Created by CakeYou'll learn:
How to write a team leader resume?
What to put on a resume for a team leader position?
Tips for writing the best team leader resumeHow to write a team leader cover letter?Technical ream leader resume sampleWhat does it mean to be a team leader? The main career objective for team leaders is guiding team members and monitoring progress towards a shared goal.A few teams lead duties and responsibilities include:Coaching team members to achieve goalsIdentifying and developing strengths
of the teamStrategizing team objectivesResolving conflicts within the team.
However, being a team leader is not to be confused with being a supervisor. Although both team leaders and supervisors are responsible for leading a team, team leaders are
often specialized with specific field knowledge, while supervisors do not necessarily have in-depth knowledge in the field.
Owing to the differences between a supervisor and a team leader, it is therefore imperative to understand how to build a team leader resume. In our previous article, we have highlighted the importance
of a resume in a job application. In this article, we will walk you through how to build a resume for a team leader position, as well as to provide a sample resume for a team leader position at the end
of the article.
Additionally, we will provide relevant team lead resume points, such as writing up a team leader’s job description for resume, team lead roles and responsibilities in the resume, and resume format for a team leader.How to write a team leader resume?Step 1: Knowing the difference between CV and resume
Team Leader CV:Detailed information
of the applicant’s pr
ofessional experience
Often submitted for jobs in academia, medical and scientific fieldsJust over two pages by length and can get extended as pr
ofessional experience increasesSimple layout
Team Leader Resume:Higher emphasis placed on a specific job/sectorRequirement for regular job applicationsWithin two pages by length and is tailored towards a specific jobVersatile layout depending on the industryIn general, a resume presents key facts
of a person's pr
ofessional experience, including educational background and skills. When building a resume for a team leader, highlighting the relevant team leading experience can help the application stand out.
On the other hand, a CV is a longer document with a detailed history
of a person's career path..
Step 2: Using the correct team leader resume format
There are several resume formats to be adopted when writing a team leader resume, including chronological format, functional format, and
hybrid/combination format (for details, readtypes
of resume formats).
In the case
of building a team leader resume, make sure to highlight your s
oft skills, as these s
oft skills
often make an excellent team leader. 👍Tip: Use a
hybrid resume formats when writing a team leader resume will help the application stand out as it helps highlight transferrable skills and pr
ofessional experience.
Step 3: Using team leader resume examples as a reference
It is normal not to have any clues on how to write the perfect team leader resume. Fortunately, Cake
offers many built-in resume templates to use as a reference, from entry-level to experienced ones, a variety to choose from.
Step 4: Tailoring towards a team leader resume
The most important factor
of having a good team leader resume is to tailor an applicant’s pr
ofessional experience to his/her current career goals. It is easier to stand out to the recruiters when the focus
of a team leader resume is placed on highly relevant experience.
Step 5: Crafting a cover letter for a team leader position
Writing an appealing cover letter next to a team leader resume will
often surprise the recruiters, it helps shape the story
of why your team handling experience in the resume makes the application a compelling fit for the role.
Step 6: Pro
ofreading
No recruiters like to read a resume with grammatical errors. Making sure the resume has coherent content and accurate descriptions will make the team leader resume a pleasant read.What to put on a resume for a team leader position?As mentioned previously, the main goals
of being a team leader are to resolve conflicts within the team, guide the team members toward a shared goal, and make strategic choices to achieve the goals. However, the question remains how to put these team-leading skills on the resume. Worry not!Cake is here to help guide the writing process
of the team leader resume.
1. Resume Pr
ofile
The first section
of building a team leader resume is to provide essential information about the applicant. ✅Essential personal information to include on a team leader resume includes:Full namePr
ofessional title: for example, “Seasoned Teach Sales Pr
ofessional” in a sales team leader resume)Email address: don’t forget to double-check the email address, as it is a crucial
way for recruiters to make contactsPhone numberAddress: It is suggested to only put the applicant’s city, state, and country on the resume.LinkedIn URL (optional)Social media accounts(optional) Personal website(optional)
❌ Information that should not be included on your team leader resume pr
ofile are:Current salary: however, some recruiters may still ask for this information in a separate application form, to which you can choose not to state your salary informationNational insurance number/social security number: be aware
of fraud!Other personal information such as sexual orientation, marital status, race, gender, date
of birth, nationality, religion, and a photograph.
