When you are a Managing Director and scouting for a new position or if you are on a senior management level applying for a Managing Director opportunity, a well-constructed Managing Director resume is imperative to improve your chances to land an interview. Managing Directors are sort of like the ‘’head puppet masters’’ for all business operations and should not be confused with CEO roles that align more to the overall vision and mission of an organization’s long-term goals and targets.
This is the one type of resume that requires precision, on-point design, and exemplary grammatical style. We can assist you in planning of a stellar resume with our top-notch Managing Director resume sample.
A stand-out Managing Director resume is informative and compelling, showcasing proof of previous successful work tenure. How do you craft a resume into an interview-winning document, will be unpacked in detail below with our: How to Make a Resume Guideline for Managing Director Roles?
What you can read in this article
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1. Contact Information: Name, Address, Phone, Email. Be sure to include alternative contact channels, as well as your LinkedIn profile or Facebook URL details, Zoomla or Who’s Who profiles.
2. Profile Summary: View this as the initial pitch to your resume and include 1-3 sentences giving a broad overview of your background, years of industry experience, and most relevant qualifications.
3. Qualifications Summary: List the certifications and qualifications you have completed with the institution, qualification name, and dates. Don’t forget to include the qualifications you are currently pursuing as well.
4. Relevant Directorship Experience: Only provide details regarding the last ten years of experience up until your current position. (no one has time to read a 6-page memoir). Use concise descriptions with bullet points to list the most important director, managerial, and supervisory duties under each role you have held.
5. Other Employment Experience: Here, you may elaborate (briefly) regarding projects or work history, which shows your career progression into the Managing Director position you may occupy at present. Take note of your resume length; therefore only include other experience if you work history spans less than a decade. Otherwise, merely list company, job title, and duration as to avoid any gaps in your work history.
6. Skills Summary/Key Skills: A smart approach would be to assimilate keywords from the job advertisement into your resume document to increase the credibility of your application.
7. Education/Licenses/Certifications/Relevant Coursework/Training: Start by listing your degrees, memberships, and accreditations. Continuous professional development activities show that you are open to learning and improving your skills set.
Regardless of your experience as a Managing Director, there are a few cardinal aspects that companies, the board of directors, chief executive officers and shareholders need to be made aware of to validate your ‘’fit’’ to their organization.
Managing directors are responsible for determining and formulating policies and implementing strategic initiatives according to guidelines set by the board of directors, shareholders, or similar governing bodies. In essence, a Managing Director would plan, direct, coordinate and manage operational activities at the highest level of the company’s hierarchy supported by subordinates made up of divisional directors, head of departments or senior managers.
The first point to note is the size and turnover of the company you are employed by. Also include the industry, product offering, or service solutions that form part of the organization's main revenue-generating channels.
Secondly, briefly explain the scope of your experience by from a technical angle (your industry knowledge), a financial perspective (your experience with budgets, cash flow, balance sheets, shareholder reporting, audits), operational aspects (sales, logistics, procurement, customer service, marketing), as well as a human resources perspective (supervising people, organizational development, talent management).
A Managing Director must be nimble and flexible to respond timeously to changes occurring within the company (micro) and industry (macro) environments. Leveraging opportunities and minimizing risk and course correction when negative occurrences or challenges present themselves requires necessary delegation skills. You need to prove that you can communicate and collaborate with others as to delegate tasks, evaluate performance, and monitor the progress of the managers entrusted to you.
Next is the numbers, targets, and timelines relating to company turnover, expenditure, expansions, and return on investment figures. Historical data is key. It would help if you showed the prospective employers that you are instrumental in assisting the organization in achieving its goals and targets.
Data analysis, understanding statistical ratio’s and the ability to do monthly, quarterly, and annual forecasting are must-have skills for any Managing Director. Your understanding of big data, spreadsheets, and macros, for instance, will surely be to your advantage when applying for Managing Director roles.
Then, employers, the board of directors, chief executive officers, and shareholders would be interested in the range of budgets you have experience in controlling. Financial accountability is crucial to a company’s growth prospects and cash flow resources. Managing Directors allocate financial resources to departments like product development, marketing, human resources, procurement, and quality control. Being responsible for significant budgets instills trust with the prospective employers reviewing your application.
*Great Tip for a stellar resume
You can create a favorable first impression by categorizing your job description down into the main areas of accountability entrusted to a Managing Director
Financial: Accountable for budgetary activities to fund operations, increase efficiencies of workflow, or maximize investments.
Talent Acquisition: Hire directors, department heads, senior, and executive managers. Provide direction to the human resource department and approve HR plans and talent acquisition strategies for midlevel and lower-level appointments
Operations: Analyze operational reports and metrics to evaluate overall company performance, monitor goal achievement, and identify areas of improvement relating to quality control cost reductions, supplier selection, or policy amendments.
Revenue: Direct, plan, and implement policies, objectives, and activities to ensure revenue growth, sustainable operations, increased productivity outcomes and maximized return on investments.
Reporting: Liaise with board members, stakeholders, senior staff members to discuss pertinent issues, resolve problems, and convey performance metrics.
Corrective Actions: Solve organizational or departmental problems by implementing corrective actions and create a preventative measure to prevent problems in the future.
The career summary of a managing director is the differentiating factor that either lands you on the decline pile or the shortlisting pile. Keep your career summary concise and to the point with factual information and steer clear of flowery language and overuse of adjectives.
