A resume is part of the job application process to convey the applicantโs qualifications for an account manager position.
It will show the reader your qualifications, your skills, your professional experience, and any other accomplishments. It should also provide details of any additional responsibilities and achievements related to the general scope of account management duties.
It helps to highlight the most marketable qualifications that equip you to perform the functions of an account manager. It is the perfect way to share a professional profile with a prospective employer. It should be customized to focus on the experience and skills that make you the best possible candidate for any account management position.
This article will discuss the following:
- How to create it that will impress any employer?
- What should be included in an account managerโs resume?
- How to format it?
- Should you include an objective or summary statement?
- How to list your skills on a resume for account manager?
- How to include professional experience on it?
- What are the doโs and donโts of creating a resume for account manager?
The objective of this article is to provide you with all the information necessary for writing it in a way that will improve your chances of getting the job.
Choosing the Best Format for an Account Manager Resume
Its format is of vital importance to the success of your job application because a poorly formatted document will present you as unprofessional and will not be shortlisted for the next stage of the hiring process. You will need to conduct a thorough comparison of the various formats available to you in order to choose the one that will be most appropriate for your industry and level of experience.
Why is resume format important?
- Employers will usually make an initial judgment based on its format.
- A professional format illustrates your professionalism.
- Employers want a resume they can easily and quickly scan for pertinent information such as contact details, academic qualifications, and references.
- A well-formatted resume makes it easy for the applicant tracking system (ATS) to identify relevant information and keywords.
You should avoid large text blocks, fancy fonts, and unprofessional colors, and focus on its legibility. Use varying lengths for descriptions, leave white space, use easy-to-read fonts, and prioritize your accomplishments and contact information.
Consider using the following fonts: Serif (Cambria, Georgia, Garamond, and Didot) and Sans Serif (Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, and Trebuchet MS).
Finally, submit it in PDF format if sending by email.
How to Write Your Account Manager Resume
It will show your experience, credentials, and what distinguishes you from other candidates in your field.
Below is a guide on what information to include in it:
Step 1: Provide your personal information
First, you should start by providing your personal information, such as your name and contact information. Start with the name, which should have the largest font size (16โ20 points).
This information can be provided as follows:
[NAME]
[Phone number]|[Email]|[location of residence]
EXAMPLE
CLARE JENKINS
555 5555 |Jenkins25@email.com| Louisville, NC
HARVEY BRANDON
8808 8820| hbrandoh15@email.com| Brisbane, AK
tip
Do not include too much personal information. Details such as marital status and sexual orientation are unnecessary and may lead to bias from reviewers if included.
Step 2: Write a suitable profile title
Next, you will want to write a good profile title for your resume. This gives the reviewer an idea of which position you are applying for and what to expect from you. The profile title should be written in a large font (14โ16 points), but smaller than your name.
A profile title can be written as follows:
Senior Account Manager
Or
Chief Account Manager
Step 3: Highlight your key skills
You should then write a summary of your key skills. Remember, it is imperative to provide skills that are relevant to the functions of an account manager and the job requirements. An account manager is meant to be the intermediary between the company and its clients. You are expected to manage the clientsโ accounts on behalf of the company.
You can use bullets to list the skills. The skills you can include are:
- Avid strategist
- Multi-tasking
- CRM software
- Microsoft Excel
- Team oriented
- Excellent negotiator
- Strong communicator with excellent rapport-building skills
- Innovative
- Zoho analytics
- Sisense
- Experienced problem solver
You should aim to provide a balance of technical and soft skills in order to illustrate an all-rounded capability. Hard skills involve the technical knowledge of how to use tools and hardware utilized by account managers. Hard skills typically involve daily activities and tasks. Soft skills, on the other hand, refer to skills that emanate from your personality and personal traits. Soft skills are generally related to human interactions.
Examples of soft and hard skills that an account manager can mention are as follows:
Hard skills:
- Zoho
- Intuit Quickbooks
- Microsoft Office
- HubSpot
- Oracle E-business Suite
Business Analytics:
- Project management
- Data analysis
- Budgeting and pricing
Soft Skills:
- Adaptability
- Reliability
- Communication
- Problem-solving
- Leadership
- Active listening
- Charisma
- Negotiation
- Critical thinking
- Empathy
- Emotional intelligence
- Organization
- Resilience in pursuit of goals and results
Step 4: Outline your professional experience
The next section of the resume should be your professional experience. You will want to include the names of the companies, dates, roles, and responsibilities, and the impacts of your contribution or achievements. Use action verbs and meaningful language to describe your responsibilities and quantify your achievements.
List your employment dates by company name with key positions held where you worked.
EXAMPLE 1
Mr. Smith Realty Company
Accounts Manager
Boston, MA| January 2016 to December 2022
- Increased customer response rate by 80%
- Successfully negotiated client deals worth $2 million in 2014
- Provided sound advice regarding business practices to clients in all aspects of the industry, from oil mining to performing arts
EXAMPLE 2
Brick Arizona Investment Company
Accounts manager
Phoenix, AZ| August 2014 to December 2015
- Trained a strong sales team of 10 members
- Established new client relations with a combined value of $10 million
- Created excellent rapport that increased the company rating by 50%
Introduced the Integrated-Prompt-Messaging (IPM) software that optimized company-client communication and increased customer satisfaction
If you are trying to get an entry-level job, be sure to include other experiences that relate to your field of interest. You can therefore include any volunteer experience or internships. As a recent graduate with little to no professional experience, recruiters want to see that you utilize your time productively.ย
pro tip
You should consider using the STAR format in the experience section as it is the most widely adopted format. STAR represents Situation, Task, Action, and Result. This format ensures your contribution to the company is effectively communicated.
