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Personnel manager skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

5 min read

Quoted experts

Dr. Vinh Nguyen Ph.D.,

Anthony Nyberg

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical personnel manager skills. We ranked the top skills for personnel managers based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 10.8% of personnel manager resumes contained disciplinary procedures as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a personnel manager needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 personnel manager skills for your resume and career

1. Disciplinary Procedures

Disciplinary procedures deal with improper conduct and other related issues in an office or work environment. It is a set of rules, actions, and policies that an employer can take to deal with disciplinary problems. These procedures are a more formal way to deal with an employee who has been having issues relating to their behavior, work quality, or office leaves.

Here's how personnel managers use disciplinary procedures:

Assisted General Manager with employee disciplinary procedures, compliance to union contract and participated in union negotiations.
Assisted Department Managers with monitoring staff development with the use of performance evaluations and disciplinary procedures.

2. Human Resource Functions

Here's how personnel managers use human resource functions:

Managed all Human Resource functions: supervised exempt and non-exempt employees and assisted in operational function of company.
Supervised all human resource functions for a domestic and global organization of 120 personnel.

3. Workers Compensation

Here's how personnel managers use workers compensation:

Administered Workers Compensation including investigations.
Established safety counseling program in Distribution Center and Long Island which maintained morale and decreased workers compensation cases.

4. Background Checks

Here's how personnel managers use background checks:

Managed 85 employees in three different shifts*Interviews*On call duties*Managed attrition*Time keeping*Drug testing & Background checks*New hire paperwork
Interviewed applicants, performed background checks and organized and facilitated all paper-work.

5. Professional Development

Professional development means to have the essential training certification or education with the purpose of earning and having a successful career. Every job requires a different set of skills. However, new skills may be needed in the future. Professional development, in this regard, helps people to develop and polish the skills and become efficient workers.

Here's how personnel managers use professional development:

Provided professional development, mentoring, and resources to ensure departmental human resource staff maintained high operating efficiency and accuracy.
Assessed training needs and evaluated training effectiveness of company; developed innovative teaching techniques and conducted professional development seminars.

6. Personnel Policies

Here's how personnel managers use personnel policies:

Supported personnel in various organizations; records management, processing performance reports, and provided guidance on personnel policies and procedures.
Provided interpretations of personnel policies laws/regulations, and labor agreement for managers and employees.

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7. Disciplinary Actions

Disciplinary actions refer to a corrective measure taken against an employee for unsatisfactory behavior. Many work environments have a tiered system for disciplinary action, where the first warning is verbal and the second is written. Disciplinary action may be given after a weak performance review, a violation of company rules and policies, or a poor customer review.

Here's how personnel managers use disciplinary actions:

Reviewed performance appraisals for mid and first line leaders; recommended promotion, award recognition, and administered disciplinary actions.
Provided consultation for management in progressive disciplinary actions, counseling, transfers, and terminations.

8. Performance Evaluations

Performance evaluation is a formal and productive process to measure an employee's work and results based on their job responsibilities over a defined period of time and to properly measure an employee's contribution to the workforce and employers and achieve a high level of quality and quantity of work produced. The evaluation also helps employees provide information about deficiencies in job performance and the company's expectations for the future.

Here's how personnel managers use performance evaluations:

Processed payroll, coordinated and monitored training programs, prepared performance evaluations, and conducted interviews/research on employee grievances.
Established policy and procedures that improved performance evaluations review process increasing timeliness and reducing errors by 70%.

9. Training Programs

Here's how personnel managers use training programs:

Initiated employee training programs and safety initiatives focusing on safety awareness and prevention through incentive programs resulting in improved safety record.
Developed, arranged, conducted, and evaluated comprehensive training programs to instill team proficiency and operational readiness for worldwide objectives.

10. EEO

Here's how personnel managers use eeo:

Conducted training on a broad spectrum of topics related to policies and procedures which also included EEO and sexual harassment.
Maintained thorough knowledge of state and federal laws governing personnel methods and practices such as EEO, ADA and FLSA.

11. Labor Relations

Labor relations refer to the relationship between the employer and its employees. It usually deals with labor-management wherein it focuses on the collective bargaining agreement regarding work between the union of the employee in making decisions for the organization. On the other hand, findings mean the proper wages, hours of duty, working conditions, safety, and employee protection while at work, grievances, and other related concerns.

