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Shift manager skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted experts

Dr. Timothy Edwards,

Bruce Heiman Ph.D.

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical shift manager skills. We ranked the top skills for shift managers based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 34.5% of shift manager resumes contained cleanliness as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a shift manager needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 shift manager skills for your resume and career

1. Cleanliness

Here's how shift managers use cleanliness:

Supervised all operations including timely product preparation, food safety, cleanliness and inventory control.
Improved customer experience by ensuring timely product delivery and store cleanliness.

2. Inventory Management

Here's how shift managers use inventory management:

Performed inventory management and supply ordering coordination
Inventory Management Monitored and maintained store inventory through ordering and tracking fluctuations in sales to compensate for increases in customer demand.

3. Management

Here's how shift managers use management:

Attended and successfully completed Management Certification training provided by McDonald's to attain the title of Certified Manager.
Developed and trained supervisors to meet factory goals using Factory dynamics and Constraint management tools.

4. Leadership

Here's how shift managers use leadership:

Solicited information from administrative staff, executive leadership, and other department managers to make informed decisions regarding operational changes.
Reported to the General Manager daily supervising floor operations, administrative functions, providing leadership and direction to staff members.

5. Customer Service

Customer service is the process of offering assistance to all the current and potential customers -- answering questions, fixing problems, and providing excellent service. The main goal of customer service is to build a strong relationship with the customers so that they keep coming back for more business.

Here's how shift managers use customer service:

Configured server station charts to assure high degree of cost-efficient customer service; focused on customer problem-identification and resolution
Maintained excellent customer service through appropriately solving customer complaints efficiently and effectively in order to retain repeat business.

6. Help Support

Here's how shift managers use help support:

Take initiative in lowering food cost to help support company sales.

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7. Food Handling

Here's how shift managers use food handling:

Supervised crew and duties*Completed daily reports*Handled cash/safe count*Provided excellent customer service*Practiced safe food handling procedures CALOSHA*Maintained over all daily activities*Answered phones
Provided exceptional customer service, ensured store cleanliness and organization and adhered to all proper food handling procedures.

8. Excellent Interpersonal

Here's how shift managers use excellent interpersonal:

Resolve challenging situations with poise and diplomacy and utilize excellent interpersonal skills to serve a diverse customer base.
Provided a high level of customer service and relations based on excellent interpersonal skills.

9. Excellent Guest

Here's how shift managers use excellent guest:

Developed strong customer relationships providing excellent guest service in fast paced environment.
Support during busy lunch and dinner shifts, including cooking/prepping in the kitchen, while concentrating on delivering excellent guest service.

10. Work Ethic

Here's how shift managers use work ethic:

Obtained several promotions during employment based on a strong work ethic and positive interpersonal skills with both customers and co-workers
Commended for dedicated work ethic and rewarded with continuous promotion.

11. Food Products

Food products are the types of various food items that are created and processed to be sold as a product. These products are consumed by humans for nourishment and are mostly processed and created in a huge factory. Tinned goods, milk, meat, etc are the most common food products, and they are not limited to any specific kind except tobacco, beers, and alcohol as they are not considered food products.

Here's how shift managers use food products:

Received various work opportunities which included warehouse work to manufacturing windows and production of food products.
Conducted physical checks for date codes on food products, the amount of products received, and the proper cooling procedures.

12. Customer Complaints

Here's how shift managers use customer complaints:

Investigated customer complaints implementing measures to effectively resolve complaints and retain customers within the service area.
Ensured excellent customer service by personally solving minor customer complaints and reprimanding minor employee infractions.

13. Cash Handling

Here's how shift managers use cash handling:

Followed Wendy's operational policy and procedures, including those for cash handling and safety/security.
Assisted Store Manager in managing inventory and maintaining cash handling policy compliance.

14. Safety Standards

Here's how shift managers use safety standards:

Ensured food safety standards for production and service aspects of business utilizing food industry sanitary practices and guidelines.
Monitored sanitation practices, kitchen safety standards followed and ensured freshened of food.

15. Basic Math

Here's how shift managers use basic math:

Performed basic mathematical calculations and daily sales data entry.
Performed basic math computations, such as addition and subtraction to tender customers' transactions faster.

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What skills help Shift Managers find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What skills stand out on shift manager resumes?

Dr. Timothy Edwards

Professor, Interim Director, University of Arkansas at Little Rock

Writing and research skills. Analytical and critical thinking skills. Technical skills such as web design, graphic design, audio and video production skills. Employers are interested in potential employees knowledge, intelligence and skills.

