Supervisor Resume: Examples, Tips, How-to Guide

Supervisor Resume (Text Version)

Contact Info:

Danielle Murphy
[email protected]
1 (907) 555-5500
Anchorage, AK 99501

Summary Statement:

Supervisor: Responsible, organized, self-sufficient, and detail-oriented supervisor with over 9 years of experience in warehouse supervision, food service, and janitorial services. Passion for inspiring, building trust, and empowering employees to achieve the highest standards.

Key Accomplishments/Areas of Expertise

• Team Training
• PC Proficiency
• Communicator
• Logistics
• Prioritize
• Hazmat
• CDL
• Leadership
• Time Management
• Motivation
• Inventory Control
• Drawer Counting
• SAP

Professional Experience:

Assets, Inc. | Anchorage, AK
Project Supervisor | Jan 2017 – Present

• Monitor tasks to ensure effective & efficient completion of projects
• Provide safety & hazmat training, decreased onboarding time by 10%
• Maintain clear & consistent communication with project manager
• Foster customer-employee relationships, earned 98% positive reviews

ANTHC Patient Lodging | Anchorage, AK
Supervisor | June 2013 – Dec 2016

• Coordinated activities for staff who cleaned & maintained facilities
• Interviewed, hired, and provided orientation for new employees
• Ensured compliance with company policies & procedures
• Rewarded & disciplined employees quickly & respectfully

Crescent Electric Supply | Anchorage, AK
Warehouse Supervisor | Jan 2011 – May 2013

• Implemented improved methods to promote efficiency & reduced costs
• Improved security & scheduled maintenance of warehouse equipment
• Coached and mentored team members for productivity, quality, and safety
• Accurately completed routine paperwork in a timely manner

Education/Certifications

Associate Degree | Logistics
University of Alaska – Anchorage
Graduated 2011

Before you can jump in and start writing your supervisor resume, it is important first to consider what format will suit you best.

When selecting a format for your resume, consider both the visual style you are trying to accomplish as well as how it will function in drawing attention to the right information.

Deciding on a format before you begin writing will help you get a clearer idea of what details should be mentioned and how.

Overall, a resume format should always appear professional and easy to read, so even if a resume looks good, if it is too flashy or hard to follow, it likely isn’t the best option.

An appropriate resume format should always start with a clean, legible font and even spacing to guide the eye down the page.

When listing information, always say the most important details first and list things in reverse chronological order whenever possible.

Hiring managers only spend about 6 seconds on each resume they review, which is not enough time to read everything.

Reverse chronological order allows for your most recent and impactful details to come first, meaning they are more likely to be noticed by a hiring manager.

Creating a stellar resume starts with the format – before one sentence can be read, the format is the first thing anyone is going to notice, so make sure you put thought into it before you begin writing.

PRO TIP: Bullet points are a great way to create proper spacing between sentences and allow your words to breathe. If you want to get a good feel for how your format will appear to someone else, take a step away from the page after you write your supervisor resume. Once you have cleared your mind, come back to the computer and look it over. See where your eyes are drawn to, and assess if your resume captures your talents adequately.

Once you have decided what format you want to use, it is time to begin writing.

If you are more familiar with writing an objective as the first section of your resume, take note that now, it is more appropriate to write a resume summary instead.

Resume objectives cover information that is generally more apparent without needing to state it on your resume.

In contrast, resume summaries cover more details concerning your qualities and characteristics that will make you the best candidate.

Writing a resume summary can be tricky because, while this section covers you on a broader scale, it is supposed to be kept to no more than three sentences.

When deciding what details should be kept or left out of this section, try to start by asking yourself what skills and abilities an exceptional supervisor would have in your industry.

Then, examine where you match up and what you believe is most important to you and the company you wish to work for.

Applying a question that needs to be answered when writing this section makes it much easier to sort through the information.

The first summary example lists specific characteristics and qualities that the candidate possesses, as well as details about their experience level and areas of expertise.

The second summary example lends vague descriptions regarding what the candidate’s proficiency is, or how they create a “great experience” for the people they work for and with.

PRO TIP: When writing your resume summary, it can be challenging to decide when you are either being too specific or too general. Try to write the rest of your resume first before coming back to this section. Often, writing your work history, skills, and other sections can get you in a better mindset for how to introduce yourself on the page.

As mentioned previously, hiring managers only spend about 6 seconds reviewing the resumes they receive, so it is essential to grab their attention and grab it quickly.

Including a section in your supervisor resume that lays out your top skills and qualifications that will address any job requirements is crucial in showing that you are a prime candidate.

