Project Manager Resume Example

Project Manager Resume Example

As a project manager, you likely handle a plethora of different tasks every day, and you may have worked on projects that span several different industries, such as healthcare, tech, construction, engineering, marketing, law, and so forth. Project management duties often include creating project proposals, timelines, and budgets. Then, you are responsible for delegating tasks to project team members, communicating any issues or setbacks to upper management, resolving problems as they arise, and ensuring that the project is completed on time and within the budget parameters.

With such a varied work history and a wide range of responsibilities, it can be difficult to create a cohesive, linear resume that accurately showcases your project management skills and abilities. This article will cover which sections to include on your project manager resume, examples of what information to list, and some tips to create a powerful and effective resume.

Resume Sections To Include

There are several key resume sections to include on a project manager resume so that employers can quickly scan your information and see your most impressive skills, experience, and qualifications.

Name and Contact Information

Start with a resume header that contains your full name and contact information. Your name should be the biggest text on the page. For your contact information, include your phone number, a professional email address, and your LinkedIn URL. You can also include your address or your general location information if you’d like, as well as any relevant social media or website links.

Resume Summary or Objective

Next, write a compelling resume summary or objective. If you have at least a couple of years of experience as a project manager, use a resume summary to outline your most impressive successes and accomplishments. If you do not have much experience or you are making a career change, use a resume objective to outline your career goals.

For either type of introduction, be sure to mention the company and the job that you are applying for by name. For example:

Summary

Organized and efficient project manager with 11+ years of experience managing large-scale cloud computing and IT-related projects. Seeking to leverage leadership experience and in-depth cloud computing knowledge to join Amazon as an IT Project Manager.

Work Experience

List your work experience next, including your job title, the company name and location, and the dates that you worked there. Underneath each position, add 3-5 bullet points that highlight your relevant job duties and your most impressive accomplishments.

Most employers will know generally what you did in your past positions, so it’ll be more effective to list big wins rather than outline each of your job duties in detail.

However, since project management can be so varied, you can provide the basics of each project that you oversaw. Here’s an example:

Work Experience

April 2017 - Present Project Manager, Pantheon Computing, Scranton, PA

  • Managed cloud computing project that involved all 60 employees
  • Managed training and onboarding of new employees
  • Designed a new onboarding system that cut lead times by 30% and cut costs by 40%
  • Led 15+ additional smaller projects each year

July 2011 - April 2017 Project Manager, Racon Solutions, Scranton, PA

  • Promoted to project manager after just over a year
  • Managed and led the company’s cloud computing project
  • Strategized and created goals, deadlines, schedules, budgets, and identified necessary resources and team members
  • Presented profess, issues, and final results to upper management

May 2010 - July 2011 Administrative Assistant, Racon Solutions, Scranton, PA

  • Managed schedules and interdepartmental communication for entire IT department
  • Handled and directed all incoming client telephone calls
  • Actively maintained product knowledge in order to answer basic support requests
  • Maintained IT department’s digital filing system
  • Problem-solved and handled many tasks on multiple projects simultaneously

Education

When outlining your education, be sure to include the degree that you earned, the name and location of the school, and the dates you attended (or your graduation date). If you have plenty of professional work experience, you can leave it at that. If you have multiple degrees, you can certainly list them all.

Expert Tip

If you don’t have a lot of experience as a project manager, you can opt to add more detail in your education section. You might include details like Latin honors, awards and accolades, relevant coursework or projects, your GPA (if it’s above a 3.5), and so forth.

Here’s an example of basic education section:

Education

2006 - 2010 Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, University of Connecticut, Mansfield, CT

Hard Skills

Hard skills are easily definable, measurable, and teachable. They are also generally job-specific, although some hard skills are transferable across multiple industries. Hard skills for a project manager might include things like negotiation, writing, budgeting, scheduling, risk management, contract management, project management software, other office and communication softwares, and so forth.

Choose your top 5-7 hard skills to list on your resume. You can also include a rating system that indicates your proficiency level for each skill. For example:

Hard Skills

Project Management Software - Excellent

Microsoft Office - Excellent

Google Workspace - Excellent

Slack - Very Good

Cloud Computing - Excellent

Database Management - Excellent

Soft Skills

Soft skills are less job specific, and they are more difficult to define, assess, and teach. Because of that, many employers are placing increasing importance on soft skills, as they know that it’s much easier to teach someone how to use a specific software program than it is to teach someone how to be a leader. As such, it’s imperative to include soft skills on your project manager resume. Again, choose your top 5-7 skills to highlight:

Soft Skills

Leadership - Excellent

Organization - Excellent

Problem Solving - Excellent

Planning - Excellent

Management - Excellent

Delegation - Very Good

Optional Resume Sections

Finally, you can include optional resume sections if you have additional information to share. Optional sections could include certifications, volunteer work, internships, hobbies and interests, languages, and so forth.

However, only add sections if the information within is relevant to the job that you are applying for, and if you have space on your resume. As a general rule of thumb, your resume should be a single page if you have less than 10 years of experience, and no more than two pages if you have more experience than that. Most employers will only spend a few seconds scanning your resume, so be as succinct as possible while still including all pertinent information.

Here’s an example of an optional resume section that would make sense on a project manager resume:

Certifications

Certified Project Manager

Awarded by the Project Management Institute

Tips for Writing a Project Manager Resume

Here are a few final tips to help you create a compelling resume:

Use a Reverse Chronological Format

List all of your information (work experience, education details, certifications, etc.) in reverse chronological order, with the current or most recent entry at the top and working backwards in time from there. This way, potential employers can see your most recent accomplishments first as they scan your resume.

Focus On Your Achievements

Again, most potential employers will understand generally what your previous jobs entailed based on your job titles, especially if you have worked as a project manager. So, while you can outline your role briefly, the limited space on your resume will likely be put to better use if you outline your achievements instead.

Whenever possible, quantify your accomplishments with numbers and data. This might mean mentioning how big of a budget you managed, how many people were involved in the project, the KPIs of the project, and so forth.

Tailor Your Resume to Each Job Posting

Finally, always tailor your resume to each job that you apply for with one of our resume templates. It can be tempting to use a general resume for all of your applications, but your chances of scoring an interview will be much higher if you take the time to tailor your resume. To do so, read the job description carefully to identify keywords that describe exactly what the employer is looking for in a project manager. Then use that same language in your resume and address as many points as possible.

Key Takeaways

When writing your project manager resume, include key sections like a header, a resume summary or objective, work experience, education, hard and soft skills, and any relevant optional resume sections. Be sure to use a reverse chronological format, quantify your achievements with numbers and data, and tailor your resume to each job that you apply for.

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