Imagine you're at the forefront of a business developing its strategic direction and leading teams to get there. Regardless of the size of the business, that's what you'll be doing as a commercial manager. Your work will be super exciting and rewarding.
A dynamic commercial manager with over 12 years of experience in retail operations negotiated a $30M expansion contract in 2021, increasing Mega Mall's annual expected revenue by 24%. Seek to join ADS Hypermarket to grow their business to the next level achieving the expansion targets for 2022-2025.
Experience
Aug 2018 to Present Mega Mall Commercial manager
Negotiated a $30M expansion contract last year, increasing the company's annual revenue target by 24%.
Communicated with senior management in devising the strategic direction of the company.
Developed risk management strategies covering a wide spectrum of business and financial activities.
Hired managers to run business units profitably and assessed their performance.
Led the negotiations in major contracts generating revenue for the business.
June 2014 to Aug 2018 Mega Mall Operations Manager
Developed marketing strategies to increase foot traffic by 32% in 2013-2014.
Upselling strategy to existing customers resulted in an increase in revenue by 12%.
Hired over 300 staff per year to run smooth operations in the business unit.
Supported team meetings by generating suggestions and engaging in problem-solving.
Developed relationships with existing clients as well as potential customers.
Education
Master's in Finance University of Wisconsin 2013-2014
Bachelor's degree in Accounting Michigan State University 2008-2012
But to get there, you need a solid commercial manager resume that lands among the top 5% of the applications the hiring manager receives for the position.
In such an important managerial position, the first impression you make will remain for a long time. Get yourself ready for the interview.
How to get the interview? We've got you covered!
In this article, you will learn:
How to pick the right layout and format for your resume.
How to write each section of your commercial manager resume.
Pro resume writing tips to make an excellent resume.
A well structured resume can get you 10 times more interviews than an average resume.
You don't have to start your commercial manager resume from scratch. Use a ready-to-fill resume template from our resume builder to create your resume in 10 minutes.
Here you can find more resumes of relevant professions to get further inspiration:
According to payscale, the average salary of a commercial manager is $89,000. Apart from the basic salary, most commercial manager positions include incentives, cash bonuses, and share options.
A commercial manager position is a direct path to a senior manager position in a company. Therefore the right candidates will be highly rewarded by the companies.
How to Write an Outstanding Commercial Manager Resume?
A hiring manager in a reputed organization receives hundreds of applications for a commercial manager position. To get yourself noticed, you should create an excellent resume following the standard resume writing guidelines and best practices.
A commercial manager is a well-organized individual, and the recruiter expects to see that organizing skill through your resume.
Therefore, starting your resume with the right format and layout is essential.
Commercial Manager Resume Layout
With the layout, you define the headings, subheadings, and information you will include on your resume. It's essentially your plan on paper.
For a commercial manager resume, you can use a similar layout to this:
Header with your name and contact information.
A professional summary.
Work experience.
Education.
Skills.
Additional sections (certificates, achievements, and interests).
Defining your resume's layout makes your life easy when you start writing the resume. You can efficiently manage the resume space while putting all vital information without missing any.
Resume Format for Commercial Managers
Your experience section on the resume is the most important section, and there are 3 standard ways of writing it.
Reverse chronological format: In this format, you should start with your most recent experience and write the previous experience in reverse chronological order.
Functional (skills-based) format: In this, your key skills as a commercial manager is highlighted, and the relevant experience is written under each skill.
Hybrid format: This is a combination of the above two formats.
The reverse chronological resume format is the most popular one for many managerial jobs including for commercial managers. In fact, most hiring managers are familiar with this format. Therefore, we have given our examples in this format and recommend you do the same.
Also, consider making your commercial manager resume using a modern resume template. Conventional resume templates made with MS Office are not going to make your resume stand out from the hundreds of other resumes.
Keyword Research for Your Commercial Manager Resume
Organizations use applicant tracking systems (ATS) to shortlist candidates for most jobs, including managerial positions.
Most conventional managerial resumes are not good enough to pass through the ATS. Why?
An applicant tracking system assesses a resume based on the relevant keywords on a resume. If your resume does not include the right amount of keywords related to commercial manager job duties, it will not reach the hiring manager.
The best place to start your keyword research is from your job advertisement, as the company would have highlighted their expectations for the position, including experience, skills, and education.
