According to the Project Management Institute (PMI), the demand for project managers is expected to grow a whopping 33 percent through 2027.
The need for project managers and the increase in pay transparency laws means it’s an excellent time to pursue a project management job.
But that’s easier said than done.
Whether an entry-level or senior project manager, you must build a resume showcasing your ability to plan, manage budgets, produce reports, and ensure projects are on schedule.
We’ve handcrafted 32 project manager resume samples that have helped candidates get jobs at great companies like Lyft and Atlassian. Plus, our writing guide can help you navigate the resume writing process to help you land that first-round interview. You’ve got this!
Why this resume works
- Need a way to quickly impress the hiring manager with your assistant project manager resume? Consider adding an objective to your resume!
- A resume objective is for candidates with less than two years in the field. It demonstrates your eagerness for the role, your relevant skills, and your goals for the future. It’s a lot to ask in two to three sentences, so you’ll likely need to take a few whacks at it before you’ve cut it down to the proper size. We believe in you!
- You can emphasize your education if you’re starting your project management career, but you should keep it brief if you have more than a few years in the industry.
- Including relevant courses or awards is a great way to show hiring managers that you’ve learned the skills necessary for the job. Only include the courses or awards that are most relevant to increase your credibility immediately.
Why this resume works
- Getting a project manager role is no easy feat, and it’s even harder when you don’t have years of experience. That means you must immediately make a good impression using some handy resume tips.
- Our top tip? Make sure your entry-level project manager resume is easy to read.
- Make your body font size relatively big, include section headers, and leave white space (especially in the margins).
- Don’t worry if you don’t have a long job history. You can include things like projects and internships, too!
- Always customize your experience to match the project manager job description as much as you can. If you lack technical skills, highlight transferable skills like communication, collaboration, and time management.
- If you don’t have any experience relevant to project management, that’s okay, too. Employers know you’re just starting, so include any job experience you have, including projects, internships, or even volunteer work.
Why this resume works
- Relevant certification shows a potential employer you have a comprehensive understanding of what a particular field or job can entail, especially if that cert(s) is explicitly mentioned in the job ad.
- Including a Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM), for example, on your associate project manager resume will immediately tell recruiters you know the principles and best practices required.
Why this resume works
- Don’t worry if you can’t tout much paid experience on your project management intern resume. Including a personal or academic project can go a long way in showcasing your knowledge and skills.
- For instance, in project planning, you must’ve picked up on leadership, time management, and technical expertise—all transferrable to project management.
Why this resume works
- You want to make a good impression with your resume, but don’t forget that your project manager cover letter matters, too.
- Your cover letter and resume should form one cohesive whole without being complete copies of each other.
- The goal is to expand on your achievements in your cover letter while still covering most of the abilities mentioned in your resume. So, once you’ve finished building your resume, a free AI cover letter generator can make sure the two documents share similar keywords and achievements.
- One of the fastest ways to show your skills is by adding relevant certifications to your junior project manager resume.
- If you have more experience in the field, you can consider getting a PCDM or becoming a PCM.
- If you’re newer to the role, try getting entry-level certifications like those offered by Hubspot or Google Ads.
Why this resume works
- What makes you different from intermediate project managers? The regular, “completed all projects on time” trick won’t work for an experienced project manager resume.
- Go above and beyond with your bullet points for this one. Leave the “on-time project completion” for past roles. Write how you’ve made significant impacts like expediting KPI report generation, lowering failed strategy incidents, and managing internal disputes in your latest job to prove your worth as a team leader.
Why this resume works
- As a senior project manager, you know that details make or break a project. So when it comes to your resume, don’t get sloppy and forget to review it multiple times before hitting “submit.”
- Employers expect more from senior employees, so they’ll pay extra attention to minor details like punctuation, spelling, and grammar.
- Always check your resume multiple times before you submit your application. We’d recommend having several friends look it over, too, just to make sure you didn’t miss anything.
- Education becomes less of a focus when you’ve got more than a few years in the field. However, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t include education on your senior project manager resume.
- Always list your highest level of education, whether a college degree or a high school diploma.
