Operations managers are high-level professionals who oversee the day-to-day operations of a business. They often manage multiple departments, balancing budgets and allocating resources to make the company as efficient and profitable as possible.
This upper-management role is as rewarding as it is challenging; you’ll have wide-ranging responsibilities and will need a broad skill set to meet the demands of your job, but you’ll be able to use your expertise and leadership to steer your company towards long-term growth and success.
As businesses are increasingly recognizing the crucial importance of these types of managers, the field is growing; some sources have projected a 6% increase in operations manager job opportunities from 2019 to 2029. Positions often pay well and can be competitive, even for qualified candidates.
If you’re applying for an operations manager job in 2023, you need to show that you have what it takes to thrive in that role. Recruiters want to see that you have leadership abilities, management experience, interpersonal skills, and the capacity for making sound decisions that can positively impact the future of a company.
In order to leave a lasting impression on a hiring manager, you’ll need a strong resume that sets you apart from other applicants. Read on to learn more about how to create a stellar operations manager resume that will showcase your most pertinent skills and abilities.
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The operations team is a crucial part of any successful company. The operations manager leads the operations team in managing all activities and initiatives associated with production and organizational processes. Operations managers can work in numerous fields and environments, and the job role may change based on the industry. However, regardless of industry, the operations manager is broadly responsible for overseeing the efficacy of most business operations.
To become an operations manager, you’ll need a bachelor's degree in an associated field, such as business management, logistics, or applied statistics. Hiring managers will be looking for a candidate with strong communication, problem-solving, and project management skills. In addition, they will look for someone with relevant previous experience, such as prior roles as an operations officer, operations analyst, or business management consultant.
The operations manager is responsible for identifying aspects of a business's operations that are ineffective and finding effective solutions for them. Your resume should demonstrate how you have identified issues and implemented new solutions in prior roles. Your resume should clearly show that you can identify problems and can use critical thinking and problem-solving skills to find solutions.
Another crucial piece of the operations manager's role is the ability to effectively train, monitor, and lead staff. The operations manager may be tasked with creating new training programs for employees. As such, it’s important to note any experience you have training staff, implementing new HR initiatives, and improving employee KPIs on your resume.
A successful operations manager needs to have a variety of skills. Excellent communication and leadership skills are vital because operations managers must work effectively across different teams and departments. More than anything else, these managers need to be able to generate measurable results for companies. A resume like this one uses detailed examples and numbers to show how you made a difference in previous positions.
This resume lists numerous examples of past achievements that had a measurable outcome (e.g. “increased sales within the first year by 15%”). These numbers are proof that your ideas and actions had a positive impact at places where you used to work.
Operations manager positions are senior-level roles that require proven leadership abilities. Mentioning how you coached, trained, or managed staff at your previous jobs shows that you have the ability to lead others.
Business operations managers may have more senior or executive roles at some companies than other operations managers. This resume showcases extensive experience within the field and accomplishments that demonstrate a high level of ability. Past promotions look good on any resume, but they’re especially important for business operations managers because they show leadership and proactivity.
This resume template mentions being promoted with a past employer, which is a mark of outstanding performance and professional growth. Both of these factors are crucial for senior-level job candidates.
To be considered for a business operations management role, you need to establish yourself as an expert in managing people. Leading resume bullet points with verbs like “overhauled”, “managed”, and “developed” underscores your management abilities, especially when you back them up with specific results that you achieved.
Technical operations managers work closely with technical teams to ensure that projects run smoothly and are completed according to all necessary specifications. They need to balance technical concerns with the interests of the company as a whole. If you’re applying for one of these jobs, use a resume like this one to showcase a blend of technical and managerial abilities.
This resume does a good job of highlighting operations management expertise, and it also includes technical experiences such as the architect and analyst positions. Having a strong background in technical roles can make you a stronger candidate for a technical operations manager position.
Technical work is specialized and requires specific hard skills. The skill section on this resume lists competencies such as programming or big data tools (e.g. Amazon Web Services). If you’re proficient in any of these areas, mention them by name to show evidence of your technical expertise.
Some companies employ sales operations managers to oversee their sales teams. These managers have a myriad of responsibilities, including training new sales staff, fostering communication between employees and clients, and streamlining sales processes. When you’re seeking one of these roles, your resume should show that you have some background in sales as well as management.
This resume sample focuses on the right kinds of work experience for the job. In addition to a previous sales operations management position, there are two sales manager positions, which suggest a strong foundation in sales. There are also plenty of examples within the bullet points that show management skills.
Operations managers get evaluated on the results they achieve, and the same is true for sales professionals. Having concrete figures to show for your work (e.g. “increased overall departmental sales by 10% in a single year”) helps quantify what you accomplished and shows potential employers what you may be able to do for their companies.
If you are technically inclined but also creative with marketing experience, a role as a marketing operations manager might be a great fit for you. Marketing operations managers oversee the technology and automation processes used to streamline marketing practices. The marketing operations manager handles implementing and improving marketing technology and processes, establishing needs and budgets for marketing technology, and working with other managers to understand what technology is needed to improve the marketing process.
