INDUSTRY STATS
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, IT Service Manager positions are at a 11% growth rate, which is faster than average. With that said, there are currently 482,000 jobs in the market right now. The total number of jobs is expected to increase by 52,700 to 534,700 in the period of 2020-30.
What’s more, the median annual wage for the IT Service Manager jobs was $151,150 in May 2020. The lowest 10% earned less than $90,430, and the highest 10% more than $208,000.
Our conclusion? The IT Service Manager job market is wide open for candidates.
Top IT service manager sections that make the best resume
- Header
- Professional summary
- Experience (with numbers and results)
- Relevant skills
- Education
- Certifications
Writing a strong IT service manager experience section
It service manager resume experience section: ultimate checklist
- Use no more than 4-6 bullet points per position;
- List relevant positions and situations that add value to your application;
- Describe situations, tasks, actions, and results (the S-T-A-R method);
- Remember to include numbers in whatever form you like (e.g. the number of projects you’ve finished);
- Begin each bullet point with an action verb.
Check out the examples below when building your experience section. They will help you stand out!
- To be an integral part of the account planning and delivery support strategy
- Follow appropriate problem & change management processes
- Act as a team member of International GPS IT organisation and as such support projects and activities also outside Europe
- Proactively contribute to identify improvements, cost take out opportunities and new technologies & solutions that could benefit IBM
- The single point of contact on end to end technology for the PMO assets, infrastructure, third party services, other IBM technology delivery organisations and the client
- Support development, implementation and delivery of technical solutions with the business solutions
- Respond to client IT requirements as specified in the contract or Statement of Work SOW, or through the PMO contract change control process
- Oversee and verify contractual IT cost
- Organise and perform annual disaster recovery testing in the recovery site (Krakow)
- Support the Business DPE and Project Executive PE in identifying growth opportunities and CTO (Cost Take Out) opportunities resulting in contract profitability
- Own quality of IT service provided by the IT delivery organisation and responsible for tracking and reporting on service level performance
- Participate and provide input into Client's strategy and planning in support of the PMO
- Direct and assist teams to develop program, project, product, and business strategies and implement resulting solutions to meet contract deliverables
- Proactively monitor the problem and change process and manage problem and change issues and alerts as needed
- The single point of contact on end to end technology for the PMO Assets, Infrastructure, Third Party Services, other IBM technology delivery organizations, and the Client.
- Support development, implementation, and delivery of technical solutions with the business solutions.
- Respond to client IT requirements as specified in the contract or Statement of Work SOW, or through the PMO contract change control process.
- Oversee and verify contractual IT cost.
- Manage matrix of IBM IT services and drive client and 3rd IT Team LeaderParty IT resources to deliver IT services and solutions to meet the end to end client business process.
- Support the Business DPE and Project Executive PE in identifying growth opportunities and CTO Cost Take Out) opportunities resulting in contract profitability.
- Own quality of IT service provided by the IT delivery organization and responsible for tracking and reporting on service level performance.
- Participate and provide input into Client's strategy and planning in support of the PMO
- Direct and assist teams to develop program, project, product, and business strategies, and implement resulting solutions to meet contract deliverables
- Pro-actively monitor the problem and change process and manage problem and change issues and alerts as needed
- ITIL Foundation exam preparation in progress
- Future task: Other ITIL exams
- To operate, manage and monitor the IT-delivery to the customer due to contracts
- Manage and develop one or more contracts under the set goals
- Develop and delivery solutions as the customer's business needs increases/decreases
- Operate, control and monitor external interaction on both tactical and operational level.
- Act steering committee chairman for the implementation of projects.
- Check and follow up sales and billing
- Drive and develop the business according to set economic goals for revenue and profitability within IT
- Design and implement the service for HR
- Manage enhancements portfolio
- Monitor service performance and cost
- Ensure technical and functionnal consistency
PRO TIP
Check the IT Service Manager job description for inspiration. Look for similarities between your employer’s values and your experience.
Action verbs for your IT service manager resume
"Recommended reads:":
Writing a strong skills section for your IT service manager resume
Checklist for your IT service manager skills section:
- Include all relevant skills from the job description to pass ATS;
- Focus on skills that show your expertise;
- List your technical skills in a clear and concise manner;
- Leave room for transferable skills related to teamwork, communication, negotiation, and conflict management.
