How many times have you found yourself wanting to apply for a job, but you thought that your resume is not quite right for that job? Or is it, but you just do not know how to perk it up for your own advantage? Are you alone in this? Of course not!

Whether you are an experienced worker who wants a change of pace, either because you are moving to a different city or because you think you gave everything you got and got everything that you could out of that job; or you are a novice looking for their own place under the professional sun-it does not matter.

The questions and doubts are always the same when you are applying for a (new) job: Will I be the right fit? Will my resume stand out among hundreds of others? Should I even apply?

  • Now, think about (or even write down) the questions that bother you, and check it with our list:
  • How do I catch the recruiter’s attention?
  • What is relevant to write down, and what should I avoid?
  • Should I make a lengthy CV and write down everything?

Or

  • How short can it be not to be considered scarce?
  • What kind of layout should I use?

Are we on point at least 50%? Well, I bet it is much more than that.

‘Why’ you ask?

It is because you are not the first person to struggle with this.

This is why we are going to help you answer these questions (and more), and help pave the way to getting that dream project manager job you have dreamed of.

We are going to help you find out:

  • How to know what kind of information the recruiters are looking for in your CV
  • How to present your advantages, skills, and experience correctly and concisely
  • Which information to chose to showcase and which ones you should not write down
  • How a great resume looks like (better than the majority out there! And when we say majority, we mean 90%)

Now, if you are all fired up and ready to start, use one of the templates from our resume builder. It will make the process that much faster, as we did the creative part for you, and we made it really easy to use.

Picked out one? Great!

Let us begin by showing you a couple of great examples of how an eye-catching, attractive and on-point project manager resumes look like.

When you are looking through them, try to see what makes them great, you will be amazed at how simple, and almost obvious things, can make such a huge difference.

But just in case you miss something, we will go through the resumes point-by-point.

Keep reading! It’s about to get really fun!

Project Manager Resume Example

Right

Project Manager Resume Example #2

Right

Do these examples help you figure out on your own what information and in which way should be included in your resume? See how they are short, on-point, and concise?

This is why the recruiters will love it! Everything they need will be right there so they can spot any desired information at a single glance.

If, by chance, it is not completely clear on how you should compose your own resume here come the point-by-point breakdown of each section, just to make the process as easy as possible for you!

Take notes and create your own resume later, or use one of our templates to do it right away and save yourself some time! Just follow the simple guidelines, and you will be a step closer to that dream job of yours!

GUIDE ON WRITING THE PERSONAL INFO SECTION

The personal information section of your resume should give all the necessary information that is required for your prospective employer to contact you.

There are some that you are obligated to write down.

Others can be optional. Let us check what falls into which category.

Compulsory:

  • Your first and last name
  • Your profession- this could be confusing sometimes as this is where you should write down the position you are applying for, regardless of what your professional title is after graduation.
  • Your contact information – your current address, an active phone number, e-mail address, and a Linkedin profile. (If you do not have a Linkedin profile, go through the ‘trouble’ of making it.)

Optional:

  • Your photo – now this is not ‘optional’ in the conventional sense- if your country requires a photo on the resume, by all means, use it, otherwise, you may seem unprofessional. However, in some countries (e.g. USA), a photo on your resume is not allowed in order to avoid bias.
  • Other social media profiles
  • Driver’s license
  • Other

Pay attention to the mistakes and forms that leave a good impression on HR. Keep it professional, and if the e-mail, for example, does not fit the criteria, make another one to use in professional purposes.

Personal Info

Kate Simmons
Kate.simmons@gmail.com
A nice, clean headshot, showing appropriate hairdo, clothes, and so on.

Right
Personal Info

John J-MAN Johnson
littlemissbutterfly@gmail.com
Cropped photo from a party or the similar.

Wrong

GUIDE ON WRITING THE SUMMARY SECTION

A summary section is where you tell the recruiters who you are, what it is that you are looking for, how much experience you have, how you plan on making a contribution to the company.

It is important to do so in short. Two or three sentences with the right information are more than enough.

Do not write an essay, but also do not be stingy with words. Take a look at these two examples:

Summary

An experienced project manager with over 10 years of experience and over 500 successful projects is looking for an opportunity to use the acquired skills in various projects.

A perfect position for me is one that can help me grow personally and professionally while conducting projects for the good of the environment.

Right
Summary

A project manager with over ten years of experience seeking a new job to put my skills to good use.

Wrong

The first, ‘good’ summary gives the gist of your resume, while still gives the recruiters the opportunity to get a sense of who you are. The other example does not provide you with that inner thought that ‘this person could be the right fit for us.’

What happens if you do not have any experience?

Focus on your education, personal characteristics you think may help you do the job you are applying for, and even some ‘personal projects’ you have conducted successfully, e.g. organized an annual clean-up of the local park. Again, make your personality shine through the information.

Summary without experience

I am an ambitious, fresh-out-of-college young individual, hungry for more management experience. I have participated in organizing annual fundraisers at my University and organized a clean-up of the local park 5 years in a row. I am looking for first-time employment where I can put my education to good use.

Right
Summary without experience

I am a Business School graduate who is looking for a first-time job in project management.

Wrong

See, even if you do not have any professional experience in the field, there must be a project you have organized on your own.

