Project Manager Resume Examples and Templates for 2024

Project Manager Resume Examples and Templates (Downloadable)

• Entry level
• Midlevel
• Senior level

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PDF

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Google Docs

PDF

DOCX

Google Docs

Your project manager resume needs to demonstrate an ability to plan and oversee complex projects using your industry knowledge, organizational strategies, and leadership skills. But how do you do that effectively? Let’s look at how you can craft a resume that highlights the most compelling parts of your project management career.

Key takeaways:

• Highlight areas of expertise: Whether it’s specific industry knowledge or a method of management, emphasize your strengths as a leader in the profile section of your resume.
• Quantify your success: Using numbers helps demonstrate your impact and value as a manager. For example, you can measure reductions in project timelines or increases in budget savings.
• Optimize for Applicant Tracking Systems: Include keywords from the project manager job description to successfully pass through Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) used by many employers today.

How To Write a Project Manager Resume Example

Your portfolio offers a treasure trove of achievements, metrics, and valuable data you can use to build an engaging project manager resume. As you put together your resume, remember to include the following sections:

• Contact information
• Profile
• Key skills
• Professional experience
• Education and certifications

1. Share your contact information

Your contact information should be the first thing on your resume, situated prominently at the top of the page. Start with your full name followed by your phone number, email address, and location. If you have a LinkedIn profile or an online portfolio of projects, you can include links to those here as well.

2. Create a profile by summarizing your project manager qualifications

Introduce yourself to potential employers with a concise summary highlighting your most significant qualities as a project manager. Mention your job title, which industry you have experience in, and how many years you’ve been leading teams. This paragraph sets up your resume and gives readers a good idea of who you are as a professional.

The goal is to immediately draw the reader in with key details that will pique their interest. For example, suppose a tech company is looking for a project manager with experience developing consumer mobile applications. If you’ve managed the end-to-end development and launch of successful apps, it would be beneficial to highlight that here.

3. Outline your project manager experience in a compelling list

Arguably the most important part of your resume is the work history section. This is where you’ll showcase your direct experiences and impact on projects you’ve led. Describe your role within the project lifecycle and what you accomplished. Including details on specific methodologies and metrics is especially helpful for hiring managers to visualize your contribution.

As a leader, it’s vital to discuss your ability to work with cross-functional teams to accomplish your client’s or employer’s goals. Describe things such as negotiation, leadership, conflict resolution, and finding solutions within a team setting. Hiring managers should be confident in your ability to lead.

Resume writer’s tip: Quantify your experience

Demonstrate your ability to deliver results by using real numbers in your professional experience section. Pull data and metrics like monetary figures, improvement rates, or percentages to give tangible evidence of your achievements. This helps hiring managers understand the level of work they can expect if you were employed by their organization. Here’s an example:

Resume writer’s tip: Tailor your resume for each application

A generalized, one-size-fits-all resume just won’t do for project managers. Your document must be tailored to the specific organization you’re applying for with keywords and language from the job description. You play a vital part in any project, and potential employers need to know you’re in alignment with their vision and role requirements.

Throughout your resume, in places like the profile, skills list, and professional experience section, incorporate specific terms and phrases used within the job posting. Match up your skills, experience, and qualifications with the needs of the company. Do this for each organization you send your resume to.

What if you don’t have experience?

You can write a compelling resume even if you haven’t held an official project manager job yet. The key is to pull from experiences where you’ve gained skills that can easily transfer over. Use these strategies to make up for any lack of experience:

• Highlight your education. Instead of a work history, bring your academic achievements front and center. You can discuss related coursework, projects, certifications, and awards.
• Include project management internships. Any exposure to the realm of project management is priceless. Call upon what you achieved in your time as an intern.
• Create a volunteer work section. Volunteering leads to both skills and experience. If it was related to project management, even better.

4. List any education and certifications relevant to project management

Depending on the job, employers may desire that you hold a four-year degree in business, project management, or in relation to your industry (i.e., computer science, engineering). When listing your academic history, start with your highest level of education first. Provide the degree name, school name, location, and graduation date.

If you’ve been a project manager for a while, you may hold a special certification, such as Project Management Professional. Listing this on your resume will help you stand out from other leaders. Or, if you happen to have an industry-specific credential, this can help show that you’re well-informed and ready to handle the nuances of the position.

5. List pertinent key skills

A project manager must have a well-rounded skill set to carry out a project to completion. You should have deep knowledge of your industry and management methodologies while leading a diverse team. It’s a delicate balance best represented by both hard and soft skills. Check out our table below for some ideas.

Resume writer’s tip: Use strong action verbs

When it comes to resume writing, action verbs help convey a sense of proactivity and accomplishment. Use these words to start bullet points and bring an active voice to your writing, especially in your professional experience section. Include verbs like these on your project manager resume:

How To Pick the Best Project Manager Resume Template

As a project manager, you have a wide range of skills, successful projects, and career achievements to cover on your resume. You’ll need a well-structured framework that allows these features to shine.

The best template choice will prioritize readability and organization. Hiring managers should be able to easily scan your resume and capture your professional background without much effort. Look for a simple, minimalistic design with limited colors. Graphics and images may look nice, but your content should be the focus.

Project Manager Text-Only Resume Examples and Templates

Frequently Asked Questions: Project Manager Resume Examples and Advice

How do you align your resume with a project manager job description?

Project management is a fast-growing occupation, with a 6% increase in new employment opportunities projected over the next decade. Demand is expected to be especially strong within the IT field. Although there will be a need within the market, competition will be tough, as it is for most leadership positions. Your resume will need to be aligned with the needs and expectations of potential employers.

Pay attention to the skills and qualifications mentioned in the job description. Identify what the employer values most in their ideal candidate and demonstrate how you meet those expectations. For example, if the position requires expertise in risk management, highlight times when you successfully mitigated risks on projects, and describe what the positive outcome was.

What is the best project manager resume format?

To stand out in a competitive market, a combination format is a good choice for your project manager resume. Pulling inspiration from both the functional and chronological resume styles, your skills list and professional experience section are the main focus. Readers will come away with a clear understanding of your leadership abilities and career timeline.

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Andrew Stoner

Executive Resume Writer and Career Coach

Andrew Stoner is an executive career coach and resume writer with 17 years of experience as a hiring manager and operations leader at two Fortune 500 Financial Services companies, and as the career services director at two major university business schools.