Management Resume Writing Tips

Resume Writing Tips for Management Positions

Many managers and job seekers at the $60,000 range, and above, have very stable work histories but their job titles do not necessarily sell them well for the jobs they want. In this case, it is often better to label and highlight key skills that do match the positions being sought.

For example, Marilyn was able to land an Operations Management position paying $78,000 by relabeling weak job titles.

She had been an Assistant Store Manager for the largest bookstore in Seattle, Washington. In this position she had supervised up to 142 permanent and seasonal staff but realized that the title of Assistant Store Manager, along with her previous job titles, would make her look qualified for a $36,000 to $40,000 position--substantially beneath her goal.

Using my booklet, Proven Resumes: Strategies That Have Increased Salaries and Changed Lives, Marilyn relabeled her job titles to reflect her true job duties:

Before After

Assistant Store Manger Operations Management

Account Supervisor Customer Service Management

Outside Sales Representative Key Account Management

Here are a few statements from the body of Marilyn’s after resume:

Operations Management
Directed operations for facility generating sales in excess of $6 million annually.
Supervised staff of up to 142 sales and customer service employees in 2 branch locations.

Customer Service Management
Managed customer service department processing $120,000 in monthly orders.
Trained and supervised a staff of 12 Customer Service Representatives.

Key Account Management
Oversaw 200 commercial accounts, negotiating individual sales of up to $125,000.

As you can see, using key skill headings significantly elevated Marilyn’s image and focused employers on her top skills--not weak job titles. Marilyn used my booklet, Proven Resumes: Strategies That Have Increased Salaries and Changed Lives to create her new resume. It includes over 2,500 skills and sample sentence lists for 22 industries including a skill and sample sentence list for Management positions. Since many job seekers have held a variety of jobs from diverse industries, almost every job seeker finds at least 2 skill lists that match their backgrounds.

Using numbers to describe achievements and quantify was also another very important reason that Marilyn’s new resume was so effective. This strategy has been thoroughly discussed in resume books. Still many job seekers do not understand how to use this technique to control and elevate their image. To help job seekers write strong resume content that elevates their image, I developed 12 questions. For example, the second question is, "Will using numbers to describe the company or department you worked for expand your image?" If you look again at Marilyn’s after resume, you can see how we answered this question in each line of her resume.

To assist readers even further, I have provided supplemental questions to add depth to each of the 12 Questions. For example, when answering the question, "Will using numbers to describe the company or department you worked for expand your image?" here are a few items to consider describing (the booklet includes about 50 more items to consider when answering the 12 Questions):

Total Sales Revenues (of your company or department)
Number of Employees (you’ve supervised or are employed by your company)
Number of Divisions or Branch Offices (you coordinate with or supervise)

$9,000 Salary Increase
The first resume workshop in this site shows how Fran's after resume resulted in a $9,000 salary increase. Fran wanted a $33,000 Corporate Customer Representative job but her resume created an image of her being at a $20,000 to 24,000 salary level -- that's $9,000 to $13,000 beneath her goal.

What Level Does Your Resume Market You At?
If you are curious to see what level your resume is marketing you at … then be sure to read and use the graphing techniques in my first workshop. By graphing the job titles used in Fran's resume it's easy to see why her resume failed … and once you understand this … you will understand why the majority of resumes fail. You'll then understand how to analyze your job titles and see if you are better off using them or replacing them with skill headings that market you more effectively.

Most People Have Job Titles that Weaken Their Image
I estimate that at least 85% of all job seekers have job titles unrelated to their current career goals … and that they are much better off using skill headings rather than job titles to land higher salaries and double and triple their interview rates.

For example, Fran had been a Directory Operator but in most people's minds that doesn't sound like she's at the level of a Corporate Customer Representative making $33,000 … that's because most people don't view directory operators as providing true customer service. Most people say that Directory Operator sounds like someone making only $20,000. However, by using the 12 Questions in my Proven Resumes Series, Fran wrote a new description of her duties as a Directory Operator that described her being selected out of 100 Directory Operators to provide specialized Customer Service to the Governor's Office and Political Dignitaries in the Washington State Capitol … now that information begins to change our image of Fran doesn't it? That makes her sound much more like someone being able to command $33,000.

Which sounds like a better match for the $33,000 Corporate Customer Service Representative goal… her old job title of Directory Operator … or a skill heading like Customer Service Representative to State of Washington Account. In Fran's actual resume we used the heading of Customer Service Representative but you can see how you can play with skill headings to control and elevate your image … this is one strategy I explain in detail with examples throughout my book, Proven Resumes: Strategies That Have Increased Salaries, and one of the strongest things I can offer you as a resume writer … just in case you don't have the time or patience to write your own.

Going from 0% to 100% Interview Rate
By using skill headings that matched her goal, Fran went from a 0% interview rate to a 100% interview rate -- meaning none of her prior resumes had landed an interview but her new resume landed an interview for each position she applied for.

Click here to learn other ways we improved Fran's resume and landed her a job paying $9,000 more click here to read my first set of resume workshops! If you've entered my site via this page, be sure to go to my home page for an overview of more than 60 Free Resume & Job Search Workshops that include tons of Resume Tips for 45 Career Fields, Job Search, Electronic Resume, Cover Letter, Interviewing, Networking and Confidence Building strategies.

The testimonials at the top of this page and throughout my site describe salary increases ranging from $10,000 to $30,000 and more. Here's one of my most recent ones:

Regina, the resume you wrote caught the attention of the world's leading software manufacturer. Thanks for helping inspire me through your thoughtful questions and objective interpretation of my work history.

I'm sure it made a big difference in my ability to be recognized in a competitive environment and cross the $100,000 threshold. By the way, the offer I accepted was an increase of $25K annually (21% increase).
Rachel Pizarro, Senior Sales Account Executive / Operations Manager

In Summary
To maximize resume success, first identify key skills that match the jobs you want. Then use job titles and skill headings that create an image that matches the salary and responsibility level you desire. Use numbers to quantify and paint a descriptive picture of your responsibilities as Marilyn’s resume demonstrates. As you’ve seen, these strategies generate more interviews and higher salary offers.

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