
Best Resume Templates in 2023 (10+ Picks to Use Now)
The best resume templates aren't just about fancy looks. They have to be sleek and professional. Their layout needs to show off your value. Here's what'll help.
Time for your new project. This one is called: Perfect project manager resume. The one that wins every job. Let’s put your entrepreneurial mindset in a project management resume.
You’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 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:
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:
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
Junior Project Manager
Hospital-Wide
May 2008‒June 2014
Seton Hospital, Maine
Education
2010–2013, MBA
Colby College, Waterville, ME
2011–2014, M.A. in Law
University of Georgia
Certificates
Skills
Awards and Accolades
Now, here’s the job-winning project manager resume formula:
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:
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
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:
How do you write achievements on a project manager resume?
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Project Manager Electronics Fab January 2007‒April 2014 Atheon MDC, Massachusetts
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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:
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Technical Project Manager August 2009‒September 2015 Geurney Bros. Well Drilling
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Assistant Project Manager August 2009‒September 2015 Geurney Bros. Well Drilling
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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?
When making a resume in our builder, drag & drop bullet points, skills, and auto-fill the boring stuff. Spell check? Check. Start building a professional resume template here for free.
When you’re done, Zety’s resume builder will score your resume and tell you exactly how to make it better.
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:
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Education Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, University of California 2009–2013
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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
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:
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 skills:
Here’s what this section should look like in a sample construction project manager resume:
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Why list both hard skills and soft skills? See our guide: +30 Best Examples of What Skills to Put on a 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:
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.
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:
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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
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:
See these career 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?
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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
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:
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.
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 the best project manager resume:
That’s it! Now, we’d love to hear from you:
Let’s chat below in the comments, and thanks for reading!
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:
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.
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.
Project management job responsibilities are:
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.
The best resume templates aren't just about fancy looks. They have to be sleek and professional. Their layout needs to show off your value. Here's what'll help.
Here’s a selection of our simple resume templates. They impress recruiters and they are ATS-scannable. Choose one of our easy resume templates and download it now!
Not sure what your resume should look like to impress recruiters and land you that dream interview? You’ve come to the right place to find out. See for yourself.