Office Manager Resume Example & Writing Guide

This guide will help you create an office manager resume that will grab the attention of every recruiter and land you the job of your dreams.
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Office Manager

As an office manager with a diverse skill set, you probably can’t wait to use your abilities in a dynamic environment. Before you get there, you need to show your workplace competence to a recruiter, and what better way to do that than with a riveting office manager resume?

Now, if you’ve never written a resume before, you probably see it as a daunting task. 

That’s why we’ve compiled this handy guide, which will take you from start to finish, explaining every minor detail along the way. After reading it, you’ll be able to craft an outstanding office manager resume that will give you an edge over the competition!

Key Takeaways

  • Spruce up your resume with optional sections as long as you’ve already included mandatory contact information, a resume summary or objective, work experience, education, and skills.

  • A chronological resume format is usually the best choice since recruiters are used to it and it’s ATS-proof.

  • Your resume should be one page long, but you can submit a cover letter with it if you want to provide more information.

  • You can quantify your achievements by using numbers and make them more memorable with strong action verbs and power words.

What is the Right Format to Use for an Office Manager Resume?

resume format

Before you fire up your laptop and start typing, you need to determine how you’re going to convey information to recruiters through your resume.

Are you new to the field, and do you want to make your skills the focus of your office manager resume? Or are you a seasoned professional who wants to show off their impressive work history to potential employers?

If you ask a bunch of hiring managers what their favorite format is, most of them will recommend the chronological resume format. It puts your latest (and usually most important) accomplishments first, lists the rest in reverse-chronological order, and is ATS-friendly. All this makes it the best option for the majority of candidates.

The other two formats are:

  • Functional, which emphasizes skills and is great for beginners.

  • Combination or hybrid, which is generally used by experts who want to highlight their skills but also reinforce them with professional achievements.

Resume Layout

resume layout

Here’s the thing: many recruiters spend as little as 6–7 seconds skimming through resumes, which is why you want to make it clean, readable, and one page long.

To achieve that, you need a sharp resume layout, which you can get by following these guidelines:

Resume Layout Guidelines

What Sections Should an Office Manager Resume Contain?

Certain sections of your resume are mandatory, while others are optional, though incredibly valuable when included correctly. Here they are:

Mandatory Office Manager Resume Sections

  • Contact information

  • Resume objective/summary

  • Work experience

  • Education

  • Skills

Optional Office Manager Resume Sections

  • Courses & awards

  • Languages

  • Hobbies & interests

Before we get into the specifics of each of those sections, we should mentionour resume builder, as this tool will do most of the heavy lifting for you. It’s perfect if you don’t want to write a resume from scratch, think about the format and layout, or worry whether you’ve forgotten to include crucial information.

Our resume builder has ready-made, ATS-safe templates where you can effortlessly adjust font, layout, or colors and add your information by simply filling in the blanks.

Office Manager Resume Template

Name and Surname

Phone number: 000-000-0000 | Email: namesurname@gmail.com | Location: City, State

[Adjective] [your job title] with [years of experience, if applicable] in [your area of expertise, if applicable] looking for a [position] job at [company name]. Eager to apply [relevant skills] gained through [work/volunteer/other experience] to help [company name] [mention what you can do for the company].

Work Experience

Most Recent/Current Job Title Company City, State [Start date] — [End date]

  • For recent jobs, use 5-6 bullet points to list your top achievements and responsibilities

  • Use action verbs to make your responsibilities and achievements stand out

  • Add numbers to quantify your achievements

Previous Job Title Company City, State [Start date] — [End date]

  • For recent jobs, use 5-6 bullet points to list your top achievements and responsibilities

  • Use action verbs to make your responsibilities and achievements stand out

  • Add numbers to quantify your achievements

Oldest Job Title Company City, State [Start date] — [End date]

  • For older jobs, use 2-3 bullet points to list your top achievements and responsibilities

  • Use action verbs to make your responsibilities and achievements stand out

  • Add numbers to quantify your achievements

Education

[Degree] in [Major]

[University/college name]

[Start date] - [Graduation date]

Skills

Soft Skills

  • Skill #1

  • Skill #2

  • Skill #3

  • Skill #4

  • Skill #5

Hard Skills

  • Skill #1

  • Skill #2

  • Skill #3

  • Skill #4

  • Skill #5

Additional Sections

  • Add any relevant additional sections (languages, licenses, publications, hobbies, etc.)

Office Manager Resume Contact Information

Just like with the contents of your resume, there are mandatory and optional bits that should go in your contact information section.

The must-have parts are:

Must-Have Contact Information

  • Full name

  • Professional title

  • Phone number

  • Email address

Here’s what you shouldn’t include in your contact information:

What Not to Include

Now, let’s take a look at an example:

Correct Example

Carol Larsen

Office Manager

+ 561 603 7831

carollarsen@example.com

linkedin.com/in/carollarsen59

In essence, you want to keep your contact information section concise and professional. 

