Manage your career with the best project manager resume guide
People with relevant project management qualifications shouldn’t have any problems finding an opening. A quick LinkedIn search shows that there are at least 150,000 project manager postings in the U.S., in various industries and states. The question is how to make sure these credentials stand out in a stack of resumes.
Our project manager resume guide will help you write a resume that will attract the attention of prospective employers and make them want to get you on a call. Check out Resumeble’s project manager resume sample to land your desired high-paying job.
Creating your project manager resume
Learn how to craft a project manager resume that will make a prospective employer want to call you
What is a project manager resume?
A project manager's resume is designed to highlight your strengths and capabilities as a project manager in your field or industry of expertise. It must inform hiring managers of your work experience, technical abilities, soft skills, and relevant achievements. It must also provide a background of your education, training, and certifications.
It differs from a regular resume format and content because hiring managers are not interested in your general work experience. They are focused on your project management experience and proven success, if any. Whether you’re a senior project manager or a project manager trainee, your resume’s objective must be to make your competencies stand out. Here’s how.
Project manager resume example
Before writing your resume, decide on the format you will use. Based on job market trends, there are three major formats for project manager resumes: reverse-chronological, skills-based, and combination. The most popular is the reverse-chronological format. It better presents your management skills for resume screening and is also most compatible with applicant tracking systems (ATS).
How long should your resume be? Your project manager resume must have:
- 1-2 pages long, in PDF format, with 1-inch margin on all sides
- 4-5 parts: Contact Information, Professional Summary, Skills & Qualifications, Work Experience, Education & Certifications
- A separate cover letter to summarize the highlights of the resume
- A professional layout and fonts like Arial, Calibri, or Helvetica in 11-12pts for the body and 14-16pts for the headings.
Create a project manager resume that can beat the best resume writing services. Just use this sample resume outline:
Contact Information
The information you provide in this section will help the recruiter or hiring manager contact you immediately, so it must be written at the top of your resume.
- Name, phone number, email address, and mailing address
- LinkedIn profile, personal website, and portfolio page – you may include these, if relevant and applicable, to help recruiters learn more about you as a professional
Professional Summary
This is a brief overview of your project manager career and key competencies, highlighting your cumulative experience, leadership style, and projects managed. It is the real resume-opener, so it needs to make an impact. If you’re changing industries or transitioning to a project manager career, state your objectives here to clarify your purpose in this job application.
Skills & Qualifications
Your most relevant project management skills go into this section.
- Technical abilities – Microsoft Office Suite proficiency, project management software/tools, proprietary project management software, data analysis
- Soft skills – time management, cost control, effective communication, active listening, prioritization, problem-solving, adaptability, empathy
- Project management methodologies – Agile, Waterfall, PMI
- Other skills and specialization – these include risk management, change management, project planning, or project collaboration
Work Experience
This is your resume’s accomplishments section, where you list your project management history in reverse chronological order. Depending on your resume format, this section can go before or after the skills section. Focus on the impact of your achievements on your company or team.
- Job title
- Company name and location
- Employment dates – the date you started and ended your role in the company
- Key achievements and responsibilities - Use numbers to emphasize improvements you’ve made, such as time saved, percentage of improvement, or cost savings
Education and Certifications
If you pursued higher education, which eventually helped you in your project management roles, cite your courses here. Also, highlight your relevant project management certifications. Certifications show experience and standard knowledge, increasing your chances of being considered.
- Degree/course
- Educational facility
- Year of completion/graduation or expected graduation
- Project management certifications – Examples are ScrumMaster, AgilePM, PMP, and PRINCE2
Cover Letter
The cover letter is a separate document you send with your resume. It’s the first step in letting a recruiter know who you are, why you are sending a resume, and what you can bring to the table to merit further discussion. These are the parts of a cover letter:
- Introduction – introduce yourself and what role you are applying for. A sprinkling of personal matters wouldn’t hurt, as long as you have a definite reason for mentioning them.
- Reason you are a good fit – explain why you are suitable for the job and highlight particular qualifications and experiences that support your reasons. Use language that depicts enthusiasm and interest.
- Call to action – invite or persuade the hiring manager to take a look at your resume and hop on a call with you
Customize your project manager resume
You can make your resume more targeted to a role by customizing it. You may adjust your resume according to:
- Experience – senior/junior project manager, entry-level project manager, project manager trainee, project manager director
- Expertise – Agile/CRM/SAP project manager; clinical, electrical, engineering, construction, infrastructure, software, technical, web, or marketing project manager
- Role – assistant/associate, business, commercial, creative, digital, event, financial, implementation, freelance project manager
Project Manager Resume Do’s & Don’ts
DO
- Make your professional summary brief but compelling.
- Start with the most important and relevant achievements and experiences, the ones you’re most proud of
- Present key achievements in quantifiable or measurable terms.
- Use bullet points to present your relevant skills and work experience.
- Include soft skills, on top of hard and technical skills. Sometimes, that’s what recruiters are looking for.
DON'T
- Include your entire educational history. Your bachelor’s degree, a field minor, and a relevant certification training would be enough.
- Write in paragraphs throughout the resume. Blocks of text are difficult to scan and read.
- Overuse highlights. You may use bold or italics to emphasize certain titles or achievements, but limit them.
- Send your resume without proofreading. It will be unfortunate to be filtered out by the ATS for grammatical errors.
Boost your career with a professional project manager resume from Resumeble
Let our expert resume writers assist you with making your project management prowess stand out and present your success story the way you want.