Top skills for your IT service manager resume
Python
Java
Javascript
SQL
GIT
HTML
MySQL
CSS
Jira
C++
Communication
Organisation
Analytical thinking
Creativity and innovation
Accountability
Flexibility
Eager to learn
Perseverance
Problem solving
resourcefulness
PRO TIP
When picking skills to feature in your resume, make sure they'll be relevant to the position you’re applying to. The point of listing skills is for you to stand out from the competition. Stay away from repetitive, meaningless skills that everyone uses in their resumes. Or else, they’ll backfire and make you look like an average candidate.
Recommended reads:
It service manager resume header: tips, red flags, and best practices
Checklist for your IT service 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 IT Service 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.
The ideal summary for your IT service manager resume
Mastering the summary section: checklist
- Mention the total years of experience you have in the field;
- Focus on 2 to 3 of your top achievements;
- Highlight the things that make you the best fit for the position;
- Go for short, easy-to-read sentences to keep the recruiter’s attention.
Resume summary formula:
PRO TIP
When writing a resume summary or objective, avoid first-person narrative.
Recommended reads:
Things to include in your IT service manager resume education section
It service manager resume education section checklist:
- Mention your highest education degree;
- Add the duration of your course and the institution you attended;
- List the awards you’ve received during your studies;
- Feature your certifications if they are relevant to the position;
- Entry-level positions: Share more about projects and classes.
Top certifications for your IT service manager resume
IT Management Fundamentals - From IT Tech to IT Manager
The knowledge and expertise you need to know to become an IT manager and develop those skills
IT service operations and Service Desk management
Improve Service Desk and IT support processes and service functions. Better preparation for the professional exam.
IT Troubleshooting Skill and Process Management
Screen, Train and Develop (Troubleshooting Skills and Tools): A Manager's Guide To Building a Service Desk Team
Practical IT Service Management Foundations
Learn the best practice approach that fuelled over fifty IT Service Management implementations around the world.
Risk Management for Cybersecurity and IT Managers
The management's guide to understanding Risk Management decisions in cybersecurity and information technology (IT)
Recommended reads:
PRO TIP
If you hold a certain major and a minor, your majors should be mentioned first.
Formatting your IT service manager resume
What’s worse than a .docx resume? A resume with a poorly chosen format.
In general, there are three basic resume formats we advise you to stick with:
- Reverse-chronological resume format;
- Functional skills-based resume format;
- Combination (or Hybrid) resume format.
Choosing between them is easy when you’re aware of your applicant profile – it depends on your years of experience, the position you’re applying for, and whether you’re looking for an industry change or not.
The reverse-chronological resume format is just that – all your relevant jobs in reverse-chronological order. It’s great for applicants with lots of experience, no career gaps, and little desire for creativity.
When working with less experienced applicants, we suggest the functional skills-based resume format. It’s great for recent graduates or people with large career gaps. Functional skills-based resumes focus on your personality, the skills you have, your interests, and your education. Ultimately, the idea is to show you’re the perfect fit without putting too much emphasis on your work experience (or lack thereof).
If you’re in the middle or are generally looking to make your resume feel more modern and personal, go for the combination or hybrid resume format. It offers the best of both worlds by combining sections focused on experience and work-related skills and at the same time keeping space for projects, awards, certifications, or even creative sections like ‘my typical day’ and ‘my words to live by’.
IT Service Manager Resume Formatting Checklist
- Choose the resume format based on your level of experience and the company you’re applying for
- Go for a traditional 10-12p font
- Stick to 1-inch page margins to ensure high readability
- Match the length of your resume to your experience, but don’t go for more than two pages!
To take it a step further, check out how your resume can stand out without leaning too much on the creative side.
Recommended reads:
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.
Additional sections for your IT service manager resume
In some cases, especially when it comes to entry-level positions, adding more sections beyond the usual ‘experience’, ‘skills’, and ‘education’ works well in your favor. Such additional sections will help you paint a fuller picture of who you are in the recruiter’s head.
Here’s a list of fun yet informative additional sections for your resume:
Making your IT service manager resume creative
We know too well that recruiters go through tons of resumes every day. The worse part is, they often need to hire people for different positions and teams. So how do you make yourself stand out in such cases?
By adding a dash of creativity to your IT Service Manager resume. It can be in the form of a colorful layout, a section describing your typical day, or even a picture of your favorite book – you decide!
Just make sure that the levels of creativity match the industry, company, and position you’re applying for.
What makes a great IT service 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.
