As an account manager, you understand the importance of taking care of your clients.
Happy customers mean company growth, so you’re a pro at discovering new solutions, reaching goals, and building relationships.
Sometimes being an account manager means being the face of the organization, so companies want someone they can trust to represent them.
If you want to stand out from the hundreds of other qualified candidates, your resume is going to have to win the attention of recruiters and hiring managers.
This guide will help you write an account manager resume that gets interviews and shows companies why you’re the right person for the job.
Here’s what you’ll learn from this account manager resume guide
- How to write an account manager resume that helps you stand out from other candidates
- The right skill set you need to be considered for the role
- The best way to showcase your experience and education to land the role you want
- How to back up your claims with real-life data
- How to tailor every section of your resume to fit your target job
Looking for more related resumes?
How to write an account manager resume that gets you hired
Every section of your resume should be concise and engaging. Include only the information that highlights your strengths and relevant experience.
Below are the account manager resume sections covered in this guide.
Top account manager resume sections
- Account manager resume header that grabs recruiters’ attention
- A summary that describes your expertise
- Work experience section with real-life achievements
- Skills section that shows the perfect mix of technical and soft skills
- Education section that recruiters look for
Most valuable points in an account manager's resume
- Quantitative data that backs up your claims
- Specific and up-to-date knowledge in your industry
- Strong interpersonal skills that keep clients and customers happy
- Relevant educational background and/or related experience
- Enthusiasm for the specific role and company you’re applying to
Let’s begin with the first section recruiters see when they look at your resume.
How to write an eye-catching account manager resume header
Your resume header may seem like just a formality, but don’t let the simplicity fool you.
This is your first introduction to the recruiters scanning hundreds of resumes, so it’s essential that you start off on the right foot.
This means including all of the information that recruiters want to see quickly and professionally.
Your account manager resume header should include your:
- Name
- Industry-specific job title
- Phone number and email address
- Location
- LinkedIn profile or portfolio link
Let’s go deeper into each of these with the examples below.
2 account manager resume header examples
What’s wrong with the example above:
- Generic job title
- Missing phone number
- Missing LinkedIn link
The role of an account manager can vary greatly from company to company. Show recruiters that you’re uniquely qualified by using an industry-specific job title. This will make you immediately stand out from other candidates.
This candidate included their email address, but hiring managers have no other way to reach them or look deeper into their work history.
What works with this example:
- Includes a specific job
- Includes all necessary contact info
It’s also important to know what NOT to include in your header.
Putting your whole address on a resume is outdated as everything today is done electronically. Include only your city and state for location.
Make sure that your email address is current and professional. The best way to do this is to use a popular domain like Gmail and create an email address that is some combination of your first and last name.
How to describe your expertise in your account manager resume summary
You’ve got recruiters hooked with your outstanding header, now it’s time to reel them in with a great summary.
The summary section of your account manager resume is the “elevator pitch” about what makes you perfect for the role. It’s the place where you can highlight your top accomplishments, experience level, and your career objectives.
This is your opportunity to show hiring managers why you’re the right fit and how you will impact company success.
Let’s take a look at a few examples.
2 account manager resume summary examples
This first example can barely be called a summary. Broad terms like “experienced” and “excellent” don’t really mean anything on their own.
Use specific examples with quantifiable metrics. Include a career objective that is mutually beneficial for both you and your target company.
Let’s take a look at the improved example below.
Much better!
This example includes specific information about industry experience, highlights impressive achievements in former roles, and displays enthusiasm for the desired role.
Don’t expect recruiters to take your word for it. Show that you’ve achieved results with real facts and figures.
Now that you’ve covered your inspiring account manager resume summary, let’s move on to the experience section.
How to impress hiring managers with your work experience
You will be going head-to-head with qualified candidates, and the hiring manager is looking for the best of the best to interview.
When writing your experience section, include specific details that support your claims, including real-life data and accomplishments.
Like every other section of your resume, each bullet should be concise and relevant. Recruiters are only spending a few seconds glancing over your resume. Don’t waste space with irrelevant details.
Let’s compare two experience section examples below.
Account manager resume experience examples
- •Managed the relationships with our corporate clients
- •Worked as a team to deliver great events
- •Stayed up to date on industry knowledge
- •Reported findings to COO and CEO
Simply listing your responsibilities won’t make you stand out. Hiring managers know what an account manager does. They want to see how you will impact success at their company.
The example above uses broad terminology that can be interpreted in a number of different ways. Be specific and reference measurable achievements.
Let’s look at a better example below.
- •Managed 15+ corporate client accounts, maintaining a client satisfaction score of 98%
- •Successfully closed $3 million of client contracts, boosting sales performance by 80% in five years
- •Collaborated with a team of event managers, suppliers and executives to ensure all projects were completed on-time and to the highest degree of quality.