- Unless you’re an entry-level candidate, don’t worry about adding your GPA, any awards, or relevant courses. Those are all secondary to work experience.
Why this resume works
- Highlighting a track record in a specific industry on your senior DevOps project manager resume will boost your chances of being hired for a similar role in the same sector.
- Say, you’ve worked extensively as a product manager in finance and insurance. Including this info in your career objective makes you a notably more eligible prospect for another organization in a similar industry.
Why this resume works
- The last thing you want is for any employer to overlook your telecom project manager resume because of how it looks. Here’s a pro tip: Don’t be too wordy or create walls of text. It may not be obvious, but design matters a lot here.
- Choose the Elegant template from our library to provide enough breathing room to your resume while also fitting all your education, skills, and best work experiences under one page.
Why this resume works
- For an enticing implementation project manager resume, flaunt your wins in supervisory or leadership roles-it’s your chance to signal to recruiters that you are not just in the game, you’re actually dominating it.
- For instance, in his resume, Jacob leaps right into the work history section with his outstanding accomplishments as an implementation project manager at Cognizant. You’ve probably noticed he strategically sprinkles in powerful action words like “spearheaded” and “led,” painting the image of a team captain who gets the job done.
Why this resume works
- So, you eyeing a Salesforce project manager role at your dream company. We get it – the compensation is enticing, and the growth opportunities are plenty. And what could be a possible obstacle in your path? A resume that doesn’t do justice to your capabilities.
- For a compelling sales project manager resume that strikes the right chord, let the skills section be the spotlight for your expertise in programs or tools specific to the role. Worthy mentions include Salesforce Chatter, Microsoft Dynamics 365, Salesforce Agile Accelerator, Smartsheet, and Jira.
Why this resume works
- Ah, the temptation to paint oneself as a jack-of-all-trades! But while there’s no harm in aiming high, being a master of none repels recruiters, which is why your real estate project manager resume must concentrate on job experiences directly related to the open role.
- In each work history section, add four bullet lists encapsulating your most impressive feats in the real estate industry, all tailored to the job ad and prospective employer’s needs. Optimizing asset management strategies and increasing portfolio by $3.2M makes for an excellent example of a customization level likely to blow away recruiters.
Why this resume works
- Here, your professionalism will be tested through your impressive software skills and ability to oversee projects successfully. One measure of such success is through saving costs.
- A software project manager resume with proof of operating below budgets and optimizing savings will be a favorite among hiring managers. Therefore, including achievements such as saving an estimated $51.2k annually would get you closer to winning the job.
Why this resume works
- What would be a winning strategy for your project management professional resume? Well, it has to be something unique, and you will get potential employers interested.
- Your soft and hard skills have a place here to set you apart from any other average project manager. Go on a full display mode to highlight your competencies in RiskWatch, Zapier, Harvest, and so on, and show how you’ve used them to optimize project budgets and timelines.
Why this resume works
- If you’ve had experience handling projects to any extent in the past, then your SAP project manager resume is going to be a piece of cake!
- Numbers matter most here so quantify all past project achievements, success rates, etc. Have a habit of submitting work before deadlines are even close? Mention it! Clearly state how many SAP projects you’ve delivered on time. Adding a project management certificate has also never harmed any candidate!
Why this resume works
- The human resource field requires you to hold extensive knowledge of various management software such as Google Workspace, Workday, Kronos Workforce Central, etc.
- Make sure your HR project manager resume consists of tools like these in the skills section. Further, write down any instances of you helping a company retain or acquire the top talent for a position while lowering extra costs such as overtime wages.
Why this resume works
- If you’ve got a knack for breaking work into smaller chunks, then you’re a good fit for this one. Check what the description is asking for. Do they need a Scrum Master for a single or various departments?
- Accordingly, align your entire project manager Scrum Master resume around the description and mention how you’ve tackled mishaps, boosted efficiency, and improved a team’s overall productivity. Throwing in a Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) certificate will greatly help if you’re still an intermediate in this field!