Step 5: List your educational accomplishments
Next, outline your academic accomplishments. You should include the name of the institution, course/majors, location of institution, enrolment, and graduation dates (month and year). Provide relevant degree(s) with GPA.
This section can be structured as follows:
Course
University/school name| location| date
CGPA/GPA
EXAMPLE
Bachelor of Commerce โ Business Administration
University of Arizona
Phoenix, AZ| Jan 2011- Dec 2013
GPA- 3.7
MBA โ Accounting
University of South Carolina
Columbia, SC| Jan 2014-Apr 2014
Graduated at the top of my class
Step 6: Include an โothersโ section
This section is for any other experience, professional qualifications, or achievements that can be relevant to the position. You may also include any other academic achievements or awards from extracurricular activities, internships, or coursework relevant to the job you are applying for.
Certification (if any)
You should include the name of the certification, the institution, the location, the dates, and the current status.
EXAMPLE
CSP (Certified Strategic Planner) |Emory University, Atlanta|2006-2009| Jun 2014- Dec 2015
Current Status: Active (valid until June 2020).
Awards & recognition (if any)
Include the name of the award and the institutionโs name, location, and year of the award.
EXAMPLE
Emily International Young Entrepreneur
Award by Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry | 2012
Additional information (if any)
You may also include any leadership roles or volunteer positions if they are relevant to the job you are applying for. For example, if you have participated in organizing conferences or volunteered at a local charitable organization.
EXAMPLE
Volunteered for the Build Bridges Campaign spearheaded by the State of Arizona for victims of the Spring Valley Thunderstorm in 2019
Step 7: Write a summary or objective statement
If you do not have extensive experience (less than 3 years), you should consider including a career or objective statement. Use this section to present yourself effectively and mention your best skills and experiences.
The objective statement should mention the qualities, career objectives, and skills that make you uniquely suitable for this position. However, if the statement does not add new information to the resume then you must not include it. Also, omit it if you are not customizing it for each position. This is because it is better not to have an objective statement than to have a generic one.
EXAMPLE
I am a motivated professional account manager. I use my keen analytical ability to assess problems and then put forward new options and ways to tackle these issues. I have a strong work ethic that allows me to meet deadlines while maintaining a positive attitude that is both cooperative and motivating to those around me. My high level of commitment allows me to work diligently in order to achieve the best possible results for every project I am involved with.
A summary statement is used by applicants with significant work experience (3 or more years). As such, a summary statement will typically be for high-level positions. This is where you give a summary of your educational background, work history, quantitative achievements, value to the company, and mention some soft skills.
The summary statement should be positioned at the top of the resume and exude confidence. However, it is composed after all other details have been mentioned in the CV. It should be 3โ4 lines long and ATS-friendly. Incorporate keywords from the job description.
EXAMPLE
Summary: Masterโs in Business Administration, CSP certified, with strong negotiation skills, a 5-star client satisfaction rate, reliable, and working to become a leader in the sales and marketing industry.
How Not to be Rejected by the ATS?
The ATS is the automated filtering system used by most companies for hiring employees. The ATS looks for the pre-determined criteria provided by the employer, keywords, and formatting when scanning your resume. It is then ranked in comparison to other applicantsโ documents. You should therefore be aiming to overcome your employerโs ATS.
You can do so in the following ways:
- Review the job description and personalize your resume while incorporating the keywords, wording, skills, work experience, and achievements prioritized by the employer. This is because these elements are the employerโs shortlisting criteria.
- Do not use abbreviations when writing important details and skills.
- Focus on relevance. Do not include all of your skills and indicate those relevant to the job description.
- Note that it must be customized to align with each account manager application.
Doโs and Donโts
Here are some pointers to help you make it flawless for any account management positions you may be applying for.
Some things to remember while composing a resume are:
- Use bucketing and bolding: Use titles and subheadings (bucketing) to highlight the skills that are interrelated and bold details such as quantified achievements that are most relevant for the job you are applying for. These are two effective ways of getting the hiring managersโ attention.
- Quantify your impact as an account manager: Using numbers and figures makes you more credible and visible. Employers are looking for applicants who can show progress and improvement and have quantifiable achievements that have been achieved with outstanding results. For example, I was the head of a department with 15 staff members.
- Tailor your resume for each job listing: You should never use a generic document. Ensure that it is tailored to each account manager job vacancy you send it to. Use keywords and phrases that are directly related to the job description, as well as skills, achievements, and qualifications.
Some things that must be avoided while composing it are:
- Do not exceed one page: Try to keep your resume to one page, and only include the most pertinent details.
- Do not make spelling or grammar mistakes: Always proofread your document and have a friend proofread it as well to make sure that there are no spelling, grammar, or punctuation mistakes.
- Do not use creative fonts or formatting: Use standard font styles, colors, and sizes. Do not try to get creative with a different font or color scheme, as it will make it look unprofessional. Also, do not include images or graphics; they are not needed in it.
Final Thoughts
The resume for an account manager is intended to reflect the skills, achievements, and expertise that you have to offer an employer. You should thus focus on writing about your core competencies, which will give employers a clear idea of what makes you a suitable candidate for the position. Also, make sure that you use keywords and format it in a way that will get it shortlisted by the ATS. Whether you are an experienced account manager or a recent graduate, you should be able to write a compelling resume with the information outlined in this article.