How to List Management Skills on Your Resume

So, you’re looking to apply for a job that involves management? Congratulations—it’s a big step up on the career ladder.

Jobs that involve management allow you to see an organization from a new perspective, and give you more influence over how decisions are made. These jobs often involve managing projects and leading other members of a project team.

But how do you showcase your management skills on a resume? That’s a great question. In this article, we’re going to discuss what management and leadership skills are, what skills employers look out for in prospective managers, and how you can list those skills on a resume.

What Are Management Skills?

Management skills are attributes or abilities that allow you to manage other people or projects within an organization.

Management skills are an example of soft skills, which are talents you have developed that are applicable to any industry or position. For instance, communication—an essential management skill—is a soft skill. This is because you can’t attend a class to learn how to communicate well; you need to refine your communication skills with experience, over time.

If you are applying for a job where you’ll be asked to take on a leadership role, management skills will be essential. With that said, many employers hiring for jobs that don’t explicitly involve managing people may still look for management skills because they’re a good sign that you’re able to take more responsibility.

What Management Skills Can I List on My Resume?

If you’re looking to become a manager or a project leader, you’ll need to do more than tell an employer that you have “management skills.” You will need to mention specific management skills you have, and how you have applied those skills in your past jobs.

Here is a list of management skills that you can list on your resume to help you land an interview for a management job:

#1: Interpersonal Skills

Interpersonal skills are the skills you have that relate to working with people. These skills are sometimes called people management skills and are common among all effective leaders. As a manager—or a project lead—you should be able to work effectively with others.

In your day-to-day job, you should spend time getting to know the people with whom you work, and what motivates them. This will help you build their respect, and give you the information you need to cultivate a work environment that is supportive of everyone’s unique abilities and aptitudes.

Interpersonal skills that you can mention on your resume include:

• Ability to work well with others
• Teamworking
• Verbal and non-verbal communication
• Conflict resolution and mediation
• Emotional intelligence
• Task delegation
• Team building
• Integrity
• Ability to motivate others
• Ability to give constructive criticism

#2: Organization Skills

Managers are always juggling different responsibilities and re-prioritizing their work. As a result, having good organizational skills is an essential part of being an effective manager.

Good leaders are able to manage all the tasks that you are working on, and actively check in on their progress to ensure that they are meeting their goals. You will also need to ensure that every member of your team is on schedule, and act as a source of accountability for employees who may need more motivation or support from their manager.

Being organized will help you stay on top of all your responsibilities—both as a manager and as a team contributor—so that you can set a good example for the rest of your team.

Here are a few organization skills you can mention on your resume:

• Ability to manage projects
• Time management
• Scheduling
• Goal setting
• Timeline planning
• Experience using productivity software

#3: Communication

To be a successful manager, you need to be able to communicate well with others. As a team leader, you’ll act as a bridge between the main staff working on a project and the next level of management.

You should be capable of communicating clearly what you are working on and what your team is working on, and you should feel comfortable raising problems up the chain of command within a business.

In your job, you’ll need to use both verbal and written communication on a frequent basis. For instance, you could use emails and memos to convey quick pieces of information to your team members, but you may also have to give presentations to make sure everyone is on the same page about the state of a project.

Communication skills you can mention on your resume include:

• Active listening
• Written communication
• Verbal communication
• Negotiation

#4: Planning and Strategic Thinking

Managers need to be able to think ahead into the future and develop strategies for solutions to problems. Indeed, whereas front-line workers will be tasked with executing on a project, a manager is primarily focused on determining the strategy for a project, and figuring out how workers can execute on that strategy.

You should be able to plan out a project from end-to-end. This will involve analyzing a problem, evaluating solutions, then creating a plan to implement the solution. For instance, you may have to draw up timelines and create an accountability and check-in system to maximize transparency within your organization.

Here are a few planning and strategic thinking skills you can mention on your resume:

• Strategic thinking
• Long-term planning
• Conflict resolution
• Adaptability
• Research
• Critical thinking

#5: Problem Solving and Decision Making

When an employee has a problem that they cannot solve by themselves, who is the first person they’ll go to? The answer is often their manager. Indeed, managers have to solve problems on a daily basis—it’s a massive part of the job.

As a manager, you should be able to break down problems into smaller components and figure out the most effective solution to that problem. You should also be comfortable making decisions in a timely manner, as you may be asked to commit to a course of action quickly in order to complete a task by a given deadline.

Here are a few problem solving and decision making skills to list on your resume:

• Problem solving
• Analysis
• Research
• Flexibility
• Brainstorming
• Adaptability
• Logical thinking

How to List Management Skills on Your Resume

If you are applying for a job that involves management, you should include any managerial skills you possess on your resume. This will help you showcase to an employer that you have the skills they are looking for, and position yourself as the best candidate for the job.

There are two places you can list management skills on your resume: in the work experience section, and in the skills section.

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The skills section of your resume is where you list all of the skills you have related to the position for which you are applying. This section may include information on your technical skills and your “soft” skills. Here is an example of a resume for a product manager which lists a few good management skills in its “skills” section:

Product management skills: Flexibility, problem solving, experience with the Scrum and Agile methodologies, research, creativity, teamwork.

You can also list your management skills in the work experience section of your resume. In this section, you should list all of your past positions relevant to the position for which you are applying, and outline your main accomplishments in those roles. Here is an example of a resume that lists management skills in the work experience section:

Smith’s Agricultural Supplies

Logistics Project Lead

January 2014 – May 2018

• Led project to reduce shipping times by one day for a range of agricultural products.
• Analyzed air shipping process to identify cost savings of $500,000 per year.
• Managed project team of three logistics experts to help streamline delivery of products from agricultural companies to our supply stores.

In this example, the project lead has highlighted three management skills: leadership, analysis, and management. An employer reading this would quickly be able to see that the candidate has experience taking ownership and responsibility in their work.

Conclusion

Advancing to a position as a manager is a major accomplishment in anyone’s career. It means that not only are you experienced in a particular field—like design or web development or accounting—but that you have what it takes to start getting more involved with strategies in your field of interest.

Listing your management skills on your resume is a good way to show to employers that you are ready to take on the challenges associated with management work. Your management skills may make the difference between your resume being ignored or you being called in for an interview at your dream employer.