Tips for Creating an Outstanding Project Manager Resume
Posted November 15th, 2016
You only get one chance to make a first impression and, when it comes to finding a new job, your resume is often the introduction to your professional self. Making sure your resume is in the best shape possible can help lead to more opportunities to interview for the positions to which you applied.
To help ensure your resume is presentation ready, here are some tips to get everything squared away.
Start with Your Eyes
A resume needs to be visually comfortable to entice a recruiter or hiring manager to read it. You want to keep the appearance clean and make sure that the text is easy to read. Strike a balance between text and white space by eliminating visual clutter and streamlining the content.
If you have jobs listed that are not relevant to the position you are hoping to get, then consider removing them for your resume. This goes for double if your current iteration is on the cluttered side. Make sure the formatting highlights the critical job requirements, such as required skills or educational minimums.
Keep the text simple and clear. Avoid overly stylized fonts as well as using a size that makes it difficult to read. Review for spelling and grammar errors and confirm your contact information is clear and correct.
Now Customize
Matching your resume to the specific job description takes extra time, but it also increases the odds that it will be read. Applicant Tracking Systems often use keywords as a factor when determining if your resume moves forward in the process, and recruitment professionals may scan for critical pieces of information based on the content of the job posting.
By putting in additional effort, you are more likely to be noticed.
Highlight Soft Skills
Once your hard skills are covered, you need to highlight the soft skills you bring to the table. This includes leadership and management experience, as well as communication and organizational skills. Consider any language used in the job posting as a guide and add information to support each point.
Often, these skills are considered critical to companies, but many applicants fail to speak to them directly. Find a way to integrate these points into the content of your resume to create a well-rounded picture of your capabilities.
Be Proud of Your Accomplishments
Beyond covering previous job duties and skills, include information regarding some of your biggest project wins and other accomplishments. Referencing recent and relevant examples of when your work led to stellar results helps hiring managers to envision what you can do for them. Be enthusiastic in your descriptions and quantify the information whenever possible.
For example, stating that your project led to increased sales isn’t as enticing as stating that sales increased over X percent or by a specific monetary amount. Numbers also stand out against a sea of letters in your resume, so feel free to use them to attract the eye to your next great accomplishment.
If you are looking for a new project management position, and want to make sure your resume is doing all of the right things, the employment specialists at Bayside can help go from good to outstanding. Contact Us Today!
