So we have prepared this complete guide with tips on the director of operations resume. It covers all the basics and some advanced tips to increase your chances of getting your dream job that might seem a bit out of reach at this point.
So let's dive in!
What makes your resume a job winning one?
A job winning resume meets the standards of professionalism while presenting you as a candidate in the best light possible.
Here are some of the pointers to keep in mind:
- Always use past tense and third person
- Always use action verbs and numbers wherever possible
- Avoid pronouns in sentences to keep it formal
- Leave no scope for questions unanswered
- Save the document in simple manner i.e. You name Resume
- Save the document in compatible format- Microsoft word Or PDF
What does a director of operations resume include?
A director of operations resume includes every relevant detail of your role, from job title to experiences and skills and also some other information and sections such as resume summary and so on.
The best operations resume focuses on the key aspects of the role and job duties which create the image of an impressive director of operations. It means there will be reflection of competency in the most impactful manner.
We will discuss at length all about every part of a director of operations resume that must be included in your own resume as well.
Trivia!
(Source:https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes111021.htm)
Writing a professional resume
Whenever we do something, we first do some research. For example, before watching a movie or buying electronics such as a new mobile phone or earphones and so on.
The same kind of research is also helpful when writing a director of operations resume. You should explore job title, job descriptions, industry and everything in between.
It will help you understand the job market better, you will be updated with the latest scenario. You will be able to understand what are the usual job requirements such as skills and experience.
You can also find out the average earning potential of the position in the particular area and industry so you are well informed about the compensation and salary you deserve from your employment opportunities and options.
With all the research you will figure out what you have that is something extra, which can be highlighted on your resume in order to stand out and increase your chances of getting that job.
Next up is the task of choosing the format. Resume format and template provides you the right layout which helps you immensely in presenting your profile on the resume.
There are various formats that you can choose from:
- Functional: Focuses on skills and education, suitable for freshers and recent graduates
- Reverse chronological: Focuses on experience, suitable for seasoned professionals
- Combination: Focuses both on skills and experience (transferable especially), suitable for those looking to change their career progression/path/area
The right format can help you enhance and optimize your resume presentation and you need to decide which format will be best for you so that the recruiter realizes what an impressive director of operations you are (only) from your resume.
Accurate header
In the header of your director of operations resume, you need to mention your name and your contact information.
Your contact information must include:
- Your contact number: Where you are easily reachable. Make sure it is accurate and written formally with the area code.
- Your professional email ID: One that you use for professional correspondence and you use it regularly. It should be a simple and formal ID.
- Your Links: If you are active on LinkedIn and your profile is well curated and updated, you can mention your LinkedIn profile link. If you are active in a professional context on any other professional sites, you can mention those as well. If you have a well curated portfolio, include a link for that portfolio as well.
In addition, your professional photograph and your home address may be added. However, neither are mandatory and you can choose not to include them in your director of operations resume.
Resume summary
The professional summary on your operations director resume is extremely important because it will decide if the recruiter will pay attention to the rest of the resume or not. The professional summary is where you need to grab and hold the attention and interest of the recruiter.
The summary should be written in bullet points no more than 5 as well as no less than 3. You need to talk about your total years of experience, your key accomplishments and job responsibilities that you performed well along with relevant skills that are of the utmost importance.
Your resume summary should showcase how impressive director of operations you are and how well you have done your operations job in the past. At last mention what kind of opportunity you are looking for and how you will contribute.
Professional experience
As an experienced director of operations, you may already have a resume. However, there are high chances that your resume has the scope for improvement. An impressive director of operations resume includes the well written professional experience section.
Now the details of your experience should be written in bullet points. The job title, employer name and the period of employment should be mentioned before each experience. You need to describe the work history in the reverse chronological order as the resume format is reverse chronological.
In the experience details you need to describe your exceptional performances and achievements, any awards or recognitions you may have acquired in addition to the details of usual operations director job duties and responsibilities.
You can talk about every single task if they are relevant and important because they will create your impression of a thorough person.
You also need to include important and relevant keywords in the experience details so the hiring manager is easily intrigued and ends up paying attention to your resume.
- Operations management
- Supply chain management
- Strategic planning
- Project management
- Inventory management
- Operations
- Operations experience
Education section
The education section is for your educational background. In this section, you can describe your degrees, education level. You can also include online programs and courses that you may have completed in addition to any practical or theoretical training.
While describing the education details, mention the degree or course title along with the name of the educational institute. Also, always avoid mentioning the year and dates of the courses and degrees because they may lead to bias regarding your experience, skills and competency.
