Project Managers are jugglers.
Managing multiple deadlines, handling tasks and milestones, striving for maximum cost and time efficiency, while leading a team…
It’s incredible, what you PMs do.
Alas, it isn’t simple to distill effective project management into a singular narrative.
Trying to explain the complexities of project management, and fit it all in a 2-3 page CV?
That can be a real struggle.
Thankfully, we’re here to help you!
We’ve composed a great IT Project Manager resume sample, and share how you can write a solid Project Management resume.
IT Project Manager CV [Full Sample]
Here’s a full IT Project Manager resume sample, which we wrote for a client recently.
- Certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and Scrum Master (CSM) with over 8 years’ experience in Project Management, IT Solutions Management, and Business & Systems Integration across APAC
- Adept in all aspects of project lifecycle management, from planning, requirements gathering and analysis, to driving process change, rollout and troubleshooting. Highly knowledgeable across a variety of sectors, including finance, manufacturing, telecommunications, logistics and government
- Strong leader, capable of directing teams of up to 25, overseeing projects valued at USD$20M, and with a proven ability to deliver projects within tight time and budget constraints
- Delivered application deployment project for DBS with savings of USD$1.8M under budget, by identifying opportunity to renegotiate supplier contracts and leverage third-party consolidation options
- Increased productivity by 25%, without the need for additional staff of equipment, by streamlining processes during systems consolidation project for Australia Telecommunications Limited
- Delivered 80% faster load times as well as 12% annual client cost savings, by converting legacy infrastructure to new cloud-based solution, as part of platform upgrade project for the Australia University of Science and Technology
- Lead team of 25 to oversee conception, requirement gathering, documentation and rollout of business-focused projects (budgeted from USD$2M to USD$20M) across APAC; devise and communicate key objectives, KPIs and project timelines to senior management and project delivery team
- Manage project implementation and deployment. Track performance, identify bottlenecks, and determine response measures to ensure project delivered within time and budget constraints
- Conduct troubleshooting, support and analysis. Gather user feedback, document bugs and change requests, identify opportunities to enhance processes, and deliver workshops and training sessions
- Direct stakeholder management, coordinating with senior management, engaging with third-party vendors, and overseeing negotiations and contracts
- Managed team of 15, directing implementation and optimisation of new Client Relationship Management (CRM) solution, deployed over more than 250 branches, in 50+ cities. Oversaw project budget of USD$20M
- Coordinated with developers, support staff and vendors across Australia, China, Taiwan, Singapore, Indonesia and India, managing systematic rollout and ensuring all functionalities and processes were delivered with 0 disruptions and/or delays
- Delivered solution USD$1.8M under budget by identifying opportunity to renegotiate supplier contracts, leveraging third-party consolidation options
- Spearheaded consolidation of IT systems and processes spread across 4 overseas locations and 30+ regional offices, as well as platform migration of high availability systems, databases, legacy and productivity systems, operating within budget of USD$15M
- Led project delivery, reviewing multiple technology solutions and selecting best based on quality and cost effectiveness, saving client USD$150K per annum
- Increased productivity by 25%, without the need of additional staff or equipment, by streamlining system processes
- Led team of 5, analysing and identifying enhancement opportunities to the MUST ‘Innovation’ platform (designed to facilitate access and engagement to more than 15,000 users, over 40,000+ devices across Australia)
- Determined and defined business requirements, identified areas of process improvement, and presented business case and tender to client senior management team, securing project valued in excess of USD$2M
- Directed platform upgrade project, converting legacy infrastructure to new cloud-based solution, delivering 80% faster load times as well as 12% annual cost saving to the client
- Contributed to project scoping and delivery across desktop, server and storage solutions for corporate and government clients across Australia, valued from USD$150K to USD$5M
- Managed project analysis and preliminary manpower allocation, scheduling, and cost control, liaising with client and senior Project Team. Supported Pre-Sales team in drafting and preparation of tenders
- Coordinated project delivery, managing teams of 2-8, monitoring deployment, verifying delivery timeframes and objectives, and acting as central point of contact for all project stakeholders
- Project Management: PMI-Certified PMP, Clarity, MS Project
- Data Modelling: ERD, Data Flow Diagrams, UML, Use Case Modelling
- Development Methods: Agile, Waterfall
- Software Engineering: Full SDLC exposure, Software Quality Assurance
- Languages: Jave, J2EE
- Databases: Oracle (SQL PLUS, P/L SQL), MS Access
- Web Tools: HMTL, XML/XSL, PHP, JavaScript, Apache
- Operating Systems: Unix, Windows, AS400
- Certified Project Management Professional (PMP) Project Management Institute | Australia | 2013
- Certified Scrum Master (CSM)
- Scrum Alliance | Australia | 2011
- Bachelor of Engineering (Software Engineering – First Class Honours)
- Australia University | Australia | 2010
- Nationality: Australian
- Languages: Fluent in English.
