One specific resume challenge you, as a records manager, might encounter is effectively showcasing your expertise in data management and regulatory compliance within a limited space. Our guide can assist by providing you with targeted tips to succinctly highlight your accomplishments and skills, ensuring you stand out to potential employers.
- Defining the highlights of your records manager career through your resume summary, objective, and experience.
- Real-world records manager resume samples with best practices on how to stand out amongst the endless pile of candidate resumes.
- Most in-demand records manager resume skills and certifications across the industry.
- Standardizing your resume layout, while maintaining your creativity and individuality.
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Designing your records manager resume format to catch recruiters' eyes
Your records manager resume will be assessed on a couple of criteria, one of which is the actual presentation.
Is your resume legible and organized? Does it follow a smooth flow?
Or have you presented recruiters with a chaotic document that includes everything you've ever done in your career?
Unless specified otherwise, there are four best practices to help maintain your resume format consistency.
- The top one third of your records manager resume should definitely include a header, so that recruiters can easily contact you and scan your professional portfolio (or LinkedIn profile).
- Within the experience section, list your most recent (and relevant) role first, followed up with the rest of your career history in a reverse-chronological resume format .
- Always submit your resume as a PDF file to sustain its layout. There are some rare exceptions where companies may ask you to forward your resume in Word or another format.
- If you are applying for a more senior role and have over a decade of applicable work experience (that will impress recruiters), then your records manager resume can be two pages long. Otherwise, your resume shouldn't be longer than a single page.
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Records Manager resume sections to answer recruiters' checklists:
- Header to help recruiters quickly allocate your contact details and have a glimpse over your most recent portfolio of work
- Summary or objective to provide an overview of your career highlights, dreams, and goals
- Experience to align with job requirements and showcase your measurable impact and accomplishments
- Skills section/-s to pinpoint your full breadth of expertise and talents as a candidate for the Records Manager role
- Education and certifications sections to potentially fill in any gaps in your experience and show your commitment to the industry
What recruiters want to see on your resume:
- Experience with records management software and classification systems
- Knowledge of relevant legislation, standards, and compliance requirements pertaining to records management
- Proven ability to develop and implement records management policies and procedures
- Demonstrable skills in organizing, archiving, and maintaining records for easy retrieval
- Experience in managing both electronic and physical records, with an emphasis on digitization and document control processes
Adding your relevant experience to your records manager resume
If you're looking for a way to show recruiters that your expertise is credible, look no further than the resume experience section.
Your records manager resume experience can be best curated in a structured, bulleted list detailing the particulars of your career:
- Always integrate metrics of success - what did you actually achieve in the role?
- Scan the records manager advert for your dream role in search of keywords in the job requirements - feature those all through your past/current experience;
- Dedicate a bullet (or two) to spotlight your technical capabilities and how you're able to use the particular software/technology in your day-to-day roles;
- Write simple by including your responsibility, a job advert keyword or skill, and a tangible outcome of your success;
- Use the experience section to also define the unique value of working with you in the form of soft skills, relevant feedback, and the company culture you best thrive in.
Industry leaders always ensure that their resume experience section offers an enticing glimpse at their expertise, while telling a career narrative. Explore these sample records manager resumes on how to best create your resume experience section.
- Spearheaded the digital transformation of records management, transitioning from a paper-based to an electronic system, reducing document retrieval time by 35%.
- Implemented a company-wide compliance program for record-keeping that resulted in 100% adherence to industry regulations, avoiding potential legal penalties.
- Developed and led staff training initiatives on records management best practices, enhancing team efficiency and reducing error rates by 25%.
- Orchestrated the integration of a new records management software suite, thereby increasing data accuracy and facilitating quick access for 500+ users.
- Managed the safe disposal of 10 years' worth of obsolete records, ensuring secure and compliant destruction procedures, and freeing up significant storage space.
- Directed a cross-departmental committee to establish unified records retention schedules, harmonizing document handling across the company.
- Oversaw the migration of over 1 million records to a new cloud-based storage system, leading to a 20% cut in annual storage costs.
- Conducted regular audits of the records management processes, identifying critical improvements that increased filing accuracy by 30%.
- Collaborated with IT to deploy a robust data backup strategy, mitigating risks of data loss and ensuring business continuity.
- Initiated a record classification system overhaul, resulting in improved document retrieval time and better protection of sensitive information.
- Managed a team of 10 records clerks, fostering a proactive culture focused on meticulous records care and prompt customer service.
- Served as the point of contact for legal teams during audits, ensuring all requests for information were fulfilled in a timely and compliant manner.
- Led a project to digitize 20 years of company archives, making crucial historical information available to stakeholders and preserving institutional knowledge.
- Optimized records retention schedules across the organization, reducing the volume of physical storage needs by 40%.