2. Team Leader Resume Headline
Writing a team leader resume headline is like getting customers’ attention for a new flavored cake in seconds. It should be concise and short, yet it does not lose the gratifying focus
of the team leading experience. It can also be imagined as writing a pr
ofile summary for the team leader, while it should be kept in one brief line. To write a catchy headline for a team leader resume, make sure to hit these three golden steps:Outline the biggest achievementsUse catchy words and phrasesPosition the headline on top
of the resume
Examples
of the team leader resume headlines:Experienced IT team leader with excellent leadership skills.Highly empathic logistic team leader who excels in fast-paced environments .Dedicated operations team leader with 8 years
of customer service experience
3. Team Leader Pr
ofile Summary
Writing a pr
ofessional summary for team leaders can be as tempting as showing
off a new flavored cake. A resume summary highlights relevant skills and experience that are geared toward the specific position, in this instance, a team leader position.3 steps to writing a pr
ofessional summary for team leaders:Read through the job descriptionPick out relevant experience and skillsPut together important qualifications
Example summary from a sales team leader resume:Highly empathic regional sales team leader with 5+ years
of international experience. Possesses marketing, management, and sales skills. Al
ways seeking to create solutions for the team effectively and efficiently, highly cooperative and enjoys challenges.
4. Career Objective for a Team Leader Resume
A resume objective is an outline
of the career, it should be 2-3 lines long and should be placed on top
of the resume to maximize its visibility. It is not a requirement to write an objective, but it would help candidates get more attention from the recruiters.5 key points to add in team lead resume objective:Showcasing personality traits (e.g., extraverted, passionate, goal-oriented)Highlighting career goals
of team lead (e.g., fostering a healthy relationship between service providers and customers)Specifying previous experience (e.g., experience in developing strategic plans to make bigger sales)Personalizing team lead objective (e.g., motivating the sales team to achieve sales targets)Including the hiring company’s name
Team lead resume objective example:Goal-oriented and passionate technical team leader, with years
of experience in fostering a healthy relationship between service providers and customers. Seeking new tech team leading opportunities in A company.
5. Skills for a Team Leader Resume
The skills section is the highlights
of a team leader resume. In this section, relevant skills for the position will show the hiring manager whether the job is a good fit for the candidate. This section should be relatively easy to complete, and if the skillsets fit the job description, it can be listed easily as bullet points.
Here are some examples
of team leader skills in a resume:LeadershipManagement skillsCustomer relationship managementSales managementSales supportAdministrative supportMicros
oft
office
6. Team Leader Experience in a Resume
Next to skills, another important aspect
of the team leader resume is a candidate’s experience from the past. Previous experience not only shows whether the candidate qualifies for the role but also entails a personal story to the prospective employer. To keep the resume one page or two pages long, it is important to only put the “relevant” experience in the team leader resume.
📝Reminder:A candidate should include the following details per job experience - the name
of the company/organization, start and end period
of the employment, brief description
of key responsibilities from the previous roles, and specific titles held from the former position.
Example
of experience in leading a team on a resume:Senior technical lead at X Los Angeles, CA 02/2011 - 10/2014Provided senior IT technical lead services, including s
oftware, middleware, and hardware on a single platform.Provided technical guidance for team members (e.g., Java, SQL, WAS).Established good
working relationships with both RD and marketing departments.
7. Educational Background
Providing an educational background on a team leader resume helps recruiters see whether the candidate obtained relevant degrees to the position, but it is not al
ways the most influential factor
of the hiring process.Essential information to be included in the education section:Obtained degrees (whether bachelor level or graduate level)MajorYear
of graduationName
of the university/schoolSpecial honors and awards earned during the educational training
Since a team leader can come from any educational background, a bonus would be to highlight team leader experience within the university setting in the resume.Team leader education example:Columbia University| 2012 - 2015Bachelor
of science (BSc): AccountingGPA: 3.8/4.0Special award: Winner
of team lead in sustainability and solutions competition.
