Guide: How To Write An Effective Category Manager Resume

Updated 6 February 2023

If a career as a category manager is of interest, submitting effective application documents can help highlight skills and credentials. A resume can outline professional experience and illustrate knowledge of product development, categorisation and marketing. Understanding how to write an effective resume can help you distinguish yourself from other candidates and emphasise role-related competencies that prove your suitability for the prospective position. In this article, we describe how to write a category manager resume and provide a template and examples for you to follow.

Please note that none of the companies, institutions or organisations mentioned in this article are associated with Indeed.

What Is A Category Manager?

A category manager is a specialist who helps a company optimise sales for certain products and researches new product ideas to assist the organisation in meeting its goals. These professionals typically possess a keen understanding of retail environments and customer preferences. They usually collaborate with production and marketing teams to make strategic decisions about product development or create innovative and effective marketing campaigns. Category managers typically address job duties such as:

Offering feedback throughout decision-making processes that relate to categorisation and product development
Advising marketing and sales teams so they can incorporate valuable sales strategies to improve consumer engagement and retention rates
Creating marketing campaigns and materials to promote a company's new products
Tracking and recording promotional and sales data to recognise potential sales opportunities and trends
Analysing trends in consumer purchasing and collaborating with sales teams to develop effective strategies for growing revenue

How To Write A Category Manager Resume?

Follow these steps to write an effective category manager resume:

1. Examine the job description

Before writing your resume, review the job description in the vacancy posting thoroughly to understand what competencies and qualifications the employer may want in an ideal candidate. Consider whether you possess the requisite skill set and credentials to determine whether you are a good fit for the role. Look for keywords in the job description you can include in your resume to improve your chances of clearing an initial applicant tracking system screening. Keywords may pertain to role-specific skills, certifications, academic credentials or experience parameters.

2. Start with a resume header

Start writing your resume by including a header towards the top of the page. This can help a hiring manager or interviewer easily identify your resume from similar documents. Include your full name in bold and your contact details. Ensure to add an email address and phone number below your name. It is unnecessary to include your full address in the header, merely your city and state of residence. If you have an online portfolio, you can attach a link here.

3. Include a summary of your profile

Just below the header, you can use two or three sentences to summarise your profile. The purpose of a professional summary is to entice a reader to review your resume in greater detail and this section can include key points pertaining to your academic background, core competencies and relevant work experience. An impressive summary can help you distinguish your profile and establish a competitive advantage over other candidates. Incorporate keywords from the job description to ensure your summary attracts the attention of a hiring manager.

4. Share details of your work experience

In a dedicated section below the summary, you can share details of your work experience relevant to the role of the category manager. In reverse chronological order, list the roles you have held in previous professional engagements and use this progression to indicate how your professional experiences have prepared you to address the duties of a category manager. For example, if you have experience in market research, retail management or product or service development, it can enhance your profile to include these details when applying for this role.

For each role you add to this section, mention the name of the company, its location and the duration of your employment. Use bullet points to list key responsibilities for each role, along with tangible indicators of the results of your actions. For example, you may mention that you helped develop marketing materials that contributed to a 30% rise in sales revenue. Provide five bullet points for your latest role and three for previous roles.

5. List relevant skills

Below the work experience section, outline your soft and hard skills that apply to the role of the category manager. This is also a good place to incorporate competency-related keywords from the job description. You can list skills in a single line, using separators between each point. Some relevant skills for a category manager include:

Communication skills
Active listening skills
Problem-solving skills
Leadership skills
Market research experience

6. Outline your educational background

Towards the end of your resume, you can include a section to share your academic credentials. Typical credentials for candidates applying for a category manager role include graduate or postgraduate degrees in business administration, retail management or marketing. Mention the name of the degree, the institution that granted it and its location. If you have multiple degrees, consider listing them in reverse chronological order, starting with the latest.

Template For Category Manager Resume

Consider using this template to write an effective resume for the role of category manager:

[First name] [Last name], [Degree or certification if applicable]
[Phone number] | [Email address] | [City], [State or Union territory]

Professional Summary
[Two to three sentences that highlight your years of experience, relevant skills, education or certifications, and achievements as a category manager.]

Experience

(For the most recent role, list 5 experience items. For previous roles, list 3.)

[Job Title] | [Employment dates]
[Company Name] | [City], [State or Union territory]

(Strong verb) + what you did (more detail) + reason, outcome or quantified results
[Job duty]
[Job duty]
[Job duty]
[Job duty]

[Job Title] | [Employment dates]
[Company Name] | [City], [State or Union territory]

(Strong verb) + what you did (more detail) + reason, outcome or quantified results
[Job duty]
[Job duty]

Education
[Degree], [Name of School or University]
[City], [State or Union territory]

Certifications (optional)
[Certification Name], [Host Organisation] - [Year completed or expiration date]

Category Manager Resume Examples

Review these examples to write your own resume for the role of category manager:

Sample resume for an experienced candidate

The following example may help you write a resume for an experienced candidate:

Bikram Brahma +91 63729 53688 | bikram.brahma@email.com | Kolkata, West Bengal

Professional Summary
Enthusiastic and driven Category Manager with two years of experience as a category manager and a bachelor's degree in marketing. A goal-driven problem-solver who is skilled in verbal communication and is passionate about helping organisations create innovative products for ever-evolving markets.

Experience

Category Manager, February 2020–Current
Kolkata, West Bengal

Prepare market reports highlighting current market conditions and product costs to present to other internal managers
Lead product teams and source initiatives by implementing project management methods and positive communication techniques
Meet desired project outcomes by negotiating contract terms, including performance standards and cost savings
Review and assess market research data to determine whether current development and marketing strategies are effective and identify aspects that require revision
Take part in managerial meetings to provide feedback on business initiatives and learn more about supplier performance

Retail Manager, October 2018–January 2020
Rivernode Pvt Ltd, Guwahati, Assam

Trained salespeople by reviewing information related to merchandise and summarised store policies and standards
Assisted customers and used problem-solving skills to address issues between clients and sales team members;
Tracked and documented in-store product inventory to ensure it aligned with daily sales records

Skills
Active listening | Verbal communication | Market research | Time management | Problem-solving

Education
Bachelor of Science in marketing, Assam University
Silchar, Assam

Sample resume for an entry-level candidate

This is a sample resume for an entry-level candidate:

Nourin Haider +91 74563 88890 | haidernourin@email.com | New Delhi

Professional Summary
Motivated fresher with a distinctive academic record in marketing, looking for an entry-level administrative role as a Category Manager.

Education
MBA in marketing | 2021
Deccan College of Management, Hyderabad, Telangana

Bachelor of Science in marketing | 2019
TTG University, New Delhi

Experience

Marketing Intern, July 2021–Current
Banyan Tree Pvt Ltd, New Delhi

Address initial research workflows to provide detailed reports to marketing team staff and marketing managers
Prepare sales performance reports periodically for senior managers
Work with visual artists and content writers to develop compelling marketing materials
Perform detailed competitor analyses to identify useful positioning strategies

Skills

Guide: How To Write An Effective Category Manager Resume

What Is A Category Manager?

How To Write A Category Manager Resume?

1. Examine the job description

2. Start with a resume header

3. Include a summary of your profile

4. Share details of your work experience

5. List relevant skills

6. Outline your educational background

Template For Category Manager Resume

Category Manager Resume Examples

Sample resume for an experienced candidate

Sample resume for an entry-level candidate

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