- Availability: 2 months’ notice
References available upon request
Writing an IT Resume
Follow the steps of our resume writing guide and you’ll have a killer CV in no time!
1. Resume Header
Ensure your header clearly states your Name, Email Address and Contact Number. There is no need to put your home address or identification number.
2.Breaking Down the Project Manager Resume Sample
An Executive Summary is the opening paragraph of your CV. It’s a snapshot of your overall career.
As Project Managers, think of this as the high level Project Brief – a snapshot of your overall career.
In the 6 seconds recruiters spend reading your CV, they will read your Executive Summary first.
Be sure to present your unique selling point and career narrative in your Executive Summary.
First, let us show you what to avoid:
- Certified Project Management Professional with experience in Project Management, IT Solutions Management, and Business & Systems Integration.
- Adept at latest Project Management Softwares and IT Solutions to ensure maximum business success
- Accomplished leader, experienced in directing multiple large teams, overseeing cross-disciplinary projects, with a proven ability to deliver projects effectively and successfully
Now look at one which we had written for a client:
- Certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and Scrum Master (CSM) with over 8 years’ experience in Project Management, IT Solutions Management, and Business & Systems Integration across APAC
- Adept in all aspects of project lifecycle management, from planning, requirements gathering and analysis, to driving process change, rollout and troubleshooting. Highly knowledgeable across a variety of sectors, including finance, manufacturing, telecommunications, logistics and government
- Strong leader, capable of directing teams of up to 25, overseeing projects valued at USD$20M, and with a proven ability to deliver projects within tight time and budget constraints
- Achievements include:
- Delivered application deployment project for DBS with savings of USD$1.8M under budget, by identifying opportunity to renegotiate supplier contracts and leverage third-party consolidation options
- Increased productivity by 25%, without the need for additional staff of equipment, by streamlining processes during systems consolidation project for SingTel
- Delivered 80% faster load times as well as 12% annual client cost savings, by converting legacy infrastructure to new cloud-based solution, as part of platform upgrade project for the Defence Science and Technology Agency
What makes the second one better?
It demonstrates:
- Specific Information. While the candidate provided a high-level career overview (years of experience and domains of expertise), he has also indicated his Project Management Certifications (PMP, CSM) and specific Project Management skills that are high in demand within the Project Management field. These traits include end-to-end project management, requirement gathering and change management. In contrast, the first Executive Summary reads a tad bland and generic.
- Communication. The first Executive Summary tells recruiters what the candidate can do. Alas the summary is riddled with generic statements that seem to mask the candidate’s real abilities. This is a huge red flag for recruiters! In contrast, the second Executive Summary illuminates the candidate’s career. His skills are strengthened by Significant Achievements – they show recruiters the candidate’s strengths. We’ll elaborate more on Achievements below.
- Attention to Detail. Numbers and metrics convey a sense of scale to your Achievements. But more importantly, they reflect an attention to detail. As Project Managers, you know that the devil lies in the details, and that detail-oriented Project Managers excel at their role. Therefore, be concise and detailed in your Executive Summary, inserting only key information.