Here's how personnel managers use labor relations:

Managed employee/labor relations and contract negotiations, training/ development, compensation/benefits administration, recruiting, affirmative action, and compliance.
Managed plant HR department, including employee/labor relationships (3 unions), training/development, recruitment/staffing, and compensation/benefits administration.

12. Personnel Issues

Here's how personnel managers use personnel issues:

Ensured company guidelines were followed on personnel issues by monitoring and auditing personnel files and related documents for accuracy.
Reviewed and interpreted existing and new regulations and policies regarding personnel issues.

13. Personnel Actions

A personnel action means any action taken which affects compensation, appointment, promotion, transfer, assignment, reassignment, reinstatement, evaluation of performance, layoff, dismissal, discipline, commendations, or any other action that affects the status of employment, etc. For example organizational reassignment, hiring an employee, or an employee leaving the company, are represented by separate personnel actions.

Here's how personnel managers use personnel actions:

Maintained suspense system, updated important dates on shared calendar for personnel awareness and timely processing of personnel actions.
Exercised oversight over the full range of personnel actions and organization design proposals recommended by subordinate supervisors.

14. Exit Interviews

Exit interviews are meetings conducted by management representatives with employees who are separating from the company. These interviews act as a measurement scale to assess the individual's overall experience with the organization. Having a standardized procedure of exit interviews helps the company to manage risks effectively. It can increase employee retention, engagement and helps to decide what decisions are fruitful and what aren't inside the organization.

Here's how personnel managers use exit interviews:

Conduct exit interviews, analyze data and report observations to management.
Organized ceremonies for retiring enlisted officers and conducted exit interviews.

15. Personnel Management

Here's how personnel managers use personnel management:

Supervised and directed all personnel management and administrative actions for a 480-personorganization, managing a 10-person section to handle all transactions.
Developed a process for addressing marginal performers, and enhanced and simplified personnel management processes such as succession planning.

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What skills help Personnel Managers find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What skills stand out on personnel manager resumes?

Dr. Vinh Nguyen Ph.D.

Professor of Business Administration, Coe College

The most important skills for new graduates, particularly for HRM majors, are adaptability and problem solving. The ability to continuously learn and change is critical during this crisis and with on-going technological advancements. A willingness to face any problems and to find creative solutions is also highly desirable in this changing world. Thus, people who are highly aware and possess a growth mindset will stand out in the labor market.

What soft skills should all personnel managers possess?

Anthony Nyberg

Department Chair and Professor, Program Director, Master of Human Resources, University of South Carolina - Columbia

In general, the "soft" skills are actually the hardest, and the most important of these skills involves strong communication and an ability to work in teams - most jobs and all companies require people to work together, and this is a very challenging skill, but imperative in the modern workforce.

What hard/technical skills are most important for personnel managers?

Anthony Nyberg

Department Chair and Professor, Program Director, Master of Human Resources, University of South Carolina - Columbia

HR, like many work environments, is driven by using data to address challenges. This requires a strong analytical foundation.

What personnel manager skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Sandi Dornhecker

Vice President of Human Resources, Chicago Zoological Society

Using technology in a work setting (such as Zoom or Microsoft Teams) and a focus on soft skills such as collaboration and flexibility (being willing to learn and contribute any way you can) will become increasingly important.

Do you want to know more?

List of personnel manager skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a personnel manager resume and required skills for a personnel manager to have include:

Disciplinary Procedures
Human Resource Functions
Workers Compensation
Background Checks
Professional Development
Personnel Policies
Disciplinary Actions
Performance Evaluations
Training Programs
EEO
Labor Relations
Personnel Issues
Personnel Actions
Exit Interviews
Personnel Management
Unemployment Claims
Benefits Administration

Performance Management
Performance Reviews
FMLA
Reference Checks
I-9
Health Insurance
PowerPoint
Personnel Functions
Salary Administration
Conflict Resolution
HRIS
Career Progression
Kronos
Administrative Functions
Sexual Harassment
Corrective Action
Office Equipment

Logistical Support
Travel Arrangements
Personnel Support
Processing Payroll
Personnel Data
Performance Appraisals
Inventory Control
Operational Readiness
ADP
Administrative Actions
Cobra
PeopleSoft
DOD
Organizational Objectives
Legal Compliance
Direct Reports

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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