General Manager Resume Examples
The best way to start with writing a general manager resume is with real examples. Below, you’ll find professional resume examples tailored to different industries and leadership roles. Use these examples to understand what hiring managers look for—from resume format and structure to the right skills, achievements, and leadership keywords.
General Manager Resume
This resume is for individuals pursuing roles as General Managers overseeing business operations, managing staff, and ensuring strategic goals are met. Positions typically involve budgeting, team leadership, and performance analysis.
Job Description
General Managers lead daily operations, develop and implement business strategies, and ensure overall efficiency and profitability. They supervise department heads, manage budgets, and maintain high standards of customer service and employee performance.
Key Notes
Emphasize leadership, business acumen, and operational expertise. Highlight achievements in team management, cost control, and process optimization.
Additional Tips
- Leadership Impact: Include quantifiable improvements in team productivity and company performance.
- Business Acumen: Show your ability to manage P&L, strategy, and operations together.
- Format: Maintain clear, professional formatting with defined sections and bullet points.
Restaurant General Manager Resume
This resume is for individuals pursuing roles as Restaurant General Managers responsible for daily operations, staff management, customer service, and financial performance in a food service environment.
Job Description
Restaurant General Managers oversee the restaurant’s daily functions, ensure excellent customer experiences, manage staff scheduling and training, control costs, and drive profitability. They maintain compliance with health and safety regulations and implement strategies for continuous improvement.
Key Notes
Highlight leadership in food service, knowledge of POS systems, inventory control, team management, and customer satisfaction metrics.
Additional Tips
- Customer Focus: Use metrics to demonstrate improvements in guest satisfaction.
- Leadership Strength: Highlight team-building and staff retention strategies.
- Compliance & Quality: Mention certifications and health/safety practices.
Hotel General Manager Resume
This resume is for individuals pursuing roles as Hotel General Managers who oversee all operations of a hotel or resort, ensuring high guest satisfaction, profitability, and staff performance.
Job Description
Hotel General Managers supervise the front desk, housekeeping, food services, and maintenance operations. They are responsible for budgeting, marketing, guest satisfaction, compliance, and team leadership to deliver an exceptional hospitality experience.
Key Notes
Emphasize experience in hospitality management, team supervision, revenue growth, guest services, and knowledge of hotel management systems.
Additional Tips
- Guest-Centric Metrics: Include ratings, reviews, and satisfaction scores.
- Revenue Growth: Showcase experience improving financial performance
- Systems Knowledge: Mention hotel management systems and booking platforms used.
Assistant General Manager Resume
This resume is for individuals pursuing roles as Assistant General Managers who support the General Manager in overseeing business operations, managing staff, and ensuring the smooth operation of day-to-day functions.
Job Description
Assistant General Managers assist in supervising staff, maintaining operational standards, resolving customer issues, and executing the business strategy. They often manage scheduling, training, budgeting, and departmental coordination to support the GM’s goals.
Key Notes
Highlight team support, leadership development, operational assistance, and cross-departmental coordination. Showcase problem-solving and team performance improvement.
Additional Tips
- Support Role: Emphasize the ability to complement the GM and take initiative when needed.
- Growth Path: If promoted internally, highlight advancement to show leadership potential.
- People & Operations: Showcase a balance of staff management and operational control.
Automotive General Sales Manager Resume
This resume is for individuals pursuing roles as Automotive General Sales Managers responsible for leading dealership sales operations, managing sales teams, and driving revenue through customer relationship management and marketing strategies.
Job Description
Automotive General Sales Managers oversee new and used vehicle sales, supervise sales staff, set targets, monitor inventory, and implement strategies to meet dealership revenue goals. They also ensure high standards of customer service and compliance with industry regulations.
Key Notes
Emphasize leadership in auto sales, team development, sales forecasting, inventory management, and customer engagement. Include knowledge of DMS/CRM systems and performance metrics.
Additional Tips
- Sales Metrics: Use numbers to show how you improved sales performance.
- Technology Savvy: Mention CRM/DMS systems used (e.g., VinSolutions, Dealertrack).
- Team Leadership: Highlight coaching, motivation, and sales training success.
Retail General Manager Resume
This resume is for individuals pursuing roles as Retail General Managers responsible for leading store operations, managing staff, optimizing sales, and ensuring excellent customer service in a retail environment.
Job Description
Retail General Managers oversee day-to-day operations, sales performance, staff supervision, inventory control, visual merchandising, and customer satisfaction. They develop strategies to meet revenue goals and uphold brand standards.
Key Notes
Focus on leadership, retail operations, sales growth, team development, customer service, and performance metrics. Highlight knowledge of POS systems and KPI-driven management.
