Manager Resumes: Avoiding Pitfalls and Highlighting Achievements

Claiming Team Accomplishments as Your Own

• 🎯 Your team's results are your results when you are a manager. If you led the team, their accomplishments are yours to claim on your resume.
• 💡 Historically, there was a trend towards using "we" to emphasize collaboration, but the current workplace accepts using "I" for individual accomplishments, even if a team was involved.
• 📝 Your resume serves as a headline, not the full story. The interview is where you can elaborate on team contributions and collaboration.
• ⚽ Just as a soccer player who scores the winning goal is credited, a manager can claim the team's success as their own accomplishment.

Prioritize Results Over Activity

• 📈 Accomplishments on a resume should follow the format: verb + result + method. The result must come first.
• 🚫 Activities like conducting one-on-ones, training, or coaching are crucial but are not results themselves. They should be framed by the outcomes they produced.
• 💡 Instead of stating "led team using one-on-ones," showcase the impact: "achieved an average of 3% increase in incremental revenue per guest by reviewing individual results weekly."
• 🎯 The goal is to present achievements that hiring managers desire, prompting them to invite you for an interview to learn more.

Recruitment: Context is Key

• ⚠️ Recruiting new staff is not always a positive item on a resume. The circumstances of the recruitment are critical.
• 🚀 Recruiting to support growth (e.g., new clients, increased workload) is positive. However, recruiting to replace high unwanted turnover indicates weakness.
• 📊 Understanding industry-specific turnover rates is important, as acceptable levels vary widely.
• 💡 A 0% turnover rate can also be negative, potentially indicating a stagnating team without growth or evolution.
• ✅ A strong accomplishment statement related to recruitment would be: "increase team capacity 10% to provide service for four new clients by recruiting two new staff."

Common Resume Pitfalls for Managers

• 🧠 Many resume mistakes stem from managers wanting to be fair to their team or highlight activities they are proud of.
• 🔍 The key is to remember that your resume is about results and headlines that get you into the interview, where you can explain the process.