- •Used tools such as LinkedIn Sales Navigator, Salesforce, Asana, and G Suite to manage projects with clients and source out leads.
There is a huge difference between this example and the previous one.
This candidate uses action verbs to describe measurable success. Each bullet is utilized to showcase a specific achievement and skill set.
This example also shows industry-specific keywords and programs. This is a great way to tailor your resume to your target job and ensure that you won’t be filtered out by ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems).
Now that you’ve written an experience section that will impress hiring managers, let’s move on to your skills section.
How to stand out from other candidates with the right mix of skills
For account manager resumes, you will want to display your perfect mix of technical and soft skills. It’s a role that requires strong communication and client relationship-building skills, while also staying up to date on the latest industry knowledge.
If you’re having trouble narrowing it down, stick with only your strongest skills and the most relevant ones.
You can leave out skills that will be assumed. For example, MS Office is so common today that it is expected candidates will already know it.
Additionally, account manager positions in niche industries may require specialized skills. Read the job description closely and research your target company. Focus on the overlap of their needs and your strengths.
Here’s an example of how to list industry skills on your account manager resume.
How to list tech skills on your resume
What works in this example:
- It will pass ATS that scan for target keywords, such as the names of software or industry terms (“SEO”)
- Each skill includes more context and detail to support the information, instead of a basic description
Technical skills list for your account manager resume
- CRM systems such as Salesforce and Hubspot
- High-level product or service expertise
- Discovering and closing leads on LinkedIn Sales Navigator
- Data collection and interpretation using Google Analytics
How to describe soft skills on your resume
Soft skills are one of the biggest influencing factors in the field of account management.
Account managers are responsible for starting and maintaining profit-producing relationships with clients and customers. They have to build trust, be empathetic, show confidence, and most importantly, be personable enough to keep the clients around.
Soft skills are a lot more open to interpretation than hard skills. For this reason, they require a bit of an explanation.
Listing “communication” with no examples doesn’t do much for recruiters. You need to provide evidence.
Let’s look at an example of how this can look on your account manager resume.
Notice how the above soft skills appear as “strengths” and they are backed up with specific examples.
“Achieved a client retention rate of 80%” goes a lot farther than “good client relationships.”
Here are a few other soft skills to consider.
Soft skills list for account manager resumes
- Maintaining excellent client or customer relationships
- Negotiating contracts
- Collaborating with team members
- Presenting to clients and executives, both virtually and in-person
How to write an account manager education section that recruiters want to see
It is likely that the account manager position you’re applying for will have an education requirement. The specific degree will depend on things like job level and industry.
For example, if you’re a sales account manager, you may need a bachelor’s degree in either business or marketing. Degrees in related fields such as advertising, communications, and public relations may also be acceptable.
If you’re a technical account manager, your educational background will likely need, to be more focused on IT, computer science and/or programming.
Having a master’s degree isn’t essential to landing a role as an account manager, but it will be a huge advantage in helping you stand out among other candidates and help you negotiate higher salaries. This is especially true for a senior account manager resume.
The format of your education section will be fairly simple. Include the name of the school, name of the degree, and the years attended.
If you are just starting out in the field and don’t have much experience yet, you might want to include notable achievements from your education like an exceptional GPA or relevant projects you worked on.
How to level-up your resume with the right certifications
Certifications aren’t always necessary to land an interview, but they certainly can put you ahead of other candidates.
They can be especially helpful if you’re making an industry change and don’t have much experience. Certifications will show a commitment to the industry and dedication to career growth.
Here are a few certification examples for sales account management.
Top 4 account manager certificates for your resume
How to highlight your top achievements in your account manager resume
Depending on your experience and industry, you might have additional achievements that don’t fit into the other sections of your account manager resume.
From negotiating big contracts to maintaining high customer satisfaction, there are lots of ways you can prove your expertise in your resume by highlighting your top achievements in their own dedicated section.
Here’s an example of how you can impress the hiring manager with your accomplishments:
Once you’ve written each section of your resume, make sure each one is concise, relevant, and engaging. Now you have a resume that’s ready to impress recruiters and land interviews!
Key takeaways for creating a great account manager resume
- Write a resume header that has all the information a recruiter needs to get to know you better
- Use exact examples and real-life data to support your claims about your expertise
- Demonstrate your mix of technical and soft skills equally
- Highlight your top achievements in their own dedicated section to stand out
- Read the job description carefully and use the same keywords they do in your account manager resume.
Account Manager resume examples
Explore additional account manager resume samples and guides and see what works for your level of experience or role.
