Jul 18, 2024
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12 min read
Looking to secure your next GM position? General Manager resume examples with expert tips on highlighting your achievements.
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General Manager of Operations
Finance General Manager
General Sales Manager
General Manager of Human Resources
Marketing General Manager
Supply Chain General Manager
General Manager of Information Technology
Hospitality General Manager
Retail Store General Manager
General Manufacturing Manager
To stand out for this position, highlight your experience in process improvement and efficiency optimization. Showcase any project management certifications you've obtained, like Lean Six Sigma or PMP, and mention specific projects where you've implemented these skills. Use data to illustrate your achievements, such as cost savings or improved productivity percentages. Describe your ability to lead cross-functional teams and enhance collaboration. Lastly, portray your strategic thinking by discussing how you've aligned operational goals with company objectives, demonstrating a positive impact on overall performance.
When applying for this role, it’s essential to highlight your experience in financial analysis and budgeting. Mention any leadership roles you’ve held, especially those involving team management or project oversight. Include relevant certifications, such as 'Certified Public Accountant' or 'Financial Management' courses, and specify how these have equipped you with practical skills. Use concrete examples of how your financial strategies led to cost savings or revenue growth in previous positions. Emphasize a results-oriented mindset, detailing the impact of your decisions on overall company performance.
When applying for this role, it's important to showcase your experience in team leadership and sales strategy development. Highlight your ability to analyze market trends and implement effective sales tactics. Mention any achievements, like exceeding sales targets or improving customer satisfaction scores. If you’ve attended training workshops or obtained relevant certifications such as 'Sales Management Fundamentals', include these details. Use the 'skill-action-result' format to illustrate how your leadership has driven team performance and contributed to revenue growth in past positions.
When applying for this role, it is important to highlight your experience in employee relations and talent management. Showcase your ability to resolve conflicts and develop effective teams. Include any certifications like 'Human Resource Management' or 'Employee Engagement' that demonstrate your expertise. Discuss your success in implementing HR programs that improved employee retention or increased satisfaction. Use a 'skill-action-result' framework to illustrate how your initiatives positively affected the organization, emphasizing measurable outcomes and their impact on the workplace culture.
When applying for this position, focus on showcasing your experience in developing and executing marketing strategies. Highlight your ability to manage a budget and allocate resources effectively. If you've led successful campaigns or utilized data analytics to drive insights, make sure to include these accomplishments. Certifications in digital marketing or project management can enhance your credibility. Use specific metrics to demonstrate how your initiatives have increased brand awareness or sales, employing a 'skill-action-result' structure to convey a compelling narrative.
When applying for a role in this field, it’s important to showcase your experience in logistics and inventory management. Highlight any roles where you optimized supply chain processes, reduced costs, or improved delivery times. Mention relevant certifications such as APICS or Six Sigma, alongside statistics that demonstrate your impact. Discuss leadership skills and experience managing teams, ensuring smoother operations. Use specific examples to illustrate how your strategic planning enhanced efficiency and drove growth, emphasizing the outcomes of your initiatives on previous organizations.
When applying for this position, it’s important to showcase any previous experience in IT management or systems administration. Highlight your expertise in project management methodologies such as Agile or Scrum. If you've obtained certifications like PMP or ITIL, mention these as they reflect your dedication and understanding of best practices. Include quantifiable results from past projects, such as improved system efficiency or reduced downtime. Use the 'skill-action-result' format to clearly demonstrate how your contributions have supported organizational goals and enhanced technology infrastructure.
When applying for this role, it’s essential to showcase your experience in managing teams and delivering excellent guest services. Highlight your familiarity with operations management, budgeting, and inventory control. If you have certifications in hospitality management or customer service excellence, include those details. Use specific metrics to demonstrate your success, such as improved guest satisfaction scores or revenue growth. Be sure to focus on your leadership style, problem-solving abilities, and how your contributions led to enhanced operational efficiency in previous positions.
When crafting your cover letter, it's important to showcase your leadership experience and ability to manage staff effectively. Highlight any experience in inventory management and visual merchandising. Outline how you have improved store performance through innovative sales strategies or enhanced customer experience. If you have completed relevant training, such as 'Retail Management' or 'Customer Relationship Management,' indicate this to demonstrate your commitment to continuous learning. Use specific metrics to illustrate your impact, such as percentage increases in sales or customer satisfaction ratings.