Office Manager Resume Objective or Summary

You don’t want to spend hours perfecting your office manager resume only for recruiters to skim through it. For this reason, there's a section called a resume summary or objective that's meant to get their attention and make them want to keep reading. In essence, it’s a short description of your office manager resume.

You should write an objective if you’re an entry-level candidate who wants to emphasize their skills and career goals despite a lack of professional history.

On the other hand, if you've been working in your field for a long time, you can use a summary to highlight your most important professional achievements.

Entry-Level Office Manager Resume Objective

resume objective

To grab attention from the get-go as an entry-level candidate, you should highlight your most prominent skills and career goals. That will show recruiters that you have potential and drive, both of which go a long way toward portraying you as a suitable candidate.

When writing an office manager resume objective, the goal is to be precise and specific. It helps if you have some sort of experience, whether it’s obtained through volunteer work, internships, or other activities.

Here’s a good example:

Good Example

“Personable and efficiency-oriented office manager looking for a long-term position at [XYZ Corp]. Proven track record of building healthy, lasting relationships with clients and coworkers. Managed a tech store staff of 20 as an intern. Seeking to bring a people-first approach to improve workplace organization and the company’s productivity.”

Good For comparison, here’s a bad example that features ambiguous information and displays uncertainty rather than determination:

Bad Example

“Recent management graduate looking for an office management role at your company to learn and improve my skills.”

Office Manager Resume Summary

resume summary

As an experienced professional, you’ll put your best foot forward by including a couple of impressive workplace achievements in your office manager resume summary. Give recruiters a glimpse of what you’re capable of, and they’ll keep reading to find out more about you.

Let’s see that in a good example:

Good Example

“Diligent and detail-oriented office manager with more than 10 years of experience managing offices that ranged from 10 to 120 employees. Personally oversaw the onboarding and training process of more than 1,500 people over the course of a decade-long career. Boosted efficiency and cut costs by 17% on average by developing a paperless workplace environment. Looking to leverage a relationship-building approach to help increase [ABC Company’s] output.”

On the flip side, if you don’t showcase any concrete accomplishments, recruiters likely won’t get the impression that you’re much more than an entry-level applicant. Here’s how not to write a summary:

Bad Example

“Skilled and accomplished office manager, adept at managing large-scale departments, looking for a new team to join.”

While a resume summary should be brief, it shouldn’t be this short. There isn’t anything valuable about the candidate’s workplace competence and accomplishments that would entice recruiters into checking out the rest of their resume.

Office Manager Resume Work Experience

work experience resume

If there’s one section that can single-handedly get you to the next stage of the hiring process, it’s the work experience section. Let’s see how to get it right.

General Tips

Here’s what a work experience section for your office manager resume should contain:

  • Position name

  • Company name and location

  • Dates of employment

  • Responsibilities, results, and achievements

However, relevance is the name of the game, meaning you don’t want to list unrelated jobs or accomplishments.

Because of that, you should start by researching the job description. Once you find out what the company wants, it’ll be much easier to create an impactful list of your achievements.

Generally, you want to start with your most recent employment since it’s usually the most important. And while it’s fine to mention your responsibilities, you should put more focus on results and achievements. Here’s how to get the most out of them:

  • For optimal results, use bullet lists with 3–5 points per job.

  • Adding exact numbers and percentages substantiates achievements.

  • Notable action verbs and power words will help you stand out and make your work experience section more memorable.

Office Manager With No Experience

no experience resume

What if you’re new to the field and don’t have any professional experience?

In that case, any relevant experience will do the trick, and all the general tips we talked about still apply. For example, if your work history is not extensive, you can rely on your college projects, internships, or volunteering work, as these are a perfect fit for students or recent graduates.

Here’s how an entry-level candidate leveraged their cashier job to highlight skills and achievements relevant to the position of an office manager:

Correct Example

Work Experience

Cashier

K Supermarket Denver, CO

March 2022–Current

  • Suggested the implementation of a software solution to automate low stock alerting, increasing efficiency by 17%.

  • Improved customer experience by utilizing thorough product inventory knowledge to assist them accurately and efficiently.

  • Oversaw the onboarding process of 5 new employees before training them for the positions of cashiers. 

Senior Office Manager

Senior office managers will usually have a much easier time finding enough content for their work experience section than juniors. However, the secret here is not to overdo it. You don’t want every minor accomplishment to clutter your resume and draw attention away from the important stuff.

Instead, focus on those achievements that show why you are a senior.

Here’s an example:

Correct Example

Work Experience

Office Manager

Core Data Austin, TX

May 2019–Current

  • Exceeded revenue goals in 2021 by 9%.

  • Encouraged workplace harmony by organizing between 3 and 5 team building exercises per year, ranging from outdoor hiking and camping activities to escape rooms and bowling.

  • Trained 5 office members in contemporary data entry practices, reducing errors by 53% and increasing productivity by 26%.