Why this resume works
- Digital project management is not a walk in the park. It is a high-pressure job that calls for team collaboration, efficient resource management, correct and prompt decision-making, and strict budget and timeline adherence. Recruiters want to know if you fit the bill through the scope of your achievements.
- Therefore, your digital project manager resume must embed metrics in every client satisfaction rating, early delivery time, cost reduction, and proper team management strategies.
Why this resume works
- Successful clinical project management thrives on budget discipline to save on costs, meet timelines, bring together teams, and deliver expected results. It’s this blend of attributes that elevates you to be noticed by clinical study institutions and their sponsors.
- In your clinical project manager resume, you should therefore highlight your project management metrics, including and not limited to cost reduction, timely completions, team collaborations, and resource prioritization to meet preset goals.
Why this resume works
- Risk management is a highly nuanced field that requires a keen eye for spotting and solving, well, the potential for risks. Beyond that, companies will appreciate your communication with stakeholders and financial prowess.
- You’ll likely need a master’s degree for this advanced role, and be sure to use your job experience bullet points to highlight specific and successful stories on your risk management project manager resume.
Why this resume works
- Use the resume objective on your Agile project manager resume to paint a concise yet compelling image of how your past experiences will help you contribute to the position you’re applying to.
- Even if you lack direct work experience, you can emphasize other relevant achievements or projects that align with you’re desired role. For example, a candidate with experience in Scrum and finance will be well-equipped to tackle the challenges of an Agile project manager position at Goldman Sachs.
Why this resume works
- When transitioning between roles, your past work might not be the most accurate indicator of your capabilities. In such a case, you could include relevant certification to help a recruiter see that you have the necessary knowledge to thrive in your new role.
- If you don’t have adequate paid experience to add to your healthcare project manager resume, a globally recognized certificate like the Project Management Professional (PMP) can help prove you’re a leader and have the relevant expertise to be successful.
Why this resume works
- Including a personal or academic project on your creative project manager resume demonstrates your dedication and technical proficiency outside of a professional context.
- For example, the responsibilities of a project manager at a magazine will share many similarities with that of a creative project manager at an advertising agency. Try to think of similar projects you can use to highlight your competency to come across as a well-rounded candidate.
Why this resume works
- Adding measurable results to your marketing project manager resume is a fantastic way to spotlight the magnitude of your achievements. It also showcases the potential you bring to your next employer.
Why this resume works
- Technical project management roles require a blend of engineering and management skills on your engineering project manager resume.
- For example, you can really boost your chances of being hired by including your knowledge in management tools like Trello and Confluence, not to mention expertise in engineering software like AutoCAD and ANSYS.
Why this resume works
- You want your technical project manager resume to showcase your ability to do the job, which means you need to have the appropriate skills on your resume.
- In your skills section, use primarily hard skills like “SQL,” “Agile Development,” and “Google Analytics,” to show off your training. You can add a few soft skills, but most of the list should be learned, technical abilities that you can demonstrate if needed.
- Want another way to show off your background? Include links in your contact header to give the employer another way to see your work.
- LinkedIn and GitHub are excellent links to add since they show employers you’ve got the connections and the skills to succeed.
Why this resume works
- Especially in technical roles, you need to demonstrate how your abilities relate to the job you’re applying for, which means you need to customize your resume.
- Stuck on how to alter your resume? Start by highlighting keywords and phrases in the project manager job description. Then find a way to incorporate a few of those highlighted phrases in your work experience bullet points and skills.
- Your IT project manager resume shouldn’t read like lines of code. Find ways to make your resume easy to read and pleasing to the eyes!
- You can start by ensuring you have colored section headers in different fonts than your body text. Then play around with the layout, margins, and font size until you hit the sweet spot.
Why this resume works
- Your integrated project manager resume should be full of technical skills and certifications, but that doesn’t mean it has to be boring.
- Consider using a resume template to make your resume aesthetically pleasing and easier to read. It also allows you to let your personality show; pick a template that speaks to you!
- One of the best ways to get a hiring manager’s attention is by including relevant metrics.
- For project managers, try to include metrics relating to the number of projects you’ve managed or the number of teams you led. Any percentages relating to relevant KPIs are also a good idea, but if you’re just starting, don’t worry about it. That can come later!
