Your experience and skills deserve to be presented in the best light. That's why your facilities manager resume has to be impeccable! But how can you make sure that your resume includes all the right information and stands out from the competition? Simply by following our guide, brimming with the best writing tips, real-life resume samples, inspiring examples, and templates you can adjust to your liking.
In this guide, we answer your most burning questions:
- What is the best format for my facilities manager resume?
- How to craft an effective professional summary for my facilities manager CV?
- How to build an impressive facilities manager skill-set for my resume?
- How to create a captivating work experience section for my facilities manager resume?
- How to effectively list education in my facilities manager resume?
- What additional sections to put on my facilities manager resume?
- Where to look for suitable opportunities for job-seeking facilities managers?
Still looking for a job? These 100+ resources will tell you everything you need to get hired fast.
1. What is the best format for your facilities manager resume?
Jim is a recruiter — a very busy one.
He is desperately browsing through stacks of resumes, looking for the fittest facilities manager candidate.
He has only as much time as it takes to drink his morning coffee. He can’t afford wasting his time on resumes where large chunks of text are clumsily put together.
What will you do to catch Jim’s eye?
Format your resume neatly with the following tips, and avoid being put aside by the hiring manager:
- Set one-inch margins on all sides.
- Use a two-column layout to keep your page count low.
- Organize your resume into the following sections: contact details, professional summary, skills, work experience, education, additional sections (certifications, awards, conferences, volunteering activities, etc.)
- Use clear headings.
- Employ white space for better readability and navigation.
- List your job experiences in a reverse-chronological order.
- Use bullet points to list your work experiences, education, extra activities or achievements.
- Pick a classic typeface such as Georgia, Calibri or Garamond.
- It is the best practice to save your CV as a PDF document. However, always read the requirements in the job posting, as some employers may explicitly ask for a DOCX file.
Choose your preferred template and make your resume shine.
2. How to craft an effective professional summary for your facilities manager CV?
Your resume is only as good as your professional summary. Those 3-5 lines may be decisive for Jim to continue reading further. No wonder you need to pay extra attention to the way you write it.
Professional summary, also known as a professional profile, is a blurb that effectively encompasses your most relevant experiences, the best skills for the position, and, last but not least, your greatest achievements.
Show your potential employer that your accomplishments are measurable, and use numbers to make them more tangible.
Facilities manager professional profile example
"Dedicated and dependable Facilities Manager with 4+ years of experience in managing the operation of building systems and services. Supervised and mentored 50+ employees across different departments to ensure safety and efficiency of the facilities. Advised managerial staff on measures in order to improve cost-effectiveness of the premise maintenance. Developed 60+ maintenance strategies that help reduce expenses by 23% within 4 months."
3. How to build an impressive facilities manager skill-set for your resume?
A resume without a skill-set is like a company with no property strategy. Or at least that is one way of looking at it.
As a diligent facilities manager, you have certainly a lot of skills to offer. How to, however, avoid skipping the ones that may be decisive? Easily — always refer back to the job posting, and tailor your lists based on the requirements in it.
Best soft skills to include on your facilities manager resume
- Spoken and written communication skills
- Organization
- Analytical thinking
- Problem solving
- Decision-making
- Time management
- Adaptability
- Prioritizing
- Team work
- Business acumen
- Customer service
Facilities manager hard skills for your resume
- CMMS (Superior proficiency)
- MS Office Suite (Superior proficiency)
- Scheduling
- Project management
- Legal knowledge
- Sustainability and efficiency
- Quality management
- Risk management
4. How to create a captivating work experience section for your facilities manager resume?
Take Jim. He wants to be able to identify your past achievements with his company’s future success. To help him find what he has been looking for, always tailor your work experience section to the job posting.
Fill it with important keywords, and link them cleverly with some of your best accomplishments. Remember to quantify them whenever you can, making the experience real.
Facilities manager work description CV section example
Clarkson Technology, Texas
Facilities Manager
2016–2020
- Oversaw building and grounds maintenance, ensuring that health and safety procedures were implemented properly.
- Spearheaded and mentored 50+ employees across different departments to ensure safety and efficiency of the facilities.
- Established a benchmark of energy performance and consumption, improving future energy-saving efforts.
- Managed and organized operating budgets in a professional and cost-effective manner.
- Developed 60+ maintenance strategies that help reduce expenses by 23% within 4 months.
5. How to effectively list education in your facilities manager resume?
While it isn’t set in stone, it surely helps to have a degree in business or management. Whatever your highest education is, make sure that you make the best out of mentioning it.
