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With your strong organizational skills, administrative prowess and efficient management style, you can manage an office with one hand tied behind your back. But have you managed to write an office manager resume that will propel you forward?
With the help of some easy-to-follow instructions on how to write a resume, professional writing tips for every section and some excellent office manager resume examples for reference, the task can be much simpler than you think. Here, you’ll learn exactly what you need to know to write an impressive office manager resume in a matter of minutes.
Keep reading to learn more about:
- Examples of office manager resumes for applicants with and without experience.
- What makes an office manager resume great.
- Tips and tricks, including how to study an office manager job description to optimize your resume.
- What to include in every section of your office manager resume.
- How to choose the right resume template and format for the role.
Ready to write an office manager resume now? Use our professional AI Resume Builder for step-by-step help writing every section.
Office manager resume example
What makes this a great office manager resume sample?
- It’s an industry-appropriate resume template.
This resume is professional and easy-to-read, making it a strong choice for an office manager resume.
- Utilizes the right resume format.
Since this applicant is applying for his first role as an office manager, he has chosen a functional resume format to highlight his education and impressive skill set. Using multiple skills sections is a great way to drive home that you possess the necessary skills to perform the role.
- Contains a strong resume objective.
This office manager resume example starts with an informative career objective for the applicant. It highlights his past experience and makes it clear that he is ready for the next step in his career.
What makes this a great office manager resume sample?
- Utilizes a chronological resume format.
This candidate has climbed the ladder from office assistant to office manager, so she chose a resume format that showcases her impressive work experience and strong career progression.
- Uses data and metrics.
To give tangible examples of the type and volume of work she has done, this applicant uses data and metrics to quantify her results throughout her work.
- Rich skills section.
While her work experience section is impressive on its own, the addition of a rich skills section shows recruiters at-a-glance that she meets the criteria for the role and makes her resume highly customizable to the office manager job description to which she is applying.
More office manager resume examples
Not finding the manager resume you are looking for? Check out the job titles below or take a look at our library of resume examples to preview hundreds of job titles to find what you are looking for.
Choose the right resume format for your office manager resume
To land the office manager job you want, you need to get the right information in front of a recruiter. How do you accomplish that? By selecting the right resume format. Here’s how to decide which one is right for you:
- Entry-level applicants with little to no work experience should consider using a functional resume format.
- Midlevel applicants with some relevant office management experience should consider a combination resume format, which is ideal to showcase a balance of skills and work experience.
- Experienced applicants with more than five years of direct experience should consider a chronological resume format to highlight work experience and a strong career progression.
Visit our guide to learn more about how to format a resume that best presents your skills and experience to employers.
Select an appropriate office manager resume template
While every office manager resume template will have the same basic sections — a professional summary or resume objective, skills, work history and education — you can customize the look and feel of your resume by selecting the right template.
Since being an office manager exists across industries, you’ll want to choose a resume template that matches the culture of the company to which you’re applying. Choose from our creative resume templates for office manager roles in artistic fields like advertising or marketing. Or for more conservative environments, peruse our template library to see if one of our modern resumes or simple templates is more appropriate.
How to write a office manager resume in 5 simple steps
While there are some basic rules for writing a great resume, top candidates for competitive office manager jobs know that the key to getting noticed is to write a resume that is specific to the industry and the role they seek.
Step 1
Study the office manager job description
A well-written office manager resume is customized to include keywords that show employers that you have what it takes to perform the role. Why is this important?
Many employers run resumes through applicant tracking systems (ATS) that screen out unqualified candidates based on preset keywords. If your resume doesn’t contain the right keywords, you’ll be eliminated before a human ever sees your resume. To make your resume ATS-friendly, you’ll need to customize it to the job description. That’s why if you’re able to successfully incorporate the right keywords, you’ll improve your chances of landing a job interview.
While every office manager role is different, a good job ad should tell you everything you need to know about which keywords to add to your resume. The key to success is to study the office manager job description and make a list of critical keywords to add to your resume.
For example, if the job description for the role you seek asks for strong problem-solving skills, excellent written and verbal communication, prior office management experience and experience managing teams, you’ll want to be sure to use those exact words in your office manager resume. Look for opportunities in your professional summary, skills section and work experience section to add the keywords you’ve identified. Then, go through your resume and make sure what you wrote matches the wording in the job description so that the ATS recognizes it.
It may sound like a lot, but once you get used to the process, it should only take you a few minutes to do and will get your office manager resume better results than if you don’t tailor it.