When applying for this role, it’s essential to showcase your experience in managing production processes and supervising staff. Focus on any achievements in improving efficiency or reducing costs in your previous positions, as these metrics demonstrate value. Highlight any relevant training in quality control or lean manufacturing techniques. Providing specific examples of how your leadership has fostered teamwork and increased output will strengthen your application. Use clear, concise language to outline your contributions, emphasizing results and the positive impacts on previous employers.
General managers bridge the gap between strategic vision and operational execution. Chances are, you’ll wear many hats in your professional life. From driving organizational growth to dealing with day-to-day operations, you have to handle a diverse range of tasks. So, how can you showcase your talents?
When creating your GM resume, a common pitfall is making it either too broad (and failing to highlight the impact of your leadership) or too detail-oriented. You need to find the perfect balance.
In this guide, we’ll show you how to get it just right. We’ve got a selection of tailored examples, actionable advice, and tips to help you illustrate your strategic achievements and operational excellence.
Key takeaways
This guide is tailored to help general managers create resumes that showcase their leadership, strategy, and operational expertise.
With tools, tips, and examples specific to your role, you’ll be equipped to stand out in a competitive job market. Follow these steps to make the most of this resource, and consider streamlining your process with our resume builder for a polished and professional finish.
With this guide and our resume builder, you’ll have all the tools to craft a resume that illustrates your strategic and operational leadership. Ready to get started? Dive into the first section and take a step closer to your next leadership role!
Your general manager resume should instantly convey your leadership, strategic planning, and operational management skills. It should highlight your ability to oversee daily business activities, improve overall business functions, and ensure compliance with regulations.
To boost impact, include metrics showcasing revenue growth, cost reduction, and team management success. Incorporate specific achievements, leadership roles, and problem-solving examples as well.
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Successful GMs have their finger on the financial pulse. Accuracy is everything. Underline examples that show off skills when it comes to business finances. Wherever possible, use numbers to back up your points. This approach lets the hiring manager know what they can expect from you.
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Focus on the impact you had on business finances. Wherever possible, highlight how you specifically improved the company’s budgeting. You can do this using statistics and drawing a clear line between your actions and the result they had.
For example, you might write:
“Introduced a more efficient operational system in Q2, leading to 5% lower departmental overheads in Q3 and beyond.”
Are you ahead of the game when it comes to software? Don’t be afraid to shout about it. Recruiters are always looking for professionals with the best technological skills. Software like QuickBooks, Xero, and Freshbooks are common across industries. Be clear about which of these you’ve used.
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Do you have any qualifications to support your claims? For example, you can get a qualification in QuickBooks directly from the software provider, Intuit. If you’ve completed one of these certificates, you might want to add it to your education on your resume.
One of the mistakes that all too many GMs make is failing to emphasize the impact of their work. Avoid talking in general terms about the company, and instead focus on what you did to improve it. You can use the STAR Method to do this.
That means following the below structure:
As a general manager, you might have a wealth of experience you want to share. However, recruiters spend around seven seconds reviewing each new resume. For that reason, keep things concise. Avoid including large paragraphs of text and instead use a skimmable format.
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Don’t use three words when you could use one! When writing your resume, always use concise phrases that get to the point. Long, rambling sentences are unlikely to grab the reader’s attention.
Use as few words as possible to get your point across clearly!
For a general manager resume, the best format is the reverse-chronological format. It highlights your most recent experience first, which is crucial for showcasing your career progression.
There are few exceptions to this rule. However, there’s one instance when you might use a functional resume format instead.
If you’ve held GM positions in a range of industries, it can make your resume look erratic. Streamline it by adopting a functional format and grouping positions by your skill set.
Using modern fonts like Rubik or Montserrat instead of the outdated Arial or Times New Roman adds a contemporary touch.
Always save your resume as a PDF to ensure the formatting stays consistent.
Keep margins between 0.5 to 1 inch to maintain readability.
Clear section headings improve readability for both humans and Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS).
Your resume header is like your business card—it includes your name, job title, and contact details.
Here’s a quick rundown of what it needs to provide:
These are the basics. If your LinkedIn profile is up to date and will benefit your application, hyperlink it in your resume header. However, if it’s not exactly impressive, leave it out.
Your resume summary is likely the first thing a hiring manager will read. So, crafting an engaging general manager summary is a must. It requires a unique blend of concise language and powerful details.
If you’ve ever worked on an elevator pitch, this statement is strikingly similar. It boasts your career highlights and accomplishments to date.
Not sure what to include? Here are some ideas:
Don’t make the mistake of using the same resume summary for every application. Instead, tailor yours to meet the unique requirements of the position you’re applying for.