When writing this section of your resume, make sure that it is eye-catching and easy to comprehend at a glance.

Hiring managers are more likely to read sections that are listed in bullet points and don’t contain too much fluff.

Key Accomplishments/Areas of Expertise:

• Team Training
• PC Proficiency
• Communicator
• Logistics
• Prioritize
• Hazmat
• CDL
• Leadership
• Time Management
• Motivation
• Inventory Control
• Drawer Counting
• SAP

As you decide what skills are most important to list in this section, make sure that you are including both hard skills and soft skills.

Hard skills

• Technical skills
• Quantifiable
• Must be taught or practiced
• Job-specific (typically)

Soft skills

• People skills
• Innate and subjective
• Core competencies
• Hard to quantify

When you are applying to be a supervisor in any field, you will need to include both types of skills on your supervisor resume to show that you can handle the technical work and the management work.

Your hard skills will generally relate to the company you work for, the products or services it sells, and the kind of skills you need to pick up either in school or on the job.

Soft skills will relate more to your ability to work well with your employees, bosses, customers, as well as your drive to work hard and create a positive work environment.

Both kinds of skills are absolutely necessary when it comes to supervising.

PRO TIP: Make sure that you are checking any job postings that were created for the position you are trying to obtain before you write your supervisor resume. Include any skills and qualifications on your resume that you have that are listed in the job posting. The best way to write a resume is to show a hiring manager that you are compatible with what they are looking for.

Now we move on to the section of your resume in which you’ll demonstrate how you’ve been using your skills.

This is your work experience section.

Here you’ll list the positions you’ve held that pertain to the new role you’re seeking.

In some cases, such as lack of experience, you’ll have to include other jobs and roles, but we’ll discuss that in a bit.

Use reverse chronological order to list the positions you’ve held. This means start with your most recent job and then work backwards through time to the beginning of your career.

First, list the basics:

• The company name
• Where the company is located
• What job you performed there

The job history section traditionally takes up the most space on a resume and, therefore, in many cases, commands the most attention.

When writing your work history, it is necessary to include jobs that are relevant to the one you are applying for.

In this case, try to consider only jobs that are related to either the industry you are applying to or management/supervisor related job titles.

Once you have decided what jobs to include in your supervisor resume, consider listing them in reverse chronological order so that your most recent work comes first.

Often the most recent job you have is going to be your most relevant and impressive. However, if this is not the case, use your best judgment if exceptions need to be made.

Describe each job in about three to five bullet points, making sure to begin each bullet point with a new and concise power word (action verb) to describe how you carry out job duties.

The first example uses specific details and numeric results to describe how the candidate carries out tasks and the positive impact they create.

The second example lends little to no detail to describe the candidate’s work ethic in carrying out these tasks and what the result of their labor has been.

PRO TIP: Writing each bullet point to cover a different task or accomplishment is highlighted even more when using a new power word at the beginning of each sentence. Don’t use the same power word twice and make sure that you are intentional about your word choice being the best and most accurate selection.

(If you lack work experience, see below for a helpful section.)

What are bots?

If you are unfamiliar with the term “bot,” it is just another word to describe what is known as an Applicant Tracking System (ATS).

A bot’s job is to review resumes for busy hiring managers and companies to decide whether a candidate shows promise for a specific position.

When a bot reviews a resume, it deciphers whether it is associated with “good-candidate potential” by searching it for various keywords that are related to the position and its requirements.

Due to the increased use of this resume reviewing method, some resume experts recommend writing your job descriptions in paragraphs instead of with bullet points.

The theory behind this response is due to the idea that candidates are likely to use more keywords when writing in paragraphs, whereas when writing bullet points, people tend to be more concise.

While it is still imperative to be concise, it is also important to be intentional about your wording by including as many impactful adjectives and action verbs as possible when describing yourself and a skill you have.

At Big Interview, we believe that you should continue to utilize bullet points when writing job descriptions, but be more intentional about your diction as you write.

Bullet points are still the most eye-catching and easy to follow when it comes to human review, and a bot will still be impressed with bullet points as long as you include the necessary keywords in your descriptions.

Standard Bullet Point Format:

ANTHC Patient Lodging | Anchorage, AK | Supervisor | June 2013 – Dec 2016

• Coordinated activities for staff who cleaned & maintained facilities
• Interviewed, hired, and provided orientation for new employees
• Ensured compliance with company policies & procedures
• Rewarded & disciplined employees quickly & respectfully

Paragraph Format:

ANTHC Patient Lodging | Anchorage, AK | Supervisor | June 2013 – Dec 2016

Coordinated activities for employees engaged in cleaning and maintaining facilities. Interviewed, hired, and provided orientation for new employees. Ensured a safe work environment and compliance with company policies and procedures. Rewarded and disciplined employees quickly and respectfully to maintain a healthy work environment.

