How to Write an Office Manager CV

Friday, October 30, 2020
The life of an office manager can often be a busy one. The smooth running of an office can involve many facets – from managing databases, meeting rooms and reception areas to HR, health and safety, and facilities. You may also manage a team of administrators or receptionists. The key to writing a great office manager CV is not just about telling the reader about the variety of things you do, but how well you tell them.

Keep your CV to two pages

Less than 30 seconds will be spent reading your CV. It can often be less. Some research suggests about 6 seconds is spent on average reading a CV. Clearly, there is little point in including lots of detail. A 2 page CV with around 750 words will give just enough information to whet the appetite without overwhelming the reader with information overload. Keep the point size to 11 to prevent the reader from needing to squint. Bullet points are great devices for breaking up information into digestible chunks.

Think achievements not duties

Whilst it is important to tell the reader about the wide range of responsibilities you have, it is more important to show your achievements. After all, they are recruiting for an office manager, right? So, they should know what one does. Give specific examples of achievements. These could be new processes or procedures that have reduced the time spent doing certain tasks. New IT or telecoms systems that have improved communications. Include facts and figures that demonstrate the outcomes. Facts and figures always look great in a CV. Use as many as you can.


Tailor your CV for every application

Do not be tempted to use the same CV for every application. Many job applicants get frustrated when they have applied for 100s of jobs and receive no responses having used one generic CV. Every job description has its own requirements. The more you can align your CV to the requirements of a specific role, the better it will perform.

Getting your CV through ATS systems

It is estimated that applicant tracking systems (ATS) filter out about 70% of CVs before they are even read by a recruiter. ATS work by analysing applicant CVs against a job description. ATS look for concentrations of similar key words and phrases in a similar way that search engines find relevant websites when you type a phrase into Google. The secret to getting your CV through ATS filters is to identify the key words in a job description and mirror these in your CV. So, it comes back to the importance of tailoring your CV for each role applied for.

This article is written by Neville Rose, Director of CV Writers.
CV Writers are the official CV partner to Guardian Jobs.


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