8. Additional Information to Include in a Team Leader Resume
Additional information can create an impact on recruiters' selection process. Being an outstanding team leader indicates being an excellent problem solver, and this can be showcased in volunteer work. For example, leading the climate change crises for the community, and/or leading a local school committee for organizational changes.
Moreover, having a few referees to testify team handling skills in the resume is al
ways a good bonus. It is recommended to have at least 3 but no more than 5 referees.Team leader additional information example:Volunteer for X institute as the lead
of climate change crises for Y communityReferences:
John Doecoordinator
of X institute
[email protected]
John is the coordinator
of project Z for climate change crises in community Y, we worked together on delegating tasks for local cleanups
Cake provides the right team leaderresume templates for you to showcase your skills and experiences. Sign up to create and download the bestteam leaderresume now for FREE!Create Resume
Tips for writing the best team leader resumeHere are some useful tips in writing an excellent team leader resume:👍 Tip 1. Customize the team leader resume.Put relevant pr
ofessional team leader experience for the specific role.
👍 Tip 2. Quantify team-leading experience.Includingnumbers and statistics in your achievements, for example, “coordinated 7 team members in multiple business processes”.
👍 Tip 3. Use an ATS-friendly team leader resume format.If it is difficult to decide on which templates or formats to use, please go ahead and check Cake’s templates for writing a good team leader resume.
👍 Tip 4. Write with action verbs.Using action verbs such as “directed”, “proposed”, and “coached” sounds like putting a cherry on top when writing a team leader resume.
👍 Tip 5. Emphasize on s
oft skills.Many team leaders
often possess important s
oft skills such as teamwork, leadership, empathy, interpersonal communication, and strong personal motivation. Therefore, listing how these s
oft skills for team leading impact the work can help highlight the uniqueness
of the candidate.How to write a team leader cover letter?Writing a cover letter helps demonstrate to the recruiters why the candidate would be a good fit for the role. It
often highlights the candidate’s former experience, motivation, and personality traits. Important information to include in a cover letter for team leader positions:Contact details: such as full name, email address and contact number should be placed on top
of the team leader cover letter. Introduction: usually addressed to the hiring manager, a simple greeting such as “Dear ... “ or “To whom it may concern…” would suffice. Motivation: Addresses the question to “why do you want to become the team leader
of this specific role?”. It usually entails the intrinsic and extrinsic reasons why a candidate can make a good team leader.Qualification: similar to what has been listed in the team leader experience
of resume, describe important skills and experience suitable for the position. It can be addressed by emphasizing the top few accomplishments that make the candidate unique. Closing statement: Sets an appreciative tone to thank the hiring manager for reading the cover letter.Team leader resume sampleJohn DoeExperienced technical team leader with excellent leadership skills
Address: 7385 Milliken Ave Suite 110, Rancho Cucamonga, CAPhone number: +1 909-989-3786
Pr
ofessional Summary
Goal-oriented technical team lead with 6+ years
of developing informatic strategies to optimise IT systems. Compassionate and good at teamwork, seeking challenges to bring positive values in IT-management.
Work Experience
Senior AnalystX Cooperation | Los Angeles, CA02/2015 - present
Provide progress reports and metrics to Systems Support ManagerImplement workstation automation effortsResponsible for short- and long-term FTE planning
Technical Team LeadY Group | San Francisco, CA05/2010 - 08/2014
Assisted project manager on designing and implementing project milestonesMonitored and guided 10 other developers in the teamDeveloped IT information system
Education
Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose UniversityBachelor’s Degree in Computer Science2006 - 2010
GPA: 3.6/4.0
SkillsHard skillsKnowledge
of BPM systemsDatabase and spreadsheets managementMachine operationJava scriptCSS
S
oft skillsTeamworkProject managementLeadershipInterpersonal communicationsExcellent multi-tasker
--- Originally written by Diana Shih ---