Technical Recruiter Resume Example & Writing Guide

As a technical recruiter, you review resumes day in and day out, so you understand the importance of a resume that reflects your skills, achievements, and the unique value you bring. 

Yes, even though you can find those needle-in-the-haystack technologists and purple squirrels, you still need a resume to show other recruiters (and hiring managers) what you can do. That means using your job search know-how, people skills, and excellent communication abilities to create a resume that will have the recruiters clamoring to hire you.

Resume guide for a technical recruiter resume

Just like you rely on tools for sourcing and screening, you can rely on Resume.io to help you write your tech recruiter resume. Our guides and resume examples cover more than 500 professions, and our resume builder makes creating a compelling resume easier than ever.

This resume guide and corresponding technical recruiter resume examples will cover the following:

• How to write a tech recruiter resume
• Choosing the right resume format for technical recruiting
• How to add your contact information
• Using summaries
• Adding your technical recruitment experience
• Listing education and relevant experience
• Picking the right resume design/layout
• What the technical recruiting market looks like and what salary you can expect

How to write a technical recruiter resume

The very first step in writing your tech recruiter resume is understanding what sections to include. As you likely know, your resume should contain the following elements:

• The resume header
• The resume summary (aka profile or personal statement)
• The employment history section
• The resume skills section
• The education section  

Just like you gather information about your candidates to match them to roles and present them to the hiring manager, you should source as much information as possible about the role and company to which you’re applying. Compare that information to your skills and experience to craft a unique selling proposition to show your value. 

Seal the deal with this helpful formula:

• Highlight achievements, not just responsibilities. Anyone can list the tasks they were assigned, but you can take it a step further by sharing specific accomplishments and impacts.
• Tailor your resume for each individual position, making sure you adjust the style, tone, and information to that of the organization—just like you tailor your communication style to different candidates.
• Use a polished resume template that puts the focus on your personality and skills without being overly stuff or too fancy.

Choosing the right resume format for technical recruiting

Recruiting requires a mix of skills: attention to detail, an affinity for sales, and the ability to chat with anyone. Your resume should reflect the same.

The best way to do this is by using a reverse chronological resume format. This format puts the focus on your professional experience, starting with your current or most recent role and working backwards from there. Below, you’ll see an example of this type of format.

If you’re just beginning—or transitioning into—your career in recruiting, you may want to try other formats. For example, the functional format puts more emphasis on your skills and focuses less on your specific experience. There’s also the combination format, which makes use of aspects from both types.

There are plenty of resume templates in our resume builder, which lets you view and choose from various formats based on what best suits your situation. There are also plenty of versions of the three formats available as resume examples.

While the focus of your resume should be on the content, looks do matter. Your tech recruiting resume should be easy to read, attractive to the eye, and simply laid out. A clear, clean modern layout makes it simple to understand—your fellow recruiters will thank you!

Include your contact information

As a recruiter, there’s nothing worse than thinking you’ve found the perfect candidate—only to be unable to reach them. 

Make sure to avoid this problem by putting your contact information clearly and prominently on your resume: in the header. 

Your primary goal is to provide your information in a way that makes it clear to the viewer whose resume they’re reading and how they can get a hold of you to schedule an interview. Be sure to include the following:

• Full name & title. List your first and last name. You can also list the title of the role you’re pursuing.
• Professional email address. Use a clean format like [email protected]. Avoid silly or unprofessional email addresses.
• Phone number. List a number where you can contacted easily. Be sure you have a professional voicemail greeting set up and your voicemail box isn’t full.
• Location. Just list your city and state, not your street address or zip code (it’s both outdated and unsafe). If you’re willing to relocate, note that here.
• LinkedIn. If your LinkedIn profile is active — which of course it is, as a recruiter! — include it here.

Don’t include:

• Date of birth: This information isn’t necessary or relevant and could potentially lead to age discrimination.
• Personal details: Avoid including your marital status, social security number, passport number, etc.

Make use of a summary

You already know the importance of a summary; pulling together all the pertinent details about a candidate for the hiring manager is second nature. You want to provide the details about what makes this person the best fit for the job and why. 

Your resume summary services the same purpose. This profile lets you have 2-3 sentences worth of freeform writing to introduce yourself and show the hiring manager why they should want you to help staff their teams. 

Write this section with action verbs when possible and include quantifiable accomplishments. Don’t just summarize your resume or reword information that can be found elsewhere. Instead, think of this space as a highlight reel to showcase the traits and competencies that make you good at recruiting. 

You can find adaptable technical recruiter resume example summaries below:

Outline your tech recruiting work experience 

If you’re using a reverse chronological resume, this section is where you’ll spend the most of your time. Start by listing each of your past employers and job titles, starting with your current or most recent job and working your way back. Only go back the last 10-15 years and stick to experience that directly relates to the technical recruiting role you’re targeting. 

Under each employer and role heading, share your accomplishments and achievements in concise bullet point statements, avoiding personal pronouns like “I” or “my.” Be as specific as you can and use action verbs that show your impact: negotiated, closed, sourced, screened, qualified. 

Don’t just list job duties, but instead try to demonstrate tangible outcomes. This can be the difference between a basic, run-of-the-mill resume and one that makes recruiters excited to call you right away. 

For example, you’ve probably seen countless resumes with verbiage like this:

• “Sourced, screened, and recruited technical professionals.”
• “Partnered with hiring managers to make hiring decisions.”
• “Had an excellent candidate closing record.”