- Coordinated with legal and compliance departments to ensure all record-keeping met the latest legislative requirements, effectively navigating changes in GDPR.
- Redesigned and implemented a user-centric electronic document management system (EDMS), enhancing employee engagement and streamlining document control processes.
- Played a crucial role in the company's transition to a near-paperless office environment, cutting down paper usage by 60% and supporting corporate sustainability goals.
- Managed off-site storage vendor relationships, renegotiating contracts to secure 20% cost savings while maintaining service quality.
- Spearheaded a privacy impact assessment project for records management in adherence to HIPAA, bolstering patient confidentiality protections.
- Designed a comprehensive disaster recovery plan for corporate records, significantly reducing potential data loss in emergency situations.
- Implemented a metadata tagging system for over 2 million documents, facilitating advanced data analytics and supporting strategic business decision-making.
- Initiated and executed an innovative blockchain-based validation system for critical company records, increasing trust and security in document authenticity.
- Reduced operational costs by 15% through the strategic consolidation of records centers and optimizing staff utilization.
- Formulated and enforced a company-wide policy on electronic signatures, boosting productivity and expediting contract execution processes.
- Implemented an organization-wide records management system in compliance with ISO 15489 standards, significantly improving records traceability.
- Conducted comprehensive risk assessments on record-keeping practices, leading to a fortified security posture against potential data breaches.
- Led a successful accreditation initiative for the records department, exemplifying adherence to industry best practices and securing a competitive advantage.
- Leveraged advanced analytics to review and streamline data archiving processes, resulting in a 25% improvement in operational efficiency.
- Championed a records retention initiative that maintained compliance while reducing unnecessary records by 50% through stringent assessment protocols.
- Developed a tailored, role-specific training program on records handling, enhancing staff capabilities and decreasing misfiling incidents.
Quantifying impact on your resume
- Include the number of physical and digital records managed to demonstrate organizational capacity.
- List the percentage reduction in retrieval time achieved through improved indexing systems.
- Mention the amount of money saved by implementing cost-effective record storage solutions.
- Quantify the scale of databases migrated to illustrate capability with large-scale projects.
- Detail the number of compliance audits successfully passed to reflect adherence to regulations.
- State the number of training sessions conducted for staff on records management best practices.
- Highlight the percentage increase in records accessibility due to better cataloging processes.
- Specify the reduction in error rates achieved through enhanced quality control protocols.
Action verbs for your records manager resume
Remember these four tips when writing your records manager resume with no experience
You've done the work - auditing the job requirements for keywords and have a pretty good idea of the skill set the ideal candidate must possess.
Yet, your professional experience amounts to a summer internship .
Even if you have limited or no professional expertise that matches the role you're applying for, you can use the resume experience section to:
- List extracurricular activities that are relevant to the job requirements. Let's say you were editor-in-chief of your college newspaper or part of the engineering society. Both activities have taught you invaluable, transferrable skills (e.g. communication or leadership) that can be crucial for the job;
- Substitute jobs with volunteer experience. Participating in charity projects has probably helped you develop an array of soft skills (e.g. meeting deadlines and interpersonal communications). On the other hand, volunteering shows potential employers more about you: who you are and what are the causes you care about;
- Align job applications with your projects. Even your final-year thesis work could be seen as relevant experience, if it's in the same industry as the job you're applying for. Ensure you've listed the key skills your project has taught you, alongside tangible outcomes or your project success;
- Shift the focus to your transferrable skills. We've said it before, but recruiters will assess your profile upon both job requirements and the skills you possess. Consider what your current experience - both academic and life - has taught you and how you've been able to develop your talents.
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If you happen to have plenty of certificates, select the ones that are most applicable and sought-after across the industry. Organize them by relevance to the role you're applying for.
Bringing your records manager hard skills and soft skills to the forefront of recruiters' attention
Hard skills are used to define the technological (and software) capacities you have in the industry. Technical skills are easily defined via your certification and expertise.
Soft skills have more to do with your at-work personality and how you prosper within new environments. People skills can be obtained thanks to your whole life experience and are thus a bit more difficult to define.
Why do recruiters care about both types of skills?
Hard skills have more to do with job alignment and the time your new potential employers would have to invest in training you.
Soft skills hint at how well you'd adapt to your new environment, company culture, and task organization.
Fine-tune your resume to reflect on your skills capacities and talents:
- Avoid listing basic requirements (e.g. "Excel"), instead substitute with the specifics of the technology (e.g. "Excel Macros").
- Feature your workplace values and ethics as soft skills to hint at what matters most to you in a new environment.
- Build a separate skills section for your language capabilities, only if it makes sense to the role you're applying for.
- The best way to balance records manager hard and soft skills is by building a strengths or achievements section, where you define your outcomes via both types of skills.
There are plenty of skills that could make the cut on your resume.
