The director of operations job is multifunctional. The main goal is to guide the staff through day-to-day activities and ensure that the company is running efficiently. That requires you to be able to strategies, set KPIs, hire appropriate staff, analyze operations to look for points of weakness, deal with any day-to-day problems that arise, etc. Your resume’s experience section should show experience doing many of these tasks.
Most directors of operations will be required to at least have a bachelor’s degree; preferably in operations, business, management, or a related field. If your bachelor’s degree is not closely related to business operations, getting a master’s degree in the field would be a huge benefit. In addition, you will be expected to have 10 or more years of experience in operations or business management.
Outside of a strong educational background and lengthy experience period, directors of operations must be effective communicators and collaborators so highlighting communication or collaboration successes in your resume would most definitely help in attracting recruiters.
This guide was developed with recruiters in the field and includes useful resume samples, a list of skills you could include, and effective action verbs we recommend for your experience section. Take a look.
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A director of operations manages the day-to-day operations of a company. They work with managers across departments to ensure the staff is reaching their targets and that work is being done efficiently. Everyday tasks may include reviewing or updating procedures, analyzing data on staff effectiveness, and communicating with external stakeholders, among others.
This position requires strong management and analytical skills. Many recruiters will also expect you to have an advanced degree in business administration or a related field and 10 or more years of experience. Take a look at this recruiter-approved resume sample.
This is a senior operations position. It will be beneficial for recruiters to see how you grew into that position so focus on operations positions. If possible, prioritize the positions in the industry the company operates.
As the name suggests, a director of sales operations specializes in overseeing the sales portion of the company. You will be analyzing the efficiency of the sales team, investigating to find points of improvement in the operations of the sales departments, advocating for the sales departments both internally and externally, etc.
Because of the executive nature of this job, you will be required to have around 10 years or more of experience in sales or operations. Some companies will also need you to have a bachelor’s or master’s degree in a closely related field as well. Make sure you emphasize your hard skills and experience as this resume sample highlights successfully.
Recruiters will expect all candidates to have many years of experience in sales. Being able to include sales certifications may therefore give you an edge in the candidate pool. Certifications indicate your drive and also expertise.
The goal of the sales department is to maximize sales and revenue. So highlight your team’s success by using impressive metrics such as percentage increases in sales or impressive dollar amounts in sales in a given period. Look at how this candidate has done this effectively.
An operations director, sometimes known as a Chief Operating Officer (COO), handles the everyday happenings in a company. Your ultimate goal in this position is to ensure that your company operates cost-efficiently and time-efficiently. To accomplish this you will need to develop and set targets, change and improve procedures, set budgets, and communicate with stakeholders both internally and externally.
This is a high executive-level job and so you will need to show a very long history in operations or a related position, an advanced degree in a related field, and strong communication, analytical, and interpersonal skills. Here is a strong resume sample for this position.
Managers have different management styles and many use a couple of popular management methodologies like Agile, Scrum, Lean Six Sigma, etc. If you use a particular management methodology and have certification in it, make sure to include that in your resume as this candidate has effectively done.
This position is multifunctional and that should be reflected in your skills list. Recruiters need to know that you can develop strategy, manage vendors, manage teams, budget, etc. Make sure all functions highlighted in their job description are listed in your skills section.
Directors of operations in healthcare are sometimes referred to as directors of clinical operations and ensure that healthcare facilities work very efficiently. Some of the tasks you can expect include scheduling, overseeing, and evaluating the staff and their effectiveness.
Because this position is in the healthcare industry and there are numerous regulations, you will need to ensure that the staff is in full abidance of all related laws and regulations. This is a high-level position so recruiters expect your resume to indicate your expertise in the healthcare system as well as your expertise in operations. Look at this successful resume for inspiration.
This position is specific to the healthcare industry so your resume should read like it belongs to someone in the industry. Using healthcare keywords like ‘quality care’, ‘clinical supervision’, or ‘clinical trials’ are a great way to accomplish that.
This candidate has highlighted their master’s degree in clinical research administration. Make sure your healthcare-related qualifications take center stage. It may be a master’s degree like this candidate, or it might be a bachelor’s degree of separate certification instead.
When we reached out to hiring managers at companies like UPS, FedEx, and Amazon to get their thoughts on what makes a strong Director of Operations resume, a few key themes emerged. The tips below incorporate their insights along with our own research to help you craft a resume that will stand out and showcase your operations management experience in the best possible light.
As a Director of Operations, you'll be responsible for leading and managing teams. Showcase your leadership abilities by including examples of how you've successfully managed and motivated teams in the past.
Compare the following examples:
Instead, provide more context and specific achievements:
A resume summary for a Director of Operations role is optional, but it can be a great way to provide additional context about your experience and qualifications that may not be immediately obvious from the rest of your resume. It's particularly useful if you're a career changer or have a diverse background that doesn't perfectly align with the target role.
However, it's important to avoid simply repeating information that's already covered in your work history or skills sections. Instead, use the summary to highlight your most relevant achievements, metrics, and experience in a concise and compelling way. Aim for a short paragraph, no more than 3-4 sentences long.
The work experience section is the heart of your resume. It's where you prove to employers that you have the right experience to excel in the role. Directors of Operations need to showcase their leadership skills, ability to streamline processes, and track record of driving results. Use these tips to make your work experience section stand out.
When applying for director of operations roles, your education section needs to be strategic. Focus on your most impressive and relevant degrees. You can also include noteworthy certifications in this section. Here are some tips for crafting a strong education section on your operations director resume.
Strong action verbs tell a recruiter your role in a specific accomplishment. Director of operations resumes should use action verbs that are relevant to their job functions. Action verbs like "Overhauled", "Streamlined" or “Examined" are strong action verbs that effectively showcase a director of operation’s experience.
For a full list of effective resume action verbs, visit Resume Action Verbs.
When writing your resume for a director of operations position, you need to include all skills relevant to the position. So think of the skills, techniques, and technologies you use when developing strategies, managing staff, creating schedules, etc.
Here are some hard skills suggestions from director of operations postings.
Add these skills to the skills section on your resume.
This word cloud highlights the important keywords that appear on Director of Operations job descriptions and resumes. The bigger the word, the more frequently it appears on job postings, and the more 'important' it is.
Thank you for the checklist! I realized I was making so many mistakes on my resume that I've now fixed. I'm much more confident in my resume now.
