ATS Optimisation for HR and People CVs
HR professionals applying for new roles face an interesting irony: they know more about ATS and recruitment processes than most candidates, but they sometimes neglect their own CVs. Here are the ATS keywords that matter for HR and People roles.
HR Keywords by Specialism
HR Generalist: Employee relations, HR policy, performance management, disciplinary and grievance, TUPE, employment law, absence management, onboarding, HR systems (HRIS), organisational design, change management
Talent Acquisition / Recruitment: Direct sourcing, executive search, headhunting, ATS management, employer branding, candidate experience, diversity hiring, hiring manager engagement, offer management, time-to-fill, quality of hire, LinkedIn Recruiter, Boolean search
Learning and Development: L&D strategy, training needs analysis (TNA), instructional design, LMS (Learning Management System), e-learning, blended learning, leadership development, talent management, succession planning, ROI of learning
Compensation and Benefits: Total reward, job evaluation (Hay, Willis Towers Watson), salary benchmarking, pay equity, benefits administration, pension auto-enrolment, flexible benefits, recognition programmes
People Operations / HR Technology: Workday, SAP SuccessFactors, BambooHR, Personio, HR data analytics, people analytics, workforce planning, HRIS implementation
Employment Law: GDPR/data protection, equality and diversity (EDI), ACAS code of practice, employment tribunal, settlement agreements, redundancy, restructuring
CIPD Qualification
For most UK HR roles, CIPD qualification level is a significant ATS keyword. List it explicitly:
- "Chartered CIPD (Level 7)"
- "CIPD Level 5 qualified"
- "Associate CIPD Member (Level 3)"
Include both the qualification and your membership grade.
Quantify HR Achievements
HR impact can be quantified:
- Headcount recruited in a year
- Time-to-hire reduction
- Employee retention rate improvement
- Training completion rates
- Absence rate reduction
- Engagement survey score improvements
Check your HR CV's ATS score free at CVCircuit.