What Education Is Needed for Successful Office Manager Career

An office manager is responsible for streamlining and general upkeep of business functions within a company. They maintain the facilities for a company and are accountable for various tasks from training personnel to billing clients.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the market for this job is growing at a rate of 8% through 2024. Salary.com reports that the average annual office manager salary was $73,786 in 2017.

For a person to start this career path, they will be expected to have either a college degree or certificate in office management. Also, they will still get on-the-job training.

Here is the information about education and skills to put on your office manager resume in order to become successful.

Skills to Include on Your Resume

Are you looking for an office manager job but haven’t tailored your application document for the new job search yet? These tips will help you understand what key strengths and abilities you need to highlight in your office manager skills resume.

It is necessary to mention that this particular position is quite tough and includes many tasks and procedures that are unique to the company. Therefore, it is crucial to be a quick learner as there is no office manager who would be 100% qualified while landing the first job.

• Communication: Suppliers, customers, and other outside parties have the first point of contact with the office manager. So, having great communication skills is a must as you will have to deal with other people and their direct reports within the company. You should be able to communicate clearly and listen actively.
• Leadership: It is very important to encourage and motivate employees, keep an eye on work and delegate the tasks. The ability to discipline personnel and solve conflicts will help you land a job much faster.
• Supervision: It is a well-known fact that the majority of personnel won’t have a sufficient level of productivity unless they have effective supervision. An office manager has to supervise administrative workers and receptionists. They are also accountable for delegating the responsibility to others if necessary.
• Analytical mind: Having analytical skills is also significant in monitoring employee performance, budgets, and other tasks and recommending improvements in order to increase efficiency.

Make sure you put all of these skills and abilities on your resume to make your application stand out and grab the eyes of potential employers. Don’t send out the same resume to many organizations. Read the office manager job description and make sure you tailor your application to the needs and requirements of each place and position.

Education Tips

There are several options for getting an education to become an office manager. According to figures from Onetonline.org, 20% of office managers have some college education, 23% have high school diplomas and around 45% have a bachelor’s degree.

When it comes to job searching process, some recruiters require an associate’s degree while for others having a certificate in office management would be enough.

Associate’s degree program is similar to a certificate in office management. They both cover similar topics and learning material. But the general education component is included only in the associate’s degree. Such programs can teach you management principles, office procedures as well as business communications.

Bachelor’s degree in office management is not very common but widely available. This program teaches common business functions and fundamental business principles. Such a course can give you great knowledge together with important skills such as business statistics, organizational behavior, critical thinking, and business law.

Certifications

There are a number of certifications you may get for office manager jobs. The International Facility Management Association (IFMA) offers various online training and courses to get a certificate. This organization provides short-term training programs with four exams at the end. These options include Sustainable Facility Professional, Facility Management Professional and Certified Facility Manager.

Take into account these tips and information about the education necessary to become a successful office manager and let your perfect career begin.