One CV challenge you might face as a project manager is effectively demonstrating your unique skills and experience on a resume. Our guide can provide targeted tips to articulate your project successes, leadership qualities, and relevant competencies in a way that stands out to prospective employers.
Structure, write, and edit your project manager CV to land the role of your dreams with our exclusive guide on how to:
- Create an attention-grabbing header that integrates keywords and includes all vital information;
- Add strong action verbs and skills in your experience section, and get inspired by real-world professionals;
- List your education and relevant certification to fill in the gaps in your career history;
- Integrate both hard and soft skills all through your CV.
Discover more industry-specific guides to help you apply for any role in the links below:
Resume examples for project manager
Explore additional project manager cv samples and guides and see what works for your level of experience or role.
By Experience
Senior Project Manager
- Structured and Concise Presentation - Jacob's CV is a model of clarity and structure, efficiently using sections to delineate personal information, a career summary, experiences, education, and more. Each segment is concise yet comprehensive, allowing the reader to quickly grasp the breadth of his expertise without extraneous details. This clear organization enhances readability and ensures key information stands out.
- Progressive Career Trajectory - Jacob exhibits a noteworthy career progression, advancing from an IT Project Coordinator to a Senior Project Manager. This upward mobility highlights not only his growing responsibilities and skills within the IT project management domain but also reflects industry credibility gained through positions at prestigious companies like IBM, Accenture, and Capgemini.
- Results-Oriented Achievements - The CV showcases Jacob's ability to effect substantial business impacts through his projects. His achievements are not just about meeting targets but driving significant enhancements, such as a 25% increase in client satisfaction and reduction in project costs by 15%. These outcomes underscore his capability to deliver business value and client-focused solutions.
Junior Project Manager
- Organised and clear presentation - Alfie Edwards' CV is structured in a way that presents the information in a cohesive manner. Each section is titled clearly, allowing the reader to quickly understand and navigate through his professional background, skills, and achievements. The use of concise bullet points ensures clarity and focus, avoiding any unnecessary verbosity.
- Demonstrates career growth and consistency - Edwards showcases a steady career trajectory in marketing and project management. Starting as a Marketing Intern and advancing to a Marketing Coordinator, he shows a clear progression within the field. Each role builds upon the other, emphasizing consistency and commitment to his career path while also signaling gradual advancement in responsibilities and expertise.
- Integration of advanced tools and innovative strategies - Alfie's experience highlights a proficiency in using project management software and collaboration tools, which is crucial in today's technology-driven environment. His focus on blockchain technology speaks to both industry relevance and technical depth, positioning him as a forward-thinking candidate who adapts to emerging trends and tools within his professional domain.
Associate Project Manager
- Well-Structured Experience Section - The CV meticulously organizes the candidate’s professional progression, highlighting a clear trajectory from Assistant Project Manager to Senior Project Manager. Each role delineates specific achievements, responsibilities, and project impact, painting a vivid picture of consistent career growth and capability enhancement.
- Incorporation of Industry-Specific Certifications - The inclusion of certifications like Prince2 Practitioner and RICS Project Leadership underscores the candidate’s commitment to continuous professional development and mastery of recognized project management methodologies. These credentials not only validate technical competence but also align well with industry expectations for a project management role.
- Demonstrated Leadership and Team Management - An emphasis on managing teams and fostering a culture of excellence suggests strong leadership and interpersonal skills. The CV details specific instances of increasing team productivity and improving stakeholder relationships, signifying the candidate’s ability to effectively lead diverse groups and drive collective success.
Lead Project Manager
- Clear and concise content presentation - The CV is structured logically, presenting information in a concise manner. The clarity of each section is enhanced by a consistent format, neatly categorizing experiences, education, skills, and certifications which makes it easy to follow and digest key points.
- Career trajectory showcasing growth - Alice Barnes's career progression is indicative of a strong upward trajectory in the logistics and supply chain sector. Starting from a Logistics Coordinator role, advancing to Project Manager, and eventually becoming a Senior Project Manager, demonstrates her capability to handle increased responsibilities and complex projects in her field.