Why this resume works
- It’s tempting to list a bunch of skills and technologies on your architectural project manager resume. However, your best bet is to pay special attention to the requirements listed in the project manager job description instead.
- Of course, don’t make your skills section a complete copy-paste of the employer’s requirements! Simply use it to tailor your skills section and add a few keywords from the job description in your work experience and skills section.
- Remember that you don’t have to (and shouldn’t) list every skill in your toolbox. Only highlight the best and most relevant skills to each position to which you apply.
- As a rule of thumb, highlight six to eight up-to-date and in-demand skills in your resume skills section.
Why this resume works
- As a project manager, it’s essential you pay attention to your resume’s formatting.
- Reverse-chronological is the best format for managers since it shows your career progression. Plus, it’s easier for employers (and ATS!) to scan at a glance. It’s a win-win!
- You’re responsible for planning, budgeting, monitoring, and reporting on several projects at a time—how are you supposed to highlight all your skills and training on your one-page electrical project manager resume?
- Start by nailing your technical abilities as an electrical engineer. We’d recommend making each work experience bullet point focused on a different skill (such as communicating with vendors, coordinating schedules, or maintaining equipment).
- Then add your project manager skills into the mix, again using each work experience bullet point to highlight one skill.
Why this resume works
- Only candidates with the most impressive skill set get to the finish line. Let’s rephrase that—being a whiz with the latest industry-relevant software is your ticket to getting in the hiring manager’s good graces.
- Let tools like Asana, Microsoft Azure, SAP ERP, MuleSoft, and Slack steal the spotlight in your EPR project manager resume’s skills section. But don’t just list them—take it up a notch by illustrating how you’ve used these tools to move the needle at work; trust us, recruiters will be more than impressed.
Why this resume works
- Managing ServiceNow projects is no small feat, so you bet that demonstrating you’ve got the chops can tip the scales in your favor. Our suggestion? Let your ServiceNow project manager resume shine a light on your leadership acumen and cost-saving prowess, and suddenly you’re the game changer hiring companies want.
- You can count on phrases such as “Led eight stakeholder meetings and project briefings, securing buy-in worth $600K” and “Tracked project budgets and resource allocations using Pipedrive, slashing project expenses by 9%, equating to $64k in savings” to save the day here.
Related resume guides
Writing Your Project Manager Resume
Regarding the “skills” section, it can be tough to find the right balance between listing too many skills on your resume and including all areas of strength. It’s a push-and-pull for two reasons:
- You need to include enough relevant skills to get past automated filters companies use (called an ATS) that grade resumes based on keyword matching.
- The person reviewing your resume, either an HR professional or a project manager themselves, will be wary if you list more than 10 skills on your resume.
To strike the right balance, ask yourself if you’d be comfortable answering questions about a given skill in an interview.
For example, if you list “reporting” as one of your skills, you should be able to immediately answer the question “How do you know if a project is on track?” by pointing to specific metrics or reports on your resume or cover letter.
Another good litmus test to determine whether or not you should include a skill is if you can discuss using that skill in one of the projects you list on your resume. This accomplishes two things:
- Reinforces that you’re only including strong skills.
- Provides more context regarding how you deployed your skills in project management (making your resume and candidacy even better).
After all, what would be more convincing to you: a candidate listing a skill or discussing how they used it to achieve a specific outcome? When in doubt, put yourself in the hiring manager’s shoes and ask yourself what they would like to see on a project manager resume.
So, what are some common skills you should include on your project manager resume? Look no further than our list!
Skills to include on your project manager resume:
Hard skills
- Project Management Software (Jira, Trello)
- Microsoft Office/ Google suite (Excel/Google Sheets, PowerPoint/Slides)
- Project Management Frameworks and Methodologies (Agile, Scrum, Waterfall, Kanban)
- Programming Languages and Frameworks (JavaScript, Node.js, Python, Django)
- Data Analysis
- CRM Experience (HubSpot, Salesforce)
- Digital Marketing
- Budgeting
- Reporting
Soft skills
- Public Speaking and Communication
- Planning
- Leadership
- Problem-solving
- Scheduling
- Coaching
- Prioritization
- Conflict Resolution
If you’re in a more senior role and have many of these skills, you should focus on the skills mentioned in the job description.
