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Resumes for Operations Managers

If you have at least a BA, good critical thinking skills, and the ability to make decisions, you have the fundamental education and skills of an operations manager. To succeed in the position, you also need a clear grasp of the company’s vision and goals, strategies to meet those goals, the ability to communicate with Boards of Directors and other stakeholders, and financial acumen.

As the person responsible for monitoring the performance of people, machines, and facilities, you need problem solving and leadership skills and the foresight to avert crises. The skills of an operations manager are generally transferrable between industries, but you may find yourself specializing in a particular industry as your career progresses.

When you are preparing your resume, you should highlight:

  • Years of experience
  • Education and training in more than one business area (for example, supply chain management, finance, and leadership)
  • Certifications (for example, from the Association for Operations Management)
  • Your achievements in improving and maintaining operations
  • Your familiarity with the industry and its operations problems.

A recent survey by US News ranked careers in operations management high in stress—something is always going wrong somewhere—and low in flexibility. However, the compensation is good and unemployment is low. Because every company needs someone overseeing operations, you have a wide choice of locations and industries to work in. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the career path is strong, and the need for operations managers is expected to grow at least 9 percent over the next 10 years.

The Association for Operations Management recommends networking with fellow professionals as the best way to find a new job. You also need a strong, professionally written resume. Robin’s Resumes® is available to help you with a resume that will make companies take notice, at every stage of your career as an operations manager.

Will Automation Threaten Your Job?

Do you believe that automation threatens your job? If so, you share that believe with 37 percent of employees, according to the American Staffing Association.

Is Automation a Real Threat?

Many studies put the likelihood of job loss much lower than employees believe, somewhere around 12 percent. Artificial intelligence is not yet able to think as compassionately and creatively as humans, and fails to reach the same level of dexterity (think of jewelers and dentists). Automation will actually cause some jobs to grow—including information technology and machine repair. In other cases, automation is more likely to change the nature of a job rather than replace it.

Still, the fear of being replaced by a machine is one reason why professional development and training are important to 80 percent of US workers when looking for a job. They want to be able to improve skills, gain new skills, and prepare for the future of work.

What Can You Do?

If you are concerned, there are several steps you can take to prepare for automation in your field:

  • Build your networking muscles to find out about jobs that are a closer match for your skills, but in a position or career less prone to automation.
  • Seek opportunities practice skills that cannot be automated, especially compassion, creativity, and decision making, either at work (for example, by serving on committees) or through volunteering.
  • Teach yourself new skills; the more skills you have, the more opportunities will come your way.
  • Take courses at a community college, trade school, or the adult education department of a four-year college or university.
  • Search for a similar job but at a company that is committed to training and developing their employees.
  • Keep an open mind; you are never too old to learn something new or step into a new role.
  • Update and revise your LinkedIn profile and resume.

The last step is important. Your LinkedIn profile and resume should demonstrate the ways you have prepared for the job you want: a job that feels safer from automation. That means re-thinking your current information to emphasize the experience, education, skills, and interests that would transition to your new job. Robin’s Resumes® has decades of experience in helping job seekers transition to new roles, careers, companies, and industries. Contact us today.

Your Career After College: Career Goals

What are your career goals after college? Many students chose their college major and minor because of interest; a small number because of income potential; but the vast majority (74 percent, according to Best Colleges) to “help make their dreams a reality”—whatever those dreams may be.

Interests change during college, as does the economy and the demand for certain careers. Even if you complete a degree toward your ideal career (high income, in demand, prime locations), you might find yourself struggling to consider it as a life-long choice, now that you know more about what it entails. For example, you may finish a nursing degree and yet be daunted by the atmosphere created by COVID or by hospital staff shortages.

In fact, 32% of college grads change their career goals and never work in a field related to their major, according to Career Builder.

This mismatch between degree and career goals often increases with time. According to BestColleges, 61% of college graduates aged 40 (Gen-X) and older would change their majors if they could go back to college. Although better job opportunities and compensation are important, an equal number want to change to pursue their current passion.

While deciding to change careers may be difficult, changing your resume may turn out to be easy. The skills and knowledge accumulated during college are often transferrable between careers. In fact, in some careers an applicant with an out-of-the-box degree may have an advantage. For example, a nursing degree may be just what a pharmaceutical company is looking for in a sales representative.