Paragraph Format w/ Bullet Points:

ANTHC Patient Lodging | Anchorage, AK | Supervisor | June 2013 – Dec 2016

Coordinated activities for employees engaged in cleaning and maintaining facilities. Interviewed, hired, and provided orientation for new employees. Ensured a safe work environment and compliance with company policies and procedures. Rewarded and disciplined employees quickly and respectfully to maintain a healthy work environment.

• Managed 15+ employees
• Received 98% positive employee reviews

Regardless of how long you have been out of school, many positions still require you to have a high school education or higher.

Your education section is relatively straightforward, especially in comparison to other sections of your supervisor resume.

List your degree(s) of education in order of impressiveness (Master’s, bachelor’s, associates, etc.).

For each degree, include the full title of the degree, the school you attended and the year you graduated.

If you have additional certifications or licenses relevant to the job you are applying for, list them either within your education section or in a section directly below or above.

Example:

Education/Certifications

Associate Degree | Logistics
University of Alaska – Anchorage
Graduated 2011

Leadership Essentials Certificate
eCornell

Possible Sections to Include

When writing your supervisor resume, you might find that there are specific accomplishments or qualifications you have obtained that don’t fit in the standard resume sections but would still benefit your resume to include them.

If you have additional information to include on your resume, it is possible to write a section that accommodates those details.

Some additional sections to consider including are:

• Awards and honors
• Publications
• Noteworthy Projects
• Social Media Influence
• Speaking Engagements
• Hobbies/Interests
• Volunteer Work

What if You Have No Experience?

If you are either new to the workforce because you just graduated or you are switching fields, it can be challenging to decide how to make adjustments to your supervisor resume to accommodate your needs.

Before diving too deep into this topic, know that if you are completely new to the workforce and have no experience, gaining a supervising position is highly unlikely, regardless of schooling.

However, if you are trying to land the best possible job you can without work experience, and you have an impressive education, you can start by including more details regarding your academics.

Move your education section just below your resume summary and expand on any details regarding impressive academic achievements.

High GPAs, honors, awards, extracurriculars, and even specific coursework are great details to improve upon your education section.

However, if you are someone who does have work experience but has not yet attained a supervising role, or you are switching industries, you can make some minor adjustments to your work history section to improve your resume.

Your job descriptions are where you will need to make most of your changes.

Make sure that you are selecting jobs that are as relevant as possible to what you are trying to do and make sure that you are describing the aspects of those jobs that are most closely related to the position you want.

If you have supervising experience in a separate industry, focus on describing job tasks related to managerial work that would transcend industries.

If you are trying to work your way up within the same industry to become a supervisor, make sure that you are discussing job tasks that show your expertise in the industry and any duties you completed that were above your pay grade.

Most times, the adjustments in these instances are minor, but they make a world of difference.

Clean up time

Once you finish your resume, make sure that you are giving yourself adequate time to look things over. Have a friend look it over and give you their opinion, or read it aloud to yourself to get a feel for how it sounds.

Do your research

If you are applying to a job that has a posting online, take the time to review it as you are writing your resume. Job postings give so many details about what kind of candidates will be considered while using the best wording for what hiring managers and bots will be looking for in your resume to see if you are a good fit.

Freshen up

Make sure that your bullet points in your job descriptions are all different and that they are described with different words and details. Resumes are supposed to be short, and to the point, so there is no space to waste on being redundant.

Congestion

While there are many details to cover in one resume, make sure that you aren’t crunching things in too tightly. Leave room for appropriate spacing between sentences and sections to keep things looking neat and easy to read.

Two pages or more

Never write a resume that goes on for more than one page. Take the time to narrow down the information you are including and get to the point. Hiring managers are busy people who won’t look kindly on a resume that rambles on for longer than necessary.

Going overboard

While it is important to find a font and a format that looks good and will catch the eye of a hiring manager, don’t overdo it and pick something that is overly flashy. Err on the side of keeping things simple and straightforward, and you will be in the clear.

(See below for a helpful table of some suggested power words.)

Supervisor Resume Power Words

• Administered
• Founded
• Adept
• Formulated
• Built
• Implemented
• Created
• Improved
• Consolidated
• Initiated
• Coordinated
• Launched
• Developed
• Pioneered
• Designed
• Organized

Supervisor Resume Skills List