Even though being a project manager can be a daunting responsibility, sometimes professionals find it even harder to put their skills and experiences on paper.
Indeed, many project managers of all different fields find the job application process difficult. This is because they have a hard time when it comes to writing an effective and concise example resume project manager .
Fortunately, we’re here to help guide you through writing the best project manager resume. With our project management resume examples, you will be able to create the perfect project manager resume easily.
Choose the Best Format for Your Project Manager Resume
If you fancy yourself to be a skilled leader and team manager, then chances are the project manager position is perfect for you.
A question arises, what industry are you getting into, and how do you tailor your project manager resume for that specific line of work?
An essential first step is to view the job description and what qualifications the hiring managers are looking for in their candidates. This will give you an idea of the job duties required at the company you’re going to be writing your resume for.
After you’ve seen the job description and done a bit of research about the industry you’ll be applying to, it is time to start formatting your resume.
A suitable resume format is essential for an effective resume; it gives the resume an understandable layout and flow. A proper format is vital for catching the hiring manager’s attention.
When it comes to project roles, one of the popular resume formats is the chronological order layout . Formatting your experience section from oldest to newest is the best way for your resume to get noticed.
What to Include in Your Project Manager Resume
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the mean wage estimate for Project Management Specialists is $40.53 per hour. It is safe to say that, generally, project managers are well compensated.
Indeed, project management is a sought-after line of work. Many believe they have what it takes to fill the management role you’ll be applying to.
Because of such fierce competition, an excellent way to get ahead of the competition during the hiring process is by using an effective project manager resume template. This means that on top of a strong resume format, you’ll have to divide your resume into multiple sections.
Writing your application section by section will give the project manager’s resume a more concise and logical look. A hiring manager will be more inclined to read a well-laid-out resume.
Here’s a list of all the recommended sections you should include in a project manager resume to make it as strong as possible; We’ll be going through all the essential sections step-by-step in this article. Try to structure these sections in the order you see here:
- Contact Info
- Resume Objective or Professional Summary
- Education Section
- Work Experience Section
- Skills Section
- Achievements Section
Choose Between Professional Summary or Objective for Your Resume
Nowadays, companies receive so many applications on a daily basis that hiring managers simply aren’t able to read through them all. The fact is that many recruiters will simply skim through your project management resume summary.
A good way to still engage the hiring manager and showcase your skills and value to the company is by writing a professional summary or a resume objective.
The resume summary and objective sections are a perfect way to display your skills in an efficient manner to the reader. The differences between a professional resume summary and a resume objective are as follows:
Professional Summary : A resume summary is the better choice for a more experienced project manager that has led multiple projects and holds years’ worth of professional experience. You have to briefly talk about your past accomplishments, top skills, and why you’re the perfect fit for the company name.
Resume Objective : A resume objective is suited more for a new, entry level project manager that doesn’t hold a lot of experience. You’ll be using this section as a way to introduce yourself to the recruiter. Briefly talk about your career objective and list down your skills, such as soft skills. See if you can also mention any past accomplishments and your education too.
Make sure to align your skills, experiences, and accomplishments with the job description.
Example of the Perfect Project Manager Resume Objective
Here’s a project manager resume example for an entry level project manager:
Discerning Computer Science graduate seeking a training position in the IT department of a respected organization. Deadline-driven. Highly skilled at prioritizing tasks while building close relationships with all types of individuals.
Example of the Perfect Project Manager Resume Summary
Here’s a project manager resume example – resume summary:
Summary
Motivated Senior Project Manager with eight years of experience in the IT sector and a strong background in leading cross functional teams to create and develop world-class technology solutions with programming languages. Committed and value-driven with excellent interpersonal skills.
How to Write a Convincing Education Section for Your Resume
After writing a strong professional resume or a resume objective with the help of our project manager resume sample, it is time to show the hiring manager your academic credentials.
Nowadays, most of the companies you’ll be applying to will require a university degree. Therefore it is essential that you include an education section in your resume.
The education section shows the hiring manager that you have the right educational background. This section can also create interest by showcasing further information about your qualifications.
We’ve made a list of important factors you should consider while writing an education section:
- Add your highest education first . Be sure to state your highest forms of education; a chronological approach is recommended. Don’t include your high school education if you have a university degree.
- Make sure to list the degree, name, address, and years attended of the university you went to.
- Only include your GPA if it’s 3.6 or above.
- If you don’t have a bachelor’s degree, then simply write the name of the high school you’ve finished.
Example of an Effective Education Section
Education
B.A. in Biology
St. Joseph’s University
2015 – 2019
Education
B.A. in Biology
Don’t Forget to Include Work Experience Section in Your Resume
Now that you’re finished with the education section, you may be asking yourself, what’s the next step?
It is time to start working on the most important section of your resume – the project management experience section.
This part of your cover letter covers the biggest portion of your application and needs to be perfectly clear and understandable.
The project management experience section is where you’ll be discussing your past relevant job titles and describing work responsibilities, accomplishments and abilities. Try to be as thorough yet brief as possible when describing your past work in order to show how you can benefit the hiring company. Use bullet points.