Your career summary should include four things: Years of experience, industry tenure, a distinguishing wow factor, and most significant qualifications. As an added trick, incorporate the keywords used in the job description to tailor your career summary by the advertised role. If your resume resonates with the job description, you will immediately stand out as an appropriate contender for the job you are applying to.
To decide on the most relevant wow factor think of a specific project, activity, or strategy which added value to the company you were employed by.
‘Astute managing director, with over 15 years of exposure to deal with complex macro issues that may threaten company profitability and longevity by providing innovative turn-key solutions resulting in significant expenditure savings of up to 30%. Act as the advisor to the board of directors with demonstrated expertise in persuading and negotiating shareholder representatives regarding most appropriate mergers and acquisition strategies. Currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Strategic Management via Cambridge University‘
‘Heavy-duty Executive Director with over two decades of experience in crafting customized operational plans to align with company expansion goals and objectives. Exemplary knowledge of international markets and cross border joint venture negotiations bringing much needed foreign investment into the organization, resulting in a triple-A credit rating within 12 months. Holds an Advanced Certificate in Corporate Governance and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration.‘
‘A far-sighted Management Director with excellent business development skills and solid experience in driving the activities of international projects. Excellent grasp of the company’s strategic alliances to initiate significant contractual relationships exceeding 1.5 billion. Fluent in English, French and Russian and holds an MBA in International Business Studies.‘
Employers would expect to see specific proven foundational duties and skillsets within a Managing Director applicant’s resume. Below are a few examples of managing director job descriptions categorized by company size
Under your experience section, you may be tempted to merely copy and paste the list of duties you performed as a Managing Director. This may seem tedious (or rather dull) to the person reading through your resume, and you won’t stand out from the other applicants in the talent pool.
Your aim should be to amplify those skills sets that uniquely distinguish you from the rest. Ask yourself the following questions: what you are most proud of, or what have you accomplished in your previous roles that saved the company time or money (and made them money of course), and communicate these through action-packed statements that are eye-catching and sets you apart from your peers.
Examples:
Flat, Simple Duty:
Accomplishment Statement:
Adding numbers, timelines, percentages, and ratio are to your resume within effect, quantify your experience for potential employment companies by providing concrete proof of your skills and experience. For example:
Examples
– Reduced contract costs by 30% due to the localization of suppliers, which decreased transportation costs and improved delivery time frames by two weeks.
– Boosted the company’s turnover by 35% in the first year by changing marketing strategies to include a combination of printed and online platform channels.
– Improved working capital by 20% in 10 months, facilitating cost advantages in resource allocation, which allowed for expansion projects to be completed six months ahead of the project deadline.
The education section forms an integral part of your resume because learning, development, and theoretical knowledge are as crucial for a Managing Director as practical experience. List the name of your qualification, institution, and date of completion in reverse chronological order, starting with your most recent qualification. If you are currently pursuing a qualification or certification, you may add this to your education section too. When including courses and certifications, relevance must be considered.
Here are some examples of a Managing Director’s educational repertoire:
2013 – Advanced Certificate in Corporate Governance, INSEAD Business School, Online
2012 –The Board Director’s Programme, Henley Business School, United Kingdom
2010 –Management Excellence Certificate, Yale University, New Haven, CT
2009 – Critical Thinking Principles Course, American Management Association (AMA), Los Angeles, CA
2005-2007 Masters in Business Administration, Harvard University, MA
2002-2005 Bachelor of Financial Accounting, University of Arizona, AR
Although the management field requires specific technical skills, employers also take into consideration other features, called soft skills. These are the main types of skills that indicate to your suitability as a Managing Director who will add value, has adequate knowledge, sufficient experience, and who will motivate and inspire teams. Incorporate these into your summary, or profile, and into your accomplishment statements.
Technical Skills Examples
Educational Attainment: An MBA degree is a non-negotiable qualification for most Managing Director roles. In technical environments such as engineering or manufacturing, a degree in Engineering is highly advisable. Further qualifications in Financial Management or Economics will also increase the probability of landing a Managing Director position.
Technical Aptitude: Managing Directors need to be process orientated to create operational plans, guide new business development strategies, and establish sound financial protocols. In conjunction, strategic thinking and analytical skills are of utmost importance in a Managing Director role.
Managerial Ability: Managing Directors are continually facing the ups and downs of company performance cycles. Therefore, astute leadership and operational skills are a must to steer the company and its employees in the right direction, course correct deviations, and inspire a positive company culture.
Other Technical Skills: Capital Structure Analysis, Mergers and Acquisitions, Policy Development, New Business Development, Change Management, Profit and Loss (P&L) Improvement, Integrated Engagement Planning, Strategic Planning, Budget Control, Marketing, Research, Analytics, CRM Systems, Quality Control, Report Writing, Board Presentations.
| Jack Welch Executive Master of Business Administration | Masters in Business Administration | Ph.D. Business Management and Leadership |
| Executive Leader Graduate Certificate | International Directors Programme | Advanced Certificate in Corporate Governance |
| Certificate in Global Management Strategies | MSIT – Project Management | Master in Service Leadership & Innovation |
| Management Excellence Certificate | Master's program in Strategic Leadership | Critical Thinking Principles Course |