Jim would certainly appreciate it if you just included your relevant coursework, areas of interest or academic achievements — especially in case you lack work experience.
Facilities manager CV education section example
University of Europe
BA in Applied Business
2010–2013
- Area of interest: Innovation & Management
- Excelled in Financial Analysis
- Relevant Coursework: Strategic Management, Legal Environment of Business, Business Management, Financial Analysis, Innovation & Management, Sustainability
6. What additional sections to put on your facilities manager resume?
Well, the answer is quite straightforward — the ones that best reflect your relevant abilities and character traits.
Select the right additional sections for your CV:
- Language Skills
- Conferences
- Volunteering Activities
- Certifications
- Awards
- Projects
- Qualifications
- Interests
- Other Accomplishments
You may list them like this:
Additional sections on resume example
Volunteering Activities
Office Manager at Hearts & Minds, 2019
- Administrative support, scheduling meetings, organizing conferences
7. Top resources for job-seeking facilities managers
Looking for the right work opportunities can sometimes feel like looking for a needle in a haystack. But with the following resources, you'll manager to find that needle much faster:
- Industry-specific job boards: The best way to start is by going through websites that focus on gathering job postings relevant to your profession. In your case, that would be job boards like iHireConstruction, JOBnet and BuildingJobs.
- General job search platforms: While broader in scope, platforms like Indeed, Glassdoor, Monster, and SimplyHired are treasure troves of opportunities. Use targeted keywords like “facilities manager,” “building operations,” and “maintenance supervisor” to narrow down your hunt.
- LinkedIn: LinkedIn is a powerhouse of a platform when it comes to networking! You can either polish your profile and wait until you get noticed by recruiters; or you can take a more proactive approach and reach out to potential employers of fellow industry experts for advice.
- Professional associations: Following organizations like The International Facility Management Association (IFMA), the International Association of Venue Managers (IAVM) and the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) can only bring you advantages. For example, exclusive access to job listings, networking events, training programs, industry news, and so much more.
- Facilities management consulting firms: Or, you can go directly to the source and check out the official websites of companies that specialize in management of facilities, like JLL (Jones Lang LaSalle Incorporated), CBRE, Colliers International, or Knight Frank.
- Continuous education: Lastly, consider diversifying your resume, and skills, by enrolling in a relevant course provided by IFMA’s Certified Facility Manager (CFM), BOMA, or Udemy.
The most successful job seekers will leverage a combination of the above-mentioned sources to their advantage. However, your facilities manager resume remains the most effective and impactful tool at your disposal. So, make yours count!
Facilities Manager Resume FAQ
What about resume keywords? How do I know which to use?
The first thing you need to do is carefully read the job posting you're replying to. Important keywords can take the form of any candidate requirement, for example skills, qualifications, and responsibilities, such as "facility operations," "preventive maintenance," "safety compliance," and "vendor management." The next step is incorporating these keywords throughout your resume, particularly in the skills and work experience sections. Keywords can help your resume pass through applicant tracking systems (ATS).
What are some common mistakes to avoid when writing a facilities manager resume?
The list of resume sins is as follows: using a generic resume for all applications, failing to quantify achievements, and having typos or grammatical errors. Also, always avoid listing job duties without highlighting accomplishments or the impact you had in previous roles.
What are some strong action verbs to include on my facilities manager resume?
Starting your bullet points with strong action verbs can make your resume more dynamic and engaging. As a facilities manager, you can use the following action verbs: "managed," "coordinated," "implemented," "oversaw," "optimized," "negotiated," "maintained," and "improved." For example, you might say "Implemented a new maintenance scheduling system" or "Negotiated contracts with vendors to reduce costs."
How do I effectively incorporate quantifiable data into my facilities manager resume?
Do so by including specific metrics and achievements that highlight your impact. Use numbers to showcase your accomplishments, such as "Reduced energy costs by 20% through the implementation of an energy management system," "Managed a team of 10 maintenance technicians," or "Oversaw a $2 million renovation project completed on time and within budget." It’s details like these that provide concrete evidence of your abilities and contributions.
How can I effectively highlight my project management skills on my facilities manager resume?
You can do that by detailing specific projects you have managed and their successful outcomes. Describe your role in these projects, the actions you took, and the results you achieved. For example, "Led a cross-functional team to complete a major facility upgrade, resulting in a 30% increase in operational efficiency," or "Coordinated the installation of a new HVAC system, reducing annual energy costs by $50,000."