Office Manager Resume Examples & Writing Tips for 2025

The success of the office rests firmly on your shoulders. When things are going well, you’re the professional working tirelessly behind-the-scenes to make it happen. When things go wrong, you’re the person who has to step in and deal with crisis management.

As a savvy office manager, you need to wear many different hats. From admin support and supervising your staff to budget and facilities management, you quite literally do it all. But how can you convince a recruiter you have what it takes to succeed?

Sugaring your diverse skill set on your resume is never easy. As if that wasn’t enough to manage, you also need to tailor your resume for the position, get past the applicant tracking system (ATS), and show that you can achieve hard-hitting, tangible results.

Not sure where to start? You’ve come to the right place. In this guide, we’ll take a look at everything you need to know about writing an interview-winning office manager resume.

How to use this office manager resume guide

Before we get started, let’s have a quick chat about this guide. We’ve shared a ton of advice on how to create an office manager resume including adaptable examples. But how can you make sure that you get the most out of this resume writing guide?

Check out our tips below to help you get started:

What to focus on when writing your office manager resume

Recruiters aren’t simply looking for office managers who can lead staff—although that’s a large part of your job. They also want to know that you can deal with the admin, keep track of the budget, and deal with any potential HR issues. It’s a tall order.

When writing your office manager resume, focus on specific achievements, office management software proficiency, and leadership examples. It’s not about just ticking the right boxes—your goal is to highlight the value you bring to the business.

Let’s take a look at the main angles you want to take here:

Specific (and tangible) achievements

Your achievements speak for themselves. Whether you’ve effectively managed budgets, have a stellar staff retention rate, or increased productivity—these attributes will make you shine.

Don’t be afraid to brag about these resume accomplishments. They’ll set you apart from the crowd and make the hiring manager think twice about your application. Wherever possible, add solid metrics—such as statistics and numbers—to show the influence your work has had.

Let’s take a look at an example:

Software proficiency

Modern professionals need to be computer literate. But office managers have to take things one step further. To excel in this role, you’ll need to have experience using office management software. Include the software you can use in the skills section of your resume.

Once you’ve done that, mention the software or tools in your work experience section. When bullet-pointing your achievements, weave the names of the software into the text and add some much-needed context to them.

Leadership examples

Office managers need to inspire the workforce. It’s your job to make sure that everyone understands their duties, stays on track, and hits their targets. That can be a tricky task. However, each manager has their own way of motivating the rest of the team.

Use your office manager resume as a chance to show off your leadership skills. Include anecdotes of any challenges you’ve faced and, ultimately, how you overcame them.

Here’s an example:

Simple and professional layout

Focus on the above approaches when writing your resume. But also pay close attention to the resume layout. Your document needs to be easy to read and skimmable.

If it’s hard for the reader to get the information they need, they’ll toss your resume on the trash pile. Choose a simple design that effortlessly highlights your biggest brags. Also include bullet points wherever you can.

Now you understand why the layout matters, let’s look into the right format.

How to choose the right resume format

The resume format simply means the structure of the document. There are three main options here: reverse-chronological, functional, and combination format.

If you’ve had a straightforward career, we recommend the reverse-chronological format. This starts with your most recent experience at the top of the page and works back in time. It’s what recruiters expect to see, and so it works best in most scenarios.

Of course, there are exceptions to this rule. If you have no direct work experience in the industry but have still worked as a manager, try a functional format. This approach groups your experiences by skills.

You already know the basics—shall we get down to it? Let’s take a look at your header first.

What to include in your resume header

Your resume header sits at the top of the document. It’s like a business card because it displays your basic details. Make sure that this is prominent and clear.

Here’s what to include:

• Your name: Write your first and last name.
• Job title: Next, list the job title for the role you’re going for. Here, that’ll be “Office Manager.”
• Contact details: Make sure the hiring manager can contact you. Add your professional email address and a phone number you use regularly.
• Location: You don’t need to share your full address, just your general location (i.e. city and state).

How to write a resume summary

Ready to talk about what makes you an ace office manager? Save it for your resume summary.

This short statement is usually the first thing that the hiring manager will read. You need to make it count. It’s not just about filling space—every word needs to add value.

Consider what your Unique Selling Proposition (USP) is. What is it that makes you better than other candidates? What do you have that they likely lack?

Don’t know where to start? Here are some key points you may want to include in your office manager resume summary:

• How long you’ve worked as an office manager.
• Your managerial style and how you motivate staff.
• Your staff retention rate and budgeting accolades.
• Any awards or training you have under your belt.

