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

Managers are good leaders and collaborators. They are adept at managing others’ time and outputs and taking the initiative to mentor them and help 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 resume should reflect your managerial capabilities. Hiring managers want to know that you have relevant experience.

This article will explain management skills, list key management skills, and demonstrate how to highlight them on your resume.

What are management skills? 

Management skills are abilities and traits needed to perform specific duties, usually concerning overseeing a team, such as solving problems, communicating well, and motivating employees. Such skills can be learned through practical experience or in courses and then 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 can be found in investment firms, start-ups, bars and restaurants, government agencies, and more. Here is a list of key management skills you might consider for your resume:

• 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

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. Simply listing these skills is not enough.

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

Management skills can be included in two different sections of your resume. They can be listed under the skills section. Another 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 resume space. 

A strategic move is to detail a line or two about your management skills in your most relevant work experience. Later, you can expand on 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.

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 resume. 

1. Leadership

Leadership skills are key to successful management and a great skill set to include on your resume. 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 or not, employers tend to look for signs of leadership in a resume. They want to hire people who can inspire others and lead by example.

Example of leadership skills on a resume:

• Topia Agency, Marketing Manager

  • Delhi July 2019–January 2022

  • 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 telling people what to do—good leaders empower because a team must accomplish more. Assigning the suitable projects requires observing and understanding employees’ strengths and weaknesses. When done well, people can feel that even the most tedious tasks are purposeful and that they are contributing to the team.

Example of delegation skills on a resume:

• Helping Hands, Healthcare Facility Supervisor

  • Mumbai May 2017–December 2020

  • Managed a team of seven healthcare and four custodial staff, including delegating nurses to specific patients, considering their personalities, areas of expertise, and years of experience

3. Empathy

Empathy is essential to leading, delegating, and other key 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 resume:

• Justice for Women, Paralegal

  • Pune December 2014–April 2019

  • Conducted research as a domestic violence paralegal and interviewed clients to understand their needs and distribute resources 

4. Project management

Project management is leading and organising a team to complete a project within a specific time frame and budget. This involves managing people, systems, tools, software, and budgets, usually requiring plenty of training and technical skills in addition to interpersonal skills. 

Example of project management skills on a resume:

• Surat Conservancy, Project Manager

  • Surat September 2020–Present

  • Implemented Trello and Salesforce systems to a 20-person non-profit organisation team and increased efficiency by 10 per cent 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 a key 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 resume:

• Center for Migration, Partnership Coordinator

  • Bhopal 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 must 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 resume:

•  Dakshin, Head Chef

  • Chennai 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 demonstrating an ability to persevere in problem-solving, persuading clients or customers with hard facts and 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 resume:

• Adobe Agents, Real Estate Agent

  • New Delhi 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 resume:

• Blue Cube, Software Engineer

  • Meerut April 2017–September 2021

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

9. Conflict resolution

Any organisation may experience conflict between employees or teams or between the company and its customers. Employees or managers who are equipped with the ability to step in and resolve the conflict are valuable. They can suggest a compromise using mediation and empathy so everyone is happy.

Example of conflict resolution skills on a resume:

•  Kautilya Senior Secondary School, School Counselor

  • Kota 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 resume, consider the Leading People and Teams Specialisation from the University of Michigan on Coursera. 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.