Project Manager Resume Examples and Tips

Choose one of the three standard resume formats to create your project manager resume:

• Chronological resume: This is the most common resume format. It’s best for job seekers with more than nine years of work experience. The chronological format focuses on career progression to show professional growth in a single industry.
• Functional resume: This format is better for candidates with little to no work experience or who just graduated from university. Instead of focusing on work history, it focuses on relevant skills, making it a great option for job seekers who don’t have professional work experience.
• Combination resume: As the name suggests, the hybrid resume combines the chronological and functional formats. It’s ideal for mid-level candidates with three to eight years of work experience, as it gives equal importance to your years of experience and skill set.

Here’s some resume formatting tips you should keep in mind when writing your resume:

• Choose a professional font. Stick to fonts that are easy to read like Arial, Times New Roman and Helvetica.
• Maintain margin consistency. Your resume should have 1-inch margins all around but if you need extra space, you can take them down half an inch.
• Size your font correctly. Make sure your font size is large enough for recruiters and hiring managers to read. Keep the body text between 11 or 12 points, the headings 14-15 and your name 16 or 18.
• Select the right spacing. The spacing between lines should be single or 1.5.
• Download in the right format. Unless the job description states otherwise, most prospective employers prefer to receive a project manager resume as a PDF or MS Word document, so save it accordingly.
• Save time with a template. Our resume templates are made by professionals to pass applicant tracking systems (ATS) that filter through resumes and already come formatted, so you don’t have to worry about margins or spacing.

Here’s what you need to know about writing a professional resume for a project manager job.

1. Header and contact information

In the header section, include your name and contact information, including your phone number, email address and a link to your LinkedIn profile.

2. Resume summary/resume objective

Write your project manager resume summary or objective, where you explain why you’re the best candidate for the job.

A resume summary is a two-to-three-sentence introduction that highlights your years of experience and top skills relevant to the job. It’s best for job seekers with more than two years of work experience. For example:

Solutions-driven project manager with four years of experience in community development. Able to work across departments and with contractors to prepare compliance reports and meet deadlines. Skilled communicator, critical thinker and problem solver comfortable working under pressure.

A resume objective also provides a brief summary of your qualifications but it’s geared towards people with less than two years of experience or candidates changing careers, as it states your career goals. For example:

Highly organized project management professional with two years of experience seeking government position. Skilled at mitigating large-scale programs within housing and infrastructure sector. Well-versed in public speaking and facilitating focus groups with excellent written and verbal communication skills.

3. Skills section

When you move on to your skills section, use bullet points to write your most relevant skills. Make sure to read the job description to tailor your resume to what the company is looking for. Include a mixture of 8-10 hard skills and soft skills, such as:

Hard skills

• Technical skills
• Project budget management
• Managing project timelines and initiatives
• Cost and risk management
• Negotiation
• Evaluating project performance metrics
• Proficient in project management software or methodologies such as Agile, Scrum and Waterfall
• Microsoft Office

Soft skills

• Communication skills
• Interpersonal skills
• Leadership skills
• Teamwork
• Critical thinking and problem-solving skills
• Time management
• Organizational skills
• Conflict management

4. Work experience section

When you list your previous work history, start with your most recent project manager role and work backward toward older project management experiences. Include your job title, years of experience and the company name, and provide a few brief examples of your project manager job responsibilities and accomplishments.

In addition to the tips mentioned above, make the most of your work experience section by:

• Using bullet points to highlight achievements rather than mundane tasks.
• Starting each statement with an action verb like planned, organized, coordinated, programmed or oversaw.
• Quantifying your achievements and using numbers to portray your work achievements better.
• Taking keywords from the job description and including them wherever they fit in your resume.

Use this example project manager resume work history section as a template:

Senior Project Manager / May 2018 – Nov. 2022
Better Designs, Miami, FL

5. Education

List your top educational credentials in the education section. If you have a bachelor’s degree, include your university and graduation year (if you graduated more than 10 years ago, you don’t have to include the date). If you didn’t go to college, then you can list the name of your high school.

Project managers with licenses or PMP certifications can also list their other credentials in this section. Some relevant project management certifications include:

• Project Management Professional (PMP)
• Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM)
• PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP)
• Disciplined Agile Scrum Master (DASM)
• Disciplined Agile Coach (DAC)
• Professional in Business Analysis (PMI-PBA)
• PMI Risk Management Professional (PMI-RMP)
• PMI Project Management Ready

6. Additional sections

Aside from including certifications below the education section, you have the option of creating additional sections to highlight these credentials. You can add sections for awards, publications, grants and other accomplishments relevant to project management.

ResumeHelp has dozens of articles with career advice and resume writing tips, as well as resume samples for other management positions.

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• Resume Basics: More Tips and Guides: Find all the resources you need to write a perfect resume.
• The Qualities That Make a Good Manager: Learn what makes a good manager in our article.
• How to Write a Resume: Follow our expert guide to write a professional project manager resume that accurately reflects your expertise.
• Resume Examples: Find hundreds of resume samples for other jobs and industries in our library.

No project manager job application would be complete without a cover letter. Use our cover letter writing resources to craft a professional cover letter in a few minutes:

• Project Manager Cover Letter Examples: Find the inspiration you need for your cover letter on our project manager cover letter samples page.
• How to Write a Cover Letter: Get all the tips and tricks for writing a professional cover letter.
• Cover Letter Builder: Our user-friendly Builder makes cover letter writing easy and quick.
• Cover Letter Templates: Choose from dozens of templates to find the perfect pair for your resume.
• Cover Letter Format: Make sure your cover letter is formatted correctly with our guide.
• Cover Letter Examples: Explore hundreds of cover letter samples by job and industry.

To wrap up, here’s a summary of what we covered in this article:

1. Choose the resume format that best aligns with your needs and professional experience.
2. Make sure the contact information is up-to-date and professional.
3. Highlight your top skills in your resume summary or resume objective.
4. List a mix of 8-10 hard skills and soft skills that are relevant to the project manager job.
5. Focus your work history on accomplishments and not mundane tasks.
6. Use quantifiable metrics to highlight your work achievements better.
7. Select keywords from the job description to include in your resume.
8. Include important certifications in your education section.
9. You can create additional sections to highlight other important credentials and milestones.
10. Every resume needs a cover letter to complete the job application.