Yes, customizing your resume like this means more work. However, it’s worth it—our data suggests that this practice alone increases your chance of getting an interview by 11 percent.
As a practical example, look at this sample project manager job description. Look at the underlined skills—they’re what you might want to include if you applied for this position. Try to match the language in the job description as best you can.
Sample project management job description and skills:
- Be accountable for the entire project lifecycle: develop scopes of work and associated project plans and own the day-to-day operations to ensure that projects remain on track and within budget
- Lead internal and external status meetings: capture notes, assign action items to team members and own all necessary follow-up
- Relay clear and specific expectations, timelines, priorities, challenges, and new developments in detail to key internal and external team members/parties
- Own daily project plan components, including task estimation, resource allocations, and new work requests
- Coordinate internal reviews and implementation-related quality assurance efforts
- Come from a place of perpetual learning, always seeking to improve and optimize processes, develop new ones, and participate in the overall growth of the department and agency
- Work with Jira, Smartsheet, or other project management tools
- Eliminate scope creep by ensuring that projects remain within parameters identified in the scope of work
- Communicate issues, bug reports, and change orders to leadership
Project manager resume summary or objective
Before we dive into the topic of resume objectives and summaries, let’s first set the stage with some definitions:
- Resume summary: A short summary of your work history and accomplishments as a project manager. Recommended for professionals with 10+ years of experience in the industry.
- Resume objective: A short statement expressing a few of your skills and what you’re looking for in your next project manager role. Recommended for entry-level candidates.
Although they might sound drastically different, they’re pretty similar in reality, so don’t get too hung up on specific definitions. The key is that you should only include a resume objective or summary if it adds real value to your resume.
Resume real estate is valuable since you’re limited to one page, so you can’t waste words. Hiring managers spend, on average, six seconds reviewing a given resume. Don’t divert attention from your work experience and skills if your objective or summary doesn’t provide anything of value.
Senior project managers should use a resume summary since it’s a high-level highlight reel showcasing your most significant accomplishments or goals in two to three sentences.
WRONG – generic resume summary
“Experienced project manager with a history of working across departments to achieve goals and positive outcomes on the projects I manage.”
RIGHT – specific project manager resume summary
“PMP certified project manager with 5+ years of experience owning all stages of the project lifecycle from inception through monitoring and closing to deliver projects that exceed expectations on time and under budget.”
The second resume summary works well because it leads with this PM’s certifications (we’ll touch on this more below) while also showcasing their experience delivering projects on time and within the allotted budget. The first example will take up space on the page.
On the other hand, an objective should be used by more junior project managers to talk about your skill set and what you’re looking for in your next role. It can also be used by PMs who are undergoing a career change or looking for something specific in their next role.
WRONG – vague resume objective
“I’m looking for an opportunity to work as a project manager at a growing organization where I can utilize my unique abilities to plan, scope, and deliver projects.”
RIGHT – resume objective tied to experience
“Project manager with experience building web apps as a software engineer and leading projects that have a meaningful impact on the company’s bottom line. I’m looking for a role where I can utilize my ability to communicate effectively with developers and executives alike.”
The second resume objective is a great way to call attention to the fact that this project manager has experience as both a software engineer and a project manager, which can manifest itself in more effective communication between those two groups.
Projects and work experience
When it comes time to talk about your work experience on your project manager resume, you must tell the story of the projects on which you worked. You’ll have more room to dive into this in your project manager cover letter, so how do you keep it short and sweet in your resume?
Rather than talking about one-off tasks you completed, focus on one to two of the biggest projects you led. The beauty of being a project manager is that the experience you should discuss is right in your job title.
Here are some questions you might want to answer about the projects you worked on when talking about them on your resume:
- What was the scope or goal of the project?
- How big was the budget, and what was the timeline? Was it a year-long project, or was it a short-term one?
