Best Project Manager Resume Examples & Guide for 2024
Create Your Resume NowYou’re well-versed in PM methodologies, keep information flowing seamlessly, and can win stakeholders’ respect. Describing all that in a project management resume is a project that must be aced!
Read on because in this guide, you’ll see some great project manager resume examples and templates. And you’ll also learn exactly how to move your project manager resume writing task from “backlog” to “done".
This guide will show you:
- A professional project manager resume sample you can refine and make yours.
- An easy formula for writing a project management resume that will land you 10x more interviews.
- Tips to create a resume for a project manager better than any other PMP resume you’ve written in the past.
Want to save time and have your resume ready in 5 minutes? Try our resume builder. It’s fast and easy to use. Plus, you’ll get ready-made content to add with one click. See 20+ resume templates and create your resume here.
Sample resume made with our builder—See more resume samples here.
Are you here just to write up project management skills on your resume? Switch to: Project Management Skills on a Resume (20+ Examples)
Also, check out our guides for:
- Agile Project Manager Resume
- Project Coordinator Resume
- Program Coordinator Resume
- Project Engineer Resume
- Operations Manager Resume
- Construction Project Manager Resume
- Production Supervisor Resume
- Scrum Master Resume
- IT Project Manager Resume
- Best Sample Resumes for 500+ Jobs
Project Manager Resume Sample
Anna R. Smith, PMP
anna.r.smith@gmail.com
601-628-0535
linkedin.com/anna.r.smith12
Summary
Experienced PMP with a background in law and 7+ years experience growing revenue for a Massachusetts-based electronics firm. Seeking to leverage leadership expertise as project manager for Paylocity. Guest speaker at the Northeast Lean Conference in 2014.
Work Experience
Project Manager
Electronics Fab
January 2007‒April 2014
Atheon MDC, Massachusetts
- Led electronics fab project management for Raytheon MDC’s 85 employees.
- Managed the highly successful Lean Training project for three years. Improved quality by 32%, cut lead times 21%, cut costs 48%.
- Managed the “Learn by Benchmarking” project. Created opportunities for 20 change-leaders to travel to other facilities. These employees then returned to share best practices with peers.
Junior Project Manager
Hospital-Wide
May 2008‒June 2014
Seton Hospital, Maine
- Implemented Lean Training project for all employees. Cut costs by 32% in six months.
- Oversaw the “Just in Time Restock” project.
- Cut stockroom waste by 65%. Created our popular supply room relocation project. Cut wasted foot traffic by 88% across all nursing staff.
Education
2010–2013, MBA
Colby College, Waterville, ME
2011–2014, M.A. in Law
University of Georgia
Certificates
- May 2010 — PMP Project Management Institute
- Nov 2007 — CAPM Project Management Institute
Skills
- Proficient in Scrum & MS Office
- Project Scheduling
- Strategic Planning & Analysis
- Exceptional Verbal and Written Communication Skills
- Business Development
- Vendor Management
Awards and Accolades
- Guest speaker at the Northeast Lean Conference in 2014.
- Wrote an article on advanced organizational scheduling techniques for “Northeast PMP Weekly” magazine. Article was linked to by “Forbes” magazine.
- Organized the local parent-built playground in Scituate, Massachusetts.
Now, here’s the job-winning project manager resume formula:
1. Choose the Right Project Manager Resume Template
Project managers are responsible for turning grand ideas into deliverable projects, products, or features. In a word, they deliver value. The purpose of your project manager resume is to do just that: deliver your PMP value to the employer. In the very first iteration.
Your starting point? Structure your resume the way it can show your biggest wins:
- Go for a respected style like the reverse-chronological resume format. This resume style zeroes in on who you are right now. Your skills, your strengths, and your experience.
- Add your contact information to a resume header.
- Divide your document into these resume parts:
- Header with contact info
- Summary Statement/Career Objective
- Work Experience
- Education
- Skills
- Additional Sections (Conferences, Extra Training, Volunteering, Certifications, Etc.)
- When designing your resume, make good use of white space, eye-friendly headings, and clear resume fonts for an ATS friendly resume.
- How long should your resume be? If you have years of experience under your belt, go for a two-page resume. Otherwise, a one-page resume template should do the trick.
