School Business Manager Resume Example & Writing Guide
Use this School Business Manager resume example and guide to improve your career and write a powerful resume that will separate you from the competition.
School business managers are responsible for managing the financial and operational aspects of their school’s business operations. They oversee all aspects of the budgeting process, from creating spending plans and forecasting future revenue to monitoring expenditures and ensuring compliance with regulations.
They’re also responsible for overseeing the procurement of goods and services, including purchases made by the school district or organization they work for. And they often work with outside vendors to negotiate contracts and establish new partnerships that will benefit their organization.
Because school business managers work in such a specialized field, they need to have a solid understanding of financial reporting standards and best practices. And it’s critical that they be able to communicate effectively with people at all levels within their organization—from the top brass down to the custodians cleaning classrooms.
Here are some tips and an example to help you write a fantastic school business manager resume that will land you interviews with top employers.
How to Write a School Business Manager Resume
Here’s how to write a resume of your own.
Write Compelling Bullet Points
When you’re writing bullet points, it can be tempting to simply list your responsibilities. But that’s not enough to make a strong impression. Instead, you should use your bullet points to demonstrate your value by showing how you’ve contributed to the organization.
For example, rather than saying you “managed school budget,” you could say you “reduced budget deficit by 10% in first year through cost-cutting initiatives, resulting in no layoffs and no reduction in teacher salaries.”
The second bullet point paints a much clearer picture of what you did and the results of your work. And it provides a quantifiable result (10% reduction in deficit).
Identify and Include Relevant Keywords
When you apply for a school business manager role, your resume goes through an applicant tracking system (ATS). This program scans your resume for certain keywords related to the job opening. If your resume doesn’t have enough relevant keywords, the ATS might not rank it high enough to be seen by the hiring manager.
To make sure your resume makes it past the ATS, use this list of common school business manager keywords as a starting point:
- Business Management
- Budgeting
- Account Management
- Sales
- Customer Service
- Negotiation
- Business Planning
- Team Leadership
- Marketing
- Strategic Planning
- Microsoft Access
- Leadership
- Human Resources (HR)
- Public Speaking
- Project Management
- Strategic Communications
- Management
- Purchasing
- Social Media
- Marketing Strategy
- Sales Management
- Sales Operations
- Budgeting & Forecasting
- Financial Reporting
- Accounts Payable
- Accounts Receivable (AR)
- Financial Analysis
- Teaching
- Public School
- Staff Development
Showcase Your Technical Skills
As a school business manager, you will need to be proficient in a variety of software programs and systems in order to effectively manage the finances and operations of a school. Some of the most commonly used programs include QuickBooks, Microsoft Office Suite, and Google Suite. You should also be familiar with school-specific software programs, such as PowerSchool and Blackbaud.