- Significant achievements with business impact - The CV doesn't just list roles and responsibilities but highlights achievements with tangible impacts, such as a 30% increase in operational efficiency and a 25% improvement in client satisfaction, reflecting her ability to contribute significantly to business goals beyond mere numbers.
By Role
Project Manager in Construction
- Clear Career Progression and Growth - Samuel Campbell’s CV demonstrates a clear and structured career trajectory, beginning as an Assistant Project Manager and advancing to a Senior Project Manager position at City FM. This progression showcases his dedication and capability in managing more complex and higher-stake projects over time within the facilities management and construction industry.
- Emphasis on Energy Efficiency and Sustainability - The CV highlights Samuel’s focus on sustainability, with specific achievements in reducing energy costs by 15% through optimization of refrigeration and HVAC systems. His commitment to sustainable practices is further reinforced by his passion for sustainable architecture, illustrating a strong alignment with industry trends towards greener construction solutions.
- Effective Cross-functional Team Collaboration - Samuel’s ability to work across various teams is evident in his roles where he has coordinated with consultants, contractors, and store teams. His experience in streamlining communication channels and leading collaborative approaches underlines his skill in fostering teamwork to achieve a 20% increase in project delivery efficiency and enhanced project outcomes.
Project Manager in Finance
- Concise and Structured Presentation - The CV displays a clear and organized format that succinctly communicates Daniel Baker's qualifications. Key sections such as summary, experience, education, skills, and achievements are effectively structured to allow easy navigation and understanding of his professional background, reflecting a polished presentation apt for a Finance Systems Project Manager role.
- Progressive Career Growth - Daniel’s career showcases a logical trajectory from an IT Operations Specialist to a Finance Systems Project Manager. Each role demonstrates increased responsibilities and impact, indicating a clear path of growth, leadership, and specialization in finance operations and systems management that aligns with his current title.
- Adaptability and Cross-Functional Experience - The CV highlights Daniel’s ability to effectively collaborate across departments, as evidenced by his achievements in stakeholder engagement and cross-departmental projects. This cross-functional experience is crucial in finance systems management, where integration and adaptability are key to successful change management and process optimization.
Digital Project Manager
- Clear and Structured Presentation - The CV is exceptionally well-structured, starting with a detailed summary that succinctly encapsulates Samuel Campbell's experience and expertise. The layout is clear, with distinct sections for education, experience, and achievements, which makes it easy to navigate and ensures that key information is quickly accessible.
- Impressive Career Trajectory - Starting from a Project Manager at Accenture and moving to a Senior IT Project Manager position at Vodafone, Samuel's career shows a strong upward trajectory. This progression culminates in his current role as a Digital Project Manager at BP, demonstrating his ability to adapt and thrive in different environments while steadily taking on more responsibility and leadership roles.
- Business-Relevant Achievements - The CV includes impactful achievements that emphasize not only success in meeting targets but also the business relevance of these outcomes. For instance, his implementation of change management strategies at BP resulted in a 25% increase in project efficiency, highlighting how his strategic approaches have real, measurable outcomes for the companies he works with.
Technical Project Manager
- Structured and Concise Presentation - The CV excels in clarity and structure, offering a well-organized view of the candidate’s career. Each section is clearly delineated, and the use of bullet points ensures content is concise and easy to scan, highlighting the most relevant details efficiently.
- Progressive Career Trajectory in Healthcare Technology - Sophia Brooks demonstrates significant career growth, moving from a Technical Project Coordinator to a Project Manager. This trajectory indicates not only her capability to rise within organizations but also her ability to adapt and expand her mastery in healthcare technologies and project management.
- Impactful Achievements with Business Relevance - The achievements listed go beyond quantitative metrics, showcasing their broader impact on business operations. For instance, decreasing project execution time by 25% illustrates her ability to enhance efficiency, while her efforts in technical integration across NHS sites highlight improved user accessibility and compliance.
