How to Write a Maintenance Manager Resume (With Example)

Maintenance managers oversee the staff responsible for maintaining and repairing facilities in an organisation. Working in this role requires excellent technical expertise and advanced leadership, communication and organisational skills. Understanding the information to include in a resume can help you position yourself as the ideal candidate for a maintenance manager role. In this article, we define what a maintenance manager resume is, discuss the steps involved in writing the document and provide a template and an example you can use to create your own.

What is a maintenance manager resume?

A maintenance manager resume is a document that shows employers the professional expertise, experience and qualifications that qualify you for their role. Maintenance managers provide vital functions in companies. Their work involves planning scheduled repairs and maintenance of company facilities to ensure smooth operations. These professionals also create workflows for maintenance staff and enforce health and safety guidelines. They develop and execute maintenance protocols and advise management and department heads on best practices for using company equipment and facilities.

Being able to write a convincing resume that quickly demonstrates your job-relevant experiences, skills and credentials can give you an advantage over other candidates and encourage the hiring manager to consider your application favourably.

Related: What Is Facility Management?

How to write a maintenance manager resume

Here are steps for writing a maintenance manager resume:

1. Understand the job requirements

Before you write a resume for a maintenance manager role, it's essential to understand the specific qualifications the employer wants the ideal candidate to possess. The first place to look is the job description or listing. Employers typically highlight the particular academic credentials, work experience and industry specific training they want candidates to have in the job description. Some companies may not provide enough information in the ad, instead directing candidates to check their career page.

Investigating the job requirements allows you to assess your previous work experience and qualifications and determine whether they fit the profile of the candidate that can deliver results in that maintenance manager position. You can then use the information to tailor your resume to the employer's expectations. Doing this not only shows your attention to detail and passion for the role, but it can also make it easier to pass applicant tracking systems employers use to filter unsuitable candidates.

2. Arrange your resume outline

Depending on your experience, skills and training, the way you arrange the information on your resume can determine how you impress the hiring manager. For example, if you lack work experience and want to apply for an entry maintenance manager role, it's advisable to place your education or skills section before work history to avoid making the recruiter think you lack experience.

For such a candidate, a functional resume, which makes your skills and accomplishments the centrepiece of the resume, is a perfect fit for your level of experience. It de-emphasises your work history and captivates the reader with your impressive job-relevant skill set. If you have extensive professional experience and have worked at several companies, a reverse chronological layout allows you to demonstrate your in-depth knowledge and professional achievements. If you want to showcase both experience and competencies, choose a combination or hybrid format.

3. Write and format properly

When writing a resume, it's important to choose your words carefully. Like all official documents, use formal language to write your resume. Acceptable fonts include Georgia, Helvetica and Calibri. Font sizes 10-12 are ideal for maintaining legibility. Use adequate white spaces and margins on all sides to make the document clean and presentable. If your resume is long, use subheadings, bold font and bullet lists to break the text into readable and scannable chunks the reader can consume easily.

4. Create a header

Begin your resume with a header. The header comprises your first and last names and contact details. Include a phone number and professional email address, making sure to include the ones you use frequently so hiring managers can always reach you. If you have a professional social media account or website, you can also list them in the header. Including multiple contact details can increase the likelihood employers can reach you easily for more information about your application or an interview.

5. Write a compelling professional summary

The professional summary is an overview of the most important skills, experience, academic credentials and achievements that make you an ideal match for a maintenance manager role. You can also use it to highlight the specific job title you're applying for and the company name. Many candidates also mention their ambitions for the role and the results they intend to achieve if hired. A well-written professional resume can help you impress the hiring manager and persuade them to read the rest of the document and consider your application.

Related: How to Become an Electrician (With Qualifications and Job Prospects)

6. Highlight your education

A resume requires an education section where you outline your role-relevant academic credentials. If you lack work experience, such as if you're a recent graduate, placing your education after the resume summary can help take the recruiter's attention away from your light work history. In the education section, list your credentials from the highest and most recent to the oldest and least important.

For each entry, include the name of the qualification, the name of the awarding institution and the dates of enrolment or graduation. You can also include relevant coursework, awards and a high GPA score. If you have professional certifications, you can also include them in this section.

7. List your work history

Create a work history or experience section to highlight relevant job responsibilities and achievements. For each entry, include the job title, name of employer, dates of employment and location. In three to five bullet points, describe your most important role-relevant duties and accomplishments. Keep the bullet points concise and direct. When describing your work and achievements, you can sprinkle keywords from the job description.

It's advisable to support your claims with facts and figures so the hiring manager can visualise your impact at previous roles. For example, you can discuss the number of staff you supervised, the amount of budget you managed and how the guidelines you created helped improve efficiency and prevent accidents by a certain percentage within a specific period.

8. Highlight your skills

Include a skills section to highlight your role-relevant competencies. As a maintenance manager, you require several soft and technical skills. For example, employers want candidates with excellent communication skills, ability to diagnose and troubleshoot technical problems and the expertise to oversee, mentor and train staff. Equipment installation, carpentry and project management are other hard skills you can include in your resume. You can find the specific skills and competencies required for the role in the job description, but make sure to only include those you have and can use if hired for the role.

Related: The 8 Maintenance Technician Skills to Help Your Career

9. Proofread and edit the document

After writing your resume, review it carefully to find stray spelling and grammatical errors. Edit each sentence to make them concise and interesting. Fact check all dates, figures, names and locations for accuracy. If you have an experienced friend, family member or colleague, you can ask them to review the document and provide feedback to help you improve it. You can also hire a professional resume writer who can work with you to revise the document and market your skills and experiences convincingly to leave the best impression on hiring managers.

Related: 18 Types of Construction Jobs (With Duties and Salaries)

Template for writing a resume for a maintenance manager

Here's a template you can use to write a resume for a maintenance manager position:

[Full name]
[Phone number]
[Email address]

Professional summary
[One to three sentences describing what kind of job you want and how your experience and skills relate to maintenance management.]

Professional experience
[Job title]
[Employer, dates of employment]

Certifications
[Certification title, date earned]

Skills
[List of maintenance management skills]

Education
[School name, dates of attendance]
[Related courses, projects or clubs]

Resume sample for maintenance manager roles

Here's a sample resume you can use as a guide for maintenance manager jobs:

David Chu
4457 9088
davidchu@email.com

Professional Summary
Dedicated facility management professional with six years of maintenance experience in diverse settings seeking to apply leadership and organisational skills to improve operations in a residential setting.

Professional Experience
Maintenance manager
Yellow River College, June 2019–Current

• supervised the maintenance of a college campus to provide comfortable residences, learning spaces and other facilities to over 10,000 students

• managed a team of maintenance coordinators and delegated tasks to upkeep each building

• communicated with vendors to update existing equipment and replace outdated machinery with efficient technology, saving the college over 10% on ongoing maintenance costs

• completed maintenance tasks including carpentry, HVAC repair, plumbing and electrical work

Equipment coordinator
Lumen Industries, September 2016–May 2019

• managed a $200,000 equipment budget in an industrial setting to support manufacturing activities

• researched options for machinery and developed maintenance plans to prevent equipment malfunction

• created training manuals to inform employees of appropriate equipment use practices

Certifications

• Certified Manager of Maintenance - 2020

• Certified Project Management Professional - 2019

• Certified Grounds Technician - 2016

Skills

• equipment repair

• project management

• budgeting

• irrigation

• landscaping

Education

Rice Valley High School, May 2016
Diploma in Mechanical Engineering