Apart from that, go to their website and check what projects the company is into – the new markets they're entering – and their clients. This would give you a better understanding of the company's reason for hiring, and you can tailor your resume to match this.
The header of your resume is a short section that consists of your name and contact information. Keep this simple and straightforward with the relevant information.
Here is an example:
CORRECT
John Pinkman
Commercial Manager
johnp@gmail.com
(276)726-4352
https://www.linkedin.com/johnp
INCORRECT
Commercial Manager
John Pinkman
johnp@abcholdings.com
(276)726-4352
207, Park Street,
New Hampshire,
USA
Here're some general guidelines for writing your header:
Start your resume with the name followed by the job title you're applying for.
Add your mobile number and a personal email.
Don't add your physical address in the header.
Add the link to your Linkedin account.
Grab the Hiring Manager's Attention with a Resume Summary
A resume summary (also called the professional summary) is a 2-3 sentence statement that demonstrates your fit for the job.
This section should be tailored to each position you're applying for.
This is your first pitch to the hiring manager. What would that be if you get to convince them with just two lines?
Here are some example resume summaries and a few more tips for writing a good one.
CORRECT
A passionate commercial manager with over 7 years of experience in the tech space seeks to join KPTech to expand its market to Europe and beyond. At TechDrive, led a team of 4 commercial managers to grow a Fintech product to $10M from scratch through contract negotiation.
INCORRECT
I have 7 years of experience as a commercial manager in a Fintech company. Looking forward to joining a growing business in technology to further my career and to use my expertise in a way that benefits the company's operations.
Tips for writing a killer professional summary:
Keep your resume summary to 2 sentences.
Use the first sentence to express your greatest achievement at the previous company.
Use the second sentence to explain what you can bring to the table.
Use numbers whenever relevant.
Commercial Manager Experience Section to Stand out
This is, without a doubt, the key section on any commercial manager resume. Some hiring managers would start reading the resume from here.
However, most commercial manager resumes are written with boring experience sections with duties and responsibilities copied from a previous job description.
Rather than writing what you were supposed to do, write about what you really did – what results you achieved – and their impact on the overall business. This information will make a lot of sense for the hiring manager in making a shortlisting decision.
Here are some examples of exceptional experience sections for your next job application.
📌Tip: An impressive experience section could potentially double your chances of getting shortlisted.
Experience section for a senior commercial manager
INCORRECT
Aug 2016 to Present
Commercial Manager
Marriott Hotels
Managed commercial functions of the business.
Involved in financial management.
Developed commercial relationships with different stakeholders.
Read the financial statements of the company.
Assessed business plans.
Identified business opportunities.
CORRECT
Aug 2016 to Present
Commercial Manager
Marriott Hotels
Analyzed investment options based on financial and strategic, including mergers and acquisitions.
Developed commercial proposals to acquire properties worth over $300M in 2021 for investments.
Developed strategies at the group level to increase brand awareness and sales.
Assessed business unit operations with the operational teams in the USA.
Carried out market research with agencies and analyzed the results, which led to acquiring 6 strategically important locations for the expansion plan.
Created business development plans generating marketing strategies to drive business performance.
While writing your experience section, be very specific about your achievements and accomplishments in your previous job. Use numbers to add credibility. When you write relevant achievements in your experience, it resonates with your hiring manager as you can do the same in the new position.
Start each sentence with action verbs such as developed, led, carried out, managed, etc.
Experience section for an entry-level commercial manager
INCORRECT
Aug 2021 to Present
Commercial Manager
Avondale
Helped the company's growth plans.
Hired candidates for SBUs.
Evaluated the sales performance of commercial teams.
Handled client relations whenever necessary.
Managed key accounts of corporate clients.
Achieved the set customer satisfaction ratio.
Managed commercial accounts.
CORRECT
Aug 2021 to Present
Commercial Manager
Avondale
Helped the organization's expansion plans by analyzing the market and associated risk factors.
Hired over 100 candidates for different SBUs in the last year.
Worked with commercial teams to deliver last year's sales target of 7% higher than the estimate.
Carried out a group-level variance analysis for energy cost reducing it by 12% from the last year.
Trained staff and management to provide excellent customer service throughout the clusters.
You might be an entry-level commercial manager without the required years of experience for the job. Still, if you can provide your key achievements, decisions, and results that are relevant to the new position, there's a higher chance you will get an interview.
