In this field, showing you understand health and safety is vital. List any related certifications early on your resume. Examples include OSHA certification or Certified Facility Manager (CFM). These catch the eye of hiring managers because they are specific to managing sites and keeping people safe.

Also, show hands-on skills for upkeep and emergency fixes. For example, knowledge in HVAC or electrical systems stands out on a resume for someone who wants to manage a building or facilities.

For a job managing a facility, it's important to stress leadership and operations skills. Have you led a team or a project? Mention this early in the resume. Managers need to make decisions and solve problems fast, so your resume should show that you can do this.

Also, detail your experience in managing budgets and contracts. These show you can plan and manage money, which is a big part of a facilities manager's role.

You should show you know what a facilities manager does and that you have done it before. Match the skills on the job ad to your past work. Show you are right for the job with your past wins. Make each point short and easy to understand.

• For technical know-how, use words like building maintenance, compliance regulations, or energy efficiency when you talk about your past jobs.
• If you have been a leader, say how many people you have led. Use phrases like managed a team of 10 or led facility upgrades.
• If you are new to this work, talk about your old job in a way that fits. Say you managed projects or budgets, which is also part of a facilities manager job. Use a point like oversaw project budgeting.

When you create your resume as a facilities manager, the right action verbs can set you apart. You must show your ability to lead and manage effectively. Use verbs that clearly describe your contributions and achievements in your previous roles. These words should reflect the skills that are most valued in facilities management, such as coordinating, maintaining, and improving.

Here is a list of action verbs that you can use to demonstrate your capabilities in facilities management:

• To showcase your leadership in managing teams, use directed, supervised, coordinated, oversaw, and led.
• To display your skills in upkeeping a safe and efficient workspace, choose implemented, maintained, upgraded, inspected, and secured.
• If you want to highlight your strategic planning abilities, include developed, planned, strategized, organized, and scheduled.
• For showcasing your problem-solving skills, opt for resolved, restored, troubleshooted, rectified, and repaired.
• To emphasize your financial management expertise, use budgeted, reduced, controlled, negotiated, and managed.

Want inspiration for other action verbs you can use? Check out synonyms to commonly used action verbs like Complete, Work with, Gain, Team, In charge.

When you're aiming to manage facilities, showing a track record of leadership and progression is key. You want to make it clear that you have grown in responsibility and skill. Think about times you've taken the lead on projects or stepped up to manage a team.

Here are ways to show this growth:

• Detail any roles where you started as a team member and moved up to a supervisory position, using phrases like 'Promoted to oversee a team of 10 maintenance staff.'
• Highlight instances where you led major projects, for example, 'Managed a facility upgrade project with a $500,000 budget.'

Remember, even if you're unsure how to label your experience, any time you took the initiative or were recognized for your leadership counts. Use clear, simple language to describe these moments, such as 'Led a team...' or 'Directed operations during...'

As you tailor your resume, including specific skills can make you stand out. Here are some to consider:

• Facilities maintenance
• Project management
• Building codes knowledge
• Energy management
• Contract negotiation
• Health and safety regulations
• Space planning
• Vendor management
• Preventive maintenance
• Emergency response planning

Think about the tasks you've handled. If you've managed large buildings, energy management might be a key skill. If you've coordinated with many contractors, vendor management is a must. Place these skills in a dedicated section for clarity and to pass Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS). ATS can filter out resumes without relevant skills, so it's important to show yours.

Remember, you don't need every skill listed. Focus on those that align with your experience and the job you're aiming for. If you're new to the role, highlight skills like building codes knowledge and health and safety regulations, as they're foundational to a facilities manager's responsibilities.

Using numbers can show your impact clearly. This is important for a facilities manager. Hiring managers want to see how you improved operations.

Think of metrics like cost savings, time reductions, and increased efficiency. For example, you might have reduced maintenance costs by 15% or cut response times for repairs by 30 minutes.

Even if you are unsure, try to estimate. You can say you handled X number of maintenance requests per month, or you improved space utilization by 20%.

• Estimate the total square footage you managed.
• Think about the number of staff you supervised.

When you apply for jobs at different types of companies, your resume should show your skills in a way that matches what they are looking for. For a small company or startup, like WeWork or a local property management firm, you might write about how you can quickly solve problems and are flexible with job duties. For a big company, like CBRE or JLL, show that you understand complex systems and can manage many tasks at the same time.

• For a startup: "Managed facilities needs for a 50-person office, adapting to rapid changes and tight budgets."
• For a larger company: "Oversaw building operations and maintenance for a 500,000 sq ft corporate campus, aligning with strategic corporate goals."