Crafting resumes for business management roles needs a careful approach. This article guides you with solid examples and tips to show your skills and experience. Learn to outline your achievements, tailor your career story, and use language that resonates with recruiters in the sector. Get ready to build a resume that reflects your potential as a management professional.
Next update scheduled for
Here's what we see in standout business manager resumes.
Show Impact With Numbers: The best resumes show impact with numbers like
Match Skills With Job Description: Include skills on your resume that you have and are also in the job description. Popular ones for this role are
Stay Ahead With Trends: You should show you know the latest trends. For a business management role, phrases like
Want to know if your resume stands out for business manager roles? Our resume scoring tool gives you a clear picture of where you excel and where you can improve. It evaluates your resume based on key criteria that hiring managers in the business world look for.
Upload your resume now for an unbiased assessment. You'll get a score and specific feedback to help make your resume stronger for your next job application.
Where to place your education on a business manager resume depends on factors such as your work history and whether you've recently pursued further education. If you're already well into your career, your experience should take precedence. Your education then gets listed after your work experience. In contrast, if you've recently completed an MBA or other ongoing education that's worth highlighting, list your education first. This will immediately explain to employers why you've been out of the work force.
For entry-level applicants, your degree is one of your biggest assets. In this case, your education should be the first thing potential employers see. Remember, the goal is to showcase your most relevant and impressive credentials first.
Business management can be a competitive field, and it's important to highlight the skills that make you stand out. Highlight specialized skills like project management, financial literacy, or industry-specific knowledge. If you have proficiency in any business software or CRM systems, these are also worth mentioning.
Also important are transferable skills such as leadership, communication, and problem-solving. Show how you've executed these qualities in a practical setting. For example, did your strong negotiation skills result in profitable contracts? Or perhaps your innovative problem-solving tactics saved a project from failure. Specific instances such as these will set you apart from the competition.
The length of your resume can make or break your chances of securing a job interview. For a business manager, your resume should ideally be one page, especially if you're an entry-level or mid-level hire with less than 10 years of relevant experience. A concise, well-structured one-page resume creates a powerful impact, allowing the hiring manager to quickly scan your qualifications and accomplishments.
If you are a senior-level candidate with extensive experience, two pages could be necessary to sufficiently detail your accomplishments. If you're struggling to reduce your resume's length, consider switching to a more efficient template, or condense older, less relevant information.
If you're looking to break into business management, it's key to brand yourself as a strategic leader. Highlight specific instances where you've led teams or driven corporate initiatives. Whether it's executing a marketing strategy that boosted revenue, or implementing a workflow change that increased efficiency, make sure these achievements stand out.
In a business manager role, your leadership and decision-making skills are crucial, so do not shy away from detailing these in your skills section. Be sure to quantify your accomplishments whenever possible, as this gives more credibility to your claims and shows potential employers that you deliver results.
When applying for a business management position, your resume often goes through a computer first. This system is called an Applicant Tracking System (ATS). It checks if your resume has the right words that match the job you want. To pass this test, follow these steps:
Make sure your resume format is simple. Complex designs can confuse the ATS. Also, save your resume as a Word document or a simple text file. Some systems read these better than others.
When you apply for a job as a business manager, you need to show you have the right skills. Make sure your resume speaks about your personal experience in managing a business. This means talk about what you have done, what you know, and how you have helped your past jobs. Your resume should give clear examples that match what the job needs.
When you list your experience as a business manager, you need to be specific. The tasks you handled should clearly show your skills. For example, instead of writing 'Managed projects,' say 'Managed 5+ teams to complete projects two weeks ahead of deadlines.' This gives a clear picture of what you can do.
It is also important to show results. Numbers can help with this. Instead of writing 'Increased sales,' you could write 'Increased sales by 20% in one quarter.' This shows exactly how you helped the company. Remember to keep your sentences short and focus on what you achieved.
As a hiring manager, I know how much a resume stands out when you use strong action verbs. They show your ability to take charge and make things happen. Remember, the verbs you choose should match the skills and experiences you have. They should be simple but powerful words that tell us what you did in your past work.
Here's a guide for picking the right verbs when you are applying for a role as a business manager. Think about the tasks you've done and choose verbs that give a clear picture of your work.
Want inspiration for other action verbs you can use? Check out synonyms to commonly used action verbs like Oversee, Cultivate, Worked with, Conducted, Clean up.
When you write your resume, it's important to show what you've achieved as a business manager. Simply listing your daily tasks doesn't tell us how well you did them. You need to turn those tasks into accomplishments that show your real impact.
Think about what you've done that helped the company. Did you reduce costs? Improve a process? Grow revenue? Here are two ways to change a responsibility into an accomplishment:
When you're updating your resume, it's vital to include the right hard skills. These show you have the practical abilities needed for business management. Here’s a list to help you start:
Choose skills that fit the job you want. For example, if you aim to manage projects, focus on
Remember, you don't need to list all these skills. Pick the ones you're good at and match the job. Include them in your work experience descriptions to show how you've used them. For instance, mention how you used
As a business manager, showing your impact with numbers can make your resume stand out. You want to prove that you are good at improving the business. Numbers help show the real difference you made. Here are ways you can think about your past work and find numbers to use:
Use these ideas to think about your own work. What numbers can you find that show you are good at your job? These metrics will help you prove your value to employers.
As a business manager, showing your growth in roles and leadership skills can make a big difference. Here's how you can include this on your resume:
Think about times you were asked to lead a project or a group. Even if you were not a manager, these are good examples of leadership. You might write 'Tasked with heading the quarterly inventory project,' which shows trust in your leadership.
Remember to focus on clear, specific examples that show you have the skills needed to manage and lead a team effectively.
When you apply for a business management role at a small company or startup, like Dropbox or Square, show how you are adaptable and can handle various tasks. You might say, 'Managed a team of 5 to drive sales and marketing strategies, leading to a 20% increase in revenue.'
For larger corporations, such as IBM or General Electric, highlight your ability to navigate complex structures and drive results at scale. Your resume could include, 'Oversaw a division of 200, ensuring compliance and efficiency, contributing to a 5% annual growth.'
Startups value hands-on experience and a proactive approach, while big companies focus on your capability to manage large teams and processes.