A Project Manager Resume Template You Can Use to Land Your Dream Job

Project management has become an industry buzzword as more and more companies use project managers to implement better strategies, streamline their current processes and improve the overall function of the organization. This has led to an increased demand for well qualified, experienced project managers to drive these projects and ensure their success. Project managers have the ability to see the big picture and simultaneously focus on the detail to lead their team to completion of their project.

For a great introduction to project management, sign up for the Introduction to Project Management course now from Udemy to learn the skills to become a good project manager.

With the increase in demand for project managers, a career as a project manager may open doors to a successful career. If you love problem solving, love learning new technologies, have good communication and leadership skills and enjoy managing details, then a career as a project manager may be just what you are looking for. Getting your start in this lucrative field is not as hard as you might think.

Let’s take a look at a basic project manager’s resume to see what kind of experience and qualifications you may need to secure a position as a project manager.

Project Management Resume Template

Details

You resume must always contain your details. Keep in mind, as a project manager your CV must reflect your skills and abilities, so keep your details clear, concise and to the point.

The Overview Section

The overview section is where you need to add details about your goals and objectives as a project manager. It allows you to highlight your skills and abilities as a project manager. This section should reflect the key skills and abilities you possess that make you a prime candidate for a project management position.

Once again, communication should be clear and concise. Plan your use of key words carefully to reflect the skills you excel at that also make you a great project manager. Skills you want to highlight include communication, the ability to organize, the ability to lead staff and teams. Skills that may be helpful here include your ability to achieve results, to work within budgetary constraints, creative problem solving skills. For list of skills and traits of successful project managers, you can read What Does a Project Manager Do?

If you would like to learn how to successfully manage projects, then sign up for the Project Management for Beginners course from Udemy today.

Certifications You Should Consider

The certifications section allows you to list your courses, certifications and qualifications that prove to your prospective employer that you have the training to manage their particular project. You should limit your courses and qualifications to those that are pertinent to the job you are applying for and to the project management industry in particular.

Courses in communication, leadership and organization can be included in this section. The most important certifications you need to add to this section are ones that qualify you as a project manager. There are a number of different qualifications and certifications which are accepted by industry.

Let us examine three of the top project management certification courses available today:

The Prince2 Certification

The Prince2 Certification is a certification that was designed by the British government for use on their projects. The Prince2 certification has since developed and become widely accepted as one of the top certifications for project managers working in Europe and the European Region as well as other parts of the world. APMG International are the accreditation professionals that offer the Prince2 certification amongst various other project management certifications.

The Prince2 approach to project management is based on 7 processes, 7 principles and 7 themes. The seven processes of project management taught in the Prince2 certification include project startup process, the project direction process, the project initiation process, the project controlling process, the process responsible for product delivery, the process for managing stage boundaries and the process for closing the project.

If you are interested in obtaining a certification to take your project management skills to the next level then Udemy offers a PRINCE2® Foundation Course that will introduce you to the Prince2 certification and take you through the process of obtaining this prestigious certification from APMG.

The PMP Certification

The Project Management Professional certification is widely recognized throughout North America and the rest of the world as the top project management certification available today. Offered by the Project Management Institute, this approach is based on the five phases of project management i.e the initiation of the project, the planning phase, the execution phase, monitoring and controlling the project and the closing phase to create a framework for efficient and successful project management.

If you are interested in obtaining this certification to fast track your career as a project manager then sign up for the Project Management Professional PMP® Certification Training course from Udemy today.

Lean Sigma Project Management

The Lean Six Sigma certification and training is a fairly new certification based on the principles of combining the LEAN management approach with Six Sigma approaches for waste reduction and management. The certifications are offered in different levels called belts, similar to the karate belt system. Lean Six Sigma belt levels include white belt, yellow belt, green belt, black belt and master level. The foundation concepts of Lean Six Sigma were first published in a book by Michael George and Peter Vincent in 2002.

If you are interested in learning the Lean Six Sigma principles as a way to cut costs and increase efficiency and productivity, then register for the Six Sigma Green Belt Training and Certification from Udemy and take the first steps to earning this prestigious certification.

The Competencies Section

The competency section of your resume gives you another opportunity to prove to your employer that you possess the skills they require from a project manager. The competencies section gives you a place to list the skills you excel at that will place you in a position to see the project through from start to finish. Skills like communication, problem solving, leadership and attention to detail are all important qualities that companies are looking for in a good project manager.

Once again, it is important to briefly explain your skills in a concise and clear manner. Be sure to include a good balance of the hard and soft skills that are required as a project manager. For an article on hard and soft skills for resume purposes, you can read: Hard Skills: Find Out What They Are and Why You Need Them on the Udemy blog.

The Experience Section

This section should list your previous employment experience. The experience should be detailed in reverse chronological order with your latest position appearing at the top of the list. It is important to concentrate or highlight the skills you acquired that will be useful for the particular job you’re applying for. Keep the information on your previous experience concise and to the point without listing skills that do not necessarily help you to perform your job as a project manager.

If you do not have experience in the workplace yet, then don’t panic. There are ways that you can gain experience as a project manager for resume purposes without experience.

How to Gain Experience as a Project Manager

If you are new to the job market, and you need to get some experience under your belt as a project manager then there are a number of places you can go to gain valuable skills and experience without having to have previous experience as a project manager. There are, for example, a number of charities that will allow you to run a project on their behalf to gain valuable experience and skills as a project manager.

If you are new to the field, then join LinkedIn Groups, follow twitter feeds and join blogs that focus on project management. These sources will allow you to gain a wealth of information and experience in the industry, they will allow you to keep up with industry focus and changes and they are often a source of potential leads as far as getting experience is concerned.

If you have recently obtained your certification, then you can volunteer to run a project for a local organization or even for your local church. Just be sure to note your roles, skills and attributes so that you can use these on your resume when you are ready to start looking for your first project management position.

If you are currently working and would like to shift from your current position into a project management position, then you can offer to stand in for a project manager if the opportunity arises. You could also step up and offer to take the lead in a project your team is currently working on. You can also ensure that you excel at the tasks that would make you a good project manager with a view to making a move a little later in your career. You can also begin a certification course while you are working within another department. To start your certification as a project manager whilst working as something else, sign up for the Project Management – PMP Online Training course from Udemy today.

The Tools Section

The tools section of the resume is designed to allow you to highlight the tools you have used for project management purposes. Documentation and project design requires a good knowledge of the various software tools that a project manager relies on to ensure the smooth progress of a project.

A good knowledge of Excel is often essential for project management. For a great course on Excel, sign up for the Excel For Project Managers course now from Udemy to ensure you know how to harness the power of Excel as a project manager.

Another top software tool for projects managers is Microsoft Project. Udemy offers Mastering Microsoft Project 2010 Made Easy Training Tutorial that will teach you how to get the most out of Microsoft project for your next project management challenge.

How to Create the Best Project Management Resume

The most important thing to remember about a resume, is that you are creating the resume to show prospective employers what value you will bring to their project or organization. It is therefore important to strike a balance between the amounts of information you provide them. You need to ensure that the information highlights your various skills and abilities.

It is also important to edit your resume before you send it out. The quality of your resume reflects the quality of your work. A project manager has to focus on the big picture as well as the details, and spelling or grammatical errors in a resume will reflect badly on your ability to ensure quality and detail.

For a course on how write a great resume, sign up for How To Make Your Resume Standout from Udemy today and make sure that your resume lands you the perfect project management position.