How To Write An Objective For An HR Generalist Resume

Updated 17 March 2023

HR generalists handle all employee-related functions in a company and perform various responsibilities, like hiring, processing salaries, designing policies and enforcing company policies. Applying for the role of an HR generalist position requires specialised knowledge and professional experience in managing employees. Understanding how to write a resume objective for this position can help you articulate your professional goals and qualifications effectively. In this article, we discuss the importance of an objective for HR generalist resumes and share helpful tips, templates and examples to help you write a compelling resume objective.

Importance of an objective for an HR generalist resume

An objective for HR generalist resumes is a brief pitch to make your resume more compelling and attractive to job recruiters. It summarises your career expertise and professional experience by clearly describing your skills and career goals. You can write a resume objective after the name and contact details section at the very top. The objective is usually the first thing the recruiter reads and serves as a brief overview of the entire resume.

Although adding a resume objective is optional, including it can strengthen your job application. This is because most job recruiters deal with many applications and resumes. They typically spend a few seconds reviewing resumes and shortlisting the ones that seem promising. When you place your career objective at the top, recruiters become more likely to read through those few lines, and if it intrigues them, they may spend a little more time examining the rest of your resume. So, a comprehensive resume objective can aid your job hunting process.

How to write an HR generalist resume objective

Follow these steps while writing your resume objective to improve your chances of getting selected:

1. Start with your experience statement

The first line of your resume objective introduces you to the recruiter. If you are an experienced candidate, mention how many years of experience you have and your area of specialisation. If you do not have any professional experience yet, you can mention that you are a recent graduate or possess relevant internship experience. In the first line of your resume objective, you can also explain other unique scenarios, such as a career change or an experience gap.

2. Elaborate your unique strengths as a candidate

Next, you can mention your skills, qualifications, certifications and accolades that may be relevant to the job. For inexperienced candidates, it can be better to focus on their recent qualifications, along with relevant soft and hard skills. For more experienced candidates, focusing on job-acquired skills, work achievements and advanced certifications can be a better option.

3. Explain how you are going to add value

Focus on how hiring you can benefit the organisation in the following sentence. This can increase your chance of getting shortlisted over other candidates with similar experience levels. In a sentence or two, explain the value you can bring to their company, alongside your work ethic and history of success, that can help enhance your performance as an HR generalist. It is vital for the value proposition to be in accordance with your level of experience and expertise.

4. Be clear about what you want

End the objective statement by mentioning what professional opportunities you are looking for in a job. This can include a specific job title, responsibilities and company name. Be specific and, if possible, also include your aspirations for the future.

Tips for writing a strong resume objective

Follow these tips to write a strong resume objective that attracts the hiring manager's attention:

Customise it for the job. Read the job description thoroughly and highlight requirements that align with your strongest experiences. Make your resume objective specific to the job role to position yourself as an ideal candidate.
Include relevant keywords. While analysing the job description, note the most common words that seem essential to the role. Include the exact same keywords in your resume objective.
Add only relevant details. Only include those skills, qualifications, certifications and achievements that seem relevant to the job role. If your current achievements do not match the job requirements, you can focus on your interest and enthusiasm to learn.
Use brief sentences. Write only two or three lines, roughly 35 to 50 words. Remove filler words and make the objective easily scannable.
Explain any discrepancies. If there are strong reasons for your resume to get rejected, such as a gap in experience or an industry mismatch, address it clearly in the career objective statement. This helps the recruiter contextualise any incompatibilities they may see in your resume.
Avoid cliches. Try to make your resume objective statement sound as unique as possible by focusing on your special attributes. Stay away from overused words or phrases like 'goal-oriented individual' or 'dedicated and quick-learner' as the recruiter is likely to find them in most other resume objectives.

Resume objective templates

There are three main scenarios where a resume objective can be useful. These include when you are a fresher or have moderate experience and are looking for a more advanced role. Alternatively, they can also help you address discrepancies on your resume, such as a career change. Here are three respective resume objective templates for each situation:

Recent graduate with a [name of degree] from [name of institution]. Willing to use [relevant skills] to help in day-to-day activities by [responsibilities mentioned in job description] and seeking an entry-level HR generalist position at [name of company].
Professional HR generalist with [number of years] years of experience working at [names of notable companies]. I am exceptionally skilled at [previous responsibilities and accomplishments] and look forward to using my [skills] in a [desired job title] at [name of target company].
[Previous designation] looking to use [relevant HR skills] to transition into the role of a human resource professional to provide [responsibilities mentioned in the job description] services in the HR department at [name of company].

9 Resume objective examples for an HR generalist

Given below are HR resume objective samples for recent graduates, individuals seeking career advancement and professionals who want to explain any inconsistencies in their resumes:

For freshers

Here are some examples of resume objectives for freshers:

Example 1: Recent college graduate with a bachelor's degree in business administration with a specialisation in HR. Willing to use dynamic communication and people management skills to help grow companies by hiring and retaining talent and developing more skills to suit an HR generalist position.

Example 2: People-focused individual with a human resources management degree and special human resource training. Seeking an entry-level HR position to apply knowledge of communication protocols, contribute to recruitment efforts and carry out administrative tasks to help maintain efficient human resource operations.

Example 3: Comparative literature graduate looking to further develop experience in the HR field. Completed an HR internship at Wavewood Staffing, where I gained strong entry-level experience doing recruitment work, which included selecting qualified candidates and filtering them based on client requirements.

For experienced individuals

Here are some examples of resume objectives for professionals with experience:

Example 1: Professional with five years of experience as an HR generalist with outstanding knowledge of organisational procedures, talent acquisition and the ability to improve employee performance. Looking to secure a senior HR generalist position at Wavewood Consultancy.

Example 2: HR generalist with seven years of experience working at companies like Wavewood Inc. with exceptional administrative skills in maintaining employee records, processing payroll and resolving staff issues for optimal company operations. Seeking a senior human resource position at your organisation to support current HR operations.

Example 3: Highly accomplished HR generalist with a decade of experience in policy-making, handling payroll, employee orientation and effective management of recruitment databases in the manufacturing industry with multiple awards. Looking for a challenging and competent HR generalist role at Wavewood Industries.

For explaining other resume inconsistencies

To write an objective statement explaining any inconsistencies on your resume, such as a location mismatch, an experience gap or a recent change in career path, you can refer to the following explains:

Example 1: Call centre agent looking to use refined communication, interpersonal and multitasking skills to transition into the role of a human resource generalist. Excellent track record in delivering quality support service with a 4.4+ star rating over the past two years.

Example 2: HR generalist trained in Kolkata looking to apply 5+ years of HR experience in the e-commerce industry by securing an HR position at Wavewood in Delhi. I have expertise in improving employee performance by arranging training sessions and decreasing the turnover rate by maintaining employee satisfaction.

Example 3: Extensive experience as an HR professional in the apparel industry for eight years who took a career break after childbirth and subsequent health issues. Desire an HR generalist position to put my experience and knowledge of negotiation, HR policy-making, and conflict resolution into use at Wavewood Enterprises.