- And for one of the most important resume tips. Save your project management resume template as a PDF to keep the resume formatting intact. Word documents and other file formats can shred your formatting.
Remember: employers will look you up online, so make sure your online presence is perfect and optimize your LinkedIn summary & profile to boost your chances of landing a job.
Read more about resume formatting: Resume Formats: How to Pick the Ideal One
2. Add Experience to Your Project Management Resume
What is project management experience? Projects. So, for the best project manager resume you have to spotlight your most successful ones. HR managers will fish for your on-the-job expertise, because it’s crucial for a project manager. Maybe more than for any other kind of applicant.
Follow these rules when putting work experience on your resume:
- Start by listing your newest job title.
- Add your company’s name and your start and finish dates.
- Create a job description of your project management roles:
- Focus on accomplishements over duties and responsibilities.
- Write six bullet points to showcase your achievements.
How do you write achievements on a project manager resume?
Project Manager Job Description for a Resume
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Project Manager
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WRONG |
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A good resume layout will get your project management resume more eyeball time. But it’s how you put projects on a resume that gets you the job. Remember, no more responsible for project A or managed project B—instead use action/power words like supported, generated, created, and provided. Then briefly describe the scope you were accountable for, and add numbers and percentagesto show that results you achieved had measurable impact.
How many years of experience should you list on a resume? See our guide: How Far Back Should a Resume Go: How Many Jobs or Years?
But what if you’re writing an entry-level resume? The beauty of building a project manager resume experience description is, everyone has some experience managing projects. If you’ve set and met a work goal, managed a resource, led a team, or reshaped any process, you’re a (junior) project manager already.
So brainstorm all the projects you’ve managed or took part in in the past. Really dig into your memory to pinpoint previous successes. Check these project manager resume samples:
Entry-Level Project Manager Resume Example (Work Experience)
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Technical Project Manager
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Wrong |
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Assistant Project Manager
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Again, everyone is a project manager if they think hard enough. The key action is to show that in an entry-level project manager resume experience section.
Read more: What Does Relevant Experience Mean?
Creating a resume with our builder is incredibly simple. Follow our step-by-step guide and use content from Certified Professional Resume Writers to have a resume ready in minutes.
When you’re done, our free resume builder will score your resume and our resume checker will tell you exactly how to make it better.
3. Highlight Education on Your Project Manager Resume
If you’re an experienced project manager, adding a degree to a resume is easy. Just limit yourself to listing your highest degree of education. But—if you’re a junior project manager, add a couple of bullet points to your education section to show off your skills. Choose from:
See these project management resume examples:
Project Manager Resume Examples [Education]
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Education Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, University of
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Nice. You kept it short, but you showed PM skills.
Read more: How to List Minor and Major on a Resume
4. Put the Right Skills in Your Project Manager Resume
Good examples of project management skills vary depending on your primary field of expertise. For example, valuable skills for a technical project manager resume will differ from skills on a digital project manager resume.
Start with this list of skills for PM resumes:
Project Manager Skills Resume Examples
- Cost Control
- Risk Management
- Methodologies: Prince2, Agile, Waterfall, Scrum, CPM, CCPM, IPM, PRiSM, Kanban, Scrumban, Lean, XP
- Presentation Skills
- Analytical Skills
- MS Office Skills
- General management skills
- Project Scheduling
- Strategic Planning & Analysis
- Business Development
- Business Case Writing
- Interpersonal Skills
- Teamwork Skills
- Leadership Skills
- Verbal and Written Communication
- Organizational Skills
- Active Listening Skills
- Attention to Detail
- Mentoring
- Problem Solving Skills
- Time Management
- Critical Thinking
- Other core competencies
But—to create a truly agile project manager resume, never use a generic “skills list.” Always pick the PM skills you showcase straight from the job description.
Here’s how to choose the best project management skills for your resume:
- Make two lists of skills: one listing all your skills, and another one listing project manager skills from the job ad.
- Draw connections between both lists to find your resume keywords.
- Add those soft skills and hard skills to the skills section of your resume.
- Tweak your resume achievements to prove those PM-related skills.
