On this page you’ll find our collection of free manager CV templates in Word format. These are available to download, without registration.
How to write a manager CV
Management CVs are a little different to less senior roles in that they:
- Tend to be a little longer – using at least the two pages that are expected and sometimes, for senior management, spreading onto a third page
- Tend to contain more specific facts, figures and achievements
- Include additional details that you might not find for less senior employees
In this guide, we explain step by step what to include in each section of your management CV.
Contact details
These should include:
- First and last name
- Address
- Phone number(s)
- Email address (ensure this is professional)
- Whether you hold a full clean driving license (if relevant to the role)
- LinkedIn profile
- Twitter profile
You’ll note the inclusion of a LinkedIn/Twitter profile. As you’re working at management level, employers expect to see a professional properly completed LinkedIn profile and evidence that you’re immersed in your industry, both on LinkedIn and Twitter.
Check out our guide : Building a killer LinkedIn profile to complement your CV
Personal profile
As a manager you’ll likely have a lot of work experience, skills and possibly qualifications. However, employers typically don’t spend a lot of time screening each CV initially and therefore, crucial details can be missed.
The easiest way to overcome this is to write an effective personal profile at the top of your CV. This is a short summary which sets out –
- Who you are
- How you meet the requirements of the job description, and
- What you’re looking for.
Since every job description is different, you must create a different CV for each of your job applications. This is especially important at management level where person specifications tend to be more detailed and requirements more specific.
On a CV at a lower level, the personal statement is typically 3 or 4 sentences. You can get away with a bit more on a management-level CV, but keep it concise – remember your goal is to inform the reader that you hold the requisite skills in the few seconds they spend reviewing your CV.
When you’re writing your personal profile, make sure you use the words mentioned in the job ad. For example, if the job ad specifies ‘operations manager’, don’t simply write ‘I am an experienced manager….’. If the employer uses ATS software, your application may be overlooked for lacking this key detail (it’s fine to write instead, ‘I am a manager with experience in operations’ if you’ve never actually had that job title before).
Here are some examples:
Skills
Your skills section can go underneath your personal profile or after your education – the choice is yours. Where the role requires a number of key specific skills, it is advisable to put it right below your personal statement as the employer will want quick confirmation that you have these.
Here’s an example:
Work experience
Work experience is usually listed in reverse chronological order (i.e. most recent first).
Employers also expect to see details such as:
- How many people did you manage?
- How many projects did you manage?
- Over what geographical area did you manage?
- Who did you report to?
At management level, you’ll be expected to quote details such as key projects, targets and achievements, rather than simply describing your duties.
Use words such as DELIVERED, ACHIEVED and EXCEEDED which will naturally steer you towards talking about your results and achievements.
In addition, study the advert for key skills and provide evidence of these. It is not enough to simply state that you are a strong leader or a great communicator. You need to offer an example of when you’ve used this skill and to what effect.
Education
Not all managers have qualifications – sometimes expertise in the profession comes from on-the-job learning. However, unless you have no formal qualifications whatsoever, this section should still be included to demonstrate core skills such as Math and English.
Memberships
Plenty of managers have membership to industry organisations and this shows you take an interest in both the industry and your continued professional development. For example in the UK, key management representative bodies include:
Both offer qualifications and training. However, both have membership grades that are open to those who haven’t completed their courses (but instead have appropriate experience).
Publications
Senior staff often contribute their knowledge, whether on their company’s website, LinkedIn articles or to other peoples’ blogs and websites. Even if you simply give a comment to the author of an article which is used, it’s acceptable to say ‘provided comment for …’. This shows that you are active and interested in your industry.
Interests and hobbies
It’s not obligatory to include interests and hobbies but these can add value to your CV. For example, they can help further support that you have the soft skills an employer is looking for (managing a project, leading a team…) and they can show an interest in your personal well being (yoga, martial arts, visiting the gym…). They can also show that you’re a creative person (arts or crafts…).
References
You should provide two references with the most recent being your current (or latest) employer. If you’re still working and don’t want to offer that reference yet, you can either write ‘references available on request’ or leave the references section off altogether (the employer will ask for them if they’re ready to make an offer).
Note that the references section can also be an opportunity to add value to your CV where you are able to provide someone highly credible as your second reference.
Quotes from references
When you’re working at management level, you’ll likely collaborate on a regular basis with others within your industry who may be willing to offer a reference.
References can be powerful if someone well-known within the industry is willing to vouch for you. However, since employers don’t usually speak to your references until they offer you a job, the value of of having industry-credible references only extends to mentioning their names on your CV. One way to increase this value is to get a quote from the reference and include this on your CV. This can immediately boost your own credibility.
Quotes from references can be used anywhere on your CV – see for example our Operations CV template which uses them throughout:
You can download the above free Operations Manager CV template here.
You may also like our guide on ‘How to write a management CV‘.