Deputy Manager CV Example
If you're hoping to launch a career in the management industry, including deputy manager roles, it's essential to write a CV that shows your skills and achievements in the best light. You'll want to focus on key responsibilities that are essential for the role and match your experience, such as liaising with HR department and mentoring junior staff members. In this article, you'll discover all the advice you'll need for writing a deputy manager CV that sets you apart from the crowd and boosts your chances of success.
A deputy manager CV that includes all the necessary details and is tailored carefully to the job description puts you in a great position. It can help you pass the ATS screening stage, make a strong impression with the employer and reach the latter stages of the recruitment process. Let’s take a closer look at the key parts of a CV and how to develop them for maximum impact.
Standard deputy manager CV sections
Your deputy manager CV writing strategy may vary significantly according to numerous factors, such as your previous experience, your seniority and the requirements in the job description.
If you're just starting out in your career, it's likely you won't have much work experience to showcase on your CV. As such, you'll want to flesh out your skills and achievements through other sections of your CV. Therefore, if you're just starting out in your career, a functional, or skills-based, CV format might be the best option for you. This structure emphasises your skills and education sections over your work experience. You can also draw on optional sections such as volunteering, certifications and training and hobbies and interests to showcase your skills.
Once you've got some relevant work experience under your belt, you'll want your CV to focus on this as much as possible, and show how you've developed your skills and put them to good use in the workplace. Employers will be keen to see the impact you've had in other roles, and for other organisations. In this case, it's best to use a reverse-chronological CV format that places work experience as the main section under your header and CV summary. Mention your most recent and relevant employments and use bullet points under each job entry to show your skills and achievements, providing evidence in the form of data, figures and other metrics wherever possible.
As a senior candidate with a wealth of relevant experience, it's important that your CV showcases your reputation within your industry. Employers will be looking for candidates with the expertise, industry standing and track record to lead a team or organisation. Therefore, a detailed reverse-chronological CV is typically the best way to go for senior applications. You might wish to offer a more complete career history to show your progression through your industry, and to highlight the upward trajectory of your skills and achievements. You may also wish to add awards, professional memberships, publications and other key achievements, to demonstrate that you're among the most qualified and decorated candidates in your sector.
At the end of the day, though, a deputy manager CV is just a way to tell the story of how you’ve grown in your career. Regardless of your experience level, you want that progression to feel seamless and easy to follow for recruiters. To help you get there, we’re going to walk through each part of the CV step-by-step, starting with the basics in your header and working our way through to your professional achievements.
CV Header
Kick off your deputy manager CV with a header listing the essential contact information such as your name, email address, phone number and location. You don't typically need to include your full address. Incorporate design elements that set the tone and design language of your document. Additionally, add your LinkedIn profile, if this is in use and up-to-date. A well-utilised LinkedIn profile can give further information to the reader about your skills, experience, industry knowledge and career achievements.
For UK applications, it's not usually advisable to include a personal photo or any other personal details, such as your age, gender, nationality or ethnicity. These can risk introducing bias to the decision-making process and are discouraged under the terms of the Equality Act 2010.
John Nelson
john-nelson@example.com
(111) 222 33 444 55
London
linkedin․com/in/john–nelson–123
CV Summary
Underneath your contact information, write a brief CV summary or CV objective to introduce yourself and highlight a few key skills and qualities. This can help the employer to quickly form a first impression on your suitability for the deputy manager role. As an alternative to the CV summary, you might wish to write a CV objective. This serves a similar purpose, but instead of focusing on your experience, it highlights you career ambitions and objectives.
Whether you choose to write a summary or an objective, aim for a length of two or three sentences, introducing your key skills, unique qualities and key achievements or ambitions, making sure they reflect what's included in the job description.
An effective CV summary will focus on a few of the key skills required for the role and show how you've put them to good use in your career to date. You'll want to give the reader a good impression of your unique qualities and briefly provide evidence of their impact in previous roles. Here's an example of an effective deputy manager CV summary, with evidence of your impact and neat, well-structured sentences:
Best practice example:
Proactive deputy manager with five years’ retail experience. Delivered a 15% rise in monthly sales through targeted staff coaching and inventory optimisation. Holds a Bachelor of Business Administration.