While those statements are certainly relevant to technical recruiting, they’re also not very exciting—and they definitely don’t offer any of your unique value. Instead, focus on the results you brought to the company: how many candidates you recruited, percentage of offers you closed, or hiring manager recognition. 

Compare the bullets above to these ones:

• “Sourced, screened, and recruited technical professionals, carrying an average of 20 requisitions at a time for roles including software developers, data analysts, and product managers.”
• “Partnered with hiring managers to make hiring decisions, achieving a hiring manager satisfaction score of 100% in 2023.”
• “Closed an average of 3 offers per month with an offer acceptance rate of 75%, higher than team average of 68%.”

Don’t those pack much more of a punch? 

Take a look at the technical recruiter employment history resume sample below:

How to write a technical recruiting resume with no experience

If you’re trying to jumpstart your recruiting career—or just transition to technical recruiting from another industry—there are plenty of options for your resume. First, you want to emphasize your transferable skills. For instance, if you’re moving from sales recruiting to tech, you can leverage all of your recruitment knowledge. If you’re entirely new to recruiting, highlight how roles in customer service, sales, or human resources make you a viable candidate. 

Then, focus on your educational background. While there is no degree requirement for a recruiter, it can help to show educational experience in areas like human resources or business. You can also detail any courses, workshops, or trainings you’ve taken on recruiting topics.

Don’t forget about personal interests! Perhaps you’ve honed your recruiting skills in a volunteer position like recruiting volunteers to a committee or even procuring items for an auction. 

Incorporating these elements in your resume will illustrate your understanding of the recruiting industry as well as your drive and potential, even without direct experience on your resume.

Include the relevant key skills that make you a great technical recruiter

Your technical recruiting resume should reflect the skills you bring to the table, including both hard and soft skills. 

Hard skills in recruiting could be those related to specific applicant tracking system software, sourcing tools, or even the understanding of specific technologies for which you recruit.

On the other hand, soft skills could include customer service, sales, or communication skills.

Resume.io’s resume builder offers multiple pre-populated skills to choose from when building your resume, and you can add your own as well. 

Here’s what the skills box looks like in our tech recruiting resume template. 

Of course, the skills section isn’t the only place to add your key skills. You should weave them throughout your resume and demonstrate the skills in action with specific examples and achievements. 

For example, in your work experience and resume summary, highlight your:

• Technical skills by detailing the systems and software you use as a recruiter, as well as the type of technical roles you hire for
• Stakeholder partnership abilities by describing how you collaborate with hiring managers
• Organizational skills by including details around the volume of requisitions or candidates you manage at one time

The job description is a great place to look for guidance on which skills are important to include.

Detail your education & relevant technical recruiting certifications

As mentioned before, there’s no specific educational requirement to be a recruiter. However, it’s still important to include an education section on your resume. In reverse chronological order, list your academic achievements. If you’ve earned a higher education degree like a bachelor’s or master’s, there’s no need to include your high school education.

This section is also a great place to list relevant recruiting certifications or trainings. For example:

• Training and certifications like those offered by AIRS or even HR-focused certifications like the PHR certification or those from HCI.
• Professional development like memberships in business associations like SHRM or local recruiting associations
• Volunteer experience can be relevant here, too, if you helped recruit volunteers or board members, or otherwise gained valuable recruitment experience through volunteering.

Pick the right resume layout and design for a technical recruiting resume

Recruiters look at dozens of resumes every single day, so you want to stick out. That’s where your resume design comes in. You want to create a resume that’s delightful to look at and easy to read, but not messy or chaotic. 

To best demonstrate your recruiting expertise, we recommend a resume that is modern, simple, and streamlined. A pop of color is okay, as long as it’s limited. Avoid being overly “busy” — you don’t want too many columns, tables, or graphics. For most recruiters, a modern or simple design is best, but we recommend a more creative format for those in creative industries like gaming or design. 

While there’s no magic bullet to create a resume, there are ways to make it easier. Our field-tested resume templates take care of the most tedious formatting and structure for you.  

Technical recruiting text-only resume example

Technical recruiting job market and outlook

The market for tech recruiters can be volatile. When the market is hot and companies want to hire, they often can’t fill their recruiting teams fast enough! But the unfortunate flip side is that, when the economy slows, recruiters are often the first positions on the chopping block. 

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) labels recruiters as “human resources specialists,” noting an expected 6% growth between 2022 and 2032. This is faster than the average job growth across industries. 

What type of salary you can expect in technical recruiting

Technical recruiters who work in-house for a single company typically earn a salary plus potential bonuses or equity. Those who work for a staffing agency may earn a lower base but have the chance to make commission on every hire. 

Average recruiter salaries range from $40,000 on the low end to $107,000 on the high end, but technical recruiting often pays a bit more due to the more complicated nature of the work. 

Key takeaways for building a technical recruiting resume

A career in recruiting gives you the chance to talk with diverse people, learn about new jobs, and support candidates on their quest to find a new professional home. It’s paramount to have excellent communication skills, organizational abilities, a knack for sales, and the ability to be tenacious and remain on the hunt until you find the right hire. These traits will be instrumental in helping you craft an excellent technical recruiter resume. 

To make it even easier, combine our online resume builder with your recruitment expertise. You’ll land your next job in no time!