Office Manager Resume Education Section

education resume

Creating an education section is usually simple, though there are a few niche cases. You should list your degree, the school you attended, the years of attendance, and any major accomplishments.

Here’s what that looks like:

Correct Example

Education

Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration

Stanton University, Garden Grove, CA

2016–2020

  • Relevant Courses: Contemporary Management, Management and Strategy, Managing Organizations

  • GPA: 3.68

If you want to list multiple degrees, it’s best to do that in reverse-chronological order. However, it’s not recommended to include your high school diploma in your resume unless that’s your highest degree.

What if I’m still studying?

  • You could place “expected” next to a graduation date if you have one. Or you could omit the graduation date and put “current” instead.

What achievements warrant a place in my education section?

  • Anything from a GPA of 3.5 or higher to relevant extracurricular activities, coursework, volunteer work, exchange programs, and more. Keep in mind that the richer your work experience section, the less focus should be on your education.

Office Manager Resume Skills

skills for resume

When you think about it, the entire resume is basically a testament to your skills and proficiency.

Still, you need a dedicated office manager resume skills section.

For starters, it’s worth noting that there are two different types of skills, and a good office manager needs a healthy combination of both on their resume.

Hard skills are specific and quantifiable abilities, many of which are unique to the position of an office manager. You can’t do the job without them, which is why recruiters look for these skills first.

Then there are soft skills, also known as people skills. These skills are more like personality traits that are applicable to different jobs and are often learned through real-world experience. They make you more organized and productive, a better team player, and so on.

Due to their differences, you should list them separately.

Hard Skills

Some of the hard skills office managers could add to their resumes are:

  • Office management

  • Records management

  • Inventory management

  • Report preparation

  • Spreadsheets and database creation

  • Staff development

  • Performance evaluations

Soft Skills

If you want to grab the attention of hiring managers, you could do so by mentioning some of the following soft skills:

  • Communication

  • Leadership

  • Time management

  • Organization

  • Reliability

  • Problem-solving

  • Attention to detail

Office Manager Resume Optional Sections

If you have some space left on your resume and want to add more useful information, you can use optional sections. They can help you add a personal touch to your resume or tailor it to the job you’re applying for.

Courses & Awards

We already talked about how you can add relevant coursework to your education section. However, if you’ve taken useful office administration courses outside your formal education, this is where you should mention them to show dedication to the field.

On the other hand, awards show that you went above and beyond and got great results, which is why they are another great asset to a resume.

Languages

Proficiency in foreign languages always looks impressive on resumes. In some cases, if you’re supposed to work with foreign clients and coworkers, a job ad might even make this section mandatory.

In any case, list the languages you know in order of your skill level. The skill levels are:

Language Proficiency Levels

  • Native/Bilingual

  • Fluent

  • Proficient

  • Intermediate

  • Beginner

Hobbies & Interests

This section can be a hidden gem on your office manager resume. While it seemingly has nothing to do with the job, it can still help you stand out by portraying you as an interesting and passionate individual.

Keep this section brief and toward the bottom of your resume, but don’t be surprised if it catches the attention of hiring managers and they ask you a thing or two about it during the interview.

Should You Submit a Cover Letter With Your Office Manager Resume?

matching cover letter and resume template

A position-specific cover letter that matches your resume is one of the best ways to get ahead of the competition, and you should definitely submit it.

Try to find out who the recruiter is and address them by name for greater impact. In 3 to 5 paragraphs, you can show why you’re the best candidate by talking about your relevant professional accomplishments and displaying a strong desire to work at the company.

Expert Tips for Creating an Office Manager Resume

To finish this comprehensive guide on a high note, we prepared a couple of expert tips for you that not many are aware of:

  • While your resume should generally be one page long, a cover letter gives you more room to talk about your professional endeavors, which is why you shouldn’t just repeat what’s already in your resume.

  • You should mention some of your key skills in your work experience section and your summary or objective. By connecting them with relevant achievements, you make them more concrete in the eyes of recruiters. Plus, it helps with the ATS.

  • Soft skills are valuable, but they are much harder to prove than hard skills, which is why you shouldn’t list too many of them.

  • Once you finish writing your resume, you can ask a friend to review it for you. It doesn’t hurt to have a fresh pair of eyes take a look at it.

Closing Thoughts

That’s all there is to it!

You’re now more than capable of creating an office manager resume from scratch. Not only that, but you can rest assured that it will be better than what the majority of other candidates in the field have.

And if, at any point, you feel like you need a bit of help, come back to this article or use our resume builder. It’s as simple as that!

Jeffrey Stromes
Jeffrey Stromes
HR Expert
Jeffrey Stromes is the backbone of our team and our HR expert. He is obsessed with making things fair, addicted to comic books, and in love with his golden retriever, Molly. He’s the big brain behind our company’s policies, the development and management of talent, and whatever else there is! Although he looks quite serious at first sight, Jeffrey is a sweet guy who is equally good at making our whole team laugh and ensuring that everything runs smoothly. Just be sure to provide him with enough coffee!

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