How to Write a Facilities Manager CV / Maintenance Manager CV

When your preparing your Facility Manager CV / Maintenance Manager CV, you have a number of important messages to convey.

You'll need to consider all of these before starting to write, as they mean your CV is going to be effective on every level.

If you fail to give consideration to one of these aspects, it is likely that other candidates will secure the interviews, while your application will be rejected.

It isn't easy to write a Maintenance Manager CV / Facilities Manager CV , if you'd like help our professional CV writing service can improve your CV, so that you win the job interviews that you deserve.

What Must You Include on Your Maintenance Manager CV / Facilities Manager CV?

1. You have to demonstrate your knowledge of building services, construction, security and/or engineering, as well as the specific industry (if applicable) that you may be working in.
2. You also need to convince the employer that as a maintenance manager, you offer proven business skills when it comes to budgetary management and cost control.
3. At the same time, you need to present evidence of your previous success in this role.
4. The employer must be convinced of your personal attributes as a manager, such as your ability to organise, your flexibility, your ability to manage conflicting priorities and demands, etc. You also have to show that your planning abilities are matched by your experience in reacting positively in a crisis situation.
5. If you are working through an agency, you have to demonstrate your background in successfully liaising with client managers.
6. As well as working within the employer's facilities, you must be able to demonstrate experience in working with regulating organisations and abiding by their laws, licences and regulations.
7. You must highlight your relevant experience in the public or private sectors, or working for independent facilities management agencies.
8. As CV writers we can help you address your CV writing challenges if you get us to write your CV for you.

Building Services Experience on a Facilities Manager CV / Maintenance Manager CV

The first area of experience you need to address on a Facilities Manager CV / Maintenance Manager CV is your direct involvement with the buildings, construction, facilities maintenance or engineering sector.

Security may also be important. If the job you are applying for is in a certain industry, such as the retail industry, then you will also need to highlight your knowledge of this area.

Throughout your Maintenance Manager CV / Facilities Manager CV, you need to be as specific as possible, saying exactly what it was that you did, how you contributed, how you utilised your personal attributes as a manager in this work.

For instance, if you organised security, what exactly was kept secure and which system was used? If you set up a cleaning contract, what facilities were cleaned, how regularly and by how large a team? This is the kind of information that enables an employer to build a clear picture of your background.

You must show the employer that you know this area of work inside out, so that nothing that arises in the new job would be too much to handle. Naturally, this means not only knowing the environment that you will be working in, but having solid experience of the maintenance procedures you may be required to pursue.

How much responsibility did you hold in past roles? Again, always be specific. Explain the kind of site you oversaw, how many people you supervised, which services you organised, etc. It is better to write well developed sentences about relevant duties, instead of writing brief sentences about many duties that are not so relevant.

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Management Experience on a Maintenance Manager CV / Facilities Manager CV

Do you have management experience to include on your Facilities Manager CV / Maintenance Manager CV? This is important, even if you have been working as a deputy or assistant manager and have taken temporary responsibility before.

The reason for focusing on this, is that it is not enough to say that you have worked as a building or facilities maintenance manager - you have to illustrate your skills, knowledge and experience of both the facilities maintenance and the management processes involved.

Do not assume that because the employer is advertising such a role, they will understand exactly what it is you have done. It is important to specify the exact areas in which you have developed expertise. Appointing a new manager is a risk, so the employer will be seeking reassurance that this risk is minimal when they read your Maintenance Manager CV / Facilities Manager CV.

Here are just some of the areas you may need to cover:

• Planning maintenance programmes, as managers have to be able to see the wider picture and prioritise work within a schedule.
• Financial planning, in terms of resolving current and future, unforeseen maintenance needs.
• Putting together strong maintenance teams and ensuring lines of communication are strong within those teams.
• Negotiation skills, when establishing contracts with suppliers and vendors.
• Familiarity with putting together maintenance work flow processes, procedures and systems.
• Managing ongoing services, such as cleaning services, to ensure smooth running of facilities.
• Overseeing single events, such as refurbishments or office moves, effectively.
• Raising method statements and issuing permits to work on site.
• Conducting statutory inspections according to legislation and regulations.
• Liaising with insurance companies.
• Utilising IT and telephony systems to maximise the effective management of a facility and its security.

In terms of preparing your Facilities Manager CV / Maintenance Manager CV, it is essential to identify every single area of your facilities maintenance management knowledge and experience. Depending on the contract you are applying for, you will select the most relevant points and highlight them within your CV, from the Profile through the Achievements and Career History.

Leadership abilities, which are an aspect of management skills, are also important in positions where you will be supervising others. These are the softer skills that involve your relationships with other people in a team, motivating them to follow your lead willingly, rather than through coercion of any kind. Words inferring your leadership qualities should be used throughout your CV, while your writing 'tone' should be confident and professional. Here are some examples of leadership abilities.

• Decision making, even if unpopular, for instance when other individuals are trying to persuade you to meet their interests first.
• Problem-solving through clear assessment and response, especially when under pressure in a crisis.
• Supervising and motivating people, from subordinates to contractors.
• Communication at all levels, verbally and in written form, with other managers, suppliers, vendors, etc.