Worst practice example:
An organised deputy manager with a range of retail responsibilities, focusing on team support, customer interactions and general store tasks to help the business run smoothly.
See above for an example of an ineffective summary, with subtle differences leading to a reduction of impact. There are several factors that could make your summary less engaging. These include using long, poorly-structured sentences, failing to add evidence of your impact, being too generic with the skills you mention and not adapting your CV summary to specifically respond to the job description.
Professional Experience
The work experience section of a CV is usually the most important part. Employers look for evidence of how you've developed and used your skills to good effect in your career to date, as an indication of your likely future performance. It's crucial to tailor your work experience section to match the requirements listed in the job description, using keywords and phrases so employers can easily see how well you fit the role and organisation.
This section should contain a list of your most relevant previous jobs in the last 10 or 15 years. Add the job title, the name of the employer, its location and your dates of employment. Include detail in bullet points, outlining the skills you used in the role and the impact they made.
The difference between an average CV work experience section and an outstanding one is the use of action verbs and quantifiable evidence. You'll want to show how your actions led to measurable positive outcomes for employers, and indicate a progression in your skills throughout your career. See below for an example of how to put the work experience section best practice into action:
Best practice example:
Deputy Store Manager, January 2023 - Present
Silverbrook Hotel Group, Birmingham
- Achieved a 20 per cent increase in monthly sales through targeted promotions and effective staff coaching.
- Implemented new inventory audits to reduce stock loss by 30 per cent and streamline ordering processes.
- Introduced personalised service protocols that improved customer satisfaction scores from 82 per cent to 96 per cent.
Worst practice example:
Deputy Store Manager, January 2023 - Present
Silverbrook Hotel Group, Birmingham
- Led multidisciplinary teams to coordinate daily operations and align processes with organisational objectives.
- Managed stakeholder relationships to facilitate project progress and ensure adherence to quality standards.
- Oversaw departmental workflows and implemented improvements to support strategic goals and enhance team cohesion.
Above is an example of what not to do with your deputy manager CV. A less-effective work experience section could focus too much on irrelevant or out-of-date roles, or include generic information about your responsibilities that fails to show the impact you made. It might lack tailoring to the job description or fail to provide evidence to support the claims made in the bullet points.
Education
In your education section, list any formal qualifications you've gained, particularly those that are most recent or required for the role.
To embark on a career as a deputy manager, you don't tend to need a specific degree. However, you should still add your highest and most relevant certifications, training and formal qualifications to your CV's education section, even if not specified in the job description. These might include ILM Level 5 Diploma, or any training that shows your skills in performance management and appraisal or financial forecasting and budgeting.
When adding your qualifications to your education section, choose the highest relevant qualifications, and list them in reverse-chronological order, starting with your most recent. For each entry into your education section, add the qualification name and level, the institution or awarding body, its location and your dates of study or graduation. For extra emphasis on your education section, include bullet points showcasing projects you worked on, modules you studied, awards you won or societies you participated in, if they help you to prove you're a suitable candidate.
If you have any specialist certifications or licences that are necessary for the role, or help you stand out above other candidates, you may wish to mention them here. When adding any special licences, it's a good idea to also reference their expiry or renewal dates, if applicable.
Bachelor of Business Administration, 2018 - 2021
University of Warwick, Coventry
Skills
In your CV's skills section, you'll want to draw attention to some of your strongest skills that make you suitable for the role. Review the job description to get an idea of the most essential skills, and create a list of hard and soft skills, including some of your strongest, most unique qualities that set you apart from other candidates. In a deputy manager CV, focus on the most relevant and essential skills in your skills portfolio, such as communication and strategic planning and execution, to show you're qualified for the deputy manager position and to put you in a strong position to progress.
Hard Skills
Hard skills refer to the technical and specialist skills required for the everyday duties of the job. They might include specialist knowledge, or the use of certain software and equipment. You can gain these skills through study, training or industry experience, and they might require a licence or certification. For deputy manager positions, hard skills that match your abilities, such as financial forecasting and budgeting, and project management software proficiency tend to be valued by recruiters and hiring managers. After reviewing the job description, compile a list of four or five key hard skills for your deputy manager CV to show you're capable of carrying out the duties required for the role.