GUIDE ON WRITING THE EXPERIENCE SECTION

This section is where you write down all your work experience related to the position you are applying for.

It is not enough to just state the institution and position, but you should, in bullet points, explain what your responsibilities and achievements were at the said position.

There are some basic guidelines that you should follow when writing about your experience:

  • Order – use reverse-chronological order, i.e. start with the most recent work experience and go back to the last one.
  • Relevance – You have maybe spent some time during your studies working as a valet, or had an online business while you were searching for the dream job. That is great, but it is not relevant to the job you are applying for now. State only those where you have performed what you are applying for now.
  • Form – the generally accepted form is- date, Institution/company, position. This makes it really clear and easy to follow.
  • Use bullets – to list your specific achievements and responsibilities, use bullet points and make them short, but informative.
Experience

  • Held over 800 group Transactional Analysis Sessions for the Centers employees, helping them overcome difficult workplace situations.
  • Raised over $45,000 for the construction of the school’s new football field.

Right
Experience

  • Held over group Transactional Analysis Sessions for the Centers employees.
  • Raised money for the construction of the school’s new football field.

Wrong

Focus on the details on how you managed to accomplish something, the benefits and results of the project, rather than just stating the facts. Remember, the recruiters do not know you, give them something to want to get to know you.

There is a lot of information, and there are more to come, but, relax, visit our resume builder so your head can stop spinning, and fill it, so you do not miss any important resume points.

GUIDE ON WRITING THE EDUCATION SECTION

Writing the education section is pretty straightforward. Write about your formal education.

Here you should list the University (or Universities).

As well as with experience, use the reverse-chronological order. However, do not list your high-school or elementary school information unless they are relevant for the position you are applying for (which we highly doubt it is in case of a project manager).

Along with the name of the University, you should point out your minor, your GPA if it is outstanding, scholarships, awards, honors.

Other information that you can include here:

  • Licenses
  • Certificates
  • Additional, even non-related certificates
  • Anything you formally studied

GUIDE ON WRITING THE SKILLS SECTION

In the skills section, you should write all the skills that can help you do the desired job.

Let us imagine that you are applying for the project management position at a retail franchise and that you have danced ballet since you were a 5-year-old child.

Do you put down ‘semi-proficient ballet dancer’ in your skills section?

Well, unless you want to literally dance yourself into completing a project, then, the answer is ‘no’ however proud of the said skill you are.

The skills that should be included have to be relevant to the position you are applying for.

So, for example, computer and communication skills are relevant for project managers. You need to be able to manage groups of people (through communication) and keep track of the people, accomplishments, tasks (e.g. Excel Tables).

What mistakes do people usually make? They just state that they have a certain skill, but they do not say how proficient they are in it.

Skills

  • Advanced knowledge of MS Office packet
  • Advanced proficiency in the French language
  • Conversational level of Italian language

Right
Skills

  • MS Office Or Word, Excel,…
  • French, Italian

Wrong

For making clear of how proficient you are you can use a star-based grading system, a fraction system, e.g. 6/10, and, as we did in the examples-descriptive method (advanced, intermediate, beginner, and so on).

We have that figured out in our resume builder, so you do not have to. Check it out!

To know what skills to pick out among all those that you have, carefully and thoroughly go through the job offer. They usually tell you what kind of an applicant they are looking for. Find those keywords and mirror them in your resume.

E.g. We are looking for an experienced project manager who is able to put their excellent people skills to motivate and manage large groups of people (30+) with the common goal of increase of sales in the next 5 years.

The keywords in the job offer are: experienced, people skills, large groups, increase in sales.

In your resume, refer to these keywords by providing evidence of how you have what is required.

FINAL TIPS & TRICKS FOR YOUR PROJECT MANAGER RESUME

  • Proofread your resume. Make sure that there are no typos. Nothing says ‘unprofessional’ more than great ‘CompuFer Skills’.
  • Name the file in a clear, yet, catchy way.
  • Your resume should not be longer than one page, so carefully revise it if it is longer, and cut off the unnecessary parts.
  • Keep your bullet points concise – a line or 2 is quite enough.
  • Tailor your resume according to the job application. Do not send out generic resumes. I this case, the chances are higher that there will be more information irrelevant to the job offer.
  • Use a resume builder. Resume builders are designed and optimized for the utmost usability of space, fonts, and design. Pick the layout that you are comfortable with and which reflects your personality.
  • Keep your resume in a PDF format, and/or in a link. A PDF is non-editable there are is less opportunity to make an accidental typo. To make things easier, our resume builder saves resumes as a PDF file right away.
  • Have a master resume with all your experience, education and skills listed, and what is more important, update it regularly in order not to forget anything the next time you are tailoring your resume to fit the job offer.

NOW, LAND THAT PROJECT MANAGER JOB INTERVIEW

Now when you have carefully gone through our advice on how to make a perfect resume, all that is left is to apply for the job you want and wait for that call.

If you followed our examples and chose the best layout for you- a job interview is coming your way! You will definitely be noticed!

We are sure that, once you get that desired interview, you will outshine your competition in person as well as on paper!

Creating this perfect resume is the first step on leading your own team into a successful ending of a project! Good luck! And you can even reference what project management tools or task management software you have experience with.

Project Manager Resume: Sample & Complete Guide

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