The proliferation of technology in recent years has led to software engineering becoming one of the most in-demand professions in the workplace. Software engineers are responsible for everything from developing apps, software, and games, to maintaining and optimizing existing technology systems

Considering how much value they provide to a large variety of companies, it comes as no surprise that the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that employment of software developers will grow 21 percent from 2018 to 2028. This is a significantly faster rate than the average projected growth for all occupations, which sits at only 5 percent. This is great news for software engineers, right?

Well, on one hand, more jobs mean more employment opportunities. On the other hand, competition is already rife, and will only get worse. After all, the number of high-quality jobs still outweighs the number of low-quality ones and there are millions of software engineers already vying for the same jobs. The latest research from Evans Data Corporation estimates that there are 4.4 million developers in North America alone. 

So how do you ensure that your dream company chooses you as their next software engineer? Apply with a world-class software engineer resume. Without a resume that showcases why you’re the right person for the job, you won’t be able to score an interview - even if you tick all the boxes. If you don’t know how to create a resume that will impress recruiters, take a read of our expert guide below. 

Our software engineer resume template and writing guide will:

• Provide you with software engineer resume template samples
• Teach you how to create an ideal resume that impresses recruiters
• Highlight what you should include and avoid
• Show you how to make a professional resume using a resume builder

1. Multiple Template Examples

2. How to Write an Eye-Grabbing Software Engineer Resume

How to format your software engineer resume

A reverse-chronological format is the most logical way to format your software engineer resume. This format directs recruiters to your most recent work experience first, and then the next most one, in reverse-chronological order.

The reason why you should set your resume up in this way is because recruiters usually pay particular attention to where you’re currently working and what you’ve achieved so far (or, if you’re currently unemployed, what your last job was and what you achieved there). This gives them a strong indication of where you are career-wise and whether it’s a good fit for the role at hand.

Another important section to feature in your resume is your “Education” section. This section should be relatively shorter than your experiences section as it should simply state key details about each educational experience e.g. your school, degree, major, and the years attended. That is, unless you lack work history - in which case you can include some details about your educational achievements.

There are also certain rules of thumb you should follow for the layout of your resume. We’ve listed the most important ones below:

• • Number of Pages: 1 page only.
  • Fonts to Use: Standard professional and easy-to read fonts such as Gill Sans and Cambria.
  • Fonts to Avoid: Any experimental, boxy, or “robotic-looking” fonts such as Roboto Mono.
  • Margins: 1 inch on all sides.

• Line Spacing: 1 or 1.15.

• Header size: 14-16 point size.
• Text size: 11-12 point size.

What recruiters will look for

Recruiters aren’t just looking for software developers who offer standard attributes such as a solid educational background, an impressive skill set, and relevant work experiences. They are after someone who genuinely brings something unique to the table. 

As we mentioned above, software engineering is a very competitive industry. By implication, every open role will attract hundreds, if not thousands, of applications, particularly if it’s at a well-known company such as Google, Facebook, or IBM. 

Recruiters therefore have no shortage of software engineer resumes to select from. This makes it imperative that your resume convinces them that you’re a one-of-a-kind candidate who can’t be passed up. Recruiters are looking for someone who’s clearly put effort into their application, while offering the right combination of skills and experiences needed to excel in the job.

You can convince a recruiter you’re who they’re looking for by ensuring your resume is logically formatted with a clean and simple layout. This will show you’re a consummate professional who values the recruiter’s time. You will also need to be strategic about which information you choose to present on your resume, as well as how you present it. To put it simply, your resume needs to present your skills and experiences in the best possible light. You can achieve this by paying careful attention to best practices for writing it, as our guide here highlights.

What skills to mention and how to do it correctly

Many software engineer resumes focus exclusively on candidates’ technical skills. While showcasing your technical skills is undeniably crucial, it’s vital that your resume demonstrates that you’re a well-rounded employee. Think about it: no one wants to work with someone who’s technically adept but lacks interpersonal and organizational skills.

Unlike your technical skills (which we discuss further directly below), you shouldn’t include your soft skills in a separate skills section. Instead, incorporate them naturally into your job experience section. For example:

• Compiled and presented key findings of a comprehensive technical report which identified major vulnerabilities in the company’s software, resulting in the implementation of greater security measures.  