Check the job advert before you write this statement. Aligning your summary with the company’s needs is a speedy way to get ahead of the competition.

Focusing on the staff retention rate and an admirable award makes this resume summary stand out. The hiring manager can quickly see what a talented candidate the professional is.

How to write a quantifiable resume experience section

Listing your work experience on your resume is a must. But why stop there? This is the resume section where your past achievements can truly shine. Quantifying your accomplishments lets the hiring manager know what they can expect of you in the future.

Wondering how far back to go on your resume? We recommend no further than 10-15 years. While you may have worked in offices for longer than that, putting a ton of work experience on your resume can lead to problems, such as age discrimination.

For each position, write down the company name, location, your title, and the dates you were employed. Next, slide in some bullet points that cover your top accomplishments in the role.

Here’s an example:

With plenty of hard-hitting statistics and numbers, the above work experience section is a real winner. Whenever you can feature solid facts—do it.

Office manager resume work experience samples

Writing an interview-winning resume is all about focusing on your professional strengths. Unsurprisingly, you have several approaches to choose from.

Let’s take a look:

Budget focused

Are you a master at cutting costs? If you’ve lowered overheads for a company, that’s sure to dazzle the hiring manager. Be clear about how and where you managed to cut back.

Leadership focused

Office managers have to be natural-born leaders. What makes you an amazing manager? Seize the opportunity to talk about your motivational approaches and techniques.

Innovation focused

Do you have what it takes to shake up an office? If you’re in the business of saving failing departments, let the hiring manager know about it. Highlight your past wins here.

Listing your skills on your resume

Knowing what skills to put on a resume is an art. Don’t just whack random skills onto the page and hope for the best. Instead, you’ll want to use a more targeted approach.

Return to the job announcement and take a peek at the core criteria. Chances are, you’ll find a bunch of “must-have” skills there to insert in this section.

Office managers need a selection of hard and soft skills. Hard skills are technical and apply directly to the job itself. Soft skills are more like traits that help you get the job done.

Here’s an example of a good skills section:

Best hard skills to feature on your office manager resume

It’s likely that you have a diverse selection of hard skills. These are the technical skills and know-how you use every day when working as an office manager.

Think about the most in-demand resume competencies first. Include talents like knowing how to use certain software, accounting, and HR best practices.

Best soft skills to feature on your office manager resume

Of course, you shouldn’t overlook soft skills—these are the interpersonal traits that allow you to work well with others. Examples include communication, time management, and organization.

Consider your personal work style and the skills you need to make things happen.

Education on resume

Every office manager needs some form of education on their resume, and you’re no different. Once again, you’ll need to use the reverse chronological order here.

Check the job announcement and see whether the recruiter has listed a degree as part of the core criteria first. You don’t need a degree for every managerial position. It depends largely on the industry you’re in as well as the specific company and the role. However, if you have one, showing it off is always a good move and can set you apart from the crowd.

Don’t have a degree? There are other ways to elevate your resume. For example, you can demonstrate your strong leadership skills, industry knowledge, and a track record of successful management. Think of ways that you might compensate here.

There are two types of education to cover:

1. Formal education

You can add your college degree or high school education in this section. Your GPA can strengthen your case but don’t provide it if it’s below 3.5.

2. Training and certificates

If you’ve gained any professional certifications in office management, place them front and center. This extra training shows that you’re committed to your chosen career path.

Prime examples include the Certified Administrative Professional (CAP) and Office Management Certification (OMC) certificates. List them clearly in your education section.

Here’s how that may look:

Extra sections to include in your office manager resume

You’ve filled out the main resume sections—what should you do next? If you have space to spare, there are some additional sections you can add. Let’s check them out.

Language section

If you speak a second language, or even more than one, including a language section is a great idea. Don’t forget to note the proficiency level for each of the languages you speak.

Hobbies and interests section

What do you do when you’re not in the office? Talk about it by putting some hobbies on your resume. Showcase your main interests outside of work, but make sure they strengthen your case. Think about pastimes that make you a better people-person and manager.

Volunteer work section

Want to bolster your work experience? Creating a volunteer work section could be the answer. This looks similar to a standard work experience section, but with volunteer positions instead.

Conclusion

Landing your next office manager job doesn't have to be a chore. Use the advice and examples we’ve shared in this guide to get started. When you’re ready to start creating yours, our resume builder tool makes the process quick and easy.