INDUSTRY STATS
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Benefits Manager positions are at a 9% growth rate, which is as fast as average. With that said, there are currently 161,700 jobs in the market right now. The total number of jobs is expected to increase by 14,800 to 176,500 in the period of 2020-30.
What’s more, the median annual wage for the Benefits Manager jobs was $121,220 in May 2020. The lowest 10% earned less than $71,180, and the highest 10% more than $208,000.
Our conclusion? The Benefits Manager job market is wide open for candidates.
Top Benefits Manager sections that make the best resume
- Header
- Professional summary
- Experience (with numbers and results)
- Relevant skills
- Education
- Certifications
How to write a Benefits Manager resume experience section
Benefits Manager Resume’s Job Experience Checklist:
- Use 4-6 bullet points per job title;
- Don’t go further than a decade behind when describing your job history, unless you’re applying for an executive position;
- Combine job responsibilities as well as achievements with numbers in results when you describe your past work;
- Start each sentence with a power verb and avoid overused buzzwords;
- Use either C-A-R or S-T-A-R methodology, when describing your experience.
The work experience samples below come from real Benefits Manager resumes that got people hired at top companies. You can use them as an inspiration to build your own resume:
- Educate and advise employees on healthcare, voluntary and retirement benefits
- Reduced US benefits administration costs through pricing and fee negotiation and implementing a HDHP plan, saving $250k+ annually
- Partner with local brokers and regional managers to mature benefits offerings from a pre-IPO, 700-person company to a public, 4000-person company
- Introduced global tuition reimbursement policy, LOA platform and enhanced parental leave, wellness program with 60% utilization, 401(k) employer match and after tax plan
- Ensure compliance with ACA, ERISA, and regional laws
- Started as Global comp&ben : responsible for the international compen&ben policies and processes. Provide guidance and recommendations to business and HR managers on all compensation and benefits issues (11.000 employees)
- Additional role gained as HR Business Partner in support of the Inkjet business of Agfa Graphics (300 employees)
- Succeeded in creating a first time working relationship with the VP and the business managers.
- 1 direct report, the HR manager of the Agfa plant in Canada
- Established a self service Payroll procedure
- Updated our Benefits offering and services
- Increase employee engagement, promoting transparency.
- Payroll and Benefits for National and International staff
- Bradken: July 2017 to present - key focus on Reward, Global Mobility, Remuneration, Job analysis, Performance Management, Benefits & HR Systems. Delivered a new global STI/LTI program and employee recognition program
- Queensland Health: February to June 2017 - Provided coaching services to the Head of HR focusing on developing a high potential team member
- FourPL: February 2017 to July 2017 - Casual contract consulting for change management projects to Essential Energy & SuperAmart
- Uniting Care Queensland - September 2016 to February 2017 - Fixed term contract to manage a shared services design and consult on Remuneration and Benefits market assessment
PRO TIP
Show off real numbers that display your accomplishments in past roles. Instead of listing out your responsibilities as Benefits Manager, talk about the measurable impact you made to their business. Did you boost their revenue? Increase customer retention? Mention your proudest points on your resume.
Action Verbs for your Benefits Manager Resume
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Benefits Manager Resume Skills’ Tips & Tricks to Impress Recruiters
Resume Skills Section Checklist:
- Ensure your hard skills section (including technologies) are exactly matching the job description.
- Don’t simply list your soft skills. Apply the “show, don’t tell” principle - let your job achievements speak for themselves.
- Find a way to showcase your skills beyond the skills section.
- Your resume’s skill section is important to ATS systems - so don’t skip it.
Top Skills for your Benefits Manager resume
- Microsoft Office
- Project Management
- Jira
- Slack
- Taleo
- Workday
- Organisation
- Communication
- confidentiality
- Time management
- Team work
- Adaptability
PRO TIP
Don’t feel obliged to spend a separate section for your soft skills - you can weave them throughout your job experience or career summary. But, don’t just write empty words - back them with examples.