If you’re struggling to write an Executive Summary, don’t fret! Writing an effective Executive Summary can be challenging. We’ve helped over 10,000 clients with our Free CV Feedback. Will you be the next?
Just send us your CV for a free review – we’ll look through it and share our feedback – all at no cost!
3.Key Skills to include in a Project Manager Resume
After captivating the recruiter with a strong Executive Summary, you want to show them specific skills you can bring to the table.
In this section, insert skills that you are proficient in. Be mindful to include exact keywords used in the job description. This increases the chances of getting your resume past ATS scanners (resume scanning software).
ResumeWriter Tip: Scan the job application and add the exact key phrases used in the description, into your resume.
Examples of Project Manager Resume Key Skills:
- Project Management
- Project Scoping
- Strategic Roadmapping
- Change Management
- IT Operations
- Software/IT Architecture
- Service Delivery Management
- Procedure Review
- Internal & External Vendor Management
- Stakeholder Management
- Negotiation
- Troubleshooting & Support
- Client & Stakeholder Communication
- Team Leadership
- Internal Team Training
4.Achievements and Work Experiences in Project Manager Resumes
Work Experiences
As Project Managers, you handle hundreds of details in a Project. This makes your resume very lengthy – a pitfall you absolutely want to avoid.
So, what exactly do you write in your resume?
Here’s a trick: Cluster daily workscopes around responsibilities and high-level summaries. Omit implied workscopes to save space.
If you’re not sure exactly what to write, just reach out to us! We’ll provide detailed feedback on your CV at no cost!
Here’s the Work Experiences section of a client’s Project Manager Resume before he purchased our service:
- Lead team of IT Professionals and System Engineers to drive all components of Project Management, including requirement gathering from clients, documenting key changes and procedures, working with key stakeholders, internal project delivery team, senior management and external vendors to drive projects.
- Drive implementation of all projects I am responsible for, and deployed successful solutions to assigned projects.
- Resolve any issues that cropped up during execution of project, and ensured that projects stuck to assigned timeline and budget. Ensured projects are completed to client’s satisfaction.
Here’s how we improved his resume’s Work Experiences.
- Lead team of 25 to oversee conception, requirement gathering, documentation and rollout of business-focused projects (budgeted from USD$2M to USD$20M) across APAC; devise and communicate key objectives, KPIs and project timelines to senior management and project delivery team
- Manage project implementation and deployment. Track performance, identify bottlenecks, and determine response measures to ensure project delivered within time and budget constraints
- Conduct troubleshooting, support and analysis. Gather user feedback, document bugs and change requests, identify opportunities to enhance processes, and deliver workshops and training sessions
- Direct stakeholder management, coordinating with senior management, engaging with third-party vendors, and overseeing negotiations and contracts
Clearly, the latter Work Experience example reads so much better than the former.
Why?
- Firstly, the second Work Experience example is so much easier to read. Each bulletpoint conveyed one key trait. In contrast, the earlier Work Experience example compresses all his Client Relations and Advisory workscopes into one lengthy point.
- It is easy to infer this Project Manager’s responsibilities from just one glance.
- The second example highlighted specific traits. We know exactly how James advised his UHNW clients: by suggesting a broad spectrum of conventional and unconventional investment instruments for them to maximise portfolio returns. In contrast, the first example only told recruiters what he did.
- Implied work experiences like attending meetings are omitted.
- No pronouns or articles in the second example.
5. Key Achievements
Writing effective workscopes is important.
But Achievements are the X-factor that help YOU stand out from other Project Managers.
Want to make a hiring manager go “WOW!” when they read your resume?
Be more than just a planner!
Hiring managers aren’t impressed by someone who just knows how to do project management…
…they’re dazzled by someone that excels at it!
Build a trophy case, and show off your achievements AND past projects.
Demonstrate how your project management has led to tangible business benefits.
Take a look at this example.
