Management Resumes: Applying for Your First Management Job
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At some point in your career, you may be ready for the responsibilities and challenges of managing other people. The company where you work may not recognize that moment as quickly as you do. If you feel you must move on to move up into management, Robin’s Resumes® can help.

Here are a few things you can do to strengthen your resume for applying for management positions:

  • Attend courses, webinars, and seminars that focus on managing people, time, and/or finances. An MBA is not essential for all management positions, although it can be helpful, but you should show that you have educated yourself on the role.

  • Obtain any relevant certifications in your field (for example, Project Management Professional or Six Sigma or LEED certification). Again, these certifications may not be essential but they add to your qualifications.

  • Take advantage of opportunities at work to lead, whether as a member of a 2-person committee or as a supervisor of 20.

  • If you cannot find any opportunities at work, then find them in volunteer or civic leadership positions.

  • Keep a careful record of the impact of your leadership. For example, if you are asked to choose a new vendor for the company, make sure you know where the previous vendor failed, where the new vendor succeeds, and the impact on the company: “reduced time to respond to help desk requests by 5 minutes per call by changing telephone providers.”

  • Remember that you are applying for management. You should be prepared to help your resume writer with examples of how you motivated people, defused difficult situations, liaised with other departments or vendors, saved an organization money, and so on.

And finally, hire a professional resume writer who will focus your management resume, identify hard and soft skills you may have overlooked, and make sure that your resume and cover letter contain the keywords that hiring managers and recruiters are looking for a manager. Contact Robin’s Resumes® today.