From the Ask Tom mailbag:

Question:
I’m a production guy who was given a shot at management but was replaced after a year-and-a-half. You had some keen insight and encouragement for me and I really appreciate you offering your valuable time. I’m hoping you’ll be able to help me again.

I’m ready to pursue another management opportunity but I’ve never crafted a resume specifically for a management position. I’ve read that a resume is usually only skimmed over by the person reading it and you only have about 20 seconds to make an impression. So I have two quick questions for you sir:

1. Do you agree with that 20 second rule?
2. Are there any suggestions you could offer to help me craft the best resume possible?

Response:
Congratulations on your freedom and decision to continue to pursue a management position.

No, I do not agree with the twenty second rule. I think it takes at least thirty seconds to make a good decision about a person 🙂

Seriously, first impressions are important, but not the inflection point for a positive decision, though a negative first impression could be difficult to overcome.

So, for first impressions, I would focus on the non-verbal parts of the contact.
1. Show up on time (thirty minutes early is better than one minute late).
2. Dress one or two levels above the standard dress for the company.
3. Be cordial and smile.

Now, on to the resume.

As you write short descriptions of your work history, focus on those things that relate to the role of a supervisor and the role of a manager.

Supervisory roles – make sure production (product assembly or service delivery) gets done. This is NOT doing production. This is making sure production happens, using schedules, checklists and meetings. The number of people involved and the time span of the production process are important.

Management roles – create, monitor and improve systems. This is NOT doing production, but determining the sequence in which production is done. If there is a problem, the question the manager asks is not “why was there a problem?” but “why didn’t our system detect the problem?” This would include work flow, material procurement, order flow, inventory management, service dispatch, the list goes on. Think system, using work schematics, flow charts, org charts and planning. The number of people involved and the time span of the system cycle are important.

So, take your work history and describe those aspects that align with both supervisory and management roles.

Best of luck in your search. -TF