- Managed team of 15, directing implementation and optimisation of new Client Relationship Management (CRM) solution, deployed over more than 250 branches, in 50+ cities. Oversaw project budget of USD$20M
- Coordinated with developers, support staff and vendors across Singapore, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Indonesia and India, managing systematic rollout and ensuring all functionalities and processes were delivered with 0 disruptions and/or delays
- Delivered solution USD$1.8M under budget by identifying opportunity to renegotiate supplier contracts, leveraging third-party consolidation options
- Spearheaded consolidation of IT systems and processes spread across 4 overseas locations and 30+ regional offices, as well as platform migration of high availability systems, databases, legacy and productivity systems, operating within budget of USD$15M
- Led project delivery, reviewing multiple technology solutions and selecting best based on quality and cost effectiveness, saving client USD$150K per annum
- Increased productivity by 25%, without the need of additional staff or equipment, by streamlining system processes
Isn’t this an amazing curation of Achievements?
This candidate’s workscopes tells us he is a good Project Manager.
But this selection of Projects, together with embedded Achievements, shows how he successfully KILLS IT in his role – they show us his business results!
He dangles these juicy results in front of us recruiters’ eyes.
As recruiters, we’d LOVE to call him in for an interview!
Highlighting a selection of Projects are more effective than just writing your day-to-day responsibilities.
But writing great Achievements – Achievements that show business results – are the secret sauce to a successful resume.
As a Project Manager, what kinds of Project Management-related Achievements could you write?
- Include projects which you have led and their resulting tangible business benefits. These benefits could be:
- Revenue gain to client
- Costs saved
- Time saved
- Project Management Awards, if any
- Tie your Projects to business benefits. Hiring managers and employers want to see your results.
- Include as many details as possible on the success of your projects. With the advent of Project Management software and methodologies, there is plenty of emphasis these days on metrics from projects you’ve managed. Effective metrics to capture include:
- ROI
- Productivity gains
- Revenues from marketing projects you spearheaded
- Costs saved
- One especially crucial area to talk about is your experience in optimising campaigns with the data that flows in.
Bonus Job Hunting Tips for Project Managers
You’ve learnt what it takes to write a successful Project Manager resume. But what exactly are some of the latest traits that recruiters looking out for?
Key Pointers Hiring Managers Look For in Project Manager Resumes
We’ve poked around our network of recruiters and headhunters in Australia. This is what we’ve learnt:
1. Ability to Lead
- Your ability to drive and manage multiple projects simultaneously.
- Your experiences in working with multiple vendors and teams to see through end-to-end project delivery.
- Your knowledge of project management tools and track record for optimising projects based on data-driven touchpoints.
- Your ability to track, analyse, synthesise and draw actionable insights from data.
Project Manager Free CV Feedback
- Now you know how to write a great Project Manager Resume, and what the latest hiring trends are.
- Why not try writing your own, using our Free Downloadable Resume Templates?
- If you’ve any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out. We’re here to help! Alternatively, feel free to purchase a resume writing package – we can take this task off your hands!
- Before you start sending out applications, don’t forget to get a free CV Feedback Session with our team! We’ll give your resume a free review, before you start sending out applications!
IT Project Manager Job Opportunities
- Join LinkedIn groups or follow companies you wish to work for to keep abreast with new job openings.
- Alternatively, you can reach out to these headhunters in Australia to learn about any vacancies they may be trying to fill out.
Job Hunting Tips from our Resident Headhunter
- Create a winning cover letter and send it along your resume. The cover letter will serve as an introduction about yourself and is a great venue to answer the question “Why should we hire you?”
- Be active on social media, particularly on LinkedIn. Make sure to create a strong online profile that represents you and you professional experiences. Here’s our comprehensive guide on writing a great LinkedIn profile.
How to Prepare for a Project Manager Job Interview
Before You Go…
Be sure to download this resume sample, which uses our tested-and-proven resume writing techniques, as a guide for your own CV. Best part is, this sample is available for free 🙂
And before you start sending out applications, send us your resume for a free CV feedback analysis from our team. We’ll review your CV in detail, share personalised feedback on its strengths and weaknesses, and show you how you can improve it.