A salesperson writes down their revenue, a buyer their savings, a management controller the variances they have reduced. And you, in HR? Many candidates give up on quantifying, convinced their work cannot be measured. That is a mistake: HR is measured in lead times, volumes and rates, and recruiters in the function know very well how to read these indicators. You still need to choose them, write them without exaggerating and know what to do when your company measures nothing. This article explains why HR CVs lack results, lists the indicators specific to each job, offers three ways to quantify, deals with companies that have no data and rewrites an experience line step by step.
Why HR CVs lack results
A process job
A large part of HR work consists of running processes: recruitments, payrolls, reviews, training, filings. When everything works, nothing shows. The natural reflex is then to describe the process (“managing recruitment”) rather than what it produced.
The fear of exaggerating
Many HR professionals, attached to rigour and confidentiality, hesitate to display figures they cannot prove or that they think they should keep to themselves. This caution is healthy, but it often leads to writing nothing at all.
What the CV loses
Without figures, two candidates with the same title look alike. The recruiter does not know whether you handled ten recruitments or two hundred, a payroll for thirty employees or for three establishments. Figures give the scope and the scale, even before talking about results.
Indicators by HR job
Each specialism has its own markers. Choose the ones you actually track.
Recruitment
- number of hires per year, by type of role;
- average time to hire, from opening the role to offer acceptance;
- share of hires from direct approach, referrals or a specific channel;
- offer acceptance rate;
- departures during the probationary period.
Our article on recruiter metrics details how to calculate them.
Payroll and personnel administration
- number of payslips per month, number of establishments or client files;
- collective agreements handled;
- closing deadlines met, DSN anomalies corrected;
- number of contracts and amendments drafted per year.
Training and development
- budget managed, number of programmes and trainees;
- completion rate of the skills development plan;
- number of professional reviews conducted or organised;
- evaluation results, certification pass rates.
Generalists and HRBPs
- size of the scope supported (people, sites, managers);
- number of CSE works council meetings prepared, agreements negotiated;
- change in absenteeism or departures within the scope;
- reorganisations supported, talent reviews conducted.
People analytics and HRIS
- number of users of a tool rolled out;
- dashboards produced, frequency, recipients;
- time saved on an automated process.
The article on the people analytics CV shows how to present this kind of result.
Volume, lead time, rate: three ways to quantify
Volume: showing scale
This is the simplest and safest way to quantify. It does not say you did a good job, but it places your workload and your scope:
Recruited one hundred and twenty store and warehouse employees a year for four sites.
Produced payroll for three establishments, two collective agreements.
Lead time: showing control
A lead time met or reduced shows that you master a process:
Average time to hire reduced from 45 to 30 days for technician roles, thanks to a talent pool built with schools.
Payroll close brought forward by two working days after redesigning the calendar for submitting variable items.
Rate: showing quality
A rate compares a result with a base: offers accepted, reviews completed, training programmes completed. It is convincing, provided you state the period and the base. A rate without context worries more than it reassures.
Before and after
The most telling form combines a starting situation, an action and an end situation: “from… to… thanks to…”. It shows that you changed something.
When the company measures nothing
Rebuilding an order of magnitude
Even without a dashboard, you can rebuild volumes: the number of ads published, interviews in your calendar, payslips in your software, training sessions organised. An honest order of magnitude (“around thirty hires a year”) is better than an invented precise figure.
Quantifying the scope rather than the result
If you have no measure of results, quantify the scope: number of people supported, managers, sites, files. This is already valuable information for the recruiter.
Describing an observable effect
An effect can be described without a figure: “no more late submission of payroll variables”, “first remote-work agreement signed in the company”, “onboarding process now followed by all managers”. These phrasings can be checked at interview.
Starting to measure
If your company measures nothing, that is also an opportunity: building a first tracking system (time to hire, completion of the training plan) is an achievement in its own right, which shows your ability to manage.
Limits to respect
- do not quote confidential data (individual salaries, unpublished financial figures);
- round rather than invent precision;
- keep in mind that every figure may be the subject of a question at interview.
Rewriting an experience line step by step
Let us take a fictional line from an HR generalist, to adapt to your own background.
Step 1: the starting line
Managed recruitment and onboarding of new employees.
Step 2: add the scope
Managed recruitment and onboarding of new employees for two logistics sites.
Step 3: add a volume
Recruited and onboarded around eighty logistics workers a year for two sites.
Step 4: add a specific action
Recruited and onboarded around eighty logistics workers a year for two sites; created a two-day welcome programme with team leaders.
Step 5: add an effect
Recruited and onboarded around eighty logistics workers a year for two sites; created a two-day welcome programme with team leaders, which markedly reduced departures during the probationary period.
Each step adds a verifiable piece of information. If you have the exact departure figures before and after, you can put them in the last sentence; otherwise, the qualitative wording remains honest.
See other examples
The HR manager CV example and the sourcer CV example show lines that combine scope, volume and result. To connect these lines with your skills section, use our article on the skills to put on your HR CV.
Formatting your lines
When your achievements are rewritten, create your CV for free. You stay focused on the content, the editor takes care of the presentation, and the final PDF keeps your figures in text that screening software reads correctly, instead of locking them into charts or gauges that it ignores.
Frequently asked questions
How many figures should go on an HR CV?
One or two per recent role are enough, in the lines where they add something. A CV saturated with figures becomes hard to read and ends up inspiring distrust.
Can you give figures from your current company?
Yes for volumes and indicators of your own activity, within reason. Avoid confidential data and unpublished financial figures, and round if necessary.
What if your results are collective?
Say so honestly: “within a team of four recruiters”, “together with payroll”. Then specify your own contribution. A recruiter appreciates this precision more than a collective result presented as personal.
Are figures useful for a beginner?
Yes, even modest ones: number of files handled during an internship, applications screened, interviews organised. They show you actually worked on a scope.