Recommended reads:
Benefits Manager Resume Header: Tips, Red Flags, and Best Practices
CHECKLIST For Your Benefits Manager Resume Header
- Your name and surname in a legible and larger resume font
- The job title you’re applying for or your current job title as a subheading to your name
- Link to your portfolio or online profile, such as LinkedIn
- Address (City and State for the US; just your city for rest of the world)
- Email address
- Headshot (required or welcomed in the EU; not required and sometimes frowned upon in the US)
Stick to popular email providers such as Gmail or Outlook. And use these professional formats to create your username:
- first.last@gmail.com
- last.first@gmail.com
- firstlast@gmail.com
- f.last@gmail.com
- first.l@gmail.com
Recommended reads:
PRO TIP
Some companies, states, and countries have non-discrimination policies about what kind of information can be included on your Benefits Manager resume. This might include a photo (which is often included in a resume header and might be on personal web pages you link to). You can always email the company’s HR department to ask about their policies before you apply.
Benefits Manager Resume Summary Best Practices
Checklist: What to include in your Benefits Manager resume summary:
- Years of experience;
- Highlight top 3 skills and proficiencies;
- One big professional accomplishment you’re most proud of, that you can tie with the aforementioned skills;
- Use short, direct sentences - but no more than three - to keep the HRs interested.
Resume Summary Formula:
PRO TIP
Your summary section should act as a brief but informative introduction to your experience section. In this section you should go into more depth about what you have done, and how you did it.
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Listing Your Education, Certifications and Courses
Resume Education Section Checklist:
- Ensure your hard skills section (including technologies) are exactly matching the job description.
- Don’t simply list your soft skills. Apply the “show, don’t tell” principle - let your job achievements speak for themselves.
- Find a way to showcase your skills beyond the skills section.
- Your resume’s skill section is important to ATS systems - so don’t skip it.
Top Certifications for your Benefits Manager resume
Recommended reads:
PRO TIP
There are dozens of certifications that you can claim as a Benefits Manager. But, some are more effective than others. That’s why you mustn’t include every certificate other applicants might have. Try instead to earn and list a few of the difficult ones.
Benefits Manager Resume: Additional Writing & Formatting Tips
There are three basic resume formats you can choose from:
- Reverse-chronological resume format;
- Functional resume format;
- Hybrid (or Combination) resume format;
The most optimal format for your particular case will depend on your years of experience, as well as whether you’re switching industries or not.
Reverse chronological resumes are best suited for experienced individuals who are sticking to their industry. The experience section takes a central place, and its bullets contain your responsibilities and achievements, coupled with numbers and results.
Functional resumes are used by less experienced jobseekers or career changers. Note that it’s not a format that recruiters prefer, as most are used to the classic chronological alignment. Instead of a list of job titles, functional resumes focus on your skills, and through what experiences you gained them.
Hybrid resumes are great for both experienced and entry-level candidates, as well as career changers. They combine the best of both worlds - most often in a double column format, where one side of the content is focused on your experience, whereas the other - on your skills, strengths, and proudest moments.
Benefits Manager Resume Summary best practices
Here are more resume tips regarding your layout and style:
- Clear and legible 12p resume font size;
- Use 10’’ resume margins - that’s default for a great resume design;
- Use a one-page template resume length if you’ve got less than 10 years of experience; otherwise, opt for a two-page resume;
- Save your resume as PDF before sending it to the recruiter.
To take it a step further, check out how your resume can stand out without leaning too much on the creative side.
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PRO TIP
If you feel that you don’t have high chances in a particular company, due to lack of relevant experience, then you can still consider using a creative layout. That might help you get noticed and invited for an interview, as most of the other applicants will have boring resume designs.
Other sections to include in your resume
Depending on the type of company (corporation or start-up; innovative or traditional), job seniority level and your location, you may want to include more sections to your Benefits Manager resume:
Benefits Manager Resume: How to Make Yours More Creative & Stand Out
When you send your resume to a potential employer, chances are it's the fiftieth one they've seen that day. That's why you need to make your Benefits Manager resume stand out for the right reasons. That means showing your personality, not just your professional experience. Employers are far more likely to remember a candidate who seems like a genuine person and not a robot. Do this by including your passions (which is also a great place to demonstrate skills on a resume), share your favorite books, or even what your usual day looks like.
What Makes a Great Benefits Manager Resume: Key Takeaways
- Choose a resume layout that sends the right message across and fits your current career situation;
- Create a resume header that shows your desired job title, and easy to find contact numbers;
- Be specific about your experience, accomplishments and future goals in your summary;
- Feature detailed metrics and specific examples that show the impact you made in your previous roles when describing your experience;
- List soft skills backed by examples;
- Add all of your technical skills and certifications that you have and match the job description;
- Show off a dash of personality in your resume that will demonstrate your culture fit and the right mix of hard and soft skills.