Project Manager in Healthcare
- Structured and Concise Presentation - The CV is well-organized, providing a clear pathway through the candidate's professional journey. Each section is concise yet informative, ensuring that key achievements and skills are easily accessible to the reader. The use of bullet points enhances readability, allowing potential employers to quickly grasp significant accomplishments.
- Progressive Career Trajectory - Olivia Turner's career progression from a Project Coordinator to a Healthcare Project Manager demonstrates significant professional growth within the healthcare industry. Each role builds on the previous one, showcasing a dedication to advancing in project management and leadership within high-impact healthcare environments.
- Impactful Achievements with Business Relevance - The CV highlights achievements that are not just numerical but also reflect substantial business impact. For instance, streamlined processes improving project throughput by 30%, and leading initiatives saving £200,000 annually, illustrates a strong focus on operational efficiency and strategic cost management, benefiting the organizations involved.
Project Manager in Manufacturing
- Clear and systematic presentation - The CV is well-structured with distinct sections for experience, education, skills, courses, achievements, languages, and passions. Each section is clearly labeled, making it easy for readers to locate specific information. Bullet points under each job role provide concise descriptions of responsibilities and accomplishments, enhancing readability.
- Progressive career trajectory - The career path of Edward Mitchell demonstrates clear progression, beginning as a Production Manager and advancing to a Senior Manufacturing Project Manager. His journey from Thales Group to Rolls-Royce and finally to BAE Systems highlights his upward mobility and increased responsibilities over time, reflecting his proficiency and leadership growth in the manufacturing sector.
- Technical depth and methodologies - The CV emphasizes industry-specific tools and methodologies, including lean manufacturing, SAP MRP systems, and continuous improvement strategies. Edward's involvement in implementing these processes showcases his technical expertise and ability to apply advanced manufacturing techniques to improve productivity and reduce costs, which are critical skills in the defence sector.
Project Manager in Retail
- Strategic Structure and Career Advancement - The CV is exceptionally structured, presenting Leo Brown’s career trajectory in a logical flow from early roles to more complex and responsible positions. This clarity allows the reader to easily follow his career development, highlighting a consistent pattern of promotions and increasing responsibilities within the retail sector, which demonstrates both growth and adaptability.
- Industry-Specific Expertise and Impact - Brown exemplifies unique industry-specific strengths, particularly in retail project management and store design. His proficiency in reducing project delivery times and costs through innovative scheduling and budgeting demonstrates technical depth and mastery of project management methodologies, making him a valuable asset in improving retail operations.
- Leadership and Cross-Functional Skills - His experience across various facets of retail project management underscores his leadership and cross-functional abilities. From overseeing design and installation phases to enhancing customer experiences, Brown exhibits advanced communication and coordination skills that drive significant improvements in store operations and customer satisfaction, distinguishing him as a leader in retail project management.
Project Manager in Non-profit
- Clarity and Structured Presentation - The CV effectively presents information in a clear and well-organized manner, allowing for easy navigation between sections. Each section is clearly labeled, with concise bullet points for roles and achievements, which enhances readability and quick comprehension of the candidate's qualifications.
- Career Progression in Roles - Edward Mitchell demonstrates a strong career trajectory, advancing from a Consultant at KPMG to a Senior Project Manager at Blackbaud, emphasizing consistent growth and increased responsibility over the years. This progression shows his ability to leverage past experiences to rise within the industry.
- Unique Expertise in Not-for-Profit Accounting - The CV highlights Edward's specialized expertise in Not-for-Profit accounting and partner enablement through strategic projects, such as implementing Sage Intacct for numerous organizations. His industry-specific knowledge is reinforced through specialized courses and certifications relevant to his field.
Project Manager in Human Resources
- Structured Presentation with Clear Focus - Poppy Griffiths’ CV is well-organized, presenting each section in a clear and concise manner that makes it easy to navigate. The sections, such as experience, education, and skills, are distinctly separated and emphasized, allowing the hiring manager to quickly identify her qualifications and key achievements. The use of bullet points aids in highlighting significant contributions and ensures the information is digestible.
