Exceptional office managers strengthen companies and organizations by coordinating with executives and other employees in a timely, accurate and professional manner. In this guide we provide expert tips and advice to create an effective office manager resume that will be sure to get hiring managers’ attention. If you’re interested in a career as an office manager, we recommend using one of the standard resume formats below, sorted based on experience level.
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Job Duties of Office Managers
An office manager directs the administrative management of various departments inside a company, usually with an executive team’s support. The best office managers always know what’s going on inside an office, why things are happening, and how they might change moving forward. They leave no stone unturned to organize and coordinate all activities while also maintaining facilities.
Here are some of the job duties of an office manager:
Scheduling meetings or events.
Keeping up with property superintendence and legal requirements.
Refining operations by researching, surveying, suggesting, and ultimately enabling policy changes.
Communicating with clients and staff.
Supervising administrative staff, including secretaries and office assistants.
Preparing, reviewing, and distributing company payroll.
Researching, analyzing and reporting on the effectiveness of operations.
Helping to develop company benefits, such as health care insurance.
Median Salary of Office Managers
An office manager’s average salary is $48,785 per year, according to PayScale, a U.S.-based compensation software and data company.
Top Skills for Office Managers
The office manager needs specific skills and abilities to do their job, and the number of skills people might see in a job listing can be quite extensive.
We’ve hand-picked the top skills for prospective office managers to include on their resumes. They include:
- Strategic thinking: An office manager keeps organizations running smoothly, and the demands are high for this position. Knowing how to strategically prioritize demands and make smart decisions is important.
- Clear and direct communication: Great communication skills are crucial for office managers. The ability to communicate effectively and clearly with clients and coworkers is vital.
- Attention to detail: An office manager may draft letters, book travel plans and accommodation, and prepare presentations and reports. A great attention to detail is necessary to ensure these tasks are completely accurately, on time and error-free. Financial acuity: An office manager is often tasked with helping management in evaluating the company’s finances. They may have to determine the value of office equipment and technology to sell to other vendors or analyze — and create a report for — administrative staff contracts.
- Financial acuity: An office manager is often tasked with helping management in evaluating the company’s finances. They may have to determine the value of office equipment and technology to sell to other vendors or analyze — and create a report for — administrative staff contracts.
- Delegation: Office managers supervise administrative staff, which may be as small as a handful of people or a much larger group. Being able to delegate tasks based on the staff abilities is a critical skill that helps with productivity.
- Organization: Classifying and organizing physical and digital files effectively is important in order to locate these files easily.
Education Needed for Office Managers
A degree
A bachelor’s degree in business is considered the best qualification for an office manager job. But you can definitely work as one if you don’t have a business degree.
For example, recent American Community Survey data found that 50% of administrative employees do not actually have a degree in business. So what was their educational concentration? Usually, it is in IT, HR management, public administration or communications
Candidates with only high school diplomas can also get a job as an office manager if they have enough experience in administrative and technical subjects.Certifications
The American Society of Administrative Professionals (ASAP) offers the Professional Administrative Certification of Excellence (PACE) to help address administrative professionals’ varying demands and responsibilities. The PACE program focuses students on four main educational modules: Communications, Project Management, Digital Technology, and People Management. The program costs $375, including the final exam.
The Certified Administrative Professional (CAP) certification is also a good option for upcoming office managers. Administered by the International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP) and accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA), this certification is marketed by professionals as being up-to-date and well-regarded due to national and international industry standards. The program focuses on practical, real-world knowledge. It costs $375 for IAAP members and $575 for non-members, and offers in-person and virtual proctors to help you study.
There are even more certifications you may want to consider, depending on your experience and education level
The IAAP offers a Certified Administrative Professional in Progress (CAP IP) certification to students at colleges or universities to help them stand out in the job market. Young students in administration who develop their professional knowledge and experience are most likely to get a job.
The American Society of Administrative Professionals (ASAP) offers a distinctive certification in facility management, focusing on 11 core competencies that include risk management, real estate, sustainability, and operations and maintenance. According to IFMA, 68% of those who’ve obtained the certification believe it helped improve their earning potential.
The Institute of Certified Records Managers (ICRM) also has a certification that focuses on record and information mastery. Courses are in Records Systems, Storage and Retrieval, Records Appraisal, Retention, Protection and Disposition. Students are also tested on specific business cases that mirror real-world issues they may face on the job.
Office Manager Resume-Writing Tips
Writing an office manager resume is easy if you pay attention to what you need to do. The primary goal is to understand the expectations of the organization you are applying to and then writing with the organization in mind. These are some of our specific writing tips for office manager resumes:
- Summarize your experience or state your career objective at the top. If you hook the potential employer with a good objective or summary statement at the top of your resume, you will have an advantage over other candidates. There is a difference between objective statements and summaries, as you should learn, but both are a quick overview of your specific past achievements and the special skills you’ve learned. Candidates with considerable experience or who have moved between positions in the same industry should choose a resume summary statement. And, those with less experience, such as first-year administrative workers, should choose objective statements.
- Make skills the central theme. This is an important part of the resume, but be careful: If you include too many skills and specializations, it could cloud the employer’s mind. We recommend you choose skills that best match what the employer is looking for. Consider incorporating these skills in a dedicated skills section on your resume or in the bulleted descriptions of your work experience. So how do you know which skills to choose?
- Since the office manager stands at the core of the administration of a company, it stands that good interpersonal skills help you communicate well with everyone. So when you’re adding this type of soft skill to your resume, think of the specific meetings, events and client calls where your communication skills made a difference to the team.
- In an organization with multiple departments, delegating tasks is a key part of the job. But there may be more specific skills that you use in order to do this, such as the ability to understand people or having a motivating personality.
- Ambition is a soft skill that may help organizations take a shine to you. But how will you apply this and similar skills in your resume? If you took courses in personal motivation from an expert like Tony Robbins, say, make sure it is clearly described, and specific to the coursework. Something like, “Graduated from Tony Robbins motivation course with emphasis on extrinsic power.”
- Publicize your accomplishments. Referring to accomplishments in your resume allows the employer to scrutinize your abilities. So make sure you efficiently describe your achievements that showed real impact in a previous organization, like implementing office policies that augmented efficiency by a certain percentage.
FAQ
What are the typical duties of an office manager?
An office manager contributes to the smooth functioning of an organization. They oversee operations, supervise staff, prepare payroll, and maintain facilities. Office managers also maintain files, monitor clerical functions, and assist the HR department in recruitment.
What are the credentials needed to be an office manager?
A bachelor’s degree is the essential qualification for an administrative office manager. A degree in business administration, facilities management, information management, human resource management are also relevant to this position. However, a high school diploma or its equivalent with a decent amount of experience or certification in the same industry, is also preferred.
There are many certifications that are appreciated and sometimes expected of office managers. They include those from nationally and internationally renowned organizations such as the International Facility Management Association (IFMA), the Institute of Certified Records Managers (ICRM), and ARMA International. These certifications assure employers of your ability to manage facilities, maintain records, and secure important information.
What is career growth potential for an office manager?
As per the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics, in comparison with other occupation fields, employment in the administrative office manager field is expected to increase by 6% in the coming decade. As office managers make a valuable contribution in various industries, a demand for their services will always exist.