What does a manager do?
Managers are responsible for a specific department, function, or employee group. They oversee their assigned departments and all the employees under the department. Managers are responsible that the department they are handling is functioning well. They set the department goals and the steps they must take to achieve the goals. They are also in charge of assessing the performance of their departments and their employees. Additionally, managers are responsible for interviewing prospective candidates for department vacancies and assessing their fit to the needs of the department. Managers also set the general working environment in the department, and they are expected to ensure that their employees remain motivated.
Manager responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real manager resumes:
- Manage both BOH and FOH operations exceeding company specifications.
- Manage logistics and security for high net worth individuals and corporations.
- Manage budgets and payroll records, review financial transactions to assure expenditures are authorize and budget.
- Guide and manage the administrative day-to-day academic program and the implementation of strategies by providing leadership to faculty and staff.
- Provide leadership and direction to facility management and program owners while motivating and interacting with employees to achieve continuous improvement.
- Customer-Orient with experience with POS systems, food preparation and safety regulations.
- Promote from a temporary employee to Sr.
- Collect information require to maintain FDA QSR compliance, and ISO 9001 and EN46001 certifications.
- Perform Backend testing by integrating SQL queries within scripts and validate the backend workflow under load testing.
- Full cost management with responsibility for FOH operations.
- Process payroll and perform annual reviews and disciplinary actions.
- Create elevated displays of highlight merchandise resulting in increase sales.
- Facilitate appropriation of POS terminals using differing methods of secure lines.
- Improve safety and cleanliness regulations while improving day to day operations.
- Maintain a safe work environment by emphasizing and maintaining cleanliness and organization.
Manager skills and personality traits
We calculated that 19% of Managers are proficient in Customer Service, Payroll, and Food Safety. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Leadership skills, and Management skills.
We break down the percentage of Managers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Customer Service, 19%
Inventory management Customer service relations Maintaining organizational structure
- Payroll, 9%
Managed budgets and payroll records, reviewed financial transactions to assure expenditures are authorized and budgeted.
- Food Safety, 8%
Ensured all food safety procedures are executed according to Company policies and health/sanitation regulations; took corrective actions, as appropriate.
- Financial Statements, 4%
Manage community budget and analyze financial statements, maintain budget accountability, anticipate and minimize negative budget variances and deficits.
- Management, 4%
Provided vendor management for short-term, long-term and statutory disability services with multiple disability carriers for 80,000 employees.
- PowerPoint, 4%
Directed creation/production of collateral, HTML, advertising material, and PowerPoint presentations, ensuring on-schedule and within-budget project completions.
Common skills that a manager uses to do their job include "customer service," "payroll," and "food safety." You can find details on the most important manager responsibilities below.
Communication skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a manager to have is communication skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "top executives must be able to convey information clearly and persuasively." Managers often use communication skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "conducted store inventories once per year outstanding communication skills trained new keyholders and managers in day to day store operations"
Leadership skills. Another essential skill to perform manager duties is leadership skills. Managers responsibilities require that "top executives must be able to shape and direct an organization by coordinating policies, people, and resources." Managers also use leadership skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "mastered effective leadership attained knowledge of business etiquette increased profitability through loss prevention"
Problem-solving skills. A big part of what managers do relies on "problem-solving skills." You can see how essential it is to manager responsibilities because "top executives need to identify and resolve issues within an organization." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical manager tasks: "resolved various problems including loss prevention, equipment failure, and employee process improvement. "
Time-management skills. Another crucial skill for a manager to carry out their responsibilities is "time-management skills." A big part of what managers relies on this skill, since "top executives do many tasks concurrently to ensure that their work gets done and that the organization meets its goals." How this skill relates to manager duties can be seen in an example from a manager resume snippet: "functioned under intense deadlines and responded in a positive manner to management. "
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Compare different managers
Manager vs. Assistant store manager/operations manager
An assistant store manager/operations manager is responsible for supervising the overall store operations, ensuring the highest customer satisfaction, and managing the staff's performance. Assistant store managers/operations managers strategize techniques to enhance the team's productivity and efficiency. They also identify business opportunities by conducting market research that would generate more revenue resources for the business and increase profits. An assistant store manager/operations manager assists the customers with their inquiries and concerns, resolve complaints, and process replacements and refunds as necessary.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between managers and assistant store manager/operations manager. For instance, manager responsibilities require skills such as "payroll," "food safety," "financial statements," and "management." Whereas a assistant store manager/operations manager is skilled in "front end," "direct supervision," "store associates," and "operational standards." This is part of what separates the two careers.
On average, assistant store manager/operations managers reach similar levels of education than managers. Assistant store manager/operations managers are 2.6% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.6% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Manager vs. General manager of operations
General managers of operations are employed to oversee the overall operations of businesses. Their responsibilities include the improvement of the efficiency of the operations and overall management. They coordinate the primary performance goals for direct reporting functions and set the strategies for the organization. It is their responsibility to communicate strategy as well as results to employees. They also engage with the corporate officers in the strategic planning and development of the organization or enterprise.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that manager responsibilities requires skills like "food safety," "management," "powerpoint," and "customer satisfaction." But a general manager of operations might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "develop team," "logistics," "continuous improvement," and "oversight."
In general, general managers of operations achieve similar levels of education than managers. They're 3.4% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.6% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for managers in the next 3-5 years?
Jeff Lolli
Associate Professor, Widener University
Manager vs. Operations support manager
Operations Support Managers are employees who handle different support initiatives for the employees or operations-related departments. These support initiatives may come in people management and upskilling, IT infrastructure assistance, or process improvement, among others. Operations Support Managers must have a deep understanding of company operations and the employees' needs. They manage processes and standards to ensure that company operations are fully supported and will not be disrupted. They resolve concerns and anticipate problems that may come. They can plan and create safeguards to ensure that such problems will not arise in the future.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from manager resumes include skills like "food safety," "financial statements," "management," and "powerpoint," whereas an operations support manager is more likely to list skills in "project management," "professional development," "support operations," and "process improvement. "
Operations support managers earn the highest salary when working in the technology industry, where they receive an average salary of $68,847. Comparatively, managers have the highest earning potential in the finance industry, with an average salary of $71,781.Most operations support managers achieve a similar degree level compared to managers. For example, they're 4.8% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Manager vs. Regional operation manager
A regional operation manager is in charge of overseeing multiple stores or warehouses in a particular region, ensuring efficiency and profitability. Their responsibilities typically revolve around setting sales targets, devising marketing and workforce management strategies, and gathering extensive data to produce progress reports and presentations. They must also address issues and concerns, dealing and resolving them in a timely and professional manner. Furthermore, as a regional operation manager, it is essential to lead and encourage the workforce, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.
Types of manager
Updated January 8, 2025
