A relationship manager creates and builds relationships both within and outside of a company. Internally you may be tasked with optimizing relationships between departments, coworkers, etc. Your goal here would be to maximize employee satisfaction and company efficiency and output.
Externally, you may be charged with creating and nurturing relationships with customers, partners, and other stakeholders like the government. Here your goal would be to create a supportive ecosystem within which your company could thrive and maximize sales.
Interestingly, relationship management is one of the few jobs where both genders are well represented with women making up 46.5% of relationship managers and men making up 53.5%. Also interesting, is the fact that the vast majority of relationship managers work in the finance sector.
When looking at resumes, recruiters will want to see at least a bachelor’s degree in a related field like business, psychology, etc. But above the qualifications, your resume should show a history of measurable success in relationship management. This resume guide will give you resume samples, tips, action verbs, and skills that we have carefully compiled in consultation with leading recruiters to help you craft a resume that will get you the right attention.
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As a relationship manager, your job is to create and nurture relationships with clients and other stakeholders. To do this you must understand the products your company offers and how they align with your client's needs. You also need very strong communication and interpersonal skills and must always be ready to share information or solve problems for your clients. You may also be tasked with strengthening relationships internally so you must have a strong understanding of the structure of the company, its ethos, and its HR regulations.
Your resume should show a wealth of experience in customer-facing positions and a positive track record of nurturing client relationships and internal relationships. Here is a recruiter-approved resume sample.
Certifications show recruiters that you are willing to take extra steps to be the best in your profession and that you have been trained to succeed. So if you have any relationship manager certifications, make sure you highlight them in your resume. This applicant has 2 impressive certifications.
While relationship managers by and large work to build relationships with clients, they may also be tasked with strengthening internal relationships between or within departments. If you have experience helping internal stakeholders, include those details in your resume.
As the name suggests, these relationship managers focus only on strengthening client relationships. In this position, you will research and approach potential clients, secure sales, and strive to maintain the relationship between the client and the company. This position requires a long history in customer-facing positions so ensure that your resume reflects that as this resume does.
Your interpersonal skills will also be essential for your success, so work on showing that skill and others by highlighting your successes using that skill. Take a look at this successful resume sample.
Metrics are an easy way to impress recruiters who are looking at your experience. For this position, include metrics like a client satisfaction rating or engagement rating. This applicant has used metrics very effectively throughout their resume. Try to do the same.
Show recruiters that you are very experienced in building relationships with clients by showing a history in client-facing positions. Being able to show an upwards progression like this applicant has, will give you the extra benefit of indicating your success in each position and the confidence previous employers had in you to promote you.
Customer relationship managers are the people who try to build customer loyalty by offering personalized and friendly service to customers. In this position, you will invite and welcome new customers, answer any questions they may have about the company or its products, help with any issues they may be having making a sale, and encourage them to renew their subscriptions or otherwise continually return as customers.
This position requires excellent communication, persuasion, and problem-solving skills. The best way to highlight these soft skills is by showing their effect on the bottom line using metrics. Recruiters are also likely to favor applicants with customer-relationship and managerial previous positions so limit your experience section to those two roles. Here is a recruiter-approved resume sample.
Using powerful action verbs may seem like a small tweak but it makes a big difference in framing your resume. Show recruiters that you are a leading force in the profession by using powerful leadership action verbs. These words may include ‘mentored’, ‘supervised’, and ‘trained’. This applicant has used action verbs very effectively.
You need to show recruiters that you are excellent at building relationships with clients, but you also need to show that you are excellent at managing teams. So ensure your experience section is balanced in showing your expertise in both functions. Your skills and tools section should also serve both functions equally. This resume is a great example of that balance.
We spoke with hiring managers from top companies like Oracle, Salesforce, and HubSpot to find out what they look for in a great relationship manager resume. Based on their insights and our own research, we've put together the following tips to help you create a resume that will impress recruiters and land you more interviews.
Relationship managers need to be excellent communicators and have strong interpersonal skills. Make sure to highlight these skills throughout your resume, especially in your work experience section. For example:
Avoid simply listing 'communication skills' or 'interpersonal skills' without providing context. Instead, show how you used these skills to achieve specific results.
A strong resume summary can be a powerful tool for relationship managers looking to make a strong first impression on potential employers. While a summary is optional, it can be particularly useful for those with extensive experience or who are making a career change. However, it's important to avoid using an objective statement, as these are outdated and often fail to provide value.
When crafting your summary, focus on highlighting your most relevant skills, experiences, and accomplishments. Use metrics and specific examples to showcase your impact in previous roles. Keep it concise and tailored to the specific relationship manager position you're targeting.
The work experience section is the heart of your relationship manager resume. It's where you showcase your relevant skills, accomplishments, and impact in previous roles. Use this section to demonstrate your ability to build and maintain strong client relationships, drive revenue growth, and achieve strategic objectives.
Action verbs set the tone for a resume and help guide your experience section. Each of the achievements that you list in your experience section should begin with a strong action verb. Here is a list of action verbs that you can use for a relationship manager resume.
As a relationship manager, you will want to use both managerial and relationship-nurturing action verbs. Managerial action verbs can include ‘managed’ and ‘spearheaded’, while relationship-centered action verbs can include ‘resolved’ and ‘nurtured’. Do not repeat action verbs if possible. When in need of similar action verbs, refer to this list or look up synonyms and pick the most appropriate one.
For a full list of effective resume action verbs, visit Resume Action Verbs.
This position is not the most technical, so your skills section should be populated with tasks and functions that you are experienced in. For a relationship manager, relevant tasks and functions could include negotiation, customer retention, and consulting. As for your tools section, try and include sales and customer-related software like CRMs and administrative tools used for managing teams. Because technology is fast-paced and always evolving, go over your resume to ensure it represents the most recent and commonly used software in management and client relations. To give yourself an edge, go a step further and try and find out what technology the company of your choice uses and make sure you include that technology in your resume.
We have compiled some industry-standard skills for this position. Take a look and include any skills that you feel represent you well, in your resume.
You can include the above skills in a dedicated Skills section on your resume, or weave them in your experience. Here's how you might create your dedicated skills section:
This word cloud highlights the important keywords that appear on Relationship Manager 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.