You have to discuss what benefit you brought to the company and how you applied your skills to benefit your employer. We recommend using bullet points while writing about your work history.
Try to include metrics and numerical info, as well as industry jargon, in your job description. This will show the reader that you possess the necessary know-how for that new job.
Project Managers’ Work Experience Examples
This is an effective resume sample project manager example:
Experience
IT Project Manager
Gotham Computers Inc.
06/2015 – 11/2018
New York, New York
-
Every annual quarter, prepared status reports outlining progress and constraints for customers and senior management.
Reduced the cost of IT infrastructure maintenance by 5% in 2019
Completed 4 successful projects annually and consistently met deadlines and budget constraints.
Managed project data by producing project lifecycle reports to keep leaders abreast of project progress.
This is an incorrect resume sample:
Experience
IT Project Manager
Gotham Computers Inc.
06/2015 – 11/2018
New York, New York
-
Prepared progress reports for affiliates.
Reduced the cost of project management software.
Successfully completed several successful projects every year.
Assumed project manager role and led a project team to project completion.
This is gibberish, a reader won’t be able to discern any experience managing projects from this.
Put Your Project Management Skills on Display
You may be asking yourself: how else can you impress the hiring managers, or what else could you possibly include into your resume during a job hunt? The answer is simple – the skills section.
Being able to list down key skills on a resume can be the difference in getting that dream job you always wanted. Recruiters pay close attention to hard skills as well as soft skills and other project management skills.
The skills section gives you the ability to showcase 5-8 of your relevant skills, both hard and soft skills, just in case they weren’t mentioned in the other sections.
This part of your cover letter helps boost the effectiveness of the application by providing more information about your skill base.
Here is a list of common skills, including soft skills, for a program management professional that you can include in your resume:
Technical skills:
- Programming languages
- IT Architecture
- Cost control
- Risk and quality management
- Project management
- Computer skills
- Coaching
- Manage budgets
- Resource allocations
- Business administration
- Assigning project management roles
Soft skills:
- Interpersonal skills
- Leadership Organizational skills
- Decision-making skills
- Problem-solving skills
- Time management skills
- Communication skills
- Negotiation skills
Achievements Section for Project Managers
Since we’re talking about skills, let’s not forget how useful it is to show that you’ve been improving these skills on your resume. How can you showcase your improved knowledge and sharper skills?
How can you write a technical project manager resume for a technical project manager?
The answer is by including an achievements section.
An achievements section can include any kind of proof of expertise in your chosen industry. If applicable, try to include things like certificates, honors, and awards in this section.
Certificates are an excellent way of showing recruiters your expertise and project management skills. Additionally, getting certified can improve your hard and soft skills.
Adding to the achievement section can set you miles ahead of the competition.
Here’s a list of our recommended certifications to include in a project manager resume:
Additional Tips for Writing the Best Project Management Resume
We’d like to dedicate this part of our article to give you more tips on how to make your IT project manager resume shine.
Because of the high frequency of project manager resumes hiring companies receive daily, hiring managers will use a keyword tracking system called Applicant Tracking System or ATS .
The ATS program filters out applications that don’t have enough keywords in the text. These keywords can be hard skills or relevant industry terminology. The ATS scanners pick these words up and determine whether or not an application has passed their scan test.
On average, hiring managers will only view an application for about 6 seconds after a resume passes the ATS filter check.
Be sure to write your resume in a way where the content is a healthy balance between industry terminology, hard and soft skills. Being able to communicate effectively this balance successfully is crucial.
It is important to understand that your resume must possess information that is both accurate and to the point, and visually understandable. Use bullet points. You only have 6 seconds to get the potential employers’ attention, after all.
Take a look at a sample resume for more ideas and inspiration. Check out our resume examples .
Frequently Asked Questions
1) How to describe project management on a resume?
You don’t need to be a master project manager to have an effective and strong resume. While this is true, there are several key characteristics and skills you need to include in your resume to be seen as an eligible project manager.
Here’s a list of skills you should include to showcase and expand upon in your project management resume:
- Knowledge of project management methodologies
- Software proficiency
- Leadership
- Data analysis
- Cost control
- Time management
- Effective communication
- Active listening
- Prioritization
- Project lifecycle
- Career Blog
2) Do project managers use a functional resume format?
The purpose of a functional resume format is to highlight the hard skills and achievements gained through professional experience, as well as academic and community expertise while hiding a career change or any irregularities in your work history.
This can be an effective format idea, especially when you pair it with the chronological order layout.
3) What are the duties of a project management professional?
Project managers are in charge of planning, executing, monitoring, controlling, and closing project plans and project requirements. They are accountable for the entire project scope, project team, resources, and the success or failure of the project.
Additionally, you’ll have to have an understanding of project management software and ensure customer satisfaction by completing business objectives.
For more project manager resume examples, click here .
4) How long should your project manager resume be?
We recommend keeping the resume to one page. Since most hiring managers only spend 6 seconds per resume, it is essential that your technical project manager resume is concise, brief, and to the point.