Inventory Manager Resume: Sample, Job Description & Guide

If it’s a couple of months into your job search and you’re already experiencing a severe shortage of patience, don’t worry—

You’re not alone. 

Between the specialist nature of the inventory manager profession and the stiff competition, it’s not unusual to see no results after shipping 100+ job applications. 

But hey—

There is a tried and tested method for cutting the lead time on landing your perfect job: 

Writing an inventory manager resume that stands out like a 300% surplus on a stock log. 

This guide will show you: 

• An inventory control manager resume example better than 9 out of 10 other resumes.
• How to write an inventory manager resume that will land you more interviews.
• Tips and examples of how to put skills and achievements on an inventory manager resume.
• How to describe your experience on a resume for an inventory manager to get any job you want.

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Sample resume made with our builder—See more templates and create your resume here.

Considering applying for similar jobs? Check out these guides: 

• Warehouse Manager Resume
• Warehouse Supervisor Resume
• Warehouse Associate Resume
• Warehouse Worker Resume
• Supply Chain Manager Resume
• Supply Chain Resume
• Logistics Resume
• Logistics Coordinator Resume
• Operations Manager Resume
• Best Resume Samples for Any Profession

Inventory Manager Resume Sample

Well—

Efficiency is clearly this guy’s middle name! Ready to assemble an equally impressive resume of your own? 

Here’s how to write a job-winning inventory manager resume: 

1. Choose the Right Format for Your Inventory Control Manager Resume

Inventory managers develop and apply procedures to manage a company’s inventory, ensuring appropriate stock levels and timely shipments are achieved with maximum profits. Your inventory manager resume should serve as proof that you’re an organized professional with exceptional communication and critical thinking skills. 

Put simply, you need to show that under your leadership, every warehouse will run like clockwork. 

Start by organizing the layout of your resume. No one will believe you’re detail-oriented and organized if your resume looks like it arrived from Kansas via Madagascar after getting stuck in the printer twice. 

So, here’s how to format your inventory manager resume: 

• Use the reverse-chronological resume layout—i.e. list your most recent work experience first. It’s what employers are most interested in. 
• Pick a clear, professional resume template and customize it with your info—it’ll be ready for shipment in half the time. 
• Add a header with your contact details, including your full name, job title, phone number, and email address. You can add your LinkedIn if you feel your profile will add something to your application. 
• Use standard resume margins (1 inch) and line spacing (1–1.15). 
• Choose a professional resume font and set it to 11–12 points. Make your headings larger (13–14) to divide your document into clear resume sections. 
• Stick to the essentials: most inventory managers should use a one-page resume. Two-page resumes are fine if you have 10+ years of experience and a large stock of achievements to share. 

That’s all! When you’re done, your resume should look crisp and clear like a high-end purchase order. To keep your formatting intact, save your document as a PDF. Unless the recruiter asks specifically for a Word Doc, PDF is the best resume format to submit. 

Read more: Best Formats for a Resume: Expert Tips, Examples & Full Guide

2. Write a Resume Objective or Resume Summary

Your resume profile statement is like an advance shipping notice: it lets the recruiter know exactly what you’re about to deliver in your resume. 

This short paragraph below the header of your resume comes in two types: 

• Resume summary statement: used by candidates with a few years of relevant experience; highlighting your best moments from previous employment.
• Resume objective statement: an alternative for entry-level candidates and career-change resumes; focusing on proving your potential to succeed. 

Since you’re applying for a managerial position, you’re much more likely to choose a summary statement for your resume. So—

Here’s how to write a summary statement for an inventory manager resume: 

• Mention your years of experience and a couple of your best inventory management skills. 
• Describe one or two of your key professional accomplishments in 1–2 sentences. 
• Offer to use your expertise and skills to help the company reach a specific goal. 

If you’re not sure what to say in your resume profile, write it last. As you create other sections of your resume, you’ll build up a nice stock of achievements to choose from. 

Intro still stuck on backorder? Read more: Resume Introductions: Tips, Examples & Step-by-Step Writing Guide

3. Supply the Perfect Inventory Manager Job Description

The experience section of your resume is arguably its most important part: 

At the end of the day, your previous work experience is what matters most to recruiters. 

So, how do you describe inventory management on a resume?

• List your job history, starting with your most recent (or current) employment. Add your job title, the name of the company, and the dates of employment (month + year) to each position. 
• Write a one-sentence description of the company and/or your role there. This part is optional and only recommended if your job was not self-explanatory. 
• Add a few bullet points to each position, listing your biggest on-the-job accomplishments. Remember to focus on your experience—recruiters don’t need a list of duties, they need to know what you achieved. 
• Start each bullet point with an active verb, like achieved, managed, introduced, etc. Avoid words like responsible for or tasked with. 
• Use numbers as much as possible to put your achievements into context, e.g. increased operational efficiency by 20%. 
• Include a separate Key Achievement to highlight your proudest moment on the job (optional). 