Specialized skills and experience may be acquired through certification programs, on-the-job training, volunteer experience in nonprofits, or returning to school while working. For example, you could combine your finance degree with volunteer experience in grant and article writing to bolster your marketing communication credentials.

Robin’s Resumes® has helped college grads transition their career goals at every stage by writing resumes that show the benefits of diverse interests, a commitment to learning, and skills that cross over into multiple fields. Robin’s certifications as a Job and Career Transition Coach (JCTC) and Master Career Director gives her insight into the concerns of individuals who are transitioning and the perspective to create resumes that appeal to future employers.

If you are struggling to align your college degree with your current career goals, contact Robin’s Resumes® today.

Your Career After College: Benefits

As you ready yourself for your last semester or last year of college, you may be worrying about supporting yourself after college. In 2019, when the job market was tight, college graduates said they would work for any company that hired them, according to a survey by Fast Company. In 2022, the market has drastically changed. You now have more choices for your career after college, and among those choices are the benefits you can ask for.

According to a recent LinkedIn study, one benefit rose dramatically from nowhere on the 2019 list to second in priority in 2022: a flexible work environment. What are your must-haves? They might include:

  • Career development
  • An easy commute or travel allowance
  • Work-life balance, including wellness and mental health benefits
  • Student debt assistance and/or assistance with post-grad education.

One “benefit” you can always negotiate is salary. Some experts say that you can negotiate up about 5% from the initial offer, but not always. If you cannot negotiate the salary you want, then you might try negotiating for other items on your “must-have” list—all of the benefits listed above, including flexible scheduling, may be negotiable.

Two pieces of information are essential for any negotiation:

  • Knowing the normal salary for your position in your industry in your geographic location
  • Knowing your value and communicating it.

Your value consists of the skills, education, experience, and perspective you bring to the company. To communicate your value, you first need to research your preferred companies and industry thoroughly so that you know what it is important. What are typical company or industry goals, values, gaps in talent, recent initiatives that succeeded or failed, and so on? What do you offer in helping to expedite those goals, values, gaps, and initiatives?

Once you have your research in hand, your resume is the initial tool for communicating value. Your resume should align, not only with your own must-have list, but with the must-haves of the company and industry. The closer you come to fitting their criteria, the better chance you have to negotiate a fit with your own criteria.

Is your resume communicating your value? Does your resume align with both your ideal benefits and the needs of the companies and industries where you are applying? If you are not sure, now is the time to ask for help with your career strategy. Robin’s Resumes® offers a free initial consult. We have helped many college grads on their path to the right job and we can help you.

Your Career After College: Location

If you are heading into your last semester or last year of college this fall, you are probably beginning to worry about your career after college. Will companies hire you? How exactly will you use your degree? What should you be looking for in a company? What will they look for in you as a new hire?

Among the questions you should be asking yourself are: Where do you want to work? Best Colleges recently surveyed recent graduates to ask what they considered when choosing where to live after college. In order of importance, the graduates considered:

  1. Cost of living. A beginning salary may not match the cost of living in the area of your choice. You may need to consider a roommate or returning home until you save enough or have enough income to strike out on your own.
  2. Career opportunities. If you try for a career in marine biology in Nevada, you are likely to be disappointed.
  3. Safety. Some careers—such as first responders or hang glider instructors or prison guards—have more challenges in regard to keeping safe. You may also know of parts of cities or towns that are considered “unsafe” and where you may not choose to live or work.
  4. Proximity to family and friends. Social connections are important for your health, but you should also consider that your friends are likely to disperse after college and that you will make new friends at a new location, including friends at work. With family, carefully calculate what proximity will feel comfortable and balance that against career opportunities and affordability.

Affordability might also include the cost of moving to a new location. If you decide to search for a job outside your current geographical area, your company may offer a moving allowance (relocation reimbursement) or signing bonus. In 2022, moving allowances varied from $2,000 to $100,000, depending on many factors, including your role. Signing bonuses may be given in a lump sum or may be paid out over time, so the funds may not be available to finance your move.

When you have decided on the physical location where you want to start your search, the company will have to decide if they want to hire someone outside their immediate location, even for remote work. The company’s location requirements may appear in the job posting or advertisement.

Robin’s Resumes® will help you construct a resume that meets the location or relocation criteria for your career after college. There are several ways to do that, and we will work with you to find the best way for your situation. Contact us today.