Additional Tips
- Performance-Focused: Use KPIs and sales metrics to prove impact.
- Customer Service Excellence: Highlight service awards or recognition.
- Leadership Development: Show success in hiring, training, and retaining staff.
Construction General Manager Resume
This resume is for individuals pursuing roles as Construction General Managers who are responsible for overseeing construction projects from planning to completion, managing teams, budgeting, and ensuring safety and compliance standards.
Job Description
Construction General Managers supervise project execution, manage contractors and subcontractors, ensure compliance with building codes, oversee budgets and timelines, and communicate with clients, engineers, and architects to ensure the successful delivery of projects.
Key Notes
Emphasize experience in construction project management, site supervision, safety compliance, and team coordination. Highlight your ability to deliver projects on time and within budget.
Additional Tips
- Quantify Your Success: Use dollar values, timelines, and safety stats.
- Software & Tools: Highlight construction tech skills (Procore, MS Project).
- Safety Emphasis: Employers prioritize safety knowledge and compliance.
Operations General Manager Resume
This resume is for individuals pursuing roles as Operations General Managers responsible for overseeing the operational activities of a business, including process optimization, supply chain management, and team leadership to ensure efficiency and profitability.
Job Description
Operations General Managers lead cross-functional teams, oversee daily operations, develop strategic plans, manage budgets, and drive operational improvements. They ensure company goals are met through streamlined workflows and strong leadership.
Key Notes
Focus on operational efficiency, team leadership, budgeting, KPI tracking, and cross-department collaboration. Highlight achievements in cost reduction, productivity improvement, and process innovation.
Additional Tips
- Efficiency & Savings: Emphasize cost-cutting and process enhancements.
- Metrics: Back up claims with KPIs and measurable results.
- Tech Fluency: List systems you’ve implemented or improved (ERP, inventory, analytics).
How to Write a General Manager Resume
Writing a general manager resume isn’t just about listing your past jobs—it’s about proving you’re ready to lead. Employers want to see that you can drive results, manage teams, and think strategically.
10 Essential Writing Tips for a General Manager Resume
- Start with a powerful summary - Write a concise resume summary that highlights your leadership experience, industry expertise, and key accomplishments.
- Quantify your achievements - Use numbers to show impact—e.g., “Increased revenue by 35%,” “Reduced operational costs by $500K annually.”
- Tailor your resume to the job - Customize your resume for each role by adding keywords from the job description and highlighting relevant experience.
- Highlight leadership and strategy skills - Show your abilities in team management, strategic planning, operations, budgeting, and performance optimization.
- Use action verbs - Begin bullet points with action verbs like “Led,” “Implemented,” “Managed,” “Optimized,” “Increased,” “Directed,” “Streamlined,” “Generated,” “Developed,” or “Negotiated.”
- Keep it clean and professional - Use a clear layout, consistent formatting, and a modern professional font. Avoid overly creative designs that can hurt ATS readability.
- Include key business metrics - Emphasize your results in areas like profitability, growth, efficiency, employee retention, or customer satisfaction.
- List industry-relevant hard and soft skills - Include a mix of technical competencies (e.g., P&L management, CRM software) and soft skills (e.g., communication, leadership).
- Don’t forget certifications and training - Mention any relevant credentials like PMP, Six Sigma, MBA, or executive training programs.
- Keep it to 1–2 pages - be concise yet comprehensive, focusing on the last 10–15 years of your career, particularly high-level roles.
You'll need to establish an effective resume structure and layout before adding text and content to your resume. It will dictate how your general manager application looks, reads, and delivers information!
Please include these main sections in your general manager resume:
- Contact Information (Header)
- Professional Summary or Resume Objective
- Work Experience Section
- Education Section
- Skills Section
- Certificates, Honors and Awards, and Other Additional Information
Start with the Header
Potential new candidates often make the mistake of underestimating the importance of a proper contact information section.
Start by writing your name at the very top of the resume. Your name should be in font size 14-16 and bold.
Afterward, write your job title, physical address, email address, and telephone number. Don't forget to include your LinkedIn or any other relevant professional website link.
Header example:
Eric M. Walling
Retail Manager
Jackson, MS
EricMWalling@gmail.com
662-617-2929
Linkedin.com/in/ericmwalling
Professional Summary for General Managers
A great way to capture the reader's attention in an application is by including a brief section that highlights your skills, goals, and professional experiences. For this, you can use either a summary or resume objective.
A summary is a short paragraph designed to showcase your top skills, achievements, and work experience. The summary is better suited for more experienced general managers.
