Today’s Project Manager must have a resume reflecting the expertise and skill-readiness for a digital age rife with change. The Project Management Institute (PMI) reported 1.4+ million certifications worldwide in their 2018 Annual Report, indicating the global significance of the profession and the incredible competition in the job market. Use the steps below to create a modern project management resume.
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As you would for any project, think about your timeline, deliverables, and goals. Your resume design plan should enable you to answer: When will I have my new resume ready? Where is the information about my work experience I will need for the resume? Who will proofread my resume/s? Where will I save my resume (personal computer, the cloud, etc.)? What are the sections I will include on my resume (e.g. summary, work history, volunteering, awards)? How often will I update my resume to keep it current?
Having a current resume is part of managing your career and being able to react to new job opportunities in a timely manner.
A resume is a marketing tool for your valuable project management and business skills. The top soft skills in the LinkedIn Learning article about 2019 most in-demand skills include:
Sound familiar? Those are also the skills that can make or break the career of a project manager. In The Project Manager of the Future: Developing digital-age project management skills to thrive in disruptive times (2018) report, the PMI shares that “…project leaders need digital-age competencies: Data science, an innovative mindset, security and privacy knowledge, legal and regulatory compliance knowledge, the ability to make data-driven decisions, and collaborative leadership.”
Consider including a Skills section with both soft skills and technical skills. A strong project management resume shows a professional who has not only the technical know-how but also the people skills to get things done.
A project manager resume is more than a listing of your work with the title of project manager. Provide examples of your ability to adapt, innovate, plan, and manage work. Include any data around results and impact.
As a project manager, you represent your company with clients, teams, and stakeholders. You communicate in many formats with many people. Therefore, hiring managers need project leaders who can not only manage the tasks and team, but possess presentation skills and communication savviness.
Remember your resume is most likely your first impression. Make it count and make it a good one. A clean, organized resume demonstrates communication skills that every project manager needs.
Your resume has about 7 seconds in which the recruiter decides to toss it or to put it in interview list, according to eye tracking research. You’ve spent more time than that reading this blog.
Proofread your resume (and even better, get a trusted peer to proofread it for you as well!) keeping in mind
how easy it will be for the future-boss to be able to find your skills, to identify your education, and, the really important one, to locate your contact information.
Your one- or two-page resume that is clear and easy to use will get more results than a clunky, busy, overly packed one. The interview is for sharing stories and details. The resume is to get you to the interview.
In a digital world with virtual teams, Project Managers must show expertise beyond spreadsheets and Gannt charts. Create a project manager resume that serves as an example of your ability to organize, to communicate, and to inspire action.