Step 2
Write a professional summary or resume objective
Depending on your level of experience, your office manager resume should include either a professional summary or a resume objective to start. Think of this section as your resume profile, where you provide potential employers with a summary of your most relevant skills and experience and some professional highlights.
Candidates with less experience should choose a resume objective, which states your transferable skills and your career goals. Applicants with direct experience in an office management role should use a professional summary, which outlines your skills and experience and highlights some of your most notable professional accomplishments.
Here are some strong examples for your office manager resume:
Office manager professional summary example:
Experienced and dedicated office manager with over 11 years of proven expertise in efficiently overseeing office operations and enhancing productivity. Adept at managing diverse administrative tasks, cultivating a collaborative work environment and optimizing processes to drive organizational success. Skilled in personnel management, process improvement and effective communication. Proficient in utilizing technology to streamline workflows and enhance efficiency. Demonstrated ability to lead teams of up to five individuals to achieve strategic goals and maintain high levels of performance. Committed to maintaining a harmonious and organized workplace while consistently delivering exceptional results.
Office manager resume objective example:
Detail-oriented and motivated individual with a strong foundation in administrative support and a background as an executive assistant. Seeking to leverage my experience and transferable skills into a role as an office manager. Eager to contribute my excellent organizational abilities, effective communication skills and adeptness at multitasking to streamline operations and enhance overall office efficiency. Seek to foster a collaborative work environment and facilitate smooth day-to-day operations while continually growing and adapting within a dynamic professional setting.
Step 3
Highlight your most relevant office manager skills
Regardless of your experience level, hiring managers will be looking closely at the skills you add to your office manager resume. Skills should be added to your resume skills section and peppered into your professional summary (or resume objective) and the office manager duties on your resume.
It’s critical that you provide employers with a solid mix of hard and soft skills. Hard skills are the measurable skills needed to perform a job, like budgeting and using Microsoft Office software. These skills are easily taught in a classroom.
Soft skills, like leadership and problem-solving, are behaviors and personality traits, which make them difficult to measure. Below, we provide a side-by-side list of hard and soft skills to help you see the difference between the two.
Hard and soft skills for a office manager resume
- Personnel management
- Microsoft Office
- Inventory management
- Operations
- Jira
- Slack
- Effective communication
- Time management
- Collaboration
- Attention to detail
- Problem-solving
- Deadline-driven
Here is an example of a strong office manager skills section:
- Proficient in using Microsoft Office, Jira and Slack
- Strong written and verbal communication skills
- Excellent collaboration skills
- Deadline-driven with stellar time management skills
- Extensive experience with inventory management
Office managers need a varied set of skills to excel in the role. When writing your skills section, adding computer skills and other technical abilities are, of course, critical. However, soft skills, like being detail oriented, count, too. Try to find a mix of hard and soft skills to show that you are a well balanced applicant.
Step 4
Write a strong office manager work experience section
While the required background and experience will be different for each office manager role, the key to getting noticed is writing a work experience section that demonstrates what you will bring to the table.
Here is an example of a great office manager work experience entry:
Office Manager, J.R.Willow & Co.
Boise, ID
January 2021 – Present
- Lead and supervise a team of four administrative professionals, fostering a collaborative and results-driven atmosphere while providing guidance and support for daily tasks and professional growth.
- Streamline office operations by implementing efficient systems for file management, inventory control and office supply ordering, resulting in a 25% reduction in operational costs.
- Spearhead the planning and execution of company events, including seminars, workshops and annual conferences, ensuring seamless coordination and enhancing employee engagement.
- Manage executive calendars, schedule appointments and arrange meetings, optimizing time utilization and facilitating effective communication within the organization.
- Oversee the creation and distribution of internal communications, newsletters and memos, ensuring consistent and transparent information flow across departments.
- Negotiate vendor contracts, reducing expenditures by 15% through strategic procurement practices while maintaining high-quality service levels.
Make your office manager credentials stand out to busy hiring managers by using action words, data and metrics to capture their attention.
Step 5
Showcase your education and training on your office manager resume
To be hired as an office manager, you’ll need to show employers that you have the required education and training. The education requirements for an office manager can vary depending on the industry, company and specific job responsibilities. In many cases, a formal degree is not always mandatory, but having relevant education and training can enhance your qualifications.
