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General manager resume example

A resume for a general manager who runs a business unit with full P&L responsibility. Owners and regional leaders hiring a GM want proof that you can grow sales and profit together while running people, inventory and safety, so the resume puts the P&L size and its change over time first.

General manager resume example, page 1 of 2ESTEBAN VILLARREALGeneral Manageresteban.villarreal@example.com · (210) 555-0164 · San Antonio, TX · linkedin.com/in/esteban-villarrealSUMMARYGeneral manager with 17 years in building materials distribution, the last 6 running a $68 million regionwith 9 branches and 210 employees. I grow sales and margin together, build branch managers who run theirown P&Ls, and keep people safe in yards full of forklifts and trucks.EXPERIENCEGeneral Manager, South Texas RegionMar 2020 – PresentAlamo Building SupplySan Antonio, TX•Hold full P&L responsibility for 9 branches, 210 employees and 45 delivery trucks; revenue grew from $41million to $68 million.•Raised gross margin from 24.1% to 27.6% through contractor pricing tiers and a private-label product line.•Opened 2 new branches in Laredo and New Braunfels, both profitable within 14 months.•Cut the regional recordable injury rate from 4.2 to 1.3 with daily safety huddles and forkliftrecertification.•Promoted 6 of 9 branch managers from within through a development program I built with HR.Branch ManagerJan 2014 – Feb 2020Alamo Building SupplySan Antonio, TX•Grew the flagship branch from $9 million to $16 million in sales, ranking first of 31 branches in profit in2018 and 2019.•Cut inventory by $1.2 million while raising fill rate to 97% with cycle counts and min-max settings in theERP.•Hired and trained a team of 32 across counter sales, yard and delivery.Outside Sales RepresentativeJun 2009 – Dec 2013Hill Country Lumber Co.San Marcos, TX•Built a territory of 80 contractor accounts worth $6 million a year, the top territory in the company for 3years.EDUCATIONB.B.A. in Management2005 – 2009The University of Texas at San AntonioSan Antonio, TXCERTIFICATIONSCertified Six Sigma Green Belt (CSSGB)2019ASQSKILLSP&L management · Pricing and margin management · Multi-branch operations · Sales leadership ·Inventory management · Budgeting and forecasting · Safety programs · Hiring and developing managers ·Fleet and delivery operations · ERP systems · Contractor relationshipsEsteban Villarreal · 1 / 2
General manager resume example, page 2 of 2LANGUAGESEnglish Native · Spanish NativeEsteban Villarreal · 2 / 2
General managerUse this example

What recruiters look for

  • P&L size and ownership: revenue, sites, employees and whether you own the whole P&L or part of it.
  • Growth with margin: sales growth alongside gross margin or operating profit. Growth alone can hide a lot.
  • Managers you built: promotions from within, turnover of leaders, bench strength.
  • Operational control: inventory, fill rate, productivity, safety. A GM must keep the basics tight while growing.
  • New business: branches, locations or product lines opened and how quickly they became profitable.

Writing the summary

Give your industry, the size of the business you run (revenue, sites, people) and your best growth and margin result. One line on how you lead managers rounds it out.

The summary in this example

General manager with 17 years in building materials distribution, the last 6 running a $68 million region with 9 branches and 210 employees. I grow sales and margin together, build branch managers who run their own P&Ls, and keep people safe in yards full of forklifts and trucks.

General manager of a hotel or restaurant group

General manager of a 280-room full-service hotel with $32 million in revenue and 190 associates. I grew RevPAR 14% in two years, lifted guest satisfaction into the brand’s top 10% and cut turnover by a third.

Sales leader stepping up to a first GM role

Regional sales director with 12 years in industrial distribution, leading 22 sellers and $90 million in revenue. I have run pricing, hiring and branch partnerships for my region and am ready to own a full P&L as general manager.

Bullet points that work

Strong lines for this role, beyond the ones in the example. Borrow the shape and put in your own numbers.

  • Turned around a branch losing $400,000 a year to a $650,000 profit within 2 years.
  • Grew services revenue from 8% to 19% of sales by launching installation and maintenance contracts.
  • Cut overtime cost by 31% with a labor model tied to daily sales volume.
  • Won a $7 million 3-year supply contract with a regional homebuilder, the largest in the region’s history.
  • Reduced days sales outstanding from 52 to 38 by tightening credit terms with the finance team.
  • Led the conversion of 9 branches to a new ERP system with no lost sales days.
  • Raised the regional employee engagement score from 58% to 79% in 2 years.
  • Consolidated 2 underperforming branches into 1, saving $1.1 million a year and keeping 95% of customers.
  • Built a weekly operating review with branch managers that brought every branch to budget within a year.

Skills to list

Hard skills

  • P&L management and budgeting
  • Pricing and margin management
  • Sales management and forecasting
  • Inventory and supply management
  • Multi-site operations
  • Safety programs and OSHA compliance
  • ERP and reporting tools
  • Contract negotiation
  • Hiring and performance management

Soft skills

  • Developing managers
  • Holding teams accountable
  • Building customer relationships
  • Decision-making under pressure
  • Clear communication up and down

Certifications and licenses worth listing

  • None are required: general managers are hired on P&L results and the teams they build.
  • ASQ Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt: a plus in operations-heavy businesses.
  • Industry credentials count where the field values them: a Certified Hotel Administrator (CHA) for hotels, ServSafe Manager for restaurants, OSHA 30 for construction and industrial settings.

Length and format

One or two pages. With 15 or more years, two pages are fine, but keep your GM role and its P&L results on the top half of page one. Earlier sales and branch roles get two or three bullets each.

Common mistakes

  • Leaving out P&L size, which is the first number any hiring manager looks for.
  • Reporting revenue growth without margin or profit.
  • Writing about yourself as the hero of every result. Show the managers and teams you built.
  • Skipping safety and inventory in a field where both decide profitability.
  • Using “general manager” without context. Hotel, restaurant, distribution and software GMs do very different jobs; name the industry.

Questions and answers

What should a general manager put on a resume?

The size of the business you run, sales and profit before and after, the managers you developed and two or three operational results (inventory, safety, productivity). Name the industry clearly.

How is a general manager different from an operations manager?

A general manager usually owns the whole P&L, including sales and pricing, while an operations manager owns delivery and cost. If you own both, say so in your first bullet.

Should a GM resume be one or two pages?

Two pages are fine with more than ten years of experience. One page works well if your career has been in one or two companies.

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