Resume and Cover Letter Tips, Tricks, and Examples

Create a General Manager Resume in 5 Simple Steps

Marcie Wilmot

Certified Resume Writer, Career Coach, and Business Writer


Do you like to manage others? Do you enjoy helping companies achieve their financial objectives? Are you the type of person who doesn’t mind being an intermediate between upper management and workers? 

If you’re thinking yes, yes, yes, then you’re definitely in the right place reading the right article. A general manager position may be just the right fit for you. Read on to learn more about this role and how to create a general manager resume that will blow away your competition.   

How to Create a General Manager’s Resume in 5 Simple Steps

The General Manager’s Role & Its Responsibilities

The primary responsibility of a general manager is to maximize the performance of the company and assist it in reaching its financial goals. General managers carry this out by overseeing the business’s employees and operations. They also help shape the workplace culture by being heavily involved with

  • recruiting
  • interviewing
  • hiring
  • training
  • motivating employees

Moreover, general managers sometimes also

  • create shift schedules
  • assign tasks/projects
  • provide and support customer service
  • facilitate communications between senior leadership and employees

Both large corporations and smaller retail establishments (even restaurants) all have a need for general managers so there’s a lot of opportunity here. In many cases, the general manager acts like a scaled-down version of the CEO. This means he or she might manage a department, business segment, or even an entire retail location.

To become a general manager, it’s generally helpful to have a bachelor’s degree (preferably in business administration, management, or a similar field). Most companies also require several years of experience (5+) in their industry or a related one to be considered for this position.

If it sounds like you have the right qualifications for this role, keep reading to find out how to build your own resume. While it’s a great idea to go online and Google general manager resume examples for inspiration, the beauty of this article is that it will give you the step-by-step directions you need to craft an impressive resume that is customized to your particular experience and skillset. 

Step #1: Choose the Right Format

The first step in building a general manager skills resume is to choose the format that best showcases your background. This decision affects how your resume looks and is organized. If you look at general manager resume examples online, you’ll see that they are generally in one of these three formats:

  • Chronological – This frequently used format lists work history from newest to oldest.
  • Functional – This format focuses on the skills you have that match the job ad, downplaying less relevant experience.
  • Hybrid – The hybrid option combines both formats. People use a hybrid format when someone has work gaps or has changed industries.

Consider searching for a general manager resume sample on Google to find a template to work off, or you can start from scratch in Word (which also has templates you can use.)

Also, make sure that your general manager responsibilities resume is concise and easy to read so recruiters and HR folks don’t just throw it away. Use white space to your advantage! 

Step #2: Highlight Your Qualifications

The next thing you need to do is properly highlight your qualifications and skills. Start by pulling up some general manager resume examples online for inspiration (ie. general manager resume sample). Be sure to focus on qualifications that relate to being a general manager, like:

  • Operations experience
  • Management experience
  • Recruiting, hiring, and training experience

Refer to your target job ad (general manager job description for resume) to ensure that you include relevant qualifications, qualities, skills, and experience. Use impactful action verbs to begin all your bullets. Also, don’t just list responsibilities; instead, use numbers, percentages, and other quantifiable measures to show results.

Step #3: Emphasize Relevant Skills

Along with highlighting relevant qualifications, there are also certain general manager resume skills (both hard and soft) that you should include on your resume to make it stand out. Below are some examples:

Hard Skills

  • Industry-specific software
  • Point-of-sale systems
  • Foreign languages
  • Project management
  • Public speaking

Soft Skills

  • Communication skills
  • Interpersonal skills
  • Management skills
  • Critical thinking
  • Decision making

Step #4: Tailor Your Language

As you write your resume, don’t forget to tailor the language you use. If you include a general manager resume summary at the top of your resume, then this is a good opportunity to do so. Mirror the keywords that were repeated in the job ad. This will assist you in getting your general manager resume through ATS barriers so they end up in the hands of the people who might hire you!

Step #5: Fix Any Mistakes (Proofread!)

The final step in creating your general manager job description resume is to proofread. So many job seekers disregard this part of the process, thinking it’s not important. But it is! A recruiter or HR person may very well chuck a resume with typos and grammatical errors right into the trash. So ask a trusted friend or advisor to read your resume over and fix any errors before you submit it to anyone.

Although using a general manager resume sample from online might be a great place to start, you really can craft a killer general manager resume all on your own. Simply follow the five steps listed above, and before you know it, you’ll be well on your way to landing your dream job!

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