To increase your chances of landing the job, customize your skills section to reflect the specific requirements listed in the job ad. This targeted customization not only aligns your qualifications with the employer’s needs but also demonstrates your attention to detail and genuine interest in the role.
Here’s what this section should look like in a sample construction project manager resume:
Project Management Resume Examples [Skills]
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Struggling to complete your project manager's skills list? See a guide that covers top skills valued by employers this year and further.
By reviewing 11 million resumes made in our builder, we discovered that:
- Project managers include an average of 22 skills on their resumes.
- Among the top skills frequently listed by project managers are project management, project planning, project tracking, strategic planning, and document management.
- Project managers tend to create resumes spanning about 3 pages in length.
5. Add Extra Sections to Your Project Manager Resume
“Whoa, wait a second.” This is what the hiring manager will say when she sees your extra sections on a resume. The way for this to happen is to add in eye-catching strengths you may now not even know you have. These can include your professional achievements, conferences you spoke at, passions, industry awards or resume projects.
Take the time to brainstorm these extra lures. Fifteen minutes spent typing ideas into a spreadsheet can turn up the gold nugget that will get you hired. You can choose from the following:
Regardless of whether you are a junior or a senior PM, certifications are another way to prove you know the difference between implementation and deployment. According to Wrike, 80% of high-performing projects are led by a certified project manager. So make sure to get certified and put one of these on your project manager resume template:
- Associate in Project Management
- BVOP Certified Project Manager
- Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM)
- Certified Project Director
- Certified Project Management Practitioner (CPMP)
- Certified Project Manager (CPM)
- Certified ScrumMaster (CSM)
- Master Project Manager (MPM)
- PRINCE2 Foundation/PRINCE2 Practitioner
- Professional in Project Management (PPM)
- Project Management Professional (PMP)
Have you volunteered to build homes for the homeless or plan a charity event for animal shelters? Such activities scream “I can manage a project.”
It is not a must-have to put on a PM resume, but if you want to work in an international environment, listing languages on a resume will definitely give you extra points.
- Conferences
Have you attended a Global Scrum Gathering? PM events and conferences show your engagement and prove you want to stay up to date.
See these technical project manager resume samples:
Senior Project Manager Resume Examples [Other Sections]
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Awards and Accolades
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Additional Info
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Polish off your application with extra information: What to Put on a Resume to Make it Perfect
6. Write a Project Manager Resume Summary or Resume Objective
Most hiring teams won’t read your project management resume. They’ll only scan the top of this document. So—put your most important content there. In a resume, that’s a resume profile called a resume objective or a resume summary.
Fresh graduates, career changers, and project managers hunting a new niche should use a project manager resume objective. Applicants with experience in their chosen field should pick a project manager resume summary.
Here’s how to write a resume summary for a project manager:
- Write an adjective like experienced or dedicated.
- Add your title (project manager).
- Share your years of experience (4, 2+, 5).
- Tell your company-helping goal (cut lead times for Zinky Inc.).
- Include your best PM achievements.
See these career summary examples:
Project Manager Resume Summary Examples
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Experienced PMP with a background in law and 10+ years experience growing revenue for a Silicon Valley-based online banking firm. Seeking to leverage leadership expertise as project manager for Paylocity. |
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PMP with 11 years experience working for an online banking firm. Results-driven with a keen interest in cloud computing. |
The first of those project manager sample resumes shows you’ve actually done the work. The bad resume example, on the other hand, has serious bugs. Why? Lack of numbers and company names makes it as non-actionable as a blank user story.
Writing an entry-level project manager resume? Write a career objective, following the same rules as mentioned above. Only this time take project management achievements and transferable skills from your non-PM jobs.
What is a strong resume objective for project manager?
Junior Digital Project Manager Resume Objective
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Highly-motivated marketing graduate with proven communication and planning skills. Seeking a position as a junior project manager at Acme Inc., to leverage organizational and leadership skills to execute the local digital marketing strategy. |
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Fresh marketing graduate looking for a position at Acme Inc. to gain first hands-on experience. |
Wow. Which candidate would you hire? The difference is obvious.