The job description above not only effectively shows off the candidate’s technical abilities (i.e. identifying vulnerabilities and compiling a technical report), but also their soft skills (i.e. presenting their findings and their strong communication abilities).

If you’re having trouble figuring out which soft skills you can offer an employer, consider the following:

• Creativity
• Dependability
• Team work skills
• Time management skills
• Presentation skills
• Decision-making skills
• Critical thinking skills
• Integrity

How to list your technical skills and which ones should be mentioned

Recruiters won’t bother trying to figure out if you have the right technical skills to succeed in a job. Instead, they’ll select a candidate who has made their technical skills known from the get-go in their resume.

This is why it’s absolutely imperative that you feature your technical skills prominently. However, don’t just list an assortment of technical skills you have. They need to be relevant to the job you’re applying for. For example, if a job ad states that a company is after an iOS app developer, they want someone who has the specific skills necessary to effectively develop and maintain iOS apps. 

Once you have determined which skills to focus on, list them out in a dedicated section titled “Skills.” Only feature your technical skills in this section - no other types of skills should be included. 

You should also make sure to intertwine your technical skills in your job experience section. Doing so will help add substance to your achievements and give you yet another excuse to highlight what a highly-skilled professional you are.   

If you need some ideas of what technical skills to include, check out our list of popular ones below:

• Computer programming languages (e.g. Ruby, Java, JavaScript, HTML, C Language, C++, C#, HTML, Python, etc)
• Network protocols
• Tutorials and Demos
• Developing mobile and PC apps
• Data structures and algorithms
• Software debugging
• DevOps
• Documentation
• Databases and indices
• Object-oriented design
• Agile processes
• Status tracking tools 
• Security testing

Pro tip: If you have space, you can also mention one or two of your most eye-catching skills in your resume objective or resume summary.

How to show what you’ve achieved with each of your skills

The best way to show what you’ve achieved with each of your skills is to let your job experiences do the talking for you. Your job experiences should not just state what you have done in each role, they should also communicate how you drew on your skills to achieve impressive results. 

For example, if you want to show off your strong Java skills, highlight a concrete example of when you used them to advance the interests of your company. Likewise, if you are proud of your ability to work well in a team, be sure to include an eye-catching example which illustrates your strong collaboration skills.

What achievements to mention and how to do it correctly

When it comes to putting together an eye-grabbing software engineer resume, the achievements you choose to feature is one of the most important decisions you will make. 

Any achievements that are either a) irrelevant or b) written in a way that doesn’t immediately wow should be replaced or rewritten. You should primarily mention achievements that the recruiter is seeking from an ideal candidate. The best way to work out what these are, take a close look at the job ad. It will likely explicitly state which skills and experiences a company is seeking under the heading “Our ideal candidate will possess...”

You can also mention any other achievements that would pique a recruiter’s interest, such as those that had a significant and measurable impact on your company.

When writing out your achievements, your primary aim should be to engage the recruiter, and make them curious to find out more in person. This is why you should not only describe what your achievements are, but also why they are noteworthy. Where possible, it’s a good idea to quantify your results to drive home why they are valuable.

For example, the following achievement is written in such a bland and uninspiring way that it would make a recruiter’s eyes glaze over:

• Made changes to the company’s e-commerce software to make it faster and more popular than before.

Compare it to this version of the same achievement, which uses far more engaging and results-focused language that would instantly grip a recruiter:

• Upgraded and optimized the company’s e-commerce software to improve efficiency and usability, leading to a 200% increase in speed and 320% more visitors.

As the above example shows, on a resume, an achievement is only as good as you can describe it. You can turn a humble achievement into an eye-catching one, and an incredible achievement into a lacklustre one, simply by the language you use.

What to avoid mentioning

Your software engineering resume needs to clearly communicate why you’re the right software engineer for the specific job you’re applying for. Consequently, unless you have no experience in the field, you should only mention skills and achievements that are related to software engineering.

Leaving such information in will detract from your software engineering achievements and confuse the recruiter as to which type of work you actually want to undertake. In short, it’s preferable for your resume to be tight and have white space than be clogged up with irrelevant information. 

Pro tip: Are you wondering how you can prevent your resume from looking patchy if you lack professional experience in software engineering? Read the section below, “How to write a resume when you have no experience” for our expert tips.