- Proven Leadership and Mentorship - Throughout her career, Poppy has demonstrated strong leadership abilities, particularly in her role as Senior HR Project Lead. She has not only led major projects but also mentored a team of ten project managers, providing regular training and feedback sessions to enhance their performance. This illustrates her commitment to fostering a collaborative working environment and developing her team's potential.
- Significant Achievements with Business Impact - The CV highlights Poppy’s accomplishments, which have delivered measurable business results. For example, leading a £1M HRIS project that improved efficiency by 30% and saving £150,000 annually through efficient budget management are clear indicators of her ability to drive substantial value for the organizations she works with. These achievements are not just numbers but reflect her strategic approach to optimizing HR operations and resources.
Project Manager in Logistics
- Clear and Structured Presentation - The CV is well-structured, with organized sections that enhance readability. Each section is clearly labeled, making it easy to follow the professional history, skills, and achievements. The bullet points are succinct, providing clarity in detailing responsibilities and accomplishments without overwhelming the reader.
- Progressive Career Growth - Grace Bailey’s career trajectory showcases continuous advancement, moving from a Freight Forwarding Coordinator role to Senior Project Logistics Manager. The progression within the logistics sector indicates a strong professional growth, coupled with increased responsibilities and leadership opportunities.
- Concrete Achievements with Business Impact - The CV effectively emphasizes achievements that have significant business relevance. For instance, negotiating a 10% reduction in freight costs and improving project completion rates by 25% illustrate not just the numerical success but their broader impact on profitability and operational efficiency.
Project Manager in Hospitality
- Structured and Concise Presentation - The CV is organized in a manner that emphasizes clarity and readability, with sections divided into distinct categories such as experience, education, and skills. This structured approach ensures that the reader can quickly identify and absorb the relevant details, aligning with best practices in CV presentation.
- Progressive Career Development - Oscar’s career trajectory exhibits a steady progression from an Assistant Project Manager to a Senior Project Manager, highlighting growth in responsibilities and expertise over time. This upward movement within the logistics industry showcases a clear path of professional development aligned with increasing leadership roles.
- Achievements with Tangible Impact - Throughout the CV, significant achievements are linked to quantifiable business impacts, such as a 20% increase in client satisfaction and coming in under budget by £500,000 annually. These accomplishments demonstrate not only a focus on efficiency but also a keen perception of client needs, underscoring the candidate’s contributions to business success.
Project Manager in Education
- Clear Structure and Conciseness - The CV is meticulously structured, featuring clear sections such as Experience, Education, Skills, and Achievements, each succinctly presented. This allows for easy navigation and quick comprehension of the candidate's credentials and career milestones.
- Robust Career Growth in Project Management - Oliver’s career trajectory displays consistent advancement in the project management domain, progressing from Assistant Project Manager to Senior Project Manager. This advancement reflects his growing expertise and leadership within the education and sustainable development sectors.
- Emphasis on Sustainability and BIM Integration - The CV notably highlights industry-specific proficiencies like sustainable development strategies and BIM integration. This technical depth underscores Oliver's capability to implement cutting-edge solutions that enhance project efficiency and sustainability.
Project Manager in Real Estate
- Logical Content Structure - Scarlett Murphy's CV is well-organized with clear sections that facilitate easy navigation and readability. Each category, from summary and experience to education and skills, is distinctly highlighted, allowing recruiters to quickly find and assess crucial information.
- Proven Career Growth - The career trajectory is impressive, showcasing Murphy's progression from an Assistant Project Manager to a Senior Project Manager. This advancement reflects her capability to take on increasing responsibility, manage larger projects, and lead teams effectively in the real estate industry.
- Impactful Achievements with Business Relevance - The CV highlights specific achievements that not only detail financial savings and efficiency improvements but also indicate significant business impact. For instance, delivering a £45m project under budget shows adept budget management, while securing major contracts underscores her ability to influence business growth and client acquisition.