Get inspired with: Summary of Qualifications for a Resume and Resume Career Objectives for Any Job
7. Engineer a Project Manager Cover Letter to Seal the Deal
Maybe you’ve heard conflicting opinions on how important a cover letter is. Here’s the bottom line—most employers still expect a cover letter along with a creative project manager resume.
Our HR statistics report shows nearly 5 of 10 hiring teams ignore resumes with no letters attached.
For a project manager cover letter, keep it brief. Again, highlight your most impressive accomplishments and experience to make the hiring manager think, “I’d better give this PMP resume a little extra time.”
To write a successful project manager cover letter:
- First, get your cover letter formatting right.
- Next, in the opening paragraph of your cover letter, engage the reader.
- Use the middle paragraph to prove your understanding of the job duties.
- Finally, at the end of your cover letter, offer something the company needs.
Don’t forget to personalize your cover letter by adding the addressee’s name. You can also check out the business’ website and mention something about it that jumped out at you.
More tips: Project Manager Cover Letter Sample and Guide
Plus, a great cover letter that matches your resume will give you an advantage over other candidates. You can write it in our cover letter builder here. Here's what it may look like:
See more cover letter templates and start writing.
Key Takeaway
Cramming all the best parts of you into a professional project manager resume that delivers can be a real challenge. You can make the process work for you by adhering to a few important guidelines.
Here’s a recap of how to write a project manager resume:
- Choose a layout that makes scanning your resume easy.
- Focus on wins from your work history as a project manager.
- Match your project manager resume keywords to job description bullets.
- Find PM skills in the online job posting and sprinkle them across your resume parts.
- Include bonus resume sections to show off your PM certifications and awards.
- Proofread your project management resume and craft a personalized cover letter.
That’s it! Now, we’d love to hear from you:
- What’s the most frustrating part about writing a project manager resume?
- Do you feel you’re lacking all-important PM accomplishments or have problems choosing the right ones for your resume?
- Is it hard for you to find transferable skills for an assistant project manager resume?
Let’s chat below in the comments, and thanks for reading!
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This article has been reviewed by our editorial team to make sure it follows Zety's editorial guidelines. We’re committed to sharing our expertise and giving you trustworthy career advice tailored to your needs. High-quality content is what brings over 40 million readers to our site every year. But we don't stop there. Our team conducts original research to understand the job market better, and we pride ourselves on being quoted by top universities and prime media outlets from around the world.
Sources
- https://www.scrumalliance.org/events/search
- https://www.wrike.com/blog/complete-collection-project-management-statistics-2015/
Frequently Asked Questions about Project Manager Resume
What should a project manager put on a resume?
In addition to the required resume sections, such as resume profile, work experience, education, and skills, a perfect resume should include extra resume parts. And they are:
- awards and accomplishments
- certifications
- additional training
- attended conferences
With the Zety resume builder, you won’t have to worry about what to put and what else to leave out. The software will tell you precisely what recruiters want to find in your resume. Pick one of our resume templates and start building your resume.
How do you say you were a project manager on a resume?
Your resume summary and work experience sections will help you explain what you’ve been doing for the last couple of years. Forget about responsibilities, though. Focus on what you’ve accomplished throughout your project management career and build achievement statements around it. To do that, you’ll need power words (supported, generated), numbers ($200,000, +40K), and clear-cut goals.
How do you write a career objective for a project manager?
- Start with an adjective describing yourself, like dedicated.
- Name 2–3 transferrable skills of a project manager that you have, such as communication and planning.
- State your goals aligned with the company’s strategy, for example, to execute the local digital marketing strategy.
- Mention the job title and company name.
What are the responsibilities of the project manager?
Project management job responsibilities are:
- Turn ideas into deliverables
- Assemble and lead project teams
- Set goals, oversee progress, define deadlines
- Gather and manage budget
- Ensure stakeholders satisfaction
- Evaluate effectiveness and efficiency
But remember! Job responsibilities mean nothing compared to achievements on a resume. Recruiters want to know what you bring to the table with your candidacy rather than read about the qualifications they listed themselves in the job description.
What skills should a project manager have?
- Communication
- Leadership
- Forecasting
- Problem Solving
- Time Management
- Risk Management
- Budget Management
- Strategic Planning
- Team Management
- Organization
- Delegation
- Negotiation
- Adaptability
- Stress Management