For this role, you will need an educational background in marketing. A master’s degree in marketing or business is preferred. You may also have a bachelor’s degree in marketing and get a certification in marketing operations to be considered. More importantly, hiring managers will be looking for someone with a deep understanding of current marketing tools and how to implement them. An ideal candidate will have previous experience in marketing, sales, business analytics, or another related field. Marketing operations managers must be creative and great problem solvers while also being technically knowledgeable.
When hiring a marketing operations manager, companies want someone who knows how to produce results and optimize processes. For this reason, it’s important to highlight how you have improved marketing processes in the past, and what results you achieved. Showing hiring managers you are able to effectively improve processes is critical to landing this role.
Being a marketing operations manager requires a technical skill set that might not be taught in college. The marketing operations manager must know about marketing technology; how to implement it, how to ensure it integrates with other software, and how to track its efficiency. For this reason, it may help to become certified in marketing operations, or take courses to become certified in different marketing software programs.
A marketing operations manager supervises and optimizes companies’ marketing efforts. They may plan and implement campaigns, manage social media accounts, analyze performance, and ensure that all projects and messaging align with the company’s brand. A resume like this one is a strong choice for aspiring marketing operations managers -- it emphasizes skills specific to marketing and work experience in related positions.
Desirable skills for marketing operations managers include marketing areas such as strategy, B2B, campaign management, and analytics -- and this resume uses its skills section to feature these competencies.
The work history bullet points here all begin with strong verbs such as “collaborated”, “managed”, and “developed”. Words like these show your initiative and clearly illustrate what you achieved in your former roles.
Operations associates can learn about business operations as they work to support the day-to-day functioning of a company. While you do need to be organized and conscientious for this type of role, you don’t need management experience for this entry-level role -- so use your resume to underscore your education and internship history, as shown in this resume.
As an entry-level applicant, you won’t have a lot of work history to discuss -- so start your resume off with what you have accomplished in school and internship experience. If you’ve done coursework in relevant areas such as data analytics or operating systems, it’s great to mention that up-front.
This resume points out accomplishments at internships that directly relate to being an operations associate. The bullet points show that even though you’re early in your career, you’ve already made an impact with your work.
A retail operations manager is in charge of the daily operations of retail stores. You will manage the staff, staff schedules, and stock. You will also ensure the stores are kept clean, tidy, and efficient. Most retail operations managers will have bachelor’s degrees in management, business administration, or a related field. Substantial experience in customer service and retail is also expected. This resume shows a strong educational background as well as extensive experience in sales and retail.
A retail operations manager’s goal is to maximize efficiency. Maximized efficiency can translate to reduced costs and increased profits so include any metrics to show how you accomplished this in your previous positions. This resume is full of these metrics.
You don’t want your most significant accomplishment to get lost in your lengthy experience section. Let your shining accomplishment stand on its own by including it in the introduction section.
As the name suggests, this operations manager is in charge of the daily operations of a warehouse. Your tasks may include, ensuring the distribution plan is effectively realized, tracking inventory, overseeing the dispatching of inventory, etc. You will need to understand the goods your company is selling, their sales cycle, available transport methods, and the workings of a warehouse. As a manager, you will also need to have experience effectively managing a team. Take a look at this strong warehouse operations manager resume.
Warehouses usually need a sizeable workforce to operate efficiently so show recruiters that you are capable of managing large teams by listing the number of people you have managed in previous positions. This applicant impressively supervised 125 warehouse employees in their previous position.
Ensure that your tools section includes all the main tools used by professionals who operate warehouses and manage teams. If you applying to a specific company, do research to find out what tools they use and ensure you include those tools in your resume.
A warehouse operations manager oversees storage operations. They receive and dispatch packages and create strategies to improve the warehousing service. This is a systematic role in which they must supervise internal and external resources. This includes monitoring employees and meeting with external vendors.
Although they must comply with stakeholders’ requirements and goals, warehouse operations managers are expected to make business decisions independently. They must also drive workplace safety and delegate tasks to subordinates.
As a warehouse operations manager, you are expected to comply with supply chain local and federal legislations and ensure employees follow these laws as well. You should also be familiar with internal policies and stakeholders’ goals. Therefore, it is crucial to mention your familiarity with supply chain compliance in your resume.
As we mentioned earlier, you will have to make business decisions independently. This often involves setting business strategies, getting suppliers, and creating budget reports, so your administration skills must be on point. When writing your warehouse manager resume, try to indicate your administration skills.
Whereas operations managers handle the day-to-day operations of a business, senior operations managers handle the implementation of entire projects and strategies from inception to completion. Recruiters will expect you to have extensive experience in the field you are operating in, as well as extensive managerial experience. A bachelor’s degree in management, business administration, or a similar field would also be highly advantageous.
Recruiters would like to see evidence that you can work inter-departmentally and coordinate the implementation of a company-wide project efficiently, so highlight any experience you have working on a project of that nature. If you have any metrics to show the success of such projects under your leadership, include these as well.
