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Manager skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025
7 min read
Quoted Experts
Mandy Ulicney,
Hagit Weihs Ph.D.
Manager Example Skills

Some of the most important hard skills a manager can possess include work with office procedures, management of payroll, and inventory control. It's important that managers have these skills because they will likely be major parts of the job. Managers may also need hard skills such as work with food safety practices in the food service industry, or work with POS systems in retail.


When it comes to soft skills, managers should be focused on providing excellent customer service while still attending to the needs and concerns of their staff. Managers will likely need to deal with a fair amount of conflict, so conflict resolution skills are also a plus.

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical manager skills. We ranked the top skills for managers based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 19.1% of manager resumes contained customer service as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a manager needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 manager skills for your resume and career

1. Customer Service

Customer service is the process of offering assistance to all the current and potential customers -- answering questions, fixing problems, and providing excellent service. The main goal of customer service is to build a strong relationship with the customers so that they keep coming back for more business.

Here's how managers use customer service:
  • Inventory management Customer service relations Maintaining organizational structure
  • Enhanced customer loyalty by demonstrating superior customer service, resolving all customer complaints and demonstrating value to our customers.

2. Payroll

Payroll is the sum of all the compensation that an organization has to pay to employees at a specified time. Payroll is managed by the finance or HR department while small business owners may handle it themselves. Payroll isn't fixed as it varies every month due to sick leaves, overtime, etc.

Here's how managers use payroll:
  • Managed budgets and payroll records, reviewed financial transactions to assure expenditures are authorized and budgeted.
  • Processed payroll and performed annual reviews and disciplinary actions.

3. Food Safety

Here's how managers use food safety:
  • Ensured all food safety procedures are executed according to Company policies and health/sanitation regulations; took corrective actions, as appropriate.
  • Conduct new hire employee and annual orientations to ensure food safety and promote positive attitude toward organizational objectives.

4. Financial Statements

A financial statement is a report of an individual or a company that includes all the information about the declared assets, the use of money, income, and also the contribution of shareholders over a certain period.

Here's how managers use financial statements:
  • Manage community budget and analyze financial statements, maintain budget accountability, anticipate and minimize negative budget variances and deficits.
  • Prepare annual financial statements for clients auditors, including complex governmental financial statements in accordance with relevant GASB standards.

5. Management

Here's how managers use management:
  • Provided vendor management for short-term, long-term and statutory disability services with multiple disability carriers for 80,000 employees.
  • Job function includes: Customer Service, Distribution, Management, Product Management, Project Management, Warehousing/Materials Management

6. PowerPoint

Here's how managers use powerpoint:
  • Directed creation/production of collateral, HTML, advertising material, and PowerPoint presentations, ensuring on-schedule and within-budget project completions.
  • Coordinated the forecasting PowerPoint Presentation across all business segments to provide trends and walks to Senior Management.

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7. POS

POS is an abbreviation of "Point of Sale" which is the time and place where a customer completes a transaction. It can either be a physical shop that consists of POS terminals or a virtual shop. A POS system helps simplify the retail functions and track important sales data.

Here's how managers use pos:
  • Customer-oriented with experience with POS systems, food preparation and safety regulations.
  • Facilitate appropriation of POS terminals using differing methods of secured lines.
Select Skills To Add To Your Resume

8. Bank Deposits

Any money that a customer chooses to leave with their bank account is a deposit. Deposits can vary in amounts and different banks have limits on the deposits their customers can have as a minimum. Banks charge customers for deposits especially when a teller is used by the customer to deposit money into their account.

Here's how managers use bank deposits:
  • Full daily cash management responsibility; prepared daily bank deposits, performed account reconciliations, processed/monitored payroll and completed financial reports.
  • Assist in accounting responsibilities including accounts receivable/payable, general ledger, bank reconciliations, and bank deposits.

9. Customer Satisfaction

Here's how managers use customer satisfaction:
  • Inspect food lines continually in coordination and cooperation with Kitchen Manager to ensure compliance with Health regulation and customer satisfaction.
  • Enhanced cleanliness, safety, inventory, product management and customer satisfaction by introducing new operations policies and procedures.

