Manager Resume: Sample and Complete Guide [20+ Examples]

In 7 minutes, you'll know how to write a flawless manager resume. But first—

Picture a desk. It's yours, but you're not at it.

You're out there with the team. Leading. Coaching. Mentoring.

You support your people with so much passion and respect they would follow you to Walmart on Black Friday.

Now, prove that on a single sheet of paper among 300 others like it and get hired.

See the problem?

Your manager resume must do so much more than list experience and education.

It has to show you've got the horsepower to forge relationships. To transform individuals into a team.

Take heart.

This guide will show you:

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

Here's a sample resume for a manager made using our resume builder.

Want to save time and have your resume ready in 5 minutes? Try our resume builder. It’s fast and easy to use. Plus, you’ll get ready-made content to add with one click. See 20+ resume templates and create your resume here.

Sample Manager Resume—See more templates and create your resume here.

1

What's the Best Format for a Manager Resume?

Meet the corporate hiring manager, Ellen.

Why is she so irritated?

Answer: Her battered MS Surface holds 250 manager resumes, and she has to read them all.

Here's the worst part:

She scans each one in just six seconds.

That means your management resume format has to grab her, fast.

Reverse-chronological is the best pick for a managerial resume.

It fast-tracks your best achievements to the reader.

Use clear fonts like Arial or Cambria, big headings, and generous white space.

Finally, save it as a PDF. Management resume PDFs stay solid when they leave your desktop. MS Word resumes can go south in transit.

Pro Tip: PDFs are great, but double-check the job description. Some older Applicant Tracking Systems clash with manager resume PDFs.

If you need more information, read our guide: 3 Resume Formats: How to Choose the Best One [Examples]

Want to make sure your resume will hook every recruiter and get you that interview? Get our free checklist and learn what makes a job-winning resume: 46 Things You Need To Do Before You Send Your Resume.

You're not Harry Potter.

You can't wave your magic wand and make the hiring manager read your management resume.

But you can write a first paragraph that does.

It's called a resume objective or a resume summary.

But which is which? And which one should you use?

Write a manager resume objective if you just launched your leadership career.

Write a resume summary if your legacy systems have legacy systems.

Let these two sales manager resume examples lead the way.

Entry-Level Management Examples [Resume Objectives]

See if you can spot the problem with the first of these two managerial resume samples:

What's wrong with that? Nothing, if you're a proto-Michael-Scott.

Spice it up with a few actual achievements from past non-management jobs.

Not exactly the next Bill Belichick yet, but far better than a total greenhorn.

Now what if you're already a stone's throw from Jack Welch status?

In that case, see these senior restaurant manager resume examples.

Senior Manager Resume Examples [Resume Summaries]

That's not awful. Know any great companies looking for "not awful" managers?

To land the interview, you'll need to prove your Hector-Ruiz-level qualities.

Nice work. That's practically the poster child for It's Okay to Be the Boss.

What's good about it? It goes straight to tantalizing specifics.

Pro Tip: Keep your manager resume summary or resume objective short. It's just a hook to get the hiring manager to give your resume a careful read.

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

Create my resume now

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

Need more help? Check out the sample resume for management up top. Also, see these guides: How to Write a Resume Summary: 21 Best Examples You Will See and 20+ Resume Objective Examples to Put On Your Resume

Here's a question that should terrify you:

Does the most experienced candidate always get the job?

More often, it's the one who shows it better on her managerial resume.

Display your most recent experience first.

List 3-5 resume bullet points crammed with measurable achievements.

Check out these two operations manager resume examples.

Manager Resume Examples [Experience]

This management resume sample nails it:

The hiring manager just spilled her coffee. Your first-rate management position resume just blew her hair back.

Now look what happens when we lose those valuable metrics:

Looks phoned-in, doesn't it?

But what if you've never held a management job?

Look at these two entry-level manager resume examples.

How to Write a Resume for Management with no Experience

Is it really possible to have zero management experience?

Have you ever:

• Planned, organized, directed, or monitored?
• Led a project?
• On-boarded a new employee?
• Held a training?
• Managed a budget?
• Coached anyone?
• Resolved a conflict between two or more people?

Those are all leadership and management duties. They're what makes a successful manager.

Brainstorm to think of times you've handled them. Like this:

Two Management Resume Samples [No Experience]

What's wrong with this first marketing manager resume example?

Yuck. Who put soap in the lasagna, right? It might as well say, "Don't hire me, I haven't got a clue."

But with a little brainstorming, you could have a professional resume for management like this:

Now you're showing some core competencies. But with a bit of strategy, even a newbie can have a managerial resume like that.

Pro Tip: In a new manager resume, the key is management vs leadership. After all, what is a good leader? Someone who has held a title, or someone who can lead?

Want the hiring manager to stay engaged? Use action words in your management position resume. See this guide: +80 Examples of Resume Action Words for Every Profession

Experience matters more than education in a managerial resume.

But if you don't list your education right, you're wasting it.

It's like having access to a team of high-end data analysts, then only using them for fantasy football.

Of course you'll show:

• College Name and Location.
• Years in School.
• Degree.

But add accomplishments that fit the job like a custom Burberry.

Check out these two retail manager resume examples:

Manager Resume Examples [Education]

These managerial resume samples are for a job that stresses budgeting, sales, and leadership.