Let Your Education Do the Talking
For most commercial manager jobs, a bachelor's degree in marketing, finance, or a relevant field would be requested as mandatory. Having a Master's degree would be an advantage.
If you possess the right education qualifications, you should write them under the education section.
For a well-experienced commercial manager, there's very little help your education section will do. You should use more space to write your experience section in such cases.
We have given a detailed version of an education section as an example which is especially suitable for an entry-level candidate👇.
Education
Master's in Business Administration, 2015-2016
Stanford University
GPA 3.7/4.0
International Business
Financial strategy
Marketing
Bachelor's degree in Finance, 2015-2018
Stanford University
GPA 3.4/4.0
Financial strategy
Financial Accounting
Management Accounting
Use a consistent format to write your education section. State the institution, degree name, years of completion, GPA, and key learning outcomes.
Top Commercial Manager Skills
You need to possess a set of specific skills to become a top-performing commercial manager. Understand what is required and write them on your resume SKILLS section.
Most of these skill requirements are listed in the job advertisement.
Keep your skills section to 5 to 7 key skills without giving a long list of skills. A short list of key skills instantly gets the recruiter's attention.
The resume should include both soft and hard skills.
Soft Skills for Commercial Managers
Written communication skills
Verbal communication skills
Networking
Decision making
Leadership skills
Supervisory skills
Team building
Problem-solving
Interpersonal skills
Active listening
Active learning
Negotiation
Time management
Hard Skills for Commercial Managers
Performance tracking
Project management
Strategic planning
Inventory management
Marketing strategy
Financial strategy
Investment
Business planning
Investor relations
Commercial strategies
It's easy to develop technical skills rather than soft skills. In fact, you could easily convince a hiring manager with relevant technical skills. Find the right courses, classes, and programs – complete them to get the relevant and demanding technical skills under your profile.
Additional Sections for a Commercial Manager Resume
Any relevant information that adds value to your profile or that hooks the recruiter would be worth adding to your resume.
Adding additional sections is a great way to include information that does not fit into the main sections but is still relevant to your profile.
Here are some examples of additional sections you could use for commercial manager jobs:
Computer skills & certifications
Extracurricular activities
Awards & media recognitions
Languages
Interests
Computing Skills & Certifications
Commercial managers often get to interact with computer systems and software for their work. Basic computer literacy and a little more would make their profile shine for a hiring manager.
In addition, there're valuable skill certifications for operational and senior managerial functions that are relevant to commercial managers. Find out what your recruiter is looking for in the job description.
Here are some important skill certifications for commercial managers:
Microsoft Office Specialist Certification
Certificate in Project Management (CAPM)
Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM)
Awards & media recognitions
Commercial managers often get to work in the front line of a business, developing strategies, managing teams, and expanding the business into new markets. In this course of action, your strategies, campaigns, and results could be recognized and awarded internally and externally.
These awards and recognitions are invaluable for your career and help you negotiate in future jobs.
Make them pop out in your resume.
Tips to Improve Your Commercial Manager Resume
A simple spelling or grammar mistake could ruin your profile – proofread.
If the recruiter has mentioned an important skill you don't possess, acquire it.
Tailor your resume to each job you're applying for.
Use a modern resume template to create your commercial manager resume.
Write a Cover Letter that Complements Your Resume
Your resume is the main part of your job application, but there's more.
Most hiring managers though they don't explicitly mention it, expect a cover letter from a candidate, especially when requesting applications for an executive or managerial position.
Without taking a chance, include a tailored cover letter that expresses your interest and demonstrates your fit for the job.
Keep your cover letter short – ideally one page with 3-4 paragraphs.
Writing cover letters for each job could be a tedious task. But we have made it so simple that you can write one in 10 minutes. Try our cover letter builder together with the resume builder to create great job applications faster.
FAQ
What does a commercial manager do?
A commercial manager could be specialized in marketing, finance, sales, or any other field-specific area. They manage commercial teams to achieve business objectives such as sales, business development, investment, or expansions. Depending on the organization and its requirement, the position could be either in operational management or senior management level. They involve in contract negotiations, commercial operations management, regulations assessment, and in many more functions.
Who hires commercial managers?
We can't mention a specific industry that hires commercial managers. Commercial manager positions, however, are available in almost every industry. For example, hospitality, retail, aviation, banking, and technology companies frequently hire commercial managers.
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