How to write a resume objective (with examples)

If you’re just getting your start in the world of software engineering, it’s strongly recommended that your resume features a well-written resume objective. A resume objective is useful for novice software engineers as it gives you the chance to win over a recruiter even if you’re lacking professional experience. 

Your resume objective should tell the recruiter why you are worthwhile considering for the position. You therefore need to put your best foot forward by highlighting your most notable attributes and achievements. It’s even better if you can communicate how these attributes will benefit the company. 

Recruiters are always interested to discover why you even want a job in their company in the first place. So don’t forget to include your overall work goals in your resume objective.

Here are some examples of resume objectives to inspire your own:

• Final year BS Computer Systems Engineering student at UGA with a 3.5 GPA looking for a fast-paced software engineering position in the non-profit sector. Active member of the Society of Women Engineers University of Georgia Student Branch.

• Driven software engineer specializing in React and iOS app development aspires to work as a junior software engineer in an innovative company like Creative Minds Co. Has 1 year of experience as a junior app developer at a Forbes 500 company. Recently awarded Employee of the Month.    

How to write a resume summary (with examples)

Once you have more than a couple of years of experience, you will need to replace your resume objective with a resume summary. A resume summary is a brief statement about the most valuable professional experiences and skills you offer. 

Aim to make your resume summary as relevant to the job you’re applying to as possible. Keep the recruiter’s objectives in mind, and shape your resume summary accordingly. For example, if you are applying for a job primarily involving JavaScript development, highlight an achievement which involves you using it.

You should also emphasize any professional experiences that show your determination to grow professionally, such as any conferences and seminars you are/were involved in, and certifications you hold.

To get you started on writing your own resume summary, consider the following examples:

• Detail-oriented software engineer with over 6 years of app development experience at Stellar App, including 2 years of managerial experience. Holds Oracle Certified Master (OCM) certification and attends DeveloperWeek every year.

• Searching for an opportunity to apply my strong C++ and security testing skills developed over 8 years working at Crystalize Co. Regularly conducts in-house seminars for fellow software engineers and is a 2x speaker at Startup Grind Global.

Pro tip: To catch the recruiter’s eye, highlight your soft skills in addition to your technical skills. 

How to list any additional details, like certifications, awards, hobbies, and interests

Certifications

Listing additional details that are relevant to software engineering can be just the thing that adds some extra flair to your resume. 

We strongly recommend that you clearly list any relevant certifications in a separate section called “Certifications.” Doing so will show that you have proactively sought to improve your soft engineering knowledge and skills. Some examples of certifications you may hold include: 

• Microsoft Technology Associate (MTA) certification
• CCA Spark and Hadoop Developer certification
• CIW Web Foundations Associate certification
• Oracle Certified Associate (OCA), Oracle Certified Professional (OCP), Oracle Certified Specialist (OCS), and Oracle Certified Master (OCM) certifications

Hobbies and interests

There are only a few circumstances in which we recommend including your hobbies and interests on your resume. The reason we generally advise excluding them is because they take up precious real estate on your resume which could otherwise be used to emphasize more relevant information. 

One circumstance you should make sure to include them is if the job description requires it. Some companies ask applicants to include this information on their resume, by writing something along the lines of, “We want to find out more about who you are, so be sure to mention your hobbies and interests on your resume!”

In such a case, you can list out your hobbies in a section called “Hobbies.” You should only list 2 to 3, unless otherwise advised. Your hobbies don’t need to be software engineering related - so feel free to be truthful. Ultimately, they should give the recruiter an insight into what makes your mind tick outside of work.

The only other circumstance where hobbies could aid, rather than hinder, your chances of scoring a job is if you have no work experience. We’ll explain more details about this directly below. 

How to write a resume when you have no experience

If you have no professional software engineering experience to your name, the good news is that you will still be able to put together an eye-catching resume. However, you’ll need to be strategic about putting it together.