Did we go back in time and meet a young Jeffrey Immelt or Phil Knight?

It's miles better than this next manager resume example.

Who wrote that? Mr. Krabs from Spongebob? Everyone with a degree in business management took core management classes.

But add achievements, and you've won back the competitive advantage.

Pro Tip: Does GPA matter on a managerial resume? If it's recent or impressive, yes. Otherwise, hand it a pink slip and show it to the door.

Make your management resume shine like a fat bonus check. See this guide: How to Put Your Education on a Resume [Tips & Examples]

"I can pan for gold, hunt bear with a knife, and fly a hang glider."

Do you believe me?

Now what if I show video?

Writing a long list of manager resume skills impresses no one.

Proving them? That's another story.

Management Resume Examples [Skills]

Our hiring manager, Ellen, put these skills in the job description:

New business development, lead conversion, and budgeting.

You'll list those, plus a couple more to fill things out.

Then you'll prove your manager skills list like this:

Zap. You just stuck your management resume to the job description with superglue.

Need a sample leadership skills list to start with? Use the one below.

List of Skills for a Management Resume

Let's ramp up your job search with this team leader skills list.

Find more management resume keywords in job offers online.

Follow the steps above, and your manager resume will make you look like Joan Holloway or Steven Reinemund.

Pro Tip: You may argue that tying skills to experience in a great resume for a manager still isn't "proof." It's proof enough. The hiring manager can get more detail in the interview.

Want to give your management resume a good retraining? See this guide: +30 Best Examples of What Skills to Put on a Resume (Proven Tips)

The hiring manager has 99 problems. Don't make "hunting for your license on a management resume" one of them.

If you're writing a project manager resume, you might have a PMP certification.

Sales manager resume? That might be a CSE.

Or maybe you're making a restaurant manager resume or retail manager resume. That might mean a ServSafe cert or an RMC.

Either way, display it proudly after your name, like this:

Lydia Manzo, CSE

Then put it in a special certifications section, like this:

You can also list it in your management resume objective or resume summary.

Will a certification teach you how to be an effective manager? No, but you might learn something, and it'll give your managerial resume a fat promotion.

Pro Tip: Want a quick certification that looks great on a sales manager resume? Cornell University offers a 2-week online leadership class. Nothing impresses like "Cornell" on a resume.

Need more advice to make the best management position resume you can? See our guide: Complete Guide to Writing a Student Resume [13 Tips, Examples]

So much of leadership and management is interpersonal skills.

Show you have the characteristics of a good leader with targeted "other" sections.

Look at these two management resume examples:

Manager Resume Examples [Other Sections]

This first sample from a managerial resume practically calls in sick:

Everyone needs hobbies, but yours should show that you can get the job done.

Now look at this next manager resume example. It fits the job description like a Vardon Overlap.

Pow. Hole in one.

The conferences and publications spotlight passion. The volunteer work and the cycling group showcase an ability to "Get Stuff Done."

Pro Tip: Consider joining a professional association, like the AMA, or taking classes. Either looks great on a managerial resume.

Need more help with what to add to your account manager resume? See our guide: +20 Best Examples of Hobbies & Interests To Put on a Resume (5 Tips)

"Nobody will read your management cover letter."

Yes, and nobody likes strawberry ice cream, either.

So why do they keep making it?

Over 8% of ice cream eaters like strawberry best.

Meanwhile, 40% of hiring managers won't read a resume without a cover letter.

That's why you need a cover letter for your professional manager resume.

Start with the hiring manager's name.

Next, show you understand the job description. Do that by talking up the qualities you have that match it.

Third, make an offer.

End it with a Call to Action (CTA). Something like, "Can we schedule a call to talk about raising your [Key Performance Indicator cited in the job offer] by [XYZ]%?"

Do that, and the hiring manager will read your managerial resume like it contains the secrets of the universe.

Pro Tip: Follow up on your job application within three days to jog the recruiter's mind about your excellent management resume. It's easy, and it can be the thing that lands the interview.

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.

Want more tips for your management cover letter? See our guide: 8 Steps to Writing the Perfect Cover Letter

Hmmm...

You got passed over for that dream job. Why?

Can you believe it was a contact info error on your manager resume?

Of course you added your:

• Full Name
• Updated Phone Number
• Professional Email Address

Like this:

Lydia Manzo, CSE, lydiafmanzo@gmail.com, 757-729-1432

But you didn't add your LinkedIn profile. The hiring manager got interested in a candidate who did. Game over.

Pro Tip: If you need to give your LinkedIn presence a complete reorientation, see our guide on sprucing up your LinkedIn profile here.

Would you like more guidance to help you crush your managerial resume? See this guide: How to Make a Resume: A Step-by-Step Guide (+30 Examples)

Now you know how to write a manager resume that gets the interview. Build your own management resume templates by following these tips:

• Start your managerial resume with the job offer. Highlight all the skills and qualities you see.
• Put a resume summary or objective just below your contact information.
• Prove your muscle in your bullet points. Your experience and education should stick you to the job like a concentric merger.
• Add depth to your professional manager resume with "other" sections. Use awards, publications, and volunteer work to show your breadth and passion.

Do you have questions on how to write a great resume for a manager? Not sure how to describe your skills or achievements? Give us a shout in the comments! We love to help!