The ultimate goal of a management CV is to persuade the hiring manager to invite you to an interview. With that in mind, it needs show off your management skills and experience, highlight the impact you’ve had on a business and be professionally presented. Easier said than done? Check out these top tips.
How should I format my management CV?
A management CV needs to look the part. Adding a new jobs to your first-ever CV isn’t going to cut the mustard at this stage. Start from scratch – or at least review the whole of your original CV to make sure that it still aligns with your career objectives and positions you as a credible professional.
You’ll need to start with the following sections – create a new header for each:
- Contact details
- Professional profile
- Key skills or Areas of expertise
- Career summary
- Qualifications and professional development
- Further details – this section is optional!
You’ll also want to choose a sensible font – sans serif fonts are generally easier to read on a screen and look more contemporary. Use your name as the page header, along with a short headline that summarises what you do.
Always opt for bullet points and white space over a cramped wall of text – it’s much easier to read. A two-page CV is generally expected for those currently in, or embarking upon, a management role.
What should I include in the profile?
The
profile section, or summary, is a vital part of your management CV. As it’s likely to be the first thing the hiring manager needs, it should be concise, high-impact and persuasive. State exactly what you do, in terms of your role and your industry, and why you’re good at it. Think of the profile as your elevator pitch – it’s a small window to make a great first impression.
This paragraph should be
tailored to the role you’re applying for – if you know what problems and challenges the company is facing, this is a great opportunity to show how you can contribute to a solution.
What management skills should I include?
It’s time to delete the bland soft
skills that you used on your first CV. For example, you could replace “communication” with “negotiation” or “influencing” and replace “teamwork” with “team leadership”. Show that you’re already operating at management level, even if you don’t have the job title yet.
Skills such as resource management, change management and project management are all in-demand skills at this level. The skills that you include should align with the requirements of the role you’re applying for, so analyse the
job advert to see exactly what’s needed and reflect that back in the skills section. Make sure that you include hard skills as well as soft skills on your management CV.
How do I show my management experience?
If you already have management experience, this section will be easy to write. Explain the scope of your role, in quantifiable terms. How many people do you manage? How many teams? How many sites? What’s your budget? Two or three sentences or bullet points should be more than enough to cover this.
Then, you need to show your
achievements. Think about how you’ve impacted the business and, again, quantify as much as you can. Your management CV needs to show that you’re able to contribute to a business and make a difference.
If you’re not yet in a management role, demonstrate the skills and experience you have that proves you’re ready to step up. Start with a brief outline of your role and use the achievements section to show how you’ve gone beyond the basic requirements. Maybe you’ve managed a project or event, trained new staff or deputised for your manager? Consider what you’ve done that qualifies you for a management role.
What should the Qualifications section include?
Add your highest-level
qualification only – if you have a degree, don’t forget to include the subject and university. You may also be able to add details of any professional development you’ve undertaken – courses, certificates, training, workshops and so on. The only rule is to keep it relevant to the job you’re aiming for. If it adds value to the CV, it’s worth including – otherwise, leave it off.
What else do I need to include?
There’s really no need to include anything else on your management CV, but if you have any relevant skills or experience that don’t fit into any of the above sections then you can differentiate yourself from other candidates by including it in a
Further Details section. Consider volunteering, foreign languages, knowledge of an industry IT system and so on.
Management CV example
Here’s an example of a management CV that you can adapt to suit your needs:
