Manager Resume Example

The aim of this article is to equip you with all the knowledge required to create a resume that positions you to succeed in your manager applications. You'll find useful insights on constructing a resume that makes the most of your unique skills, experience and strengths. You'll also learn how to tailor your resume according to the job description, and depending on your experience levels. Read on to access expert insights from Jobseeker that will help you create a winning manager resume.

Core sections to include in a manager resume

The key sections to include in a manager resume are similar to those for any role or profession.

How you choose to present your resume is up to you. There are plenty of options for a professional resume layout and format, but every application should include the following:

Header and Personal Information

In your manager resume header, list your name, email address, phone number and address or location. You can also add your LinkedIn, if you have one, to help employers better understand your work history and skills. While in some countries, you might include additional personal information or a photo, these aren't necessary. Make sure your resume header is as brief as possible and doesn't take up too much valuable space. Choose a clear, professional design that sets the tone for your application.

Only include professional, name-based email addresses in your resume header. If you have an old email address that uses nicknames, puns, references to your personal interests or anything else that could appear unprofessional, set up a new email just for your job applications. Finally, always double-check your contact details are correct and up-to-date before sending your resume.

Resume Summary

Next, write a short paragraph to introduce yourself. You could also call this section 'resume summary' or 'personal profile'. In two or three sentences, explain your professional background, achievements and key skills. If you choose to write a resume summary, this focuses on your career experience to date. On the other hand, a resume objective addresses your future plans and career ambitions. Always make sure your summary reflects the job description and highlights some of the key skills required for manager roles.

Alternatively, focus on introducing your career ambitions, and why this role is a good fit, both for you and the organization.

A good resume summary is short and snappy, and focused on the skills and experience listed in the job description, with evidence to back it up. It will also help the reader to form their first impressions of you by providing an insight into your personality and unique qualities. See below for some great examples of how to approach your manager resume.

Alternatively, a poor resume summary would include bland, generic information that does little to prove your suitability for the role, while failing to provide any useful insights on you as a person or as a candidate. The graphic above shows some of the pitfalls to avoid when creating your resume summary.

Employment History

Under your work experience section, add any jobs you've had in the past that are relevant to the position of a manager. Add each previous employment in reverse-chronological order. This means starting from your current or most recent role and working back in time from there. Include your job title, the company name, the location of the job and your dates of employment.

In addition, include a few bullet points under each job, highlighting your key achievements so the hiring manager can see how they led to successful outcomes. Back up each point with evidence to show how you meet the job description.

A good work experience section pulls the reader in with clear examples of where you've put the skills necessary for the job into good use in your career to date. This typically includes evidence of how your skills and activities contributed to positive outcomes for the organization. There are some examples of strong resume work experience sections below.

Above, you can see a weaker example of a resume work experience section to best avoid. A bad resume work experience section might fail to address skills and achievements that relate directly to the job description. Falling back on clichés, vague descriptions and basic responsibilities, rather than showing the impact you made, is likely to disengage the reader.

Education and Qualifications

The education section provides space to list your highest and most recent academic achievements that are relevant to working as a manager.

Typically, working as a manager requires a university or college degree, which you'll need to list on your resume. If you're working in this sector, it's usually a good idea to highlight your Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) degree or other relevant qualifications. Focus on qualifications that showcase your project management or data analysis.

Enter the name and level of the qualification, the institution you studied at, its location and your dates of study or graduation. You could also add one or two bullet points to draw attention to your grades if they were particularly good, as well as any specialist subjects you studied. This will help the hiring manager understand your knowledge and special skills better.

If you took part in any volunteering or you were a leader or member of any university societies, you could also mention these in your education section.

Skills

Listing your key skills can help to prove your suitability for manager jobs. These could be CRM software, adaptability and flexibility or various other relevant skills. Again, refer to the manager job description for an indication of the types of skills the employer is looking for, and make sure your skills section reflects these.

Listing hard skills on your manager resume

Hard skills are the key technical skills required for manager positions. They include specific industry knowledge and abilities that you could learn on the job, or through a specialist qualification. Furthermore, your hard skills list helps to show employers how competent and experienced you are at key manager duties and responsibilities. If possible, add four or five hard skills that reflect the requirements of the job description. These will boost your chances of success in your applications.

The best resume hard skills sections focus on specific technical skills necessary for the job, showcasing skills that you have particular expertise in. There are some examples of valuable hard skills for a manager resume below.

Showcasing your best soft skills

Soft skills are the personal skills and qualities that make you a good fit for the job. They include transferable skills and strengths that help you settle into the role, adapt to new challenges and build effective working relationships. Indeed, transferable skills are growing in importance in the modern world of work, so make sure you include several of these in your resume. Think of your best soft skills and add up to five that match the requirements of the job description.

Your soft skills section should make the most of your unique personal qualities and strengths, while also reflecting the requirements laid out in the job description. See below for some examples of useful soft skills for a manager resume.

Relevant Certifications and Licenses

In your certifications section, list any professional certifications or licenses that are relevant to working as a manager. These could be official licenses required for the job or certifications that improve your employability. Therefore, make sure you list the dates of your certifications and licenses so employers can see they're up-to-date and valid.

See below for some suggestions of relevant certifications for a manager resume:

Optional Resume Sections

To provide further information on your suitability for the role, you could add some optional sections to a manager resume. Add any of the sections below that help you showcase your key skills and experience.

Personal Hobbies and Interests

Hobbies and interests can be a useful way of showing your skills and experience beyond your work and education. They also help to show a different side of your personality, and can help your resume create a more memorable impression on hiring managers. If you're short on real world work experience, hobbies and interests can be a useful way of providing more information about your qualities. Only include hobbies and interests that showcase your personality and personal qualities, and add something different to your application.

Voluntary Work

Listing volunteer work is another useful way to prove your relevant experience for manager roles. Include the title of your volunteer role, who you volunteered for, as well as the dates you carried out the work. Provide brief details of your responsibilities and the impact you made.

References

It's relatively unusual to include references in a standard manager resume, but they are required occasionally. Check the job advert to see if you'll need to add references to your resume. Before adding any referees to your resume, ask them for their assistance and prepare them for contact by the employer.

Best action words for your manager resume

Start each bullet point in your work experience section with a strong verb to show actions you took. Choose verbs from the suggestions below that highlight your key skills or those mentioned in the job description.

For help creating an eye-catching resume design to catch the attention of hiring managers, see Jobseeker's professional resume layouts. You can also use our clear, effective cover letter templates to complete your application.

Example of a manager resume

Now that you know everything that needs to go into your manager resume, let's review an example resume that you can use as a guide when creating your own:

Tips on creating an ATS-optimized resume

Applicant tracking systems (ATS) help recruiters and employers to manage their hiring process. They can handle some of the more time-consuming and resource-intensive jobs, such as initial screening of resumes. Employers often receive hundreds of applications per vacancy, and ATS software can quickly and accurately scan and rank resumes based on their likely suitability for any role. There are several things you can do when writing your manager resume, to give yourself the strongest chance of ranking highly in the ATS stage and progressing through the recruitment process.

Follow these simple rules when writing your resume, to make sure it's ATS compliant:

• Choose a resume structure that matches the traditional, reverse-chronological layout or alternatively, the functional resume structure. This should make your resume more readable for ATS applications.
• Use of job description keywords throughout your resume will help it rank higher in the ATS scanning stage, as it will more closely match the requirements laid out in the job description.
• Add each section with clear headings that match the established resume conventions, so ATS software can easily identify each part of your resume.
• Adopt a clean, unfussy design that gives your content enough white space to breathe. Use professional, readable fonts and subtle use of color and other design elements.
• Make sure your resume is as concise as possible, so ATS applications can easily scan and identify the required details.

Takeaways for a winning manager resume

Writing a strong, impactful resume is about using your experience to demonstrate your relevant skills and achievements. You can do this through your work history or other resume sections. Select a resume format that suits your experience levels and the job you're applying for, and make sure you tailor your resume for each application.

Jobseeker has a wealth of resume tools, including resume templates and examples, to help you create a winning job application. Sign up today to get started. A stylish, professional cover letter can make all the difference to your job prospects. See Jobseeker's cover letter examples, written by careers experts, to help you craft an eye-catching application.

Sources:

(1) Tips for Writing a Federal Resume, U.S. Department of Labor: https://www.dol.gov/general/jobs/tips-for-writing-a-federal-resume

(2) Resume Tips, Duke University: https://careerhub.students.duke.edu/resources/resume-tips/