For the role such as director of operations, you may be required to have a master's degree or particular relevant course. Ensure that you check out multiple job description to be updated on the operations position requirements.
You can also mention some relevant subjects to effectively showcase your theoretical and educational foundation for the role of a great director of operations.
Relevant skills
After the education section, comes the skills section. You have already described your experience and resume summary, both of which included the relevant skills that helped you perform well, complete tasks, acquire various accomplishments and fulfill your job duties or the responsibilities.
The skills section is for your top most relevant skills that are crucial, a bit conclusive and your biggest strengths. The list of skills in your skills section can be a balanced combination of soft and technical skills, role specific operations skills and any other that may be very important.
- Business administration
- Operations management
- Working with sales and marketing teams
- Supply chain management
- Clinical operations
- Business operations
- Strategic planning
- Corporate leadership
- Project management
- Handling financial responsibilities
- Inventory management
- Leadership skills
- Managing financial reports
- In depth knowledge of operations
- Operational improvements
- Interpersonal skills
- Achieving organizational growth
- Building positive relationships
- Managing professional associations
- Data analytics
- Cost savings
- Daily operations
- Strong communication
- Administrative skills
You can also include these skills with the details of experience in the experiences section.
Extra
Apart from the sections and information discussed above, if you have any more relevant information, you may want to include it on your resume in separate sections.
Such relevant information may be your language proficiencies (depending on the location of your job, you may be required to communicate with people who speak languages other than English) or your personal interests.
For example if you have personal interest in business administration or management, you can mention those because they are relevant to the operations department.
You may have also done some online courses or programs, you can mention those too. If you have attended and completed (or even hosted) any workshops, you can talk about them as well.
References
References are quite well known parts of resumes however you may not see them in every professional resume. Many resumes skip the references part and it might be okay depending on their role. Not every resume needs references.
That said, for a role such as director of operations, your professional resume might benefit from having references mentioned on your director of operations resume. Your responsibilities include a lot of interactions and the results of your performances may be reviewed well by your colleagues and superiors.
This is why if you can, you should mention 3 references on your resume. Make sure that they are aware of their details being on your resume. You should also make sure that they are likely to say positive things about you and give good feedback on your performances if any hiring manager contacts them.
These references may be your superiors (supervisor or manager or such) or colleagues from past employment experiences.
Relevant keywords
The applicant tracking systems used by the hiring managers is an automated tool that scans your director of operations resume and filters all the received resumes to shortlist them.
The ATS or applicant tracking system works based on the parameters set by the employer which are the relevant keywords to your role, responsibilities, job description and industry. If you are applying to a big corporate company that is well established, you might need to add the employer/company related keywords as well.
With the keywords throughout your resume in every section, you can beat the ATS and end up in the shortlisted resume pile.
Including relevant keywords also makes your profile information very thorough which may impress the hiring managers because it showcases how thorough you are as a professional.
Cover letter
Cover letters are not always mandatory however they may add great value to your resume and job application. Cover letter has a layout of a regular letter and it is addressed to the hiring managers.
Cover letter gives you an opportunity to include more keywords. In the cover letter you can also talk about your inspiration and journey so the hiring manager will realize how interested and dedicated you will be when you are offered the job.
You can also mention your experience and key accomplishments to convince the hiring manager. Cover letter is a lot like a sales pitch, it is a sales pitch on why you should be hired and how you will make their company better with all that you have to offer including your experience and skills.
Conclusion
In conclusion, a perfect job winning director of operations resume should include:
- Professionalism
- Relevant keywords throughout the sections
- An enclosed cover letter
- References
- Relevant skills
- Professional experience details
- Compelling resume summary
- Right resume template and format
Now that you know all about writing a director of operations resume, you may also want to check out some director of operations resume examples. We also have the best resume examples and a wide range of templates that you can check out! Good luck with the job hunt!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Should my director of operations resume have a cover letter enclosed?
Yes, it is not mandatory (always) as mentioned in the article however it can certainly help you earn some points with the recruiter.
Do I need any technical skills mentioned on my director of operations resume?
Technical skills may be defined broadly and there may be some technical skills necessary for your role while others may not be a must. You will have to check your particular role's job description to find out. Every recruiter has different requirements and generalizing might be misdirecting.
Should I use an operations resume template for my director of operations resume?
You can absolutely choose the right template and use it for your resume, it may cut your work in half and save you a lot of time.
