An office manager CV is a job application document that demonstrates your ability to coordinate operations, support teams, and maintain administrative efficiency across an organisation. Its purpose is to highlight concrete achievements and organisational skills, as well as other competencies you possess, to recruiters and help you secure the job.
This guide covers everything you need to create a compelling office manager CV, including professional examples for different experience levels, precise writing instructions, and answers to some frequently asked questions about the topic.
Key Takeaways
Office manager CVs should emphasise organisational skills, leadership capabilities, and measurable achievements.
Use reverse-chronological format for ATS compatibility and clear career progression.
Quantify your impact with specific metrics, such as cost savings, efficiency improvements, and team support numbers.
Include both hard skills (software proficiency, budgeting) and soft skills (communication, problem-solving).
Tailor your application by incorporating relevant CV keywords from the job description.
Even without direct experience, transferable administrative skills can build a strong application.
2 Office Manager CV Examples That Land Interviews
First, let’s see the basics of the office manager CV writing by examining two examples that demonstrate effective structure and content.
As you can see, this CV example demonstrates impact through specific metrics rather than listing duties; the candidate shows progression whilst keeping the format ATS-friendly.
The CV sample you see above demonstrates strategic thinking through impressive metrics (£85,000 in savings, 22% cost reduction) and shows clear progression from administrator to senior manager.
How to Write an Office Manager CV: An Easy 6-Step Guide
To write an effective office manager CV, you need to combine a strategic presentation of your experience and an impact demonstration through concrete achievements.
The reverse-chronological CV format works best; it's what recruiters expect and what ATS systems handle effectively. Your most recent experience comes first, letting employers immediately see your current capabilities.
That said, let’s see how to write your office manager CV step by step:
#1. Add Your Contact Details and a Strong Professional Headline
Your contact section should include your:
CV Contact Details
Full name
Professional email address
Phone number
Location (city and postcode)
LinkedIn profile
Beneath your contact details, make sure to add a professional headline; this concise line tells recruiters exactly what you offer. Here’s a good example of your contact information CV section:
Contact Information and Professional Headline
Contact Information
James Peterson Birmingham, United Kingdom james.peterson@example.com +44 121 496 0234 linkedin.com/in/jamespeterson889
Professional Headline
Strategic Office Manager with 8+ years' experience optimising operations across multi-site organisations
#2. Add a Professional Summary
Your professional summary sits directly beneath your contact details, providing a 3–4 line snapshot of your experience and achievements. Depending on your work experience, you can choose between:
CV summary. It highlights what you've accomplished—your experience, proven skills, and measurable results. Use this when you have relevant work experience.
CV objective. This one focuses on your career goals and what you're seeking. Use this when changing careers or entering the workforce with limited experience.
As for office manager roles, CV summaries work better because employers want proven organisational capabilities and tangible results. For example:
CV Summary Example
Results-driven Office Manager with 8+ years' experience transforming administrative operations in corporate environments. Track record of implementing process improvements, generating £85,000 in annual cost savings. Expertise in budget management, facilities coordination, vendor negotiation, and change management.
#3. Showcase Work Experience With Quantified Results
Your work experience section needs to demonstrate progression, impact, and tangible results, not recite a job description. Therefore, structure each role with your job title in bold, company name and location, employment dates (Month Year–Month Year), and 3–6 achievement-focused bullet points.
Explain what you achieved and how it benefited the organisation by using strong action verbs and numbers.
Instead of: "Responsible for managing office supplies"
Write: "Managed office supply procurement within £25,000 budget, negotiating 15% cost savings with vendors"
Instead of: "Coordinated meetings and events"
Write: "Organised 20+ company events annually for up to 120 attendees, achieving 98% positive feedback"
You should also quantify these achievements through various metrics, including:
Time savings (reduced processing time by 3 hours weekly)
Efficiency improvements (increased filing accuracy from 92% to 99%)
Team support metrics (coordinated schedules for a 45-person team)
Event scale (organised conferences for 200+ attendees)
System improvements (implemented database serving 8 departments)
Demonstrate progression through your career history; show increasing responsibility, larger teams supported, bigger budgets managed, or more complex projects delivered.
#4. List Your Education & Relevant Certifications
Educational requirements vary for office manager roles, but you can’t go wrong with including your highest qualification and any that directly relate to office management.
Typical education entries include:
BA/BSc in Business Administration or Management
HND in Business or Office Administration
A-Levels (if you don't have higher education)
Format entries with qualification type and subject, institution name, dates attended, and additional details like classification if relevant, such as certifications that strengthen office manager CVs, e.g.:
CIPD qualifications (Level 3 or Level 5 in HR/People Practice)
Business administration diplomas (City & Guilds, NVQs)
Project management (Prince2 Foundation, APM)
Health and safety (IOSH Managing Safely)
Software certifications (Microsoft Office Specialist)
List certifications in reverse chronological order with certification name, awarding body, and year obtained. Additionally, prioritise those that are most relevant to the specific role. For instance, event management certificates are valuable for roles emphasising client entertainment, while project management credentials matter for positions involving major initiatives.
#5. Highlight Your Office Manager Skills
Office manager roles demand broad skills spanning administrative expertise, organisational capabilities, people management, and technical proficiency. Therefore, you need to create a skills section for scannability and ATS purposes, but also weave capabilities into your professional summary and work experience bullets.
