Business Managers are vital to any company, so show employers that you’re vital to them based on your outstanding resume.
Business Managers oversee the business’s operations and its employees. They are responsible for identifying opportunities and goals for the company and enacting policies to meet those goals. They also evaluate the company’s performances while ensuring employee and business productivity.
In this article, we’ll discuss
Business Manager, Mattel Inc.
Business Manager, Starbucks
The first step to drafting your resume is deciding which resume format to use. This depends on your career experience and skillset.
You have 3 main options for your resume:
Tip: only include jobs relevant to the position to which you’re applying, so leave out any former jobs that don’t fit. Do include jobs like Spa Manager, Business Development Manager, or Business Analyst. These all show that you can lead others and that you are familiar with the administrative and executive duties expected of a manager.
Tip: Read our advice on How to Explain Employment Gaps on a Resume.
Tip: When in doubt, choose the Reverse-Chronological resume format. For more details, check out our guide on How to Write Your Resume in Reverse-Chronological Order.
For a Business Manager, hiring managers want to glance at your resume and get a sense of the following:
The best format for a Business Manager is the Reverse-Chronological resume format. This is because it shows the trajectory of your career -- how you’ve grown professionally and expanded your work experience and knowledge base. Check out our advice on How to Show Your Job Promotions on a Resume for more details.
Did you know that, on average, only 10% of job applications result in interview invites?
While this is certainly an optional section, including a resume summary is one of the best ways to land an interview
But first --- what is a resume summary?
A resume summary is one or two sentences at the top of your paper that summarizes your entire resume. It’s the punch line that gets the resume reviewer wanting to know more.
For a Business Manager career, include the following points in your summary
Here is an example of a bad resume summary:
Business Manager with experience improving business profitability and client retention.
This is a bad resume summary because it is incredibly vague. How did you improve profitability and client retention, and by how much? And this summary gives no indication of who you are as a person.
Here is an example of a good resume summary:
13+ years of managerial experience in the food and beverage and toy industries. Proven to increase profitability by 25% through implementation of rewards programs and keen detailed budget analyses. Passionate about employees and customers alike, implementing diversity trainings for the former and spearheading engaging social media campaigns for the latter.
This is a good resume summary because it quantifies your accomplishments (more on that later) and details all you’ve done.
For more information, checkout our guide on How to Write a Killer Resume Summary. Or, browse our Resume Summary Examples.
The next step to drafting your resume is to list your work experience. This includes the name of your position (See: The Right Way to List Job Titles on a Resume), the name of the location at which you worked, and the length of time in which you worked.
Your work experience should include the following:
Be sure to use strong action verbs in each of your bullet points. Here are a few to get you started:
Furthermore, write your resume experience in a way that anyone in your industry will understand. Don't use company-specific language.
For example, let’s say you worked at a place that called “cash flow” something like “the moolah.” Not everyone is going to know what “moolah” means, so it’s best to stick with the common name of “cash flow” otherwise a hiring manager may not know what you’re talking about, and if the manager is confused, they’re more likely to throw out your resume and move onto the next.
You should also quantify your resume whenever possible. This means adding a number -- such as a dollar amount or percentage -- to your accomplishments. Quantifying your resume gives the hiring manager a more concrete idea of your workplace performance. For example, say that you “supervised 14 employees,” “improved customer retention by 20% by implementing a new rewards system,” or “saved the business $30,000 by switching to a new, more streamlined POS software.”
Tip: One way to quantify your resume is by listing your accomplishments and awards. These can be awards or accomplishments earned in your workplace (“Employee of the Year”) or given to you by your industry or a related organization.
For more information on how to format your work experience, check out our guide on How to Describe Work Experience.
Don’t have any work experience? We have a guide for Writing a Resume with No Work Experience!
Skills show the hiring manager what you can do for the company -- without taking up too much space in the “work experience” part of your resume.
There are two types of skills -- soft and hard. “Soft” skills are those that are not quantifiable and are more indicative of your personality. Examples include leadership, problem-solving, and communication. In contrast, “hard” skills are those that are learned through formal education. Examples include computer technology, programming or foreign languages, and certifications.
Business Managers need to have a solid set of both soft and hard skills. The soft skills will help you work with people, namely your employees and investors, while hard skills will help you manage the business and navigate the industry with its heavy competition.
Here a few ideas of skills to include on your resume:
Relevant Soft Skills
Relevant Hard Skills
Tip: When completing this section on your resume, review the employers’ job requirements. Try to incorporate some of the language they use. For example, let’s say the job description states they need someone who can “conduct office meetings and come up with proactive strategies to improve productivity and employee morale.” Include some of these keywords by listing skills like “Leadership,” and “Communication.”
If you want a more complete list of skills, read our guide on 100+ Key Skills for a Resume in 2021 with Examples for any Job.
Business Managers need a Bachelor’s in business administration, business management, or another applicable major. Some positions may require that prospective managers have their MBA. Additionally, you will need 3-5 years of experience before you can be considered for this role.
When writing your education section, be sure to include:
Still uncertain on what to include in this section? Review our guide on How to List Education on Your Resume in 2021.
Certifications show employers that you’re expanding on your skills and diversifying your experiences. Not only are you more knowledgeable, but you’re also more employable.
You can either get business certifications directly through your university or through online programs.
Certification programs include:
For more information on certifications, check out our guide on How to Include Certifications on Your Resume the Right Way.
Now it’s time for the fun part -- picking the aesthetics of your resume!
Here at EasyResume, we offer several different templates.
Your resume template should reflect the job to which you’re applying. For a Business Manager career, try a Professional or Modern format, as these will showcase your abilities and skills in an aesthetic yet polished way.
If you want to create your own template, read how with our Step-by-Step Guide on How to Create a Resume Template in Microsoft Word.
We’ve done it! Almost.
Now it’s time to get down to business -- actually creating the resume.
Here’s what you need to do:
Start from our resume example to save time.
Good luck with the interview that is sure to come your way!
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