Instead of focusing on what you don’t have (that is, professional experience), focus on what experiences and skills you do have. Here are a few ideas that are sure to impress:

• • Your education: Are you a new grad or currently enrolled in a college degree, community college course, or an online course relevant to software engineering? Be sure to include this information in your resume’s “Education” section. Note your major, minor (if any), and any programming coursework you have completed to date. You can even flesh this section out with bulleted points about your most noteworthy achievements. 
  • Internship experiences: Internships should definitely be listed in the “Experience” section of your resume. If you don’t have any directly relevant to software engineering, feel free to include details about how you used relevant skills such as computer skills.  

• Personal Projects: Personal projects which require you to draw on your software engineering skills can quickly capture the attention of a recruiter. Is there an app you’re working on that you’ve coded all by yourself? A personal website that already has 1000 visitors? Or how about an open source project you’re actively contributing to? Projects like these show your initiative and enthusiasm to recruiters. Include them under the heading “Software Projects”. 

• Your skills: Even if you’ve haven’t yet worked as a software engineer, doesn’t mean you don’t have plenty of attractive skills to offer employers. In the “Skills” section of your resume, list any software engineering skills you have - even those you don’t have formal training in. Just be sure to note your level of proficiency for each skill. For example, JavaScript (proficient), HTML (advanced), CTT (familiar), etc.

If your resume is still looking too sparse, you may wish to add a “Hobbies” section. Ideally, you should list at least a few hobbies that have relevance to software engineering. For example, contributing to an open source project.

One piece of advice that every resume expert can agree to is the importance of targeting your resume for each application. The reason it is so vital to customize your resume each and every time you apply for a job is because applying with the same resume will drastically diminish your chances of a recruiter contacting you.

After all, recruiters can instantly recognize the difference between a generic resume an applicant sends out to a number of companies and one they have spent the time to specially put together just for their company. Needless to say, a recruiter will be far more interested in a candidate whose resume conveys their suitability to a position at their specific company.

The most straightforward way to ensure your resume is unique each time is to specifically address the criteria found in each job ad. Your resume should basically serve as a platform to show how you meet most or all of the criteria the recruiter is looking for. 

Incorporate any relevant language and “keywords” that feature in the job ad into your own resume. This is vital for two reasons. Firstly, doing so will demonstrate to the recruiter that you effectively address the criteria they’re looking for and that you’re taking the effort to apply with an original resume.

Secondly, it will prevent your resume from being passed over by applicant tracking software (ATS). ATS is a software program that HR professionals use to streamline the hiring process. It works by automatically filtering applications based on given criteria such as keywords. That means your application could be dismissed by a piece of software even before being seen by a human!

Pro tip: Don’t dismiss the prevalence of ATS! Research from Jobscan found that at least 98.2% of Fortune 500 use an ATS. 

4. How to Use a ResumeBuild Template to Make a Software Engineer Resume

If you follow all of the expert tips we’ve shared in this guide, you’ll significantly increase your chances of scoring an interview. However, we know there are a lot to follow, and that you’d rather spend your time advancing your skills than tweaking your resume. 

That’s why we suggest using a resume template instead. It’s the best hack you’ll come across for making an eye-grabbing software engineer resume recruiters can’t get enough of.

At ResumeBuild, we have dozens of resume templates you can choose from. For example, our Gravity resume template gives your resume a modern but professional feel. The blue icon accents besides each heading help to catch the recruiter’s attention, while the layout is optimized to present your skills and experiences in a highly-organized manner. 

To help you put together your resume with one of templates, we’ve created an intuitive and easy to use resume maker. It is designed to give you step-by-step guidance so you can complete each section of your resume to perfection. 

Not only will it tell you exactly what information you need to include, it will also provide you with plenty of pre-made examples of job descriptions just for software engineer resumes. To use them, head to the “Experience” section in our builder. Under the “Career field” subsection, select “Computers and Technology.” Then, under “Career subfield” select “Software Engineering.” You can now select any pre-written examples you’d like to use either as-is or with some editing.

Give our resume maker a go for yourself, and you’ll see why thousands of people now rely on ResumeBuild to help perfect their resumes.

Businesses can’t function without offices, and offices can’t function without an office manager to oversee everything and keep things ticking over. It’s an exciting, dynamic role where two days never look quite the same, which makes it an attractive option for a wide range of people looking to get a foothold in the working world.