Project Manager in Energy
- Structured and Comprehensive Presentation - The CV is neatly structured, beginning with a brief yet informative summary that sets the stage for the rest of the document. Each section is clearly delineated, providing concise narratives that effectively capture Sophia's professional journey and highlight her competencies in project management within the energy sector.
- Progressive Career Growth - Sophia's career trajectory is marked by consistent growth, moving from a Commercial Coordinator to a Senior Project Manager. This progression not only signifies a rise in responsibilities and skill application but also highlights her ability to adapt and excel within the energy industry, particularly in managing high-budget projects and leading large teams.
- Significant Industry-Relevant Achievements - Her achievements are not just numerical but emphasize real-world impacts. With specific metrics like a 15% increase in project efficiency and a 25% rise in client satisfaction, the CV effectively articulates Sophia's capacity to deliver substantial and sustainable business results, showcasing her effectiveness in the energy sector's dynamic environment.
Formatting your project manager CV to meet the role expectations
Staring at the blank page for hours on end, you still have no idea how you should start your professional project manager CV. Should you include more colours, two columns, and which sections? What you should remember about your CV format is this - ensure it's minimalistic and doesn't go over the top with fancy fonts and many colours. Instead, focus on writing consistent content that actually answers the job requirements. But, how about the design itself :
- Use the reverse chronological order to showcase your experience, starting with your most recent role;
- Include your contact details (email address, phone number, and location) - and potentially your professional photo - in the header;
- Must-have CV sections include summary or objective, experience, education, and skills: curate the ones that fit your profile;
- Your professional project manager CV should be between one-to-two pages long: select the longer format if you have more experience.
A little bit more about your actual CV design, ensure you're using:
- plenty of serif or sans serif font (e.g. Montserrat, Exo 2, Volkhov) as they are Applicant Tracker System (ATS) compliant. Avoid the likes of Arial and Times New Roman because most candidates' CVs are in this typography.
When submitting your CV, are you still not sure what format it should be? Despite the myth that has been circling around, most modern ATS systems are perfectly capable of reading PDFs. This format is an excellent choice as it keeps all of your information intact.
PRO TIP
For certain fields, consider including infographics or visual elements to represent skills or achievements, but ensure they are simple, professional, and enhance rather than clutter the information.
The top sections on a project manager CV
- Contact Information is a must to allow recruiters to reach you.
- Professional Summary showcases your overall experience.
- Project Management Experience details your relevant job history.
- Key Skills section highlights your project management abilities.
- Relevant Education and Certifications demonstrate formal expertise.
What recruiters value on your CV:
- Highlight your experience with specific methodologies such as Agile, PRINCE2, or Waterfall, demonstrating your flexibility and capability to adapt to different project management frameworks.
- Quantify your achievements with concrete data, such as budgets managed, percentage of projects delivered on time, and cost savings realised through effective project management.
- Emphasise leadership and team management skills by detailing how you've built, led, and motivated project teams, possibly mentioning any cross-functional collaborations or conflict resolution.
- Include your proficiency with project management tools and software like MS Project, Asana, or JIRA, showcasing your ability to navigate complex project planning and tracking systems.
- Address risk management by giving examples of how you've successfully identified, assessed, and mitigated risks in past projects to assure stakeholders and demonstrate foresight.
Recommended reads:
What information should you include in your project manager CV header?
The CV header is potentially the section that recruiters would refer to the most, as it should include your:
- Contact details - your professional (non-work) email address and phone number;
- Professional photograph - if you're applying hinting at the value you bring as a professional.
Many professionals often struggle with writing their project manager CV headline. That's why in the next section of this guide, we've curated examples of how you can optimise this space to pass any form of assessment.
Examples of good CV headlines for project manager:
- Project Manager | Agile & Waterfall Methodologies | PMP Certified | 5 Years of Influencing Change
- Senior Project Lead | IT Infrastructure & Deployment | PRINCE2 Practitioner | 10+ Years Experience
- Associate Project Coordinator | Digital Transformation Specialist | Lean Six Sigma | 3 Years Progressive Experience
- Project Director | Strategic Planning & Execution | MBA | Certified ScrumMaster | 15 Years Leadership
- Project Consultant | Risk Management Expertise | PMI-ACP | International Projects | 8 Years Driving Success
- Technical Project Manager | Software Development Lifecycle | ITIL Foundation | 6 Years Delivering Solutions
Opting between a project manager CV summary or objective
Within the top one third of your project manager CV, you have the opportunity to briefly summarise your best achievements or present your professional goals and dreams. Those two functions are met by either the CV summary or the objective.
- The summary is three-to-five sentences long and should narrate your best successes, while answering key requirements for the role. Select up to three skills which you can feature in your summary. Always aim to present what the actual outcomes were of using your particular skill set. The summary is an excellent choice for more experienced professionals.
- The objective is more focused on showcasing your unique value as a candidate and defining your dreams and ambitions. Think about highlighting how this current opportunity would answer your career vision. Also, about how you could help your potential employers grow. The objective matches the needs of less experienced candidates, who need to prove their skill set and, in particular, their soft skills.
Still not sure about how to write your CV opening statement? Use some best industry examples as inspiration:
CV summaries for a project manager job:
- Highly adept Senior Project Manager with a sterling 12-year tenure guiding large-scale IT projects to successful completion. Possesses a masterful grasp of Agile methodologies and project lifecycle management tools. Celebrated for delivering a high-profile ERP system integration within budget, yielding a 20% increase in operational efficiency.
- Resourceful Project Manager with a specialisation in construction and infrastructure, bringing 8 years of on-site project leadership and a robust portfolio of completed builds including a landmark shopping centre. Excellent command of risk management and MS Project, noted for completing projects 15% quicker than industry standards without compromising quality.
- Experienced Marketing Manager transitioning into Project Management, leveraging an 8-year track record of orchestrating successful campaigns and product launches. Acutely familiar with cross-functional team leadership and a demonstrated history of improving turnaround times by 25%. Committed to achieving operational excellence in project execution.
- Finance Professional pivoting to a Project Management career, equipped with a solid 10-year background in budgeting and strategic financial planning. Adept in data analysis and complex problem-solving, eager to apply transferable organisational skills to drive projects to timely and cost-effective completions.
- Motivated recent graduate with a Master's in Project Management eager to apply academic knowledge and fresh perspective to managing compelling projects. Enthusiastic about employing modern project management software and methodologies to achieve tangible outcomes and exceed client expectations.
- Aspiring Project Manager with a Bachelor's in Business Administration, passionate about embarking on a career in project management. Ardent learner ready to harness exceptional communication and team coordination abilities to foster project success and contribute positively to achieving strategic goals.
More detailed look into your work history: best advice on writing your project manager CV experience section
The CV experience is a space not just to merely list your past roles and responsibilities. It is the CV real estate within which you could detail your greatest accomplishments and skills, while matching the job requirements. Here's what to have in your experience section:
- Prove you have what the job wants with your unique skill set and past successes;
- Start each bullet with a strong, action verb, and continue with the outcome of your responsibility;
- Use any awards, nominations, and recognitions you've received as solid proof of your skill set and expertise;
- align your experience with the role responsibilities and duties.
For more help on how to write your CV experience section, check out the next section of our guide:
Best practices for your CV's work experience section
- Managed a portfolio of projects valued at £5M+, demonstrating strong financial acumen in budget planning and cost control, consistently delivering within 10% of budget targets.
- Implemented Agile methodologies across 15+ teams, resulting in a 20% increase in project delivery speed and improved team member satisfaction through more effective communication and processes.
- Successfully negotiated contracts with external vendors and suppliers that led to cost savings of 8% per project, whilst maintaining quality standards and project timelines.
- Led cross-functional teams of up to 25 members, fostering a collaborative environment that leveraged diverse skillsets and boosted project efficiency by 15%.