Boasting clear statistics and specific skills, the above resume summary example perfectly illustrates the candidate’s suitability for the job. Use a similar style when writing your GM summary.
Sharing your work experience on a resume doesn’t need to be difficult. Use the reverse chronological order again—listing your most recent position at the top of the section. Include up to 10-15 years of work experience. Any more than that is unnecessary. Only detail jobs relevant to the position you're seeking.
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Tailor each entry to match the job you’re applying for, focusing on achievements rather than duties. Aim to show the hiring manager exactly how your general manager experience aligns with the demands of the vacancy.
Start by listing the main details about the role. That’s the company name, location, job title, and dates of employment. Below that, include bullet points stating your achievements—always try to show how your actions as a general manager positively impacted the business as a whole.
The bullet points in the above example are clear and straight to the point. Each one demonstrates leadership in cost reduction, sales growth, process optimization, and financial management.
The inclusion of metrics—such as “$10M budget” and “20% annually”—clearly show the impact the candidate had. Additionally, words like “optimized” and “developed” highlight the candidate’s central role in each achievement.
Looking for some inspiration? Check out our top general manager resume experience samples below:
It’s all about the bottom line. Highlight your most impressive accomplishments that you believe set you apart. Think awards, recognitions, or successful initiatives you've led. As always, provide concrete examples and quantifiable results wherever possible.
If you’ve spearheaded a ton of projects, you’ll want to shout about them. Clearly outline how you led a team toward success. Share your experience in leading or managing significant projects, detailing the project scope, your role, and any notable outcomes.
What’s your specialism? If you’ve worked in a specific industry for your entire career and are applying in that field, align your experience accordingly. Your experience should reflect an understanding of industry-related specifics. Highlight your expertise and accomplishments within the sector.
General managers typically have a diverse skill set. Your talents will range wildly from “leadership” to “operations management.” When choosing what skills to put on a resume, consider the demands of this specific GM position. Oftentimes, you can find the required skills in the original job advert.
Be specific in the talents you have. Skills and strengths act as resume keywords, making it easier for employers to quickly see what you excel in. Using these keywords helps your resume get noticed, especially by ATS.
Avoid using generic terms here. When you’re writing about your skills, it pays to pinpoint your most unique attributes. Where possible, mention software you can use such as the Oracle NetSuite or Microsoft Dynamics 365. These will instantly stand out on your GM resume.
Hard skills are central to any general manager role. Choose competencies you’ve found in the job advert or any unique to your training. Focus on the skills that deliver solid results—i.e. financial management, data analysis, and software proficiency. For the latter, be sure to highlight the programs you can use to a high level.
Whatever your management level, you need your fair share of interpersonal skills. That’s where your soft skills come into play. Make it clear that you can inspire and motivate your team to get the job done effectively.
Now show off your academic background and qualifications. This section should be skimmable while packing a load of information. Including your GPA can be beneficial if it’s above 3.5. Displaying honors like 'cum laude' can highlight your academic excellence. To show a degree correctly, write the degree name, institution, location, and year graduated.
Don’t limit the education on your resume to degrees. List professional certifications, online courses, and any other forms of education. Add certificates in specific software—such as a Certified Project Management Professional (PMP) award.
Creating a compelling resume for a general manager position can propel you above other candidates by showcasing your comprehensive qualifications. Including diverse sections that highlight more than just your job experience can provide a holistic picture of who you are, making you a more attractive candidate.
Do you speak a second or even third language? List languages you speak fluently or conversationally—language skills can be useful for companies with international operations. Displaying language abilities shows adaptability and cultural awareness. It’s ideal when applying to multinationals.
Want to add some color to your general manager resume? Include interests that reflect leadership, strategic thinking, or team activities. Make sure that each interest aligns with your managerial role. Engaging hobbies can highlight your well-rounded personality and stress management methods.
Looking for a simple way to bolster your work experience? Mention any volunteer roles you’ve undertaken, especially those that demonstrate leadership or organizational skills. Volunteering displays community involvement and a sense of responsibility.
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Tailoring your resume to include these sections can give recruiters a better understanding of your qualifications and personality. These elements offer insights into how you manage teams, solve problems, or engage with the community, all essential traits for a general manager.
Writing a persuasive general manager resume doesn’t have to be hard. Use the advice we’ve shared in this guide to create a balance, showcasing your operational skills and the impact you’ve had. Wherever possible, align your application with the demands of the vacancy. That will put you in the best possible position and could significantly increase your odds of landing an interview.
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