How to list your office manager education:
Education:
Associate Degree
Business Administration
Fresno Community College
Fresno, CA
Certifications:
- Certified Administrative Professional (CAP)
- Microsoft Office Specialist
- Certified Office Manager (COM),
If you have professional certifications or special training, add them to your resume. You can include them in your education section or add a special section to your office manager resume.
Optional sections for your office manager resume
Awards and honors
Many parts of an office manager’s success can be measured, so including awards for exceptional performance or leadership can be a real boon to your office manager resume. Plus, the addition of honors and awards on your resume sets you apart from other contenders by showing the employer you are truly dedicated to your field and capable of making significant contributions to their organization, which ultimately will increase your chances of landing the job.
How to list awards on your office manager resume:
2021 Team Leadership Award Jones Real Estate – Fresno, CA
2018 Innovation Award Jules Design – San Francisco, CA
Projects
Projects are a great addition to your office manager resume because they show you’re capable of using your skills to enrich your work environment. It’s one thing to learn something but quite another to put an idea into practice with a successful outcome.
Projects are also a tangible demonstration of the types of skills — from problem-solving and time management to teamwork and leadership — that are valuable to employers. Here are some project examples that an office manager might include on their resume to showcase their skills and contributions
How to list projects on your office manager resume:
Office Relocation Management: Led the successful relocation of the office, coordinating logistics, communication, vendor relationships and workspace setup, ensuring a seamless transition with minimal downtime.
Process Improvement Initiative: Implemented a digital document management system, streamlining file access, reducing paper waste by 30% and improving overall office efficiency.
Remote Work Transition: Coordinated the seamless transition to remote work during challenging circumstances, ensuring all employees had necessary resources and support to maintain productivity.
Languages
For office managers, communication is key. Being fluent in more than one language expands your communication abilities, giving you access to a wider variety of clients, vendors, customers and stakeholders, which is something that many employers value.
Ultimately, being multilingual is a skill that could make you more attractive to an employer and give you an edge over the competition.
How to list languages on your office manager resume:
- Fluent in English and Spanish
- Proficient in Cantonese
Interests and hobbies
Adding hobbies to your office manager resume offers you an opportunity to show your personality and meaningfully connect with a potential employer. Plus, they emphasize your transferable skills, like creativity or leadership — qualities you take from job to job.
Just be sure that the hobbies and interests you list are neutral — meaning not political or religious in nature — and that they enrich your overall profile, showing the employer how you are a unique and fully defined person.
How to list interests and hobbies on your office manager resume:
- Avid tennis player
- Enthusiasm for home organization projects
- Volunteer dog walker for the ASPCA
Add a cover letter
Adding an office manager cover letter to your application can help you stand out. Why? Because it gives you extra space to convince the employer that you’re the right person for the job.
Learning how to write a cover letter for an executive assistant job starts with studying our cover letter examples to learn how to express your unique candidacy in a compelling way and how to format your cover letter for success.
Or, if you want a job-specific cover letter in a matter of minutes, use our professional Cover Letter Builder, which offers professionally written text suggestions for every section. Use the wording as-is or customize it to suit your needs.
Key takeaways for your office manager resume
Follow our steps for a standout resume:
Take care to write all five sections of your resume in a way that is specific to the job you seek. Your professional summary, skills, work experience and education section should all contain information that is targeted to the job ad.
Select the appropriate resume format:
Decide what you’d like to emphasize the most on your office manager resume — strong skills, an impressive work history or both — and then select the format that will help you put your best foot forward.
Be specific to the role:
Use specific information from the job ad rather than generic resume filler when crafting your document. Again, a well-written job description will tell you the critical credentials you must emphasize on your resume.
Include both hard and soft skills:
Being an office manager requires a mix of technical and personal skills to do the job well. Study our list of hard and soft skills to be sure that you include a balance of both types in your resume.
Make your work experience section shine:
Accomplish this by using action verbs, data and metrics to show the impact of your work.
Choose an appropriate resume template:
Office manager roles exist in creative environments and conservative workplaces alike. If you’re applying for a job at a conservative organization, you’ll want to choose a conservative resume design. For creative fields like marketing, your office manager resume can be more colorful and creative.
Go the extra mile:
Including a well-written office manager cover letter can increase your chances of landing a job interview.
Commonly asked question about resume writing
Last Updated: October 23, 2023
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Heather is the Content Strategy Manager for Resume Now and a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) with more than ten years of experience writing about job search and career topics. She is based in San Francisco.
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