That's why we've compiled for you some of the most wanted skills by recruiters, so make sure to include the technologies and soft skills that make the most sense to you (and the company you're applying for):
Top skills for your records manager resume:
Records Management
Document Control
Information Governance
Data Protection
Archiving Procedures
Records Retention Policies
Electronic Records Management Systems
Database Management
Compliance Management
Project Management
Attention to Detail
Organizational Skills
Problem-Solving
Communication
Discretion
Teamwork
Decision-Making
Adaptability
Time Management
Customer Service Orientation
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Bold the names of educational institutions and certifying bodies for emphasis.
Your academic background: should you include your education and certifications on your records manager resume?
Adding relevant education and certifications to your records manager resume is beneficial, whether you're an experienced candidate or just starting in the field.
Featuring your higher education degree that aligns with the role demonstrates your commitment to the industry. On your records manager resume, include the start and graduation dates, followed by the name of the institution that awarded your degree.
Regarding certifications, it's wise to list those most relevant to the role or that have contributed to your array of crucial technical or personal traits. Be sure to include the name of the certificate and the awarding institution.
If uncertain about which certifications to feature prominently on your records manager resume, refer to our compiled list of the most in-demand ones for guidance.
The top 5 certifications for your records manager resume:
- Certified Records Manager (CRM) - Institute of Certified Records Managers (ICRM)
- Information Governance Professional (IGP) - ARMA International
- Certified Information Professional (CIP) - AIIM International
- Certified Archivist (CA) - Academy of Certified Archivists
- Electronic Records Management (ERM) Master Certification - AIIM International
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The more time and effort you've put into obtaining the relevant certificate, the closer to the top it should be listed. This is especially important for more senior roles and if the company you're applying for is more forward-facing.
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Deciding between a resume summary or objective for your records manager role
Understanding the distinction between a resume summary and an objective is crucial for your records manager resume.
A resume summary, typically three to five sentences long, offers a concise overview of your career. This is the place to showcase your most pertinent experience, key accomplishments, and skills. It's particularly well-suited for those with professional experience relevant to the job requirements.
In contrast, a resume objective focuses on how you can add value to potential employers. It addresses why they should hire you and outlines your career expectations and learning goals. Therefore, it's ideal for candidates with less experience.
In the following section of our guide, explore how resume summaries and objectives differ through some exemplary industry-specific examples.
Resume summaries for a records manager job
- Seasoned Records Manager with over 10 years of experience in overseeing extensive document control systems within a high-paced legal environment. Skillset includes adept management of both physical and electronic records, utilization of cutting-edge digital archiving solutions, and a record of implementing data governance that enhanced operational efficiency by 30% at a leading law firm.
- Dynamic professional with a background in IT management, seeking to leverage 8 years of experience in data security and process optimization to transition into a Records Management role. Adept in database administration and a proven track record of designing secure information systems, committed to ensuring meticulous record-keeping and data integrity in a new industry setting.
- Ambitious educator with a Master's degree in Library Science aiming to apply 5 years of experience in academic research and information organization to a career in Records Management. Proficient in developing categorization systems, keen on bringing expertise in meticulous information handling to manage records efficiently within a corporate framework.
- With 15 years at the helm of corporate archiving initiatives for a multinational finance corporation, this seasoned Records Manager brings a wealth of expertise in regulatory compliance, digital transformation of paper-based records, and leadership in deploying enterprise-wide content management systems that reduced retrieval times by 40%.
- As a recent graduate with a degree in Information Science, I am eager to apply my academic knowledge of record-keeping principles and enthusiasm for digital archival techniques, aiming to contribute fresh insights and strong organizational skills to a forward-thinking team dedicated to maintaining accurate and secure records.
- Alumni of History and Archival Studies, with extensive volunteer experience organizing university archives, excited to bring a strong foundation in archival theory and hands-on practice in cataloging historical documents to a professional Records Management environment, committed to preserving information accuracy and accessibility for future generations.
Miscellaneous records manager resume sections for a more personalized approach
Your records manager resume can reflect even more upon your personality and best qualities - that is if you decide on including a couple of additional resume sections to support your application.
Some of the best-accepted industry-wide choices include the:
- Resume projects - getting into the outcomes of your most important work, so far;
- Languages on your resume - detailing your proficiency level;
- Special recognitions - dedicated to your most prominent industry awards;
- Hobbies and interests - defining how you spend your free time.
Key takeaways
- Pay special attention to the tiny details that make up your records manager resume formatting: the more tailored your application to the role is, the better your chances at success would be;
- Select the sections you include (summary or objective, etc.) and formatting (reverse-chronological, hybrid, etc.) based on your experience level;
- Select experience items and, consequently, achievements that showcase you in the best light and are relevant to the job;
- Your profile will be assessed both based on your technical capabilities and personality skills - curate those through your resume;
- Certifications and education showcase your dedication to the particular industry.