Recruiters want to see how you grew to a senior position. Showing career progression shows that you have intimate knowledge of your subordinates’ tasks, and also shows that your work has been stellar enough to warrant promotion.
Healthcare operations managers are concerned with improving the quality of care for patients and increasing efficiency in the healthcare institution within which they work. Other tasks may include ensuring compliance is maintained, overseeing inventory, and commissioning new equipment to increase efficiency.
You will be expected to have a bachelor’s degree in health management, health administration, or a similar field. Any further qualifications like a master’s degree or certification in the field would be welcomed by recruiters and help your resume stand out from the crowd. You will want to show some soft skills in your resume including problem-solving, communication, leadership, etc.
You will want to show that you know the healthcare industry inside and out. Do this by including as much healthcare industry experience as possible. This applicant has focused entirely on their experience in the field.
Recruiters will want to see your journey to the operations manager position. By showing them that you have had hands-on experience in healthcare, such as this applicant who was an emergency nurse, you can show them that you are intimately knowledgeable about patient care and the operations of healthcare facilities. This would be more impressive than if your background was in another field.
An IT operations manager ensures that a company's IT systems are always functioning well. You will monitor the network infrastructure and address and resolve any system issues. More specific tasks may include password management, overseeing the installation of new software or hardware, ensuring data is properly handled, and managing the company’s IT technicians and support team.
You will be expected to have a bachelor’s degree in an IT-related field, and extensive experience in the field. As you will be in charge of a team, you will also be expected to have leadership and management experience. Previous experience as an operations manager would be even more beneficial to your application and resume. Here is an example of a strong IT operations manager’s resume.
Promotions show recruiters that you have been an exemplary employee whom employers have thought deserving of a promotion. It also shows recruiters that you will be able to lead your subordinates well as you have an intimate knowledge of their jobs.
IT is fast advancing and there are new systems being developed every day. Ensure your skills list reflects the most up-to-date systems. It will show recruiters you are knowledgeable and current in the field. If you aren’t familiar with the newest systems, take a crash course before adding them to your resume.
Operations managers need to be effective communicators who are adept at managing and working with others. They should be excellent leaders who can analyze processes, think critically, and make decisions that are in a company’s best interest. When you’re pursuing an operations manager role, it’s on you to show hiring managers that you can handle the responsibilities that come with the job.
In your resume, be sure to emphasize any managerial or leadership experience you have. For technical positions, use your skills section to showcase your hard technical skills. Other potential skills to highlight through your work experiences include budgeting, planning, strategizing, analysis, delegation, team building, and conflict resolution.
This word cloud highlights the important keywords that appear on Operations Manager job descriptions and resumes. The bigger the word, the more frequently it appears on job postings, and the more 'important' it is.
So now that you know what skills you need in order to be a great operations manager, what else should you keep in mind when you’re writing your resume? Here are some tips to guide you.
When you’re applying to become an operations manager, you should always start your bullet points with precise and powerful verbs that tell hiring managers what you accomplished in your prior work experiences.
Operations managers do need a range of skills for their jobs, but as upper-level managers, they especially need to display leadership and management capabilities. Although there are many possible action verbs they could choose from, aspiring operations managers may want to pay special attention to the Executive and Management verbs.
For more related action verbs, visit Sales Action Verbs.
For a full list of effective resume action verbs, visit Resume Action Verbs.
If you're a senior-level employee, or you're changing careers to become an Operations Manager, it's useful to add a paragraph at the top of your resume highlighting your most impressive accomplishments. This is called a resume summary.
Here's an example of a summary that can be used on an Operations Manager resume.
A resume summary is a totally optional section, and in most cases, it's better to leave it out of your resume than include it. For example, if you're a student or mid-level hire, you should not include a summary, and instead use the space to add to your work experience.
To learn how to write an effective resume summary for your Operations Manager resume, or figure out if you need one, please read Resume Summary Examples for Job Seekers: When To Include One.
You should use bullet points to describe your achievements in your Operations Manager resume. Here are sample bullet points to help you get started:
Led the evaluation and selection process for a CRM tool by developing a comparison model, liaising with senior stakeholders and candidate vendors, and running a proof-of-concept
Received Recognition Award for automating booking system, reducing required man-hours by 75%; promoted 6 months ahead of schedule
Refined outsourcing strategy, resulting in increased offshore headcount from 12 to 95 employees and saved $1.2MM
Designed and implemented operational efficiency improvement program for leading UK energy supplier to reduce rate of energy outages by 60% in three years
Proposed and implemented new Employee Incentive program, decreasing employee turnover by over 25%
For more sample bullet points and details on how to write effective bullet points, see our articles on resume bullet points, how to quantify your resume and resume accomplishments.
Created remote working guidelines that covered 35 employees, leading to higher employee fulfillment and increase division’s performance by 25%.
Overhauled and replaced assembly line technical procedures, leading to an increase in productivity by 30% while requiring 50% less staff.
Created onboarding documentation that was used to orient 100+ senior hires.