By Experience
Senior Account Manager
View Senior Account Manager Resume
Entry level Account Manager
By Role
Client Account Manager
The Client Account Manager role has its origins deeply seated within business management and customer service sector. The way business management trends change the world of account management, it similarly influences this role.
To increase your chances of successfully securing a Client Account Manager role, keep these tips in mind:
- Get hands-on experience in different client management software. Your proficiency in software like Salesforce, Zoho or Pipedrive will significantly increase your chances of employment.
- Highlight your relationship management skills and show how you've used them for the benefit of client satisfaction and retention.
- Place emphasis on your ability to develop, maintain and grow strategic relationships with key accounts.
- Do more than just list customer service skills. Illustrate how these skills have helped you achieve client satisfaction, e.g. 'increased customer loyalty by...'. Always follow the pattern of 'skill-action-results' on your resume.
View Client Account Manager Resume
Commercial Account Manager
The origins of Commercial Account Manager positions can be traced back to the sales and marketing industry. As sales and marketing trends define this role, they similarly shape this position globally.
Ready to apply? Here is what you should focus on in your application:
- Demonstrate your experience with sales and marketing software tools like HubSpot, Salesforce, or Marketo. It helps you stand out from other candidates.
- Highlight your ability to negotiate, overcome objections, and close deals. This is a skill hiring managers will look for in candidates for this role.
- Emphasize your understanding of various markets, industry trends and competitive dynamics.
- Don't just write down your negotiation skills but provide examples of how you've utilized them for winning business deals. Remember the 'skill-action-results' format.
View Commercial Account Manager Resume
Corporate Account Manager
As a Corporate Account Manager, your experience in account management and sales within a corporate setting would significantly stand out.
Enhance your chances with these pointers:
- Detail any corporate sales/account management experience, specifically those involving key decision-makers.
- Demonstrate understanding of sales forecasting and trend analysis. This will show your ability to make strategic decisions.
- Don't just list corporate clients you've worked with, provide metrics which show your successful account management, e.g., 'increased total account sales by...', 'retained corporate client by resolving...' etc.
View Corporate Account Manager Resume
Digital Account Manager
Digital Account Manager roles evolved from both the sales and web development sectors. As a result, advancements and changes in both areas heavily impact this job role.
To help secure a role as a Digital Account Manager, here's what you should do:
- Cite proficiency in popular digital tools like Google Analytics and SEMRush. This is often key in digital account management roles.
- Showcase your skills in managing and delivering digital marketing campaigns. Your ability to coordinate across teams for effective campaign execution will give you an edge.
- Highlight your understanding of SEO, SEM and social media strategies.
- Don’t just write down your digital marketing skills but bridge them with successful campaign results like 'improved website traffic by...'. The 'Skill-action-results' stanza underpins a persuasive resume.
View Digital Account Manager Resume
Key Account Manager
The Key Account Manager role is traditionally linked with sales, putting a unique focus on managing the most important client accounts.
Emphasize these aspects in your resume:
- Detail your experience managing key accounts and how you succeeded in growing them.
- Highlight relationship-building and maintenance skills with high-level decision-makers.
- Pointer towards your strategizing ability with personalized plans for improvement and growth of key accounts.
View Key Account Manager Resume
Logistics Account Manager
View Logistics Account Manager Resume
National Account Manager
View National Account Manager Resume
Regional Account Manager
View Regional Account Manager Resume
Strategic Account Manager
View Strategic Account Manager Resume
Technical Account Manager
Technical Account Manager role sprouted out of the intersection of customer service and IT. Therefore, it's significantly influenced by trends in IT management and customer relations.
When applying for a Technical Account Manager position, consider these guidelines:
- Emphasize knowledge in IT service management frameworks, like ITIL, as well as experience in managing technical issues.
- Express past accomplishments in terms of what you achieved for customer service, such as 'Reduced resolution time by...', or 'Improved customer satisfaction scores by...'
- Your technical acumen should be evident, alongside results of enhanced experience.
View Technical Account Manager Resume
Assistant Account Manager
Sales Account Manager
Sales account managers should highlight relationship management, negotiation, and sales skills.
Include experiences in revenue growth, customer retention, and strategic planning in major accounts.
Provide statistics such as 'retained 90% of corporate accounts in 2020, even during economic downturn'.
View Sales Account Manager Resume
E-Commerce Account Manager
Clinical Account Manager
Account Coordinator
View Account Coordinator Resume
Enterprise Account Manager
View Enterprise Account Manager Resume
Insurance Account Manager
View Insurance Account Manager Resume
Marketing Account Manager
A Marketing Account Manager demands strong relationship management and communication skills.
Highlight your experience in managing client relationships and meeting client expectations.
Evidence of achieving results through strategic account management such as 'Retained 98% of accounts in the last year through proactive management' would be suitable.
View Marketing Account Manager Resume