Throughout this guide, we’ll be explaining how to create the perfect office manager resume. If you’re interested in applying to be an office manager at some point in the near future, the tips and pieces of advice below will help you to elevate your resume from “good” to “great”, which can make all the difference when it comes time for the recruiter to hire somebody for the role. 

Multiple Template Examples

How to Write an Eye-Catching Office Manager Resume

How to Format It

Due to the dynamic, wide-ranging nature of the job, experience is vitally important when it comes to crafting a great office manager resume. That’s why we recommend the chronological format for your own application. By prioritizing your past experience and making it clear from the very first glance that you’ve already proven yourself in the workplace, you’ll be giving a recruiter a great reason to look at your resume in a bit more depth.

Another advantage of the chronological format is that it makes it easy for anybody reading your application to see the way your career has been progressing over the years. This will make it clear that you’ve been able to develop your skillset during your work history, helping to reinforce the idea that you’re experienced with several different rungs on the career ladder.

If you don’t have much experience, the reverse chronological format might be the ticket for you, as it’ll highlight the experience you do have without making it look like there’s anything major lacking. We’ll be providing more tips on how to write a killer resume without much or any experience later on in this guide.

What Recruiters Will Look For

Office managers need a wide range of traits in order to be effective in their work. As well as being competent in their own work, they need to be able to manage people effectively, meaning leadership qualities are of vital importance. But that’s not all recruiters will be looking for.

It’s hard to decide how well-suited somebody will be for a management position just by reading their resume, so recruiters will be examining your application in depth in order to ascertain whether or not you might be a good fit. Here are some of the things they’ll be looking out for as they go through your resume and ultimately decide on how strong a candidate you are for the position.

1. Excellent Organizational Skills

A messy, poorly run office is the exact opposite of how a solid business should look. If you’re not able to keep things tidy, up to date, and in their right place at all times, you might be ruling yourself out of the role before your application even got properly started.

Office managers must possess top-notch organizational skills to be effective, and to ensure the office as a whole is working to maximum capacity. Organizational ability is therefore one of the single most important traits recruiters will be looking out for as they go through the stack of resumes in front of them.

2. Leadership Qualities

There are some things you can learn, and some things that are just innate. Although anybody can brush up on their leadership skills and learn to be more assertive in the way they communicate, natural leadership is something that’s difficult to coach, and it’s a very attractive quality for a potential office manager candidate to possess.

Being a natural leader bodes well for the future of the office you’ll be managing, but it also helps to ease doubts in the recruiter’s mind about whether or not you’ll be able to adapt to the challenges of the job on a daily basis. However, even if you’re not a leader by nature, as long as you’re able to effectively organize and manage groups of people you’ll catch the recruiter’s eye all the same.

3. Technical Skills

Apart from being able to oversee and direct the members of your office, it’s important that you’ll be able to actually handle the technical demands of the rest of your job. The person hiring for the position will, therefore, be on the lookout for people with adequate technical skills. 

Fortunately, these skills don’t need to be anything over the top. Simply being well-versed in how to use Microsoft Office programs and having a working knowledge of printers, scanners, and copiers will tick this box for the recruiter reading your resume.

Which Hard & Soft Skills to Include and How to Do It Correctly

For office managers, the divide between hard and soft skills is less straightforward than for some other, more technical positions. A lot of your working routine will involve managing and overseeing the office you’re in charge of, which requires skills we usually consider “soft”, such as communication and organization. Here are the best ways to present your hard and soft skills to prove that you understand what the position requires.

Hard Skills

The hard skills used by office managers on a daily basis typically involve technical aptitude with software packages, as well as being able to use the actual machinery present in the office. See below for some of the most important hard skills to include on your resume:

• Familiarity with the MS Office Suite, such as PowerPoint, Word, Excel, etc
• Comfort with preparing and presenting information to a large group of people
• Technical competence with devices like fax machines, printers, scanners, etc

Soft Skills

Unlike a lot of other positions, soft skills are perhaps more important for office managers than the pertinent hard skills.This is because your real value will come from how you can manage the people around you, as opposed to the work you’ll be doing yourself in the office. Here are the soft skills recruiters will be keeping an eye out for:

• Leadership ability
• Solid communication skills, particularly with regards to assertive, direction-giving communication
• The ability to delegate effectively when required
• Motivational skills, to inspire your colleagues and boost productivity

• Excellent conflict resolution skills, to sort out the inevitable problems that will arise in the office

• Strong time management and organizational skills

How to Highlight Your Achievements

When you consider which achievements to include on your office manager’s resume, you need to keep in mind what the recruiter will be looking for. Because it’s a managerial role, you’re going to want to prioritize any achievements made in areas that required you to be in a position of leadership or similar role.