The best hard skills section would be based around skills listed as 'essential' or 'required' in the job description. To give yourself the best chance of success, you'll want your strongest skills to match closely with those most desired by the employer, and your hard skills list should reflect this.
Review the examples below to understand which skills are often added to the hard skills section of a deputy manager CV.
- Data analysis and reporting
- Financial forecasting and budgeting
- Project management software proficiency
Soft Skills
Soft skills are the personal strengths and qualities that show employers how well you'll fit into the role and complement other members of the team. Soft skills tend to be more transferable and applicable to different roles than hard and technical skills. Owing to the rapidly evolving nature of the work landscape, soft skills are growing in importance for a number of roles and industry sectors where technology is replacing hard skills. Additionally, soft skills are particularly valuable for junior and entry-level candidates, who might not have much work experience but have the right building blocks for a successful career.
Similar to your hard skills section, it's best to first review the job description to know which soft skills to focus on in your deputy manager CV. You'll want to include a combination of soft skills that you can provide evidence for throughout your CV. Your soft skills list should reflect the job description as closely as possible, while also reflecting your strongest, unique talents and personal qualities. Aim for a list of around five key skills.
The section below provides an overview of soft skills often highlighted in a deputy manager CV.
- Communication
- Leadership
- Decision-making
Languages
Adding foreign language skills to your deputy manager CV can be a valuable addition that reflects well on you as a candidate. Even if language skills aren't listed as a requirement in the job description, if you speak a foreign language, it can be beneficial to add it to your CV. In the languages section, list the languages you speak to at least a reasonable level, with an indicator of your competency level.
There are a few acceptable ways of citing your foreign language proficiency levels. The simplest way is to assign a basic descriptive word to indicate your skills, such as:
- English: Fluent
- Spanish: Intermediate
You might choose to adopt an international standard framework for languages, such as the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR). This assigns a standardised level to your language skills, for example:
- A1: Beginner
- A2: Elementary
- B1: Intermediate
- B2: Upper intermediate
- C1: Advanced
- C2: Proficiency
Certifications and Licences
Depending on the role you're applying for, and the type of qualifications you have, you might want to include a separate section for certifications, in addition to the education section. It can be a valuable way of differentiating yourself from other candidates and showing employers your dedication, motivation and commitment to professional development. Furthermore, the CV certifications and training section is a great showcase for official licences and certifications when applying for roles where these are a key requirement listed in the job description. These could include positions where the use of specialist software and equipment is a routine part of your everyday responsibilities.
Here are some key examples of certifications and licences that you could add to your CV for deputy manager positions:
- ILM Level 5 Diploma, 2023
- Six Sigma Green Belt, 2023
- PRINCE2 Foundation Certificate, 2023
Specialist Insight:
Barnet Council shows that recruiters spend only 8.8 seconds reviewing a CV, so a concise personal statement is essential to grab attention immediately. (1)
Additional Information
Including optional sections in addition to the core sections of your deputy manager CV can help you to show employers you're a strong candidate for the job. Consider including a few optional sections to your CV if you think you need to provide extra information to prove your credentials. These sections can be particularly valuable if you lack relevant work experience, such as for entry-level roles, or if you're changing careers to a completely new field or specialism.
And if you'd like more tips on making your CV stand out, explore our career resources. They’re designed to help you showcase your strengths and boost your chances of landing the job.
Hobbies and Interests
If you participate in hobbies and activities that are related to the role, or use some of the same skill set, you could include them in a hobbies and interests section. In addition, this section is the ideal way to show aspects of your personality that might not otherwise shine through in your CV, helping to offer a point of difference compared to other candidates. However, it's important to only mention hobbies and interests that are relevant, or related to, the role you're applying for. If your hobbies don't help you to show skills required for the role, that are missing elsewhere in your CV, it's best to leave this section out.
Awards and Achievements
Creating a section for your achievements and awards can help you draw attention to the things you're most proud of in your career to date. In this section, add any awards or recognition you've received for achievements, and any career milestones you've reached that show you're a strong candidate for the job.
Volunteering
Another way of showing employers your skills and experience is through volunteer roles. If you're struggling to show you have the necessary credentials through your work experience, volunteering can provide valuable examples of how you've put your skills into action. For this section, use a similar structure to your work experience section.
List your job title or a description of the role, the organisation name, its location and the dates you occupied the role. Use bullet points to show employers how you put your skills to use, and any positive achievements from your time in the role.
Data-Driven Finding:
9 out of 10 HR professionals want CVs to be tailored to the job description. (2)
Best action words for a deputy manager CV
Using strong action verbs in your work experience bullet points gives you the opportunity to show how you've applied skills to good effect in previous roles. Starting each bullet point with an action verb, such as 'delivered', 'collaborated' or 'developed' also allows you to show your key skills and qualities in a way that's easily identifiable for the reader. Remember, it's essential to evidence any action verbs you add to your work experience. This will help show your achievements and the impact you made in previous roles. Use past tense for action verbs that describe previous roles, and present tense for your current position.
- Manage
- Coordinate
- Oversee
- Implement
- Develop
- Analyse
- Negotiate
- Mentor
- Facilitate
- Streamline
Full example of deputy manager CV
Now that you're aware of the key steps to creating a winning deputy manager CV, you can review a complete example to see how a final CV looks:
London
•
john-nelson@example.com
•
(111) 222 33 444 55
•
linkedin․com/in/john–nelson–123
Results-driven Deputy Manager with nearly five years’ experience leading cross-functional teams, optimising operations and implementing strategic initiatives. Achieved 15% cost savings through process improvement. Holds a Bachelor of Business Administration.
Assistant manager
2023
-2026
Marks & Spencer (London)
- Exceeded quarterly sales targets by 25% through strategic team coaching and client relationship building.
- Reduced staff turnover by 15% within one year by implementing recognition programme and enhancing training initiatives.
- Streamlined inventory processes, cutting stock discrepancies by 30% and accelerating monthly audit completion by two days.
Bachelor of Business Administration
2018
-2021
University of Buckingham (Buckingham)
Data analysis and reporting
Financial forecasting and budgeting
Project management software proficiency
Communication
Leadership
Decision-making
ILM Level 5 Diploma
Six Sigma Green Belt
English - Native
French - Advanced
If you want to get a feel for how your CV will look once you finalise its design and layout, check out our CV examples for inspiration.
The dos and don'ts of a successful deputy manager CV
Tips to follow
- Use strong action verbs to show how you've put your skills into action in your career to date, and the impact they've had.
- Open your CV with a strong CV summary or objective, providing a brief account of your career achievements and skills.
- Highlight your key skills with a dedicated skills section that matches both the hard and soft skills listed in the job description.
- Use a reverse-chronological approach to listing your work experience and education, starting with your most recent activities and working back from there.
- Quantify your achievements whenever possible, adding key figures and evidence to support your claims.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Don't add a hobbies and interests section unless they include skills and experience directly related to the role, and help you showcase qualities you can't prove through work experience or other CV sections.
- Don't use passive voice, such as 'financial statements were prepared', but opt instead for powerful action verbs that showcase the impact you made.
- Don't use unnecessary industry jargon or acronyms that may alienate the reader, when simple, straightforward language will do the job.
- Don't use overly complex or fussy formatting that can make your CV harder to read, or confuse ATS scanning tools.
- Don't forget to update your contact information to ensure it's current, including keeping your LinkedIn profile updated with your latest career details.
A compelling cover letter is an essential part of a successful job application. Ensure your cover letter matches the style and design of your CV with our professional cover letter templates.
Guide to making your CV ATS compatible
Applicant tracking systems (ATS) are becoming more and more integral to the recruitment process for many employers. These systems ease the burden of the recruitment process by performing various tasks, including scanning and ranking CVs based on their likely fit to the job description. By taking on this task, the systems can save hiring managers the time and effort of reviewing every CV in detail. With vacancies regularly receiving hundreds of applications, this can increase the efficiency of the recruitment process.
With ATS apps becoming more prominent, it's essential for candidates to optimise their CVs to increase their chances of passing the initial screening stage. You can read a list of the top tips for ATS optimisation below:
- Include keywords and phrases that match the job description, giving you the best chance of appearing as a strong fit for the role.
- Use clear, standard CV headings that are easily recognisable, such as 'work experience', 'education' and 'skills'.
- Opt for a simple CV layout with consistent formatting, avoiding any special design elements that could make your CV harder for ATS apps to scan.
- Select a widely-used font in either serif or sans serif style, with a font size between 10 and 12 for body text and 14 and 16 for heading text.
- Use bullet points in place of full sentences and paragraphs. This can reduce the overall length of the document, make the keywords stand out and make it easier for ATS apps to scan.
It might seem like there's a lot to remember when it comes to making an ATS-compatible CV, but taking care with this stage can really improve your chances of success. To make the process as easy as possible, use one of our expert-designed, ATS-optimised CV templates and boost your chances of success.
If you want to impress recruiters with your CV, use Jobseeker's ready-made CV templates, which are HR-approved for maximum chances of success.
Deputy manager CV FAQs
How do I create a deputy manager cover letter to go with my CV?
Your cover letter can have just as strong an impact on your chances of success as your CV. When writing a cover letter, use a professional, formal letter structure and select a cover letter template to match the look and feel of your CV.
A typical cover letter layout includes three key paragraphs of written content. Firstly, the opening paragraph includes an introduction to yourself and confirms the role you're applying for, as well as outlining your motivation for applying. Secondly, you'll want to detail some of your key skills and achievements, without repeating your CV. Close your cover letter by expressing your gratitude and enthusiasm, and leaving a call to action that encourages the reader to make contact with you.
As an alternative to the traditional cover letter, you may wish to send your application via email with a simple cover note. This includes a short introduction to yourself, confirms the role you're applying for and directs the reader towards the attached CV. With email cover notes, you don't need to follow full letter-writing conventions and can be less formal in your tone. Always include your contact details in your sign-off or email footer.
Jobseeker's cover letter examples for deputy manager jobs and key management industry roles offer valuable insights from HR experts on how to write a compelling cover letter.
How do I write a deputy manager CV to impress without experience?
Even if you're lacking relevant work experience, you can still write a deputy manager CV that impresses employers.
Choose a functional CV format, that gives greater emphasis to your skills than to your work experience. In this layout, the skills section comes immediately below your CV summary, followed by education, with work experience taking less priority.
For entry-level roles, employers tend to look more for candidates with the right soft skills to show they can learn and develop on the job. As such, place extra emphasis on your soft skills for an entry-level deputy manager CV.
How do I write a deputy manager CV headline?
A CV headline can be an effective way of introducing yourself in your CV and setting the tone, so the reader can quickly identify whether you're likely to be a good fit for the role.
Aim to write a short, concise sentence that mentions the job title and focuses on one of your best skills or qualities.
For the most effective CV headline, make sure it reflects the most critical keywords and phrases from the job description. This will also help your CV to pass the ATS screening stage of the recruitment process.
Below you can find some examples of best practice for CV headlines at different levels of experience:
- Ambitious Junior Deputy Manager
- Strategic Deputy Manager in Operations
- Senior Deputy Manager Driving Growth
What's the most effective CV format for a deputy manager CV in 2026?
The best deputy manager CV format for success in your 2026 job hunt might vary according to your experience levels, the type and level of the role, the company and standard industry practices.
Typically, the reverse-chronological CV is most effective if you have some work experience under your belt. This is because the layout showcases your work experience, providing evidence of how you've used relevant skills to achieve success in previous roles.
Conversely, for candidates without relevant work experience (such as recent graduates or career changers), a functional format can be beneficial, as this emphasises skills and qualifications over work experience.
Key takeaways for your deputy manager CV
To stand out from the crowd with your CV, tailor your approach to each individual application, incorporating keywords and phrases that match the job description. Pick a CV format that matches your experience level, and focus on showing the reader how you've developed relevant skills and put them to good use to add value for previous employers.
Finally, building your CV using Jobseeker's HR-approved CV templates can help to catch the eye of recruiters and hiring managers, making your application stand out and giving you the best chance of gaining your dream job.
Citations:
- Barnet Council (UK local government), Recruitment tips: How to write a supporting statement
- Jobseeker, Recruitment Statistics
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