IEEE Computer Society Team<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
![\"How](\"https:\/\/ieeecs-media.computer.org\/wp-media\/2023\/01\/31001456\/How-to-write-a-compelling-project-manager-resume.jpg\")
If you\u2019re thinking about applying for a project manager position, the key is to make sure you stand out from the competition. Your resume, which often serves as your first impression, can be leveraged as a powerful tool as you distinguish yourself from the rest of the pack. Here\u2019s how to create the kind of project manager resume that puts you ahead of other applicants.<\/p>\n
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Make Your Relevant Experience and Skills Pop<\/h2>\n
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Skills and experience may be seen as more valuable than education, especially in a multi-faceted profession such as project management. Therefore, it\u2019s best to highlight your expertise and skills by putting them higher on your resume than your education.<\/p>\n
You should also list the most relevant ones first. For example, if you\u2019re relatively new to the field, you may not have much, if any, experience under your belt as an actual project manager. But you can still highlight your skills by using verbs like:<\/p>\n
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- Managed<\/li>\n
- Organized<\/li>\n
- Problem-solved<\/li>\n
- Built<\/li>\n
- Adjusted<\/li>\n
- Grew<\/li>\n
- Re-evaluated<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
These all point to the leadership and management skills companies look for in a project manager.<\/p>\n
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Include Side and Personal Projects That Involve Collaborating With Others<\/h2>\n
\nIt\u2019s not just your formal work experience that can wow an interviewer. If they see you have a passion for what you do \u2014 so much so that you engage in projects on the side \u2014 they may be impressed by your dedication.<\/p>\n
For example, if you\u2019ve collaborated with programmers on GitHub in the design of an app, you can highlight applicable elements of the process, such as:<\/p>\n
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- How you took the lead in solving a problem<\/li>\n
- Unexpected challenges you overcame<\/li>\n
- Decisions you made regarding who should handle what and how to maximize the talent you had the privilege of working with<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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Don\u2019t Shy Away From Technical Language<\/h2>\n
\nWhile it would be unwise to drown a hiring manager in an alphabet soup of acronyms, feel free to pepper in a few technical terms here and there. The key is to make them relatively easy to understand \u2014 even for a novice \u2014 using contextual clues.<\/p>\n
For example, you could say, \u201cLead a team in a data visualization project, using Python to build a dashboard that demonstrated company growth over time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Format Your Resume for Easy, Quick Reading<\/h2>\n
You want a hiring manager to be able to quickly skip to relevant sections without having to waste time combing through the text. To do this, try the following formatting tips:<\/p>\n
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- Use plenty of bullet points, and make them no longer than two lines each.<\/li>\n
- Make sure your headings pop, perhaps using a font as big as 22 and bolding them.<\/li>\n
- Separate each section of your resume with a line. For instance, Experience, Skills, and Education can all have a solid line between them.<\/li>\n
- Use active verbs at the beginning of each descriptive phrase. For example, instead of saying, \u201cProgramming, including front-end development with React,\u201d you could say, \u201cDesigned the front ends of applications using React.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Using the IEEE Computer Society\u2019s Build Your Career Newsletter, you can benefit from a host of tips and tricks that can give you an edge in a competitive hiring market. Get started by signing up today.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n