Essential office manager skills include:
Office Manager Skills Example
Office administration and coordination
Diary and calendar management
Budget management and cost control
Facilities and vendor management
Event planning and coordination
Team leadership and supervision
Health and safety compliance
Communication and stakeholder management
Problem-solving and decision-making
Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook)
Database management systems
Specify proficiency levels for technical skills. Instead of listing "Microsoft Excel," write "Microsoft Excel (Advanced)" or mention specific functions like pivot tables or VLOOKUP. Also, rather than writing "good communication skills," demonstrate this through achievements by saying: "Liaised with 15 department heads to coordinate quarterly meetings, achieving 95% attendance."
Finally, familiarity with collaboration tools (Slack, Microsoft Teams, Asana), accounting software (QuickBooks, Xero, Sage), and CRM systems gives you an edge, too.
#6. Add Optional Sections to Strengthen Your CV
Optional sections can help your CV stand out if these elements genuinely add value. These may include:
Optional CV Sections
Special achievements. If you've received formal recognition, such as ‘Employee of the Month’ or industrial awards, company commendations, or recognition, add a brief achievements section.
Tools & software. List technical proficiencies grouped by category (office productivity, project management, accounting, communication tools).
Language skills. Additional languages are valuable in cosmopolitan cities or international organisations; list each with proficiency level.
Volunteer work. Relevant volunteering demonstrates transferable skills. If you've coordinated charity events, managed volunteer teams, or handled admin for organisations, highlight this.
Remember that you should only include optional sections if they strengthen your application; a half-empty "Interests" section adds nothing to it.
How to Write an Office Manager CV With No Experience
Writing an office manager CV with no experience requires concentrating on transferable skills rather than job titles. Let’s see how you can do it in practice:
Emphasise transferable administrative skills from roles where you've coordinated activities, managed information, or supported operations. Receptionist positions, customer service jobs, administrative assistant roles, and retail supervisory experience all develop relevant capabilities.
Highlight internships and placements where you handled administrative responsibilities. Even if titled "Marketing Intern," you might have coordinated schedules, managed event logistics, or maintained records—all office management skills.
Include relevant projects from studies or extracurricular activities. Coordinating events for university societies, managing budgets for student groups, or organising conferences demonstrates practical organisational skills.
Showcase volunteer positions where you've handled coordination, administration, or operations. Charities often need people to manage day-to-day functions, which is experience that translates directly to office management.
The important thing is to structure your CV to put your strengths forward. For example, if education is stronger than work history, lead with a robust education section detailing coursework, projects, and achievements.
4 Common Mistakes to Avoid in an Office Manager CV
Many CVs get rejected for avoidable mistakes that make your application unclear, unimpressive, or unreadable by ATS software. Here’s a quick comparison table to help you avoid the most common ones.
Mistake | Why It Hurts Your Application | What to Do Instead |
|---|---|---|
Using generic CV templates without customisation | Your CV blends in, and decorative designs often confuse ATS systems, causing automatic rejection. | Use clean formatting, standard fonts, and a simple structure. |
Writing walls of text without metrics | Dense paragraphs hide your impact and make you look task-focused rather than results-driven. | Use bullet points, start with action verbs, and highlight achievements with clear metrics. |
Listing vague duties instead of achievements | Generic duties lack context and fail to show your value or scale of responsibility. | Replace vague statements with specific, measurable accomplishments. |
Using ATS-unfriendly formatting | Graphics, tables, text boxes, unusual fonts, and images break ATS parsing, leading to rejection. | Stick to simple formatting: standard fonts, no tables or images, clear headings only. |
Craft Your Office Manager CV in No Time With Our CV Builder
Create a polished, ATS-friendly office manager CV using our professional CV builder—a tool designed to structure your experience effectively, highlight valued skills, and bring you closer to a dream job!
Final Thoughts
Writing an effective office manager CV requires clear communication, concrete achievements, and careful tailoring. You're building a persuasive case that you're the organised professional who'll keep operations running smoothly.
The UK market for skilled office managers remains robust; with a well-crafted CV demonstrating organisational capabilities and impact, you'll make a lasting impression on recruiters and secure an interview in a breeze!
Office Manager CV FAQs
#1. How long should an office manager CV be?
An office manager CV should be one to two pages long, with one page preferred if you have under 10 years' experience. Recruiters spend only a few seconds on initial scans, so concise content matters more than comprehensive detail. Include only your most relevant and recent experience.
#2. What skills should an office manager include?
An office manager should include hard skills (budget management, diary coordination, Microsoft Office, database systems, etc.) and soft skills (communication, problem-solving, leadership) in their resume.
#3. Should I use a CV template for an office manager role?
Yes, you can use a CV template for an office manager role, but choose carefully. Use simple, professional ones with clean formatting that ATS systems read easily, such as our CV templates. They balance visual appeal with ATS compatibility, so you won’t have to worry about passing all the scans.
#4. How do I make my office manager CV stand out?
You can make your office manager CV stand out by quantifying achievements with specific metrics (cost savings, efficiency improvements, team size). You can also include process improvement examples in your CV, tailor it using keywords from the job description, and demonstrate both operational competence and strategic thinking.
