information and match it to job requirements. Help ATS read your CV:

Use standard section headings such as personal profile, professional experience, education, certifications

Use a clean cv template with consistent format

Use bullet points rather than long paragraphs

Mirror the language of the job description for key skills where relevant

Avoid text boxes, graphics, headers and footers for core information

Save as PDF unless the job application requests Word

Proofread carefully to avoid OCR or parsing errors

Font, layout and format

Choose clarity over decoration:

Use a professional font such as Arial or Calibri at 10.5 – 12pt

Keep layout simple with clear section headings and white space

Use bold sparingly for company names, job titles and dates

Avoid excessive italics or colour

Keep margins consistent and ensure bullet points align

Two pages is standard. Three is acceptable for senior leadership where content is relevant and adds value

Personal information and online presence

Make it easy to contact you:

Full name, phone number, email address and city

LinkedIn profile with a custom URL that matches your name

Links to professional docs or portfolio if relevant

Do not include salary details or reasons for leaving

Personal profile

This is the first thing a recruiter or hiring manager reads. Keep it focused:

Two to four lines that summarise career focus, HR specialism and leadership scope

Use action verbs and relevant information that matches the role

Avoid buzzwords without evidence. Show the value you bring

Example:

Senior HR Business Partner with eight years of experience supporting 800 employees across EMEA. Led HRIS implementation, reduced time per hire by 22 percent and improved engagement by 9 points. Partnering with leadership to deliver people strategy and build high performing teams.

Key skills

Prioritise the skills the role demands. Group them so they scan quickly:

Functional skills such as employee relations, HR operations, talent acquisition, reward, payroll, learning and development, HR tech, people analytics

Leadership and transferable skills such as stakeholder management, coaching, mentoring, problem solving, teamwork, data storytelling, project delivery
Systems and tools such as Workday, SuccessFactors, Oracle, Greenhouse, Power BI, Tableau

Professional experience

List roles in reverse chronological order (i.e., your most recent job first) with context, scope and outcomes. For each role include:

Job title, company, dates

One line on the organisation if not well known

Scope such as headcount supported, regions covered, team size and reporting line

Achievements with measurable impact using bullet points

Achievement bullets that differentiate you:

Reduced time per hire by 28 percent by redesigning the recruitment process and introducing structured interviews

Improved employee engagement by 7 points by launching a manager essentials programme and quarterly listening groups

Negotiated with works council to harmonise benefits across two sites, increasing retention by 11 percent in year one

Implemented Workday across three countries with 98 percent data accuracy at go live and automated onboarding workflows

Delivered reward cycle for 1200 employees with zero payroll errors and clear manager communications

Don’t leave unexplained gaps. If you took a break for study, caregiving or travel, list it briefly with dates and any relevant skills developed.

Check your job titles

Recruiters and hiring managers may scan CVs quickly. If your official job title is unique to your company, align it to market language without misrepresenting scope. Explain what you actually did and who you reported to: