Top Management Resume Examples & Skills [2024]

Writing a manager resume is tough for most candidates. But for you, it’s about to become as easy as a pie.

The key thing? Prove that you have all the necessary industry skills and management expertise. That you’re a top-performing specialist as well as an inspired leader.

Here, you’ll find out how to write a management resume like that.

This guide will show you:

• A manager resume example that is better than most.
• How to write a management resume that gets the interview.
• Tips and tricks on how to put management skills on a resume.
• How to ace your manager job description on a resume.

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Want to see more specific management resume examples? Switch over to one of our dedicated guides:

• Account Manager Resume
• Business Manager Resume
• COO Resume
• Customer Service Manager Resume
• District Manager Resume
• Hotel Manager Resume
• HR Manager Resume
• Operations Manager Resume
• Product Manager Resume
• Production Manager Resume
• Project Manager Resume
• Property Manager Resume
• Restaurant Manager Resume
• Sales Manager Resume

For starters, here’s a top-notch manager resume example:

Manager Resume Example

Read on to learn how to write a perfect manager resume with step-by-step writing tips

1. Use a Professional Manager Resume Format

Management resumes are different across industries. But all great ones have something in common—they’re based on a proven, effective management resume format and template.

Whether you’re writing an IT project manager resume, property manager resume, restaurant manager resume, account manager resume, or any other management resume, start with dividing your resume into proper sections:

Manager Resume Template

1. Contact Information
2. Summary or Objective
3. Experience
4. Education
5. Additional Sections
6. Skills

Remember to keep your formatting professional and tidy:

Manager Resume Formatting

• Use the reverse-chronological resume format to highlight the peak of your career: your current or most recent position.
• Use good resume fonts: stick to 11–12pt font size for all sections, make section headings slightly larger or in bold.
• Set 1-inch margins for all 4 sides.
• Use a lot of white space to guide recruiters’ eyes to where you want them to.
• Try to fit your resume into one page, but don’t obsess over it. Having a two-pager is better than omitting important details.

Expert Hint: Save your management resume in PDF unless the job ad explicitly says not to. This way, ATS will be able to scan your resume while your formatting and layout stay intact.

2. Write a Head-Turning Manager Resume Summary or Objective

Think about this—

Employers spend an average of 7 seconds on every resume they get. But use an easy trick, and you can make them read yours in full. At the top, put a well-phrased manager resume summary or objective.

Got years of management experience? Write a resume summary, resume profile or summary of qualifications. Highlight your best wins and show how your expertise can help.

Not much experience in supervising teams? Pick a resume objective. Discuss what managerial skills you’ve mastered so far and how well you’d fit in.

Whichever one you choose, remember: it’s not about what you want out of the job. It’s what you can offer.

But enough theory. See what I mean on these sample manager resumes.

Senior Manager Resume Summary

Passionate Restaurant Manager with 7+ years of experience in multi-unit management. Negotiated with food service vendors to cut costs by 25%. Implemented new tools for measuring employee engagement to boost employee satisfaction scores from 7.3 to 8.5. Seeking to leverage team-building and leadership experience to train managers and staff to exceed Pizza Hut’s sales goals in all quarters of 2019.

See this? I’m great at my job and I know what to do to help you achieve your goals.

Experienced Restaurant Manager skilled in negotiations, motivating the team, and measuring all important restaurant KPIs. Looking for a challenging job where I can put my 7+ years of experience to good use.

Perhaps not awful, but it brings no value to the table.

Now, let’s have a look at these two very different management resume objectives.

Entry-Level Manager Resume Objective

Hard-working NYU’s BS in Business Management graduate with a specialization in sales and marketing management. My social media marketing analysis for major US FMCG brands has been republished by the Harvard Business Review blog. President of the Undergraduate Student Board 2016–17. Looking for an Assistant Digital Manager position with Heinz to apply strong data analysis skills and digital marketing insights to help increase online traffic and sales.

Business Management graduate from a top-tier NYC College. Not much real-world management experience, but I’m a quick learner eager to collaborate with the best of the best. I’ve scored a 3.92 GPA and excelled in “New Technologies in Digital Sales” coursework.

The difference is clear, right?

Expert Hint: Although this section comes at the top of your resume for a manager position, write it last. First, outline your career in the experience, education, and skills sections. This way, you’ll have more to choose from for the highlight reel you’ll put at the top.

3. How to Write a Perfect Manager Resume Job Description

Here’s what will either make or break your management job application—

The job descriptions on your resume’s work history section. Employers ask for a resume basically for the sole purpose of reviewing your work history. The twist? Most candidates don’t know how to write this section.

Ready?

How to List Management Experience on a Resume

1. Read the job ad carefully.
2. Jot down the most important responsibilities and duties (think in terms of resume keywords).
3. Use those keywords: tailor your resume to fit the job description.
4. Don’t just list duties. Focus on your achievements.
5. Use action verbs: “supervised” instead of “responsible for supervising.”
6. Quantify whenever you can.

Have a look at this management resume example.

Job ad asks for: (1) sales manager skilled in digital marketing, (2) someone with strong analytical skills, (3) supervisor with coaching experience.

