Estimated reading time: 7 minutes

Did you know that upwards of three million management job openings sit on LinkedIn right now? These posts advertise jobs all over the globe and include big-name companies such as Lockheed Martin, Mastercard, and FedEx.

While job openings change in number and frequency from day to day, one thing’s for sure. If you’re not applying for management positions, you’re missing out.

Right now, companies from all over the US and beyond are competing to attract top talent. You should be among their picks.

After all, you’ve worked hard to become qualified administration support professional. Now it’s time to reap the benefits. 

But what if you don’t have a solid management resume? How do you set yourself apart from the competition? Let’s dive into the ins and outs of creating an effective resume that’ll get companies competing for you. 

A Management Resume that Does the Work for You

Let’s face it. Job hunting is a full-time job. Without the pay.

Until you’ve got that perfect position under your belt, it can feel exhausting and overwhelming to sift through job offers and custom-tailor your resume and cover letter to each application. That doesn’t even cover the stress of interviewing.

Of course, when you don’t hear back from many companies, this can leave you feeling disheartened and maybe even desperate. That’s why you need to craft a winning resume that does the work for you.

Your resume should highlight your management-related experience and skills. This requires including administrative assistance keywords that’ll catch potential employers’ eyes. 

But what if you’re drawing a blank when it comes to what should be included in your resume in the first place? Let’s dive into the essentials.

Different Resume Templates and Formats

A variety of common resume formats exist. These formats will help you organize your educational and career background information in a way that’s easy to read and absorb.

The right format will also ensure an instant impression of professionalism. Common Resume formats include:

• A targeted resume
• A functional resume
• A combination resume
• A chronological resume

What do these resumes look like? A targeted resume places the focus on your experience and skills.

When you can match these skills to the job offer, a few resumes make a stronger positive impression.

A functional resume works well for individuals who would rather focus on relevant skills and experience than their employment experience.

A combination resume represents another option. It presents a mixture of functional skills and chronological job positions and works well for people who’d like to highlight both past positions and their skill set.  

A chronological resume lists the job positions you’ve held in chronological order from most recent to oldest.

While employers will recognize and digest this format easily, better ways to showcase your accomplishments exist. But it works well for applicants with lots of prestigious managerial experience.

Essential Elements of a Resume for Management Positions

You already know that your resume should include your educational background and work experience. But that’s only the beginning. Now that you’re applying for managerial positions, these essentials can’t stand alone.

You should also include your management philosophy and quotes from others about your management skills and style. List your accomplishments and briefly state how they relate to your skillset. 

As you list your specific management skills, put yourself in the shoes of your intended audience. After all, effective managers are crucial to a successful business. 

Companies need managers to fulfill their objectives and goals. There’s quite a diversity when it comes to the types of managers that they need. So, write to your specific audience. 

Hone in on the Skills that Highlight Your Managerial Talents

From revenue targets to human resources, managers are crucial to the inner workings of a business. As you write your resume, ask yourself whether or not the skills you’re listing effectively highlight how you can help this company.

A good manager not only delegates responsibilities to a team of employees but also inspire teamwork, help workers develop a sense of worth, and provide employees with the chance to hone new skills.

Besides working well with employees and inspiring collaboration, a great manager also coordinates employee output with suppliers, external companies, and third-party vendors. 

Does your resume paint you as the ideal candidate? Do you include specific instances that highlight your ability to take on the responsibilities outlined above? If not, then it’s time to focus on the skills and wording to best highlight your talent. 

Always include a dedicated section of your resume where you list your specific managerial skills. This often works well as a table at the beginning.

Use a title such as “Core Skills and Competencies,” “Skills and Qualities,” or “Key Skills and Strengths” to draw attention to your bragging rights. 

Use the Right Keyword Phrases

One of the most powerful tools when it comes to resume writing also remains the simplest, most effective use of the written word.

How you describe the skills and experiences that you have goes a long way towards winning attention and offers from employers. But how do you know which words to use?

One of our favorite tips remains using language mirroring to show employers you’re the right candidate for their job offer. This involves using each employer’s job listing as a guide to help you choose the absolute best management skills and wording.

In other words, make sure that your management skills wording echoes the keyword phrases used by the employer in their “Preferred Qualifications” section. Yes, this means customizing your resume for each application.

But this hard work will pay off in the long run. While you may not be able to fire off as many applications per day as you would with a generic resume, you’ll enjoy a much higher response rate.

It’s the difference between fishing with a baited hook and fishing pole versus fishing with a piece of string. Yeah, the string’s much easier to get in the water than a hook you’ve got to bait, but which will yield better results?

The Power of Action Verbs

Besides mirroring each employer’s job description back to them, make sure you harness the power of action verbs. This represents far more than just a grammatical point or writing tip.

The use of active verbs communicates what you have done rather than what has happened to you (with passive verbs). Take control of your work life and its narrative by using verbs such as:

• Developed
• Initiated
• Directed
• Innovated
• Guided
• Originated
• Coached
• Led
• Inspired
• Motivated
• Established
• Dominated
• Achieved
• Planned
• Influenced
• Forecasted

The verbs listed above will engage and captivate your audience. They sound professional and polished while communicating the message that you’re a take-charge leader.

Choose verbs that demonstrate you know how to organize, manage, supervise, and delegate tasks. These will send a clear message that you’re a person of action and the right candidate for the job.

Visual Cues for Your Resume

Besides including the right keywords and action verbs, increase the impact of your resume by boldfacing your achievements. You should do this in your “Professional Experience” section to drive home the message of your capabilities. 

Besides bolding the font, include concrete examples to illustrate your claims. Wherever possible, include dollar amounts, percentages, and numbers.

Why? This simple tip will up the “wow” factor. By boldfacing tangibles that make employers see your worth, you’ll motivate them to take the next steps with you. 

Give Your Resume the Competitive Edge

From choosing the right format for your resume to communicating effectively through keyword phrases, language mirroring, and active verbs, the tips above will help you craft a resume that gains attention and plenty of job offers.

When you boldface key points and present all of this information in a grammatically correct document, you’ll impress employers. You’ll also motivate them to compete for you. 

Of course, one of the best rewards of creating a resume is realizing how far you’ve come. There’s no greater confidence boost than seeing the goals you’ve reached and the objectives you’ve achieved outlined in front of you.

Remember, too, that at Intercoast we’re here to help you achieve your career dreams. Find out more about how we place our students with the employers of their dreams. 

The process of crafting a resume will help you see where gaps exist. That way, you can take steps to fill them in with future class enrollments, such as a computerized accounting course or other business administration course.

You’ll also see where you could use some more professional conferences, professional publications, and specific employment experience.

Continue Growing with Your Resume

In other words, creating a job-worthy resume represents a process that you should work on throughout your professional career. No matter how much you love your current position, keep adding to that management resume.

Ready for more tips to get you ready for a challenging career that you’ll love? Read on to find out more about what you can do with a business administration degree.