- Directed the deployment of a company-wide project management software, enhancing project tracking and reporting capabilities, thereby reducing manual tracking time by 30%.
- Developed and delivered comprehensive project documentation, ensuring that all projects met ISO 9001:2015 compliance requirements and passed all audits with no major findings.
- Guided projects through every phase of the project lifecycle, from initiation to closure, with a personal record of delivering 95% of projects to scope, on time, and on budget.
- Established a formal risk management process that decreased project risks by 25%, successfully identifying and mitigating potential issues before they impacted the project schedule or outcomes.
- Conducted regular project reviews and post-implementation evaluations, leading to the adoption of best practices that enhanced future project efficiency by 10%.
Project Manager
Senior Project Manager
KPMG UK
01/2018-Ongoing
- Led a £4 million infrastructure project, enhancing the data centre capabilities for increased operational resilience and security standards for global financial services.
- Negotiated with 15+ vendors for better pricing on project materials and outsourcing, attaining a reduction in anticipated budget expenditure by 10%.
- Implemented an agile project management approach, improving project milestone completion rate by 20%, significantly accelerating product time-to-market.
Project Manager
IT Project Manager
IBM UK
06/2015-12/2017
- Oversaw the transition of IT services to a new cloud-based platform, affecting 2000+ users across the organisation, delivering the project 2 months ahead of schedule.
- Developed and executed a comprehensive risk management plan that decreased project risks by 25%, safeguarding project timelines and budgets.
- Cultivated a high-performing project team, achieving a 95% team retention rate throughout the project lifecycle and receiving commendation for team leadership.
Project Manager
Digital Project Manager
Capgemini UK
03/2012-05/2015
- Directed a cross-functional team in the delivery of a new SaaS platform, which acquired 30,000 users within the first year of launch.
- Managed project budget of £2.5 million, ensuring optimal allocation of resources to maximise return on investment and meet financial objectives.
- Enhanced communication processes with stakeholders through bi-weekly updates and interactive dashboards, increasing stakeholder satisfaction by 35%.
Project Manager
Marketing Project Manager
Unilever UK
09/2009-02/2012
- Successfully coordinated a marketing campaign project for a major FMCG client, resulting in a 45% increase in brand visibility and market penetration.
- Established a standardized project reporting system across the company, enabling a reduction in reporting time by 40% and enhancing project transparency.
- Facilitated the incorporation of sustainability into project criteria, leading to a 15% improvement in the company's sustainability measures within two years.
Project Manager
Mobile App Project Manager
Vodafone UK
04/2016-11/2019
- Headed the launch of a new mobile application that garnered 500,000 downloads within six months, significantly outperforming initial KPIs by 150%.
- Coordinated with cross-cultural teams across Europe and Asia to ensure alignment with project objectives, maintaining 90% adherence to scheduled milestones.
- Implemented a continuous improvement program that identified key operational inefficiencies, slashing project costs by 12% while maintaining high-quality standards.
Project Manager
Technical Project Manager
BT Group plc
07/2013-08/2016
- Masterminded a large-scale software migration for a telecommunications network, affecting over 10,000 end-points, achieving 30% less downtime than industry average.
- Engineered a project reporting protocol that reduced miscommunications and errors by 20%, ensuring smoother project execution and stakeholder engagement.
- Instigated a supplier quality improvement initiative, leading to a 15% improvement in supplier performance and subsequently enhancing project delivery timelines.
Project Manager
Construction Project Manager
Balfour Beatty
10/2011-03/2014
- Managed the construction of a £12 million office complex, ensuring the project was completed 1 month ahead of the 2-year deadline and under budget by 5%.
- Conducted value engineering exercises with project architects and engineers to deliver 10% cost savings while upholding design integrity and functionality.
- Fostered a safety-first ethos, substantially reducing the number of safety incidents during the project tenure by 30%, subsequently receiving an industry safety award.
Project Manager
Product Development Project Manager
GlaxoSmithKline
02/2017-12/2020
- Championed a multinational product launch over a period of 18 months, coordinating teams in 5 countries, that generated £55 million in sales in the first year.
- Steered a project recovery plan for a struggling product development, realigning team efforts and cutting excess costs by 20%, consequently meeting the initial project scope.
- Implemented a stakeholder engagement framework that improved cross-department collaborations and fortified internal relations, reflected by a 40% uptick in positive feedback from project teams.
Writing your CV without professional experience for your first job or when switching industries
There comes a day, when applying for a job, you happen to have no relevant experience, whatsoever. Yet, you're keen on putting your name in the hat. What should you do? Candidates who part-time experience , internships, and volunteer work.
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PRO TIP
Describe how each job helped you grow or learn something new, showing a continuous development path in your career.
Describing your unique skill set using both hard skills and soft skills
Your project manager CV provides you with the perfect opportunity to spotlight your talents, and at the same time - to pass any form of assessment. Focusing on your skill set across different CV sections is the way to go, as this would provide you with an opportunity to quantify your achievements and successes. There's one common, very simple mistake, which candidates tend to make at this stage. Short on time, they tend to hurry and mess up the spelling of some of the key technologies, skills, and keywords. Copy and paste the particular skill directly from the job requirement to your CV to pass the Applicant Tracker System (ATS) assessment. Now, your CV skills are divided into:
- Technical or hard skills, describing your comfort level with technologies (software and hardware). List your aptitude by curating your certifications, on the work success in the experience section, and technical projects. Use the dedicated skills section to provide recruiters with up to twelve technologies, that match the job requirements, and you're capable of using.
- People or soft skills provide you with an excellent background to communicate, work within a team, solve problems. Don't just copy-paste that you're a "leader" or excel at "analysis". Instead, provide tangible metrics that define your success inusing the particular skill within the strengths, achievements, summary/ objective sections.
Top skills for your project manager CV:
HARD SKILLS
Project Lifecycle Management
Budgeting and Cost Control
Risk Management
Agile and Scrum Methodologies
Quality Assurance
Contract Negotiation and Management
Resource Allocation
Scope and Change Management
Project Planning and Scheduling
Performance Monitoring
SOFT SKILLS
Leadership
Communication
Team Management
Problem-Solving
Adaptability
Time Management
Decision Making
Critical Thinking
Stakeholder Management
Conflict Resolution
PRO TIP
Order your skills based on the relevance to the role you're applying for, ensuring the most pertinent skills catch the employer's attention first.
CV education and certificates: your academic background as proof of your skill set
A common misconception about your project manager CV education is that you only need it, if you have less professional experience. That is completely false. The CV education section serves to back up your technical (and sometimes personal) capabilities, fill in gaps in your work history, and show you have the initial industry background and know-how. When creating your education section:
- List your degrees in the reverse chronological order, starting with the most recent (and relevant) ones first;
- Include your degree and university names, start and graduation dates. It's optional to also denote you received a "First-Class Honours" for diplomas that are more relevant to the role;
- Curate your relevant university coursework, projects, or thesis work if you happen to have less professional expertise and need to integrate more job keywords and skills.
Your professional qualifications don't need to stop at your academic background. It's advisable to also select up to three of your most noteworthy (and relevant) industry certificates and feature them in a dedicated section. Once more, include the certificate name, the institution that issued it out, and the date you obtained it on. You could feature both hard skills and soft skills certificates, as in the examples below:
PRO TIP
If there's a noticeable gap in your skillset for the role you're applying for, mention any steps you're taking to acquire these skills, such as online courses or self-study.
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Key takeaways
Write your professional project manager CV by studying and understanding what the role expectations are. You should next:
- Focus on tailoring your content to answer specific requirements by integrating advert keywords through various CV sections;
- Balance your technical know-how with your personal skills to showcase what the unique value would be of working with you;
- Ensure your CV grammar and spelling (especially of your key information and contact details) is correct;
- Write a CV summary, if your experience is relevant, and an objective, if your career ambitions are more impressive;
- Use active language by including strong, action verbs across your experience, summary/objective, achievements sections.