Here’s a tailored management job description:

Manager Resume Example: Job Description

Senior Sales Manager
XYZ Corp, San Francisco, CA
2014–present

• Actively monitored all major KPIs of the sales team of 18 reps to identify challenges and design innovative sales strategies based on thorough research and data analysis (2).
• Collaborated with the digital marketing team (1) of 8 colleagues in creating the new online sales funnel. Helped increase online sales by 85%.
• Led the digital sales revolution by switching from print marketing materials to digital brochures (1) and presentation folders on tablets, cut the department’s printing costs by 97%.
• Won the 2016 Sales Innovation Award for introducing Virtual Reality into XYZ’s field force digital sales materials.

Key achievement: Inspired team performance daily using incentive-based team competitions and behavioral coaching (3), achieved and maintained highest sales company-wide for 4 straight years (2014–2018).

Expert Hint: A recent nation-wide survey revealed that almost 60% of managers haven’t received any managerial training. In other words: they got to where they are by being good at what they do, not necessarily helping others become better. In your management job descriptions, make sure to show you can do both the former and the latter.

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4. Add Education to Your Management Resume

For experienced managers, putting education on a resume is a sheer formality.

How to Put Education on a Manager Resume

• Enter your degree.
• Follow it with the name of the university and graduation date.
• Optionally, mention your honors.

Like this:

Manager Resume Example: Education

BS in Economics
SUNY, NYC, NY
2010
Graduated Magna Cum Laude

But what if you don’t have much professional experience? Say, you’re targeting an entry-level manager role?

Add some of the following to your education section:

• Relevant coursework
• Favorite fields of study
• GPA (only if it’s higher than 3.5)
• Thesis title
• Extracurricular activities and achievements

Entry-Level Manager Resume Sample: Education

BA in Psychology
Penn State, Philadelphia, PA
2017

• 3.91 GPA
• Led the “Modern Trends in Human Resources” Research Project in 2016
• Excelled in Employment Relations coursework
• Started and run a discussion club on the contemporary challenges for the hiring industry

5. Sprinkle the Best Management Skills on Your Resume

One of the most important tips for resume writing:

Don’t copy-paste a generic skills list.

Instead, do this:

How to Put Management Skills on Resumes

1. Create a spreadsheet with all your skills for a resume.
2. Look at the job ad again. Look for skill-related keywords and highlight them.
3. Pick around 10 skills that match the job requirements.
4. Provide real-life examples that prove you’ve mastered these management skills.

Did I just say don’t use skills list?

That’s right. But here are some examples for reference:

Management Skills for Resumes: Examples

Hard skills:

• Budgeting
• Business knowledge
• Project Management
• Agile/Scrum
• New Business Development
• Logistics
• Finance
• Digital Marketing
• Hiring
• Coaching/Mentoring

Soft Skills:

• Leadership
• Team Building
• Effective communication
• Conflict Resolution
• Time Management
• Compassion
• Public Speaking
• Organization
• Critical Thinking
• Problem Solving
• Conceptual Skills

Expert Hint: A report by the NYU Steinhardt has shown that the relationship employees develop with their boss is the single most important indicator of their professional satisfaction. In your management resume skills section, don’t forget to include soft skills showing how deeply you’ll care for your teams’ satisfaction.

6. Spice Up Your Management Resume With These Extra Sections

“All people lie.”

—Seth Godin

Guess what?

It’s not Seth Godin. I lied.

But so do most job seekers on their resumes! They just can’t help but embellish their accomplishments.

To make your manager resume stand out, show off some of your verifiable wins in an extra resume section.

Sample Manager Resume Additional Sections

• Publications
• Industry awards
• Conferences
• Additional training
• Certifications
• Influencing on social media

Help the hiring manager separate the goats from the sheep. Show them you’re the real deal.

Expert Hint: For greatest impact, write a management cover letter. Many applicants don't know how to write a cover letter, and as such they don't have them. If you create one, you’ll double your chances of getting hired!

Double your impact with a matching resume and cover letter combo. Use our cover letter generator and make your application documents pop out.

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Want to try a different look? There's 21 more. A single click will give your document a total makeover. Pick a cover letter template here.

Haven't written your cover letter yet? See:

• Account Manager Cover Letter
• Marketing Manager Cover Letter
• Office Manager Cover Letter
• Project Manager Cover Letter
• Restaurant Manager Cover Letter

You may want also see some resume examples for other positions: 

• Account Executive Resume
• Business Administration Resume
• Business Development Resume
• Business Resume
• Career Change Resume
• Cashier Resume
• General Resume That’s Not Generic
• Logistics Resume
• Marketing Resume
• Product Owner Resume
• Salesforce Admin Resume
• Salesforce Resume
• Social Work Resume

Haven't found what you're looking for? Check all our Resume Examples.

Key Points

To have the best resume for a manager position in the pile, follow these key tips:

• At the top, put a manager resume summary or a resume objective. Showcase your best achievements and make an offer.
• Use the proven, elegant reverse-chronological manager resume template.
• Tailor your work experience section to the job description. A general resume won’t do: you need to be specific.
• Add extra sections: certifications, awards, publications, or conference participation.
• If the job ad requires it, send the resume by email: here is what to write in the email when sending the resume.

Have more questions? Could use a chat about writing a killer management resume? Drop me a line in the comments and I’ll soothe your concerns double quick!

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