What soft skills should all shift managers possess?

Bruce Heiman Ph.D.

Professor of International Business, San Francisco State University

-Languages beyond English (fluency in written and oral)

-Ability to work collegially in a diverse cultural setting

-Ability to identify good problems on which to work in a competent manner

-Ability/flexibility to interact/work productively with people who have serious constraints on their time owing to other work or personal commitments/issues

-Some of my answers to Q1 above would also apply here

What hard/technical skills are most important for shift managers?

Bruce Heiman Ph.D.

Professor of International Business, San Francisco State University

-Analytical skills (ability to gather data, clean it, analyze it, write-up results and present on what the meaning of the analysis suggests for action (the last one is most important--"what does it really mean?"

-Some experience and skills with coding in any language (at the moment, Python or C++ are preferred, though Ruby on Rails is also good)

-Deep spreadsheet skills (pivot tables and macros, as examples).

-Relational database skills, including programming (e.g., MySQL)

-Data mining

-AI/Machine Learning experience

What shift manager skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Steve Wages Ph.D.

Director, Cloverdale Center for Youth and Family, Faulkner University

I recommend they use this time to fill in the gaps, no pun intended, in their program of studies by expanding their knowledge base. All educational programs have gaps in the training, content areas which are not addressed adequately. For example, my counseling program was highly regarded, yet I had little to no content related to aging studies, parenting, or personal finances, etc. Further, the content of counseling programs is problem-centered or remedial, conceptually focused on tertiary prevention.

Consequently, graduates are not exposed to a large body of research and literature related to human development, individual wellness, and family strengths which would greatly inform and enhance their assessment and intervention strategies employed in counseling. I believe the more we can do to strengthen our understanding of healthy individual and family wellness, the better equipped we will be to address unhealthy relationships and family dynamics. Put another way, being well grounded in primary and secondary prevention will further equip the pastoral counselor's efforts at intervention. Again, use this time to acquire relevant knowledge and content that most counseling programs do not address extensively.

What type of skills will young shift managers need?

Dr. Barbara Davis

William J. Atkins Dean, Centenary College of Louisiana

Analysis - Graduates will need to analyze situations, identify the best choices, and seek solutions with the highest benefit to the organization.

Creativity - Graduates will need to possess critical and creative thinking skills.

Flexibility - Graduates must remain flexible to succeed in a highly changing environment.

What technical skills for a shift manager stand out to employers?

Kerem Cakirer Ph.D.

Senior Lecturer, Indiana University Bloomington

The labor market is not so different than any market with demand and supply. The demand from employers will shift towards more technical (software, coding, computer language programming) and analytical (problem solving on your own) skills than social skills overall. Being capable of writing or/and understanding computer languages will be a must have skill in the very near future. Communication skills over online platforms or social media platforms will play a huge role when employers are making a hiring decision. The data supports that businesses are using more online platforms than ever. I am projecting that there won't be any business travels or on-site client meetings in the near future. Exceling in different types of software, and being able to learn a new one easily, will become more important than people skills in businesses. Employers will seek for candidates, who are capable of achieving tasks in a more off-site (outside the office) environment through a deadline, and who can utilize multiple different softwares at their hand to solve business problems. As far as how the hiring process would go, we might see employers using artificial intelligence to make hiring decisions over some online platform soon. Essentially, this means that the candidates will be assessed with a more quantitative measure than ever. An evaluation measure by the AI, which will take soft and digital skills more into account.My final words are: The pandemic is still a burden to the humankind but the world will prevail. This year could be the inception of a new era in terms of how businesses run.

Do you want to know more?

List of shift manager skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a shift manager resume and required skills for a shift manager to have include:

Cleanliness
Inventory Management
Management
Leadership
Customer Service
Help Support
Food Handling
Excellent Interpersonal
Excellent Guest
Work Ethic
Food Products
Customer Complaints
Cash Handling
Safety Standards
Basic Math
Math
Restaurant Operations

Food Quality
ServSafe
Product Quality
Food Service
Develop Rapport
Store Operations
Bank Deposits
POS
Food Orders
Cash Control
Inventory Counts
Customer Satisfaction
Perform Routine Maintenance
Food Safety Procedures
Inventory Control
Customer Relations
Cash Drawers

Quality Guest
Guest Complaints
Quality Customer Service
Customer Orders
Exceptional Guest
Food Cost
Store Inventory
Food Preparation
Sales Floor
Labor Costs
Excellent Training
Computer System
Stoves
Industrial Maintenance
Fine Dining
Cash Reporting

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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