10. Inventory Control

Here's how managers use inventory control:
  • Facilitated department inventory control and ensured that out of stocks were communicated to General Manager with accountability for consistent in-stock position.
  • Maintained and train staff on visual presentation, inventory control, warehouse operations, management implementation and overall company standard operations.

11. Customer Complaints

Here's how managers use customer complaints:
  • Developed conflict resolution skills by listening to numerous customer complaints and creating resolutions in a non-threatening and professional manner.
  • Provided excellent customer service and build customer relations proactively through soliciting feedback and addressing and resolving customer complaints.

12. Loss Prevention

The steps taken by a business to prevent theft is called loss prevention. There are multiple methods for loss prevention for example usage of automated cash handling, secure physical location, product security staff buy-in, and attentive customer service.

Here's how managers use loss prevention:
  • Followed and implemented Operations and Loss Prevention Delivered exceptional service by greeting and serving customers in a timely, friendly manner.
  • Implemented company loss prevention policies, maintained security systems, investigated internal and external theft prevention cutting down on theft.

13. Direct Reports

Here's how managers use direct reports:
  • Worked with direct reports to review business in house and potential business in surrounding area and troubleshoot potential challenges/conflicts.
  • Carry out performance measurement, monitoring, and evaluation of direct reports to improve efficiency and productivity.

14. Human Resources

Human resources is a set of people in a business or a corporation that are designated to locate, interview, and recruit new employees into the company. They are also responsible to maintain the integrity of the employees and help them sort their problems out. They try to introduce and manage employee-benefit programs.

Here's how managers use human resources:
  • Audited internal policies and procedures in human resources, customer support, and operations and recommended improvements based on desired outcomes.
  • Managed Human Resources applications and system integration efforts focusing on implementation of PeopleSoft HRMS and RESTRAC Applicant Tracking software products.

15. Leadership

Here's how managers use leadership:
  • Recognized individually at Chief Operating Officer level for successful cross-group leadership and meeting product quality while overcoming aggressive schedule challenges.
  • Guided and managed the administrative day-to-day academic program and the implementation of strategies by providing leadership to faculty and staff.
top-skills

What skills help Managers find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What skills stand out on Manager resumes?

M

Mandy UlicneyMandy Ulicney LinkedIn Profile

Associate Lecturer, Kent State University

In the hospitality industry people look for the intangibles. Everyone works, so that's great, but what else do they do? Do they volunteer? Do they coach a sport? Are they part of a community committee? Those types of things show the employer that they are service-minded, which goes a long way in our industry. Also, being bi-lingual is a big asset to many hospitality employers.

What soft skills should all Managers possess?

H

Hagit Weihs Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Accounting in the Brandeis International Business School and the Undergraduate Advising Head to the Business Program, Brandeis University

Good communication skills are crucial: being able to listen, learn and apply, as well as communicate questions, concerns, and suggestions in an effective, direct, and timely manner. Time management skills are highly valued. They translate into an efficient and reliable employee. Team spirit is a big advantage: the ability to take the initiative to lead an effort and contribute while working well in a team. And, of course, the willingness to learn independently is always appreciated. Finally, showing critical thinking is important.

What hard/technical skills are most important for Managers?

H

Hagit Weihs Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Accounting in the Brandeis International Business School and the Undergraduate Advising Head to the Business Program, Brandeis University

Employers appreciate accounting, finance, and marketing literacy. These include a deep understanding of the different business disciplines (good financial statement analysis skills, understanding how budgets are created and followed, understanding financial markets, marketing, etc.). Application of these skills using data analytics tools are very important - these include data manipulation and presentation for the purpose of decision making using various software tools.