See? Easy! 

Remember to tailor your resume to each job you apply for, especially if you have a surplus of achievements. Not everything worth mentioning needs to appear on your resume—you can leave non-critical details for your cover letter and interview. 

What exactly is relevant experience? Read more: Relevant Experience: Meaning, Examples & Tips on Choosing What to Include 

4. Make Your Resume Education Section Shine

Whew!

With work experience packed and ready, the bulk of the order is behind you. Well done! 

Time to move on to easier tasks. First up, your education section. 

Here’s how to add education to your inventory manager resume: 

• List your highest level of schooling
• Add the name of the institution and your years of attendance
• (Optional) Include your GPA on your resume if it was 3.5 or above

...and you’re done! 

Entry-level resumes can feature additional bullet points with academic achievements, relevant coursework, and extracurriculars. Since you’re applying for a senior position, you’re bound to have 5+ years of relevant experience—so it’s not necessary to include any further education details. 

Read more: How to Create the Perfect Education Section for Your Resume

5. Pick and Pack Your Best Inventory Management Skills

Our next high-priority order to prep is your skills section. Your key skills should be distributed throughout your resume, but it’s also a good idea to create a separate list. It shows you know what it takes to succeed as an inventory manager, and it makes your resume ATS-compliant. 

ATS, by the way, refers to Applicant Tracking Systems. This is a type of software that companies use to scan resumes for keywords, among other things. 

Now then—

Here’s how to come up with an excellent list of skills for your inventory manager resume: 

• Take stock of all of your professional skills. No need to pick and choose yet: just write them all down. 
• Remember to include software skills, hard skills specific to inventory management, and evergreen items like communication, teamwork, leadership, and other people skills. 
• Review the job ad. What skills is the company looking for? Write those down, too. 
• Compare the two lists and mark the skills that appear on both. That’s your committed stock! 

If you ended up with a very long list, limit your lot size to around 10 most important skills. 

When you’re done, your list might look something like this: 

Inventory Manager Top Skills for a Resume

• Microsoft Dynamics
• SAP ERP
• Oodo
• Zoho Inventory
• MS Office
• Analytical skills
• Lean supply chain management
• Leadership
• Communication
• Problem-solving
• Multitasking skills

When making a resume in our builder, drag & drop bullet points, skills, and auto-fill the boring stuff. Spell check? Check. Start building a professional resume template here for free.

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When you’re done, Zety’s resume builder will score your resume and tell you exactly how to make it better.

6. Add Other Sections to Your Inventory Manager Resume

Nearly done! 

At the end of your inventory manager resume, you can include additional sections to help your application stand out. You could add: 

• Professional certifications: such as a CPIM or Excel cert. 
• Memberships in professional organizations: like the ASCM, for example. 
• Volunteer work: non-profit activities inject personality into your resume and show you’re a proactive team player. 
• Language skills: any foreign languages you speak, including how fluent you are in each, e.g. Spanish - intermediate. 

Are hobbies on a resume dead stock? Find out: How to Put Hobbies on a Resume + Best Interests to Mention

7. Attach a Cover Letter to Your Inventory Manager Resume

Hey! 

Your inventory manager resume is all done and ready to ship—

You’re more efficient than UPS! 

But before you send it out into the world, remember that it comes as part of a bundle order: 

You still need a cover letter. Our research shows that almost half of employers won’t even consider an application without a cover letter—and that’s not a chance you want to take. 

So, here’s how to write a great cover letter for an inventory manager job: 

• Stick to the right cover letter formatting. 
• Grab the reader’s attention with a strong cover letter opening. Starting with a big achievement usually does the trick! 
• Show that you have the right skills for the job, using your past accomplishments as examples. 
• Explain why you want this particular job. Just like your resume, your cover letter should be tailored to the company. 
• Make an offer in the closing paragraph of your cover letter. 
• Keep it short: the recommended length for a cover letter is under one page. 

For bonus points, match the template of your cover letter to your resume to show attention to detail and highlight your professional approach! 

Plus, a great cover letter that matches your resume will give you an advantage over other candidates. You can write it in our cover letter builder here. Here's what it may look like:

See more cover letter templates and start writing.

So here we are—

All that’s left is drop-shipping your application to your favorite companies, and you can start getting ready for your interviews! 

Thanks for reading! Is it difficult to describe your inventory manager experience on a resume? Perhaps you can offer some advice of your own on how to land a job in inventory management? Drop us a line in the comments below!