Employment Record on a Facilities Manager CV / Maintenance Manager CV

It is vital that you provide evidence for all your skills, knowledge and experience through your track record in employment on your Maintenance Manager CV / Facilities Manager CV.

This needs to be more than a list of positions held or contracts fulfilled (if you are working via an agency).

Not all of your previous contracts will be relevant, so you need to ascertain the most important factors relating to each position that you apply for and angle your CV accordingly. This means that you may have to prepare a slightly different CV for each position you apply for.

Under your employment or career history section, you need to express your roles, duties and responsibilities in such a way that you are addressing many of the questions a future employer may have about your experience. This means that you must constantly draw attention to your management skills and knowledge of the work required.

If you have worked on a contract basis, you can state that you have worked on a certain number of contracts during a particular period, listing only the relevant ones. A full list can be included as an attachment or appendix. Alternatively, if you can enter a line stating that you were employed with an agency, along with inclusive dates.

Your positions or contracts should also provide the material for your achievements section. Your five or six achievements should emphasise your background as a manager with strong facilities maintenance knowledge - as far as possible, each should highlight both aspects of your experience.

An Effective Format for a Maintenance Manager CV / Facilities Manager CV

Your Facilities Manager CV / Maintenance Manager CV should be an effective marketing document that addresses all of a prospective employer's questions. A variation on the chronological CV format that includes an Achievements section is essential, as it allows you to substantiate your experience and persuade the employer that you will be able to achieve sound results for them too.

Here is a brief outline of this style of CV, looking briefly at each section (from top to bottom of the document) along with some key tips for Facilities Maintenance Managers.

1. Contact Details

Include your name in a large font. This will help recruiters to register your name, as well as the confidence with which you present yourself. Ensure you have a highly professional sounding email address.

2. Profile or Summary

This is where you must first mention your areas of facilities or buildings maintenance experience, plus your management strengths. This experience will provide the foundation for your Maintenance Manager CV / Facilities Manager CV and will focus the employer's mind on the relevance of your background.

The profile is the first area where you can convey your personality, by being professional, confident and robust in tone. The employer must immediately get the sense that you are capable of handling every eventuality. Remember, the employer is keen to minimise their risk when making this appointment and if serious problems arise with their facilities, the negative outcomes of risk can be considerable.

Follow the 'rule of three' by highlighting your three most relevant - and marketable - experience areas, leadership and management skills, and attributes. Research each vacancy and amend your profile accordingly. Focus on what you can offer, rather than what you want.

3. Achievements

Your achievements have to emphasise management abilities and facilities knowledge on your Facilities Manager CV / Maintenance Manager CV. Each must also be an outstanding example of a positive result achieved through your work.

Again, risk reduction and effective handling of major problems is what the employer wishes to read, as well as cost-efficiency in the implementation of your work.

Each achievement should be supported with quantitative evidence, linking directly to your contribution. In this way, you can highlight the maintenance management skills that you used to achieve the results.

Active language will emphasise the fact that you, personally, oversaw a problem-free site or responded effectively to challenges when they arose.

4. Employment History

When describing responsibilities in previous posts, endeavour to create further achievements for each bullet point. Forget about duties - positive results are what count. Remember to tie these to your management strengths, but try to avoid creating near identical entries for each job (even if the positions were similar).

The most relevant must come first on the Employment History section of your Maintenance Manager CV / Facilities Manager CV, but after that you can back these up with broader accomplishments.

5. Qualifications (or Education and Training)

Apprenticeships or courses undertaken via an employee scheme can also be included here. Do not go overboard by listing every short, one or two day in-house course. Only include those that are entirely relevant on a Facilities Manager CV / Maintenance Manager CV.

If you studied to age 16 or 18 years, include only the name of the last school or educational institution you attended. If you undertook a vocational qualification at age 18 (or later), include details, especially if it is relevant to the position you are applying for.

If you have studied to degree level, include only your college or university, along with the qualification and results. Postgraduate study and certified training should also be included, especially if it relates to your consultancy work.

6. Personal Information

It is no longer necessary to include personal information, due to anti-discrimination legislation. If you do include these details, you risk appearing out of touch and your CV will appear unprofessional.

However, if you feel some personal information will actually strengthen your application, then you could consider including it. This might be sports or unpaid activities that demonstrate leadership or team qualities, as well as a genuinely motivated personality. Be prepared to answer questions on these at interview.

Make Your Facilities Manager CV / Maintenance Manager CV a Professional Document

To really stand out from the other candidates, you need to add a final polish to your Facilities Manager CV / Maintenance Manager CV. This involves writing fluently, utilising strong sentence construction and good grammar. This is no place for spelling mistakes that will only put the recruiter off by making you look slipshod.

'Buzzwords' will also confer industry specific knowledge to your CV. If you have facilities maintenance management experience, then it follows that you will already know the kind of language used. Ensure that your CV reflects this familiarity. There is a skill in using buzzwords effectively, so that they stand out in the early stages of the recruitment process (such as electronic scanning and searching) without being over used and detracting from the professionalism of your CV.

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