What Manager skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

E

Evelyn Green Ph.D.Evelyn Green Ph.D. LinkedIn Profile

Director, Hospitality & Tourism Workforce Innovation Alliance, Asst. Professor, Department of Hospitality & Tourism Management, University of South Alabama

-Brush up on your virtual communication skills, which include getting comfortable speaking to a camera with good eye contact, and observing and editing your body language for a virtual job interview or meeting.
-Learn a foreign language. Pick up a language based on your industry's external (i.e. guests) and internal customers (i.e. staff). For example, if Chinese outbound tourism is on the rise, and the Chinese are your local Destination Marketing Organization (DMO) primary target market, Chinese would be a great foreign language for you to pick up. If a large percentage of your frontline staff are Hispanic, learning Spanish will help you better communicate and build relationships with them.
-Pursue a graduate degree. Go for your master's, e.g. MBA for hospitality majors to broaden their job market. Although this recommendation seems to contradict the trending demand for technical skills, we still live in a world where academic credentials are valued and contribute to management position considerations, particularly with publicly traded corporations where it is important for them to win the confidence of their stockholders. Additionally, for those interested in working overseas, an advanced degree will help in the work permit application approval process. With the availability of online master's degree programs, offered at an affordable rate ( around $13k) and to be completed within 10 months on a full-time basis, this is a good time to get your competencies "tool bag" equipped and ready when needed. Stackable certifications are also good investments toward your professional development.

What type of skills will young Managers need?

P

Patrick Scott Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Economics, Louisiana Tech University

I think the importance of critical thinking and reasoning skills cannot be overstated enough. In this area, economics shines. Additionally, analytical and quantitative skills are more important than ever. Businesses continue to make the shift towards data-driven decision making. The ability to quickly analyze data and correctly assign an interpretation or meaning to that data is an important job market skill. With just a little bit of economic intuition, combined data science skills, business economics majors are uniquely positioned for success in the job market of tomorrow.

What technical skills for a Manager stand out to employers?

K

Kerem Cakirer Ph.D.Kerem Cakirer Ph.D. LinkedIn Profile

Senior Lecturer, Indiana University Bloomington

The labor market is not so different than any market with demand and supply. The demand from employers will shift towards more technical (software, coding, computer language programming) and analytical (problem solving on your own) skills than social skills overall. Being capable of writing or/and understanding computer languages will be a must have skill in the very near future. Communication skills over online platforms or social media platforms will play a huge role when employers are making a hiring decision. The data supports that businesses are using more online platforms than ever. I am projecting that there won't be any business travels or on-site client meetings in the near future. Exceling in different types of software, and being able to learn a new one easily, will become more important than people skills in businesses. Employers will seek for candidates, who are capable of achieving tasks in a more off-site (outside the office) environment through a deadline, and who can utilize multiple different softwares at their hand to solve business problems. As far as how the hiring process would go, we might see employers using artificial intelligence to make hiring decisions over some online platform soon. Essentially, this means that the candidates will be assessed with a more quantitative measure than ever. An evaluation measure by the AI, which will take soft and digital skills more into account.My final words are: The pandemic is still a burden to the humankind but the world will prevail. This year could be the inception of a new era in terms of how businesses run.

List of manager skills to add to your resume

Manager Skills

The most important skills for a manager resume and required skills for a manager to have include:

  • Customer Service
  • Payroll
  • Food Safety
  • Financial Statements
  • Management
  • PowerPoint
  • POS
  • Bank Deposits
  • Customer Satisfaction
  • Inventory Control
  • Customer Complaints
  • Loss Prevention
  • Direct Reports
  • Human Resources
  • Leadership
  • Business Development
  • Sales Associates
  • Sales Reports
  • Sales Floor
  • Food Preparation
  • Store Operations
  • Windows
  • Food Quality
  • Product Knowledge
  • Performance Reviews
  • Product Quality
  • Inventory Management
  • Safety Standards
  • Front Desk
  • Guest Satisfaction
  • Facebook
  • Customer Relations
  • Performance Evaluations
  • Staff Training
  • Financial Reports
  • Labor Costs
  • Cash Drawers
  • Retail Store
  • Restaurant Operations
  • Customer Inquiries
  • Customer Issues
  • Food Orders
  • Leading Training
  • Food Cost
  • Excellent Training
  • QuickBooks
  • FOH
  • Employee Scheduling
  • Cash Control
  • Cash Registers

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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