- How large was the team involved, and with what departments did you collaborate?
- What kind of reporting or metrics did you use to determine success?
- Did you encounter any major roadblocks? How did you remove them?
- What kind of collaboration did you have with the executive team? Did you give a presentation upon project completion?
- What was the outcome of the project? Did the project generate meaningful revenue? Did you come in on time or under budget?
- You can and should use quantifiable metrics here!
Remember that you should also mention some of the skills listed in your official “skills” section. For example, did you use Trello to ensure the project was on time? Did you build reporting to measure project success?
Let’s describe a specific example of how all of this might work when describing your work experience as a project manager.
WRONG – non-specific work experience
Feedzai
August 2016 – May 2018, New York NY
Project Manager
- Managed several projects in collaboration with the executive team from inception through to closing
- Regularly removed roadblocks to ensure projects were delivered on time
- Presented the results of each project in a clear and efficient manner
- Worked collaboratively with the engineering, product, marketing, and customer success teams
RIGHT – work experience detailing a specific project
Feedzai
August 2016 – May 2018, New York NY
Project Manager
- Led the development of content prediction engine, which grew to $1.5M in annual revenue
- Analyzed the scope of the project based on competitive analysis, interviews with customers, and customer feature requests
- Set deadlines for incremental goals, allocated budget, and worked across software, marketing, and executive teams to ensure all teams were properly resourced
- Communicated progress and roadblocks to stakeholders, including executive management, and made proactive recommendations to remove roadblocks leading to the on-time and on-budget delivery of the project
Specialization and industry experience
Since project managers are in such high demand, they can work in various industries and have a wide range of specializations.
So, if you’re looking for a more specialized PM role, you must highlight your experience in that specialization on your resume. If you’re looking for an I.T. project manager or technical project manager role, you should focus on your experience shepherding projects related to software.
Conversely, if you’re applying for a construction project manager role, your field experience will be more valuable. Focus your resume on the position you’re applying for, and pay particular attention to the project manager job description.
Education and certifications
No matter what you went to school for, you should include your highest level of education on your resume. If you’re an entry-level project manager, you should include relevant classes you took in school that will convince the hiring manager you’ll make for an effective PM.
When you’re a senior PM, you should avoid listing relevant classes because you want the focus of your resume to be your work experience. Since you want to keep it to one page, you can’t afford to use that space for classes.
No matter where you are on the career ladder, certifications can help your candidacy as a project manager.
Top program manager certifications:
- Project Management Professional (PMP)
- PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP)
- Certified Scrum Master (CSM)
- Professional Scrum Master (PSM)
- Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO)
- Kanban Management Professional (KMP)
If you have one of these certifications, you should include it in your education section and your resume objective or summary, should you include one.
Finalizing your project manager resume
Don’t let “perfect” be the enemy of “great.” Building a project manager resume can be daunting, but the hardest part is getting started. Don’t worry about perfection just yet; instead, focus on making your resume great. No one-size-fits-all “perfect” resume exists because each person has different experiences and skills. Just do the best you can!
If you need a launching point, feel free to use our free resume templates or choose a Google Docs resume template. Or you can try a resume outline to give you a relatively blank slate to build on. Add on to include your experience, skills, education, and contact information until it’s complete. Then, and only then, do you need to worry about the details (in which case, go back and reread this guide to make sure you’re hitting all the right notes).
Feel free to edit any of the resumes above in our resume builder or download the project manager resumes as PDFs. Then as you write, follow the rules in this guide. You’ll be well on your way toward landing your next (or first) role as a project manager!
Here’s a quick summary of our resume tips:
- Only include skills you’d be comfortable being interviewed on in your resume. Include these keywords both in your skills section and in your work experience bullet points.
- Make sure your resume objective or resume summary adds value to your candidacy. Avoid vague or generic statements.
- When discussing your work experience, highlight the details of one to two major projects you worked on instead of focusing on one-off tasks you completed.
- Be sure to include your highest level of education and any certifications you have in your resume objective or summary.
And that’s it! We wish you the best of luck in whatever role you hope to land!
