9 Key Management Skills: How to Show Them on Your CV

Managers are good leaders and collaborators. They are adept at managing others’ time and outputs, taking the initiative to mentor them, and helping facilitate a positive work environment.

Suppose you are applying for a position where management skills are listed in the job description or for a manager role at an organisation. In that case, your CV should reflect your managerial capabilities. Hiring managers want to know that you have relevant experience.

This article will explain management skills, provide a list of essential management skills, and demonstrate how to highlight them on your CV.

What are management skills?

Management skills are abilities and traits needed to perform specific duties, usually as they pertain to overseeing a team, such as solving problems, communicating well, and motivating employees. Such skills can be learned through practical experience or in courses and sharpened on the job. Interpersonal skills are essential to maintaining good relationships and team spirit, while technical skills enable managers to coach newer team members knowledgeably.

Management skills are necessary across industries: managers work in investment firms, start-ups, bars and restaurants, government agencies, and more. Here is a list of critical management skills you might consider including on your CV:

• Leadership

• Project management

• Planning

• Delegation

• Coaching

• Negotiating

• Empathy

• Interpersonal skills

• Communication

• Problem-solving

• Coordinating

• Organisation

• Conflict resolution

• Strategic thinking

• Public speaking

• Logistics

• Technical knowledge

• Networking/outreach

• Collaboration

• Execution

• Decision-making

• Innovation

Listing these skills is not enough. To demonstrate to a potential employer that you have the management skills to succeed, you’ll want to illustrate how you managed a team and how much impact you had so that your resume shines in a competitive applicant pool.

How to highlight management skills on your CV. (Hint: Show, don’t tell.)

You can include management skills in two different sections of your CV. You can list them in a skills section; however, another, and perhaps better, place for skills is in the work or education sections. Describing how your management skills contributed to your team’s workflow, productivity, or success can be a more effective use of precious space. 

A strategic move is to detail a line or two about your management skills in your most relevant work experience. Later, you can add more about this in your cover letter or interview. This helps paint a better picture of your capabilities so that hiring managers aren’t just reading an arbitrary list of management skills.

Showing vs Telling

Telling

• I am results-oriented and organised when leading a team

• I am good at planning and thinking strategically

• My empathy and coaching make me an effective leader

Showing

• I led a team to complete two Agile sprints in one month

• I executed a strategic plan that resulted in 25% more sales

• Under my mentorship, the team created an award-winning product that helps save lives

Some management skills are transferable. Restaurant or shop managers can leverage their resumes to demonstrate good organisation and communication skills. Mothers or fathers who hope to transition into a job after years of managing a household can speak to this experience in a job interview. 

Below are nine examples of management skills and how you can incorporate them into your CV. 

1. Leadership

Leadership skills are key to successful management and a great skill set to include on your CV. An effective leader means guiding a team to achieve the company’s objectives and contributing to a positive, productive work environment. Despite whether the role explicitly states leadership as a requirement, employers look for signs of leadership in a CV. They want to hire people who can inspire others and lead by example.

Example of leadership skills on a CV:

• Topia Agency, Marketing Manager

  • London, UK. July 2022-January 2024

  • Assembled and led a team of social media influencers to create content and launch a brand of sportswear on TikTok

2. Delegation

Delegating is a management skill that strategically distributes tasks to the most qualified employees. It’s more than bossing people around—good leaders delegate because a team must accomplish more. Assigning suitable projects requires observing and understanding employees’ strengths and weaknesses. When done well, direct reports can feel that even the most tedious tasks are purposeful and that they are contributing to the team.

Example of delegation skills on a CV:

• Helping Hands, Healthcare Facility Supervisor

  • Liverpool, UK. May 2019-December 2022

  • Managed a team of 7 healthcare and 4 custodial staff, including delegating nurses to specific patients, taking into consideration their personalities, areas of expertise, and years of experience

3. Empathy

Empathy is essential to leading, delegating, and other critical management skills. It is the ability to understand how others are feeling and to see things from their perspective. Empathetic leaders and managers are effective because they know when their team needs nurturing or more independence. Employees, in turn, feel comfortable sharing concerns or feedback.

Example of empathy on a CV:

• Justice for Women, Paralegal

  • London, UK. December 2015-April 2019

  • As a paralegal working on domestic violence cases, I conducted research and interviewed clients to understand their needs and distribute resources when necessary

4. Project management

Project management involves leading and organizing a team to complete a project within a specific time frame and budget. It involves managing people, systems, tools, software, and budgets and usually requires plenty of training, technical skills, and interpersonal skills. 

Example of project management skills on a CV:

• Baraka Conservancy, Project Manager

  • Birmingham, UK. September 2020-Present

  • Implemented Trello and Salesforce systems to a 20-person non-profit organisation team and increased efficiency by 10% in one year

5. Communication

Demonstrating that you are an effective communicator can prove your worth to a hiring manager.  Communicating effectively and efficiently across diverse teams through verbal and written exchanges is an essential management skill. When delegating a task, good communicators are professional and articulate. They are good at coordinating, collaborating, and organising.

Example of communication skills on a CV:

• Center for Migration, Partnership Coordinator

  • Lancaster, UK. February 2012-2019

  • Performed outreach by cold-calling and communications materials, developed partnerships with 5 grassroots organisations, and secured 3 international funders

6. Planning

Managers are required to think ahead to ensure the current activities and projects align with overall business goals. Planning and taking the initiative to brainstorm plans for the future shows future employers that you are goal- and results-oriented, organised, and ready for any obstacles that may come your way.

Example of planning skills on a CV:

• Nobita, Head Chef

  • Wolverhampton. November 2015-January 2020

  • Supervised all raw ingredients orders, ordered and created a 15% buffer to mitigate potential supply chain shortages

7. Negotiation

Negotiation is a management skill that demonstrates an ability to persevere in problem-solving, persuade clients or customers with hard facts, and find mutually beneficial solutions. Using their interpersonal and communication skills, a good negotiator influences others and convinces them to make an evidence-based decision.

Example of negotiation skills on a CV:

• Adobe Agents, Real Estate Agent

  • London, UK. June 2020-Present

  • Closed 12 cash deals within the first three months of working at Adobe

8. Problem-solving

Finding solutions to problems is a skill needed in nearly every job. Teams need leaders who can resolve issues creatively, using any resources available to approach and tackle them successfully. 

Example of problem-solving skills on a CV:

• Blue Cube, Software Engineer

  • Edinburgh, UK. April 2017-September 2021

  • Advised customers on maintenance of software system, troubleshooting and coaching them when issues arise

9. Conflict resolution

Any organisation may experience disagreements between employees, teams, or the company and its customers. Employees or managers equipped to step in and resolve the conflict are valuable. Using mediation and empathy, they can suggest a compromise to make everyone happy.

Example of conflict resolution skills on a CV:

• Sweet Mountain High School, School Counsellor

  • Sheffield, UK. September 2020-Present

  • Handle and mediate conflict between students, between students and teachers, including initiating conversations with family members for additional counselling 

Boost your management skills with Coursera.

If you want to boost your CV, consider the Leading People and Teams Specialisation from the University of Michigan. You’ll learn from exceptional leaders how to inspire and motivate individuals, manage talent, and lead teams in about six months.

If managing projects is more your style, the Google Project Management Professional Certificate can equip you with the right tools to launch your career in this high-growth field. Prepare to learn technical skills such as Agile project management, implementing Scrum events, and building Scrum artefacts.