Educational achievements are always impressive, because they indicate that you’ve been excelling for years, not just since you graduated school. Outside of the educational sphere, any achievements you’ve made in areas that required a lot of self-direction or self-motivation will also go down very well, as they’ll show that you can work effectively under your own steam without needing a massive amount of guidance.

When you highlight your achievements on your resume, keep things short and to the point. Your achievements will sell themselves, and being concise will prove to the recruiter that you’re aware of how impressive they are on their own.

Why Mentioning Your Exact Duties in Previous Office Manager Jobs Is Important

Too often, people don’t hone in on precisely what exactly they did in their previous roles when writing an office manager’s resume. It’s a mistake to take a more generalized approach, as that can effectively go in one ear and out the other for the recruiter who has to pore over potentially dozens of different applications. If you’re the fifth time they have to read about how you were vaguely successful as an office manager in the past, you can bet that they won’t remember you all that well.

It might initially sound a bit silly to talk about things you did as part of your daily routine, but it’s exactly what the recruiters are looking for. Don’t be afraid to get very specific. The more granular you can be, the better, since it’ll show that you understand what’s required of an office manager on a day-to-day basis.

Mentioning your duties is important, but it’s also important to mention ideas you had on how to improve the processes in your office. For example, if you were able to put together a plan to revitalize the existing lineup of printers and copiers without needing a massive budget, that’s an excellent point to include since it demonstrates initiative, financial savviness, and the confidence to trust one of your own ideas and follow it through to the end.

How to Write a Resume Objective and Examples of This

A resume objective should be written in a straightforward tone that focuses on your abilities and proves you’ve thoroughly read the job listing in question. Don’t go over the top, and try to stay in the passive voice as much as possible; it might sound a little dry to you when you read over it the first time, but it’s exactly what’s required for an excellent resume objective. Check out these two examples of well-written resume objectives:

1. Experienced individual with 4 years of experience as an office manager looking to fill that role at ABC Inc, leveraging strong interpersonal communication skills and a history of successful project management with teams both big and small.

2. Driven, passionate office manager with 6 years of experience interested in bringing problem-solving acumen, commercial awareness, and excellent management skills to the same role at XYZ Corp. 

How to Write a Resume Summary and Examples of This

One way to think of a resume summary is as a way for you to really sell the value you’ll be able to provide your new employers if they hire you. As opposed to the resume objective, a resume summary is your chance to talk about what you’ve been able to accomplish in previous roles, and how you can bring that experience to bear in this new position. Here are some good examples of resume summaries (note the differences in tone and style compared to the resume objective examples above):

1. Focused individual with 5 years of experience working as an office manager keen on broadening horizons at XYZ Inc by filling that position. In my most recent professional experience I was able to boost office productivity by 40% while working with a slashed budget and avoiding redundancies as much as possible.

2. Professional office worker with 10 years of experience interested in applying to the role of office manager at ABC LLC. I’ve worked on several management projects in the past, including one task which required interdepartmental collaboration and direct interaction with C-level executives. I’d welcome the chance to bring my problem solving abilities and interpersonal skills to your organization.

How to List Any Additional Details like Certifications, Volunteering Experience, Etc.

In addition to the strictly relevant aspects of your resume, such as your work history and resume objective / summary statements, it’s important that you list your additional details correctly. Don’t be shy about mentioning other experiences you’ve had, particularly if they help confirm your own leadership skills in some way. Here are the best ways to go about mentioning other details on your resume:

1. Volunteering Experiences

Talking about any experience you have in a voluntary capacity is a great idea, since it shows the recruiter that you’re generous with your time, and that you’re not afraid to spend some of your energy on a good cause. Any time you’ve spent volunteering at all is worth mentioning, but pay special attention to any volunteering experiences you have that involved leading or managing in some description, since it’ll translate well to the kind of work you’ll be doing as an office manager. Keep this section of your application concise and to-the-point for maximum impact on the recruiter reading your resume.