The objective, on the other hand, is the better choice for entry-level position managers. You'll discuss your career goals, top relevant skills, and how you can benefit the company. Since you won't have a lot of practical experience, focus on building value in your abilities.
You must keep this section very brief. Keep the summary and objective statement to a 3 - 4 sentence maximum.
Summary Examples
Objective Examples
Work Experience
Being able to display your work history to the employer successfully will, more often than not, guarantee you success at the job opening you've applied for.
The best way to showcase your work experience is by writing a well-structured work experience section that effectively conveys your accomplishments.
You need to ensure that each job description you include is well-fleshed out and logical. After all, this section will be the most significant part of your general manager application.
You should use the chronological format order when writing your experience section. Put your most recent position at the top of the section.
The first thing you should write in each job description is your job title. After that, write the name of the company that employed you and the length of time you worked there.
Your strengths and accomplishments can be discussed after you've written the job title, company name, and dates of employment. Ensure that you use bullet points to describe your responsibilities clearly.
Work experience example for entry-level general managers
Assistant Manager
Office Warehouse Inc.
03/2016 - Present
- Developed ways to achieve performance and profit goals in collaboration with team members.
- Created innovative ways to simplify and modernize procedures to increase profitability. In response to feedback from the staff
- Kept track of monthly budgets and profit and loss reports to achieve the company's financial goals consistently.
Work experience example for senior general managers
Senior Manager
Office Warehouse Inc.
03/2016 - Present
- Provided and implemented various programs, including gender and cultural diversity and staff engagement.
- Introduced a sound and effective reporting system to improve operational quality.
- Set performance benchmarks and goals for customer service, cost control, and revenue performance.
- Increased revenue by 16% due to the ability to hire, train, and supervise high-performing sales and support staff.
Education in the General Manager Resume
Most employers in any specific industry will require some form of higher education for their managers. Therefore, a solid general manager application must include a proper education section.
Make your education section compelling because your academics are an additional way to show the employer how you can benefit the company with your skills and knowledge.
Suppose you are an experienced manager with several years of work experience under your belt. In that case, the work experience section should be the highlight of your application and should be written first.
If you are an entry-level general manager with limited experience, showing the education section first could be beneficial to the overall effectiveness of your resume.
General best practices for writing education section:
- Start with the latest degree you have. For example, write about your bachelor's degree first, and mention your associate's degree second.
- Include the name of the university, the address, the year of attendance, and the degree earned.
- Mention your GPA if it is high enough. Only include GPAs above 3.7.
- List all your relevant coursework in bullet points.
Example of the education section
Bachelor of Business Administration
University of Texas, Austin, Texas
2011 – 2015
GPA 3.86
Skills Section
The skills section is an excellent way to showcase your technical and soft skills, abilities, and expertise, particularly when it is not possible to thoroughly describe them in other sections of your resume.
The skills section is one of the first parts of the resume that hiring managers review, as it directly showcases the candidate's strengths.
Always match your skills with the job description for which you're applying. Be sure to add a mix of both hard and soft skills.
Top Hard Skills for General Managers
- Strategic Planning
- Budget Management
- P&L Oversight
- Operations Management
- Business Development
- Data Analysis & Reporting
- Process Improvement
- Project Management
- CRM & ERP Software (e.g., Salesforce, SAP)
- KPI Tracking & Optimization
Top Soft Skills for General Managers
- Leadership
- Decision-Making
- Communication
- Problem-Solving
- Team Building
- Adaptability
- Time Management
- Conflict Resolution
- Critical Thinking
- Negotiation
Additional Sections
You can enhance the effectiveness of your application by adding additional sections. As long as the additional sections contain relevant information related to the positional requirements and your professional experience, these headings can significantly enhance the strength of your application.
Certifications
Adding certificates to your professional resume can be a massive benefit to your application. Recruiters will place certified professionals on a higher platform. Certificates will add further credibility to your knowledge of annual budgets, marketing plans, and ability to deal with third-party affiliates, among other areas.
Interests
Sometimes, it can be beneficial to add an interest section to your application as well. Interests can be a window into who you are outside of your profession, which can show employers how you can be beneficial to the company through effective interpersonal communication.
Languages
Adding a language section can be an essential factor in your application. For example, some human resources activities may involve interacting with a local community that speaks a language different from your company's. Knowing a language, or being generally multilingual, can be highly beneficial in this case.
Cover Letter
Writing a cover letter is very important to your application. It shows that you have taken the time to tailor your application to the company rather than sending a generic resume. Do not underestimate the importance of cover letters. They can give you the opportunity to show your passion for working for the company and give you an edge over other applicants. We highly recommend using cover letters with every application.
