Writing a mid-level management resume can seem complicated. What information do you include? How do you fully represent your experience, qualifications, and skills? How do you make yourself stand out from other managers in your industry with similar information?

Before we dive in, start here → update your contact info. It happens more often than anyone cares to admit –releasing a resume that is missing contact information OR has outdated information. Once you have reviewed and updated your contact info, you can begin crafting your career narrative.

Here are my top 3 tips needed to write a breakthrough mid-level management resume that will help you stand out and win more interviews:

Make sure your resume doesn’t read like an obituary.

Whereas an obituary is an overview of your life, a resume is a marketing piece, and you are the product. When organizations market a product, they don’t list everything about it —they focus on the benefits + value. To write a breakthrough resume, the first step is to focus on the future and highlight information that illuminates how you were key to organizational / divisional success.

→ Create a compelling narrative by providing proof that you are the management professional the organization is looking for.

→ Learn more about writing for a human first and technology second, here.

Give the Most Space to and Focus on .. Your Value + Accomplishments

Open with a powerful summary statement that gives the reader  a brief overview of ‘who you are’ and what you do well –your expertise, you core qualifications + competencies.

→ Set the stage with an opening that gives the reader a bird’s eye view of your value offer.You don’t need to include details.

Example →Forward-thinking Lean Six Sigma Practitioner with an impressive record of success implementing progressive production strategies and driving lasting change for multi-site manufacturing operations in highly competitive environments.

Quantify + Add Context

Rather than simply listing your job duties and responsibilities in a laundry list style, dig deeper to unearth where you really shined in your management role and then explain ‘how’ you delivered results. At the management level, recruiters and hiring authorities are looking for data to back up your candidacy.

→ Provide proof with context Exampled old version: *Handled warranty processing, production scheduling, and vendor management. | Example, new, value-focused version: Generated 45% reduction in customer warranty issues, providing training to customer service + production teams.

If you’re actively looking to advance your career (Manager to Director | Director to VP) or simply keeping an eye for your ideal role, having a value-focused + accomplishment-rich resume at the ready is a great way to grab attention + make a memorable first impression. When writing your mid-management resume, avoid:

  • Opening with an Objective Statement. Instead, write a Summary Statement that differentiates you.
  • Populating your employment section with your job description. Instead, translate your experiences into value-rich statements and provide examples of how you leveraged your skills to deliver results.
  • Using too many bullet points. Instead, laser-focus each bullet point on how you drove change, transformed operations, increased productivity, revitalized programs –and edit the info, sharing your core message in as few bullets as possible.
  • Packing your resume with keywords. Instead, use keywords that are directly aligned with the management role you are pursuing and integrate those keywords throughout your document to make your story more compelling.

Your mid-level management resume is an essential component of a successful job search. The goal in writing yours is to create a document that will effectively market your skills + experience to potential employers and win you interviews by sharing what makes you the very best candidate for the role.

If you are preparing to take the next step in your career, enlisting the help of a professional resume writing service can help you bring your career story to life and make sure your resume aligns with your career goals.