2. Online Certifications

These days, there’s no end of online courses you can take in your free time to further your skillset and broaden your knowledge. Even if they’re not specific to being an office manager, it’s a good idea to include them as it shows that you have a self-educating streak, as well as making it clear that you’ll be able to follow through on tasks with minimal input from higher management. Any online qualifications you’ve been able to pick up will be of value, and if they have something to do with the business world, even better.

How to Write a Office Manager Resume When You Have Limited or No Experience

Applying for an office manager job with no experience is likely to be a little challenging. The main reason for this is that since it’s a role with so much responsibility, the person hiring you will likely want to see some kind of proof that you’re able to handle a management position. 

However, if you don’t have much experience in the area, all is not lost. You just need to talk about the experience you do have in the right way to try and offset the lack of directly applicable experience. 

One good way to help yourself out in this regard is to mention any leadership qualities you’ve been able to demonstrate in other arenas. For example, time spent in a managerial role in a completely unrelated field will always go down well.

Similarly, if you’ve worked in an office of some kind, but not as a manager, mention that too, and don’t be afraid to bring up any time you’ve spent creating or working on projects yourself. You don’t need to have worked as an office manager in the past to make it clear to your future employer that you’re a good leader, and expressing familiarity with the way an office works. That might make up for the lack of specific office manager experience.

How to Target Your Resume for a Specific Application

Targeting your resume for the specific job you’re applying to is probably one of the single best ways to ensure you make an impression on the recruiter going through the candidates. The ideal way to target your resume in this regard is to read the job listing itself as closely as possible, and to take notes throughout about what the people hiring for the job might be looking for. By focusing on some keywords and tailoring your resume to comply with them, you’ll be making it obvious that you’re not just sending out a copy-and-pasted resume to a hundred different jobs.

Here are some things to look out for, in order to make your resume as specific as possible:

1. People Skills

You can be the best manager on the planet, but if you’re not able to communicate with the people you’re in charge of - it won’t do anybody any good. If you see a lot of words throughout the job listing that focus on things like communication, delegation and other aspects of managing people as opposed to simply managing teams, make sure you talk in detail about your own interpersonal skills, whenever possible.

2. Business Savviness

As well as taking charge of people and ensuring that the office itself is working well, you’ll be called upon to make strategic business decisions from time to time. This is an often overlooked aspect of being an office manager, which means that if you can target your resume to tick this particular box, you’ll be presenting an attractive package right from the start. 

If you come across a lot of talk about business acumen or commercial knowledge in the application, don’t shy away from making it clear that you know a lot about the business world. This could take the form of discussing former projects you worked on that required commercial insight, or it could involve discussing how much you enjoy furthering your knowledge about the world of business.

How to Make Your Resume Stand Out

The best way to make your office manager resume stand out is to do things a little differently from your competition. For example, you can rest assured that practically every other candidate will be talking about their managerial experience in bland terms, focusing on buzzwords. If you can write a more personal description of how you’ve been able to manage teams and groups of people in the past, you’ll be making an impression on the recruiter right away.

In a similar vein, focus on those experiences that only you can bring to the table. By this, we don’t mean to distract from the directly-applicable work experience you have; rather, it’s a good idea to talk about as many specific personal experiences as possible. These could take the form of volunteering positions or charity work you’ve done in the past, as well as particular projects that only you were able to complete at some point in your work history.

The most important takeaway in terms of making your resume stand out is to keep in mind, at all times, what the other resumes might look like. The recruiter reading your job application will likely be reading dozens of others as well, so if you can focus on what makes you special, that’ll come across really well when they get to your resume in the pile.

How Resumebuild can Help You to Write an Outstanding Office Manager Resume

If you’re feeling a little overwhelmed by the amount of information above and you’re wondering how on Earth you’ll be able to put it all together, don’t worry - Resumebuild offers a resume building tool to make creating the dream resume a walk in the park.

In addition to hundreds of modern, professionally designed templates, the tool also makes it super easy to include your own personal touches. Using the resume building tool is about as easy as it gets. All you need to do is pick the perfect template for you, fill in personal details, and then click on the download button. You’ll be ready to print it off at a moment’s notice, and that can finally get your job search going in earnest.