But how do you show all of your qualifying skills, professional skills, and achievements to the hiring managers that are looking for project managers?
The best way to impress the hiring manager and be successful in your hiring process is by writing an effective IT project manager resume!
Our article is made to help you write the best IT project manager resume sample. Follow our tips and examples for resume success!
It is no mystery that many companies and jobs are going digital. Most projects in the information technology industries need expert project managers to get the job done.
According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, the annual revenue for a project manager working in computer systems is equivalent to $101,500 as of May 2020.
The demand for a technical project manager has never been so high! However, with increased demand comes an increase in supply.
There are going to be lots of job seekers aiming for the same dream job that you are. When this is the case, it's best to go at it prepared by having an excellent, strong professional resume.
How to make an IT Project Manager Resume
As a project manager, you're going to have to have a wide variety of skills to do your job successfully. Understanding project scope, some computer science, risk analysis, and the ability to achieve business goals are some of the many abilities you must possess.
We know you do what it takes to meet and exceed expectations, but the main person you have to impress is the hiring manager.
In order for your application to have merit and success, you'll need to start with some resume writing basics.
Proper cover letters all have a well-thought-out layout and resume format. These two elements are essential for making an effective resume.
The layout of the IT Project Manager Resume
Project manager resumes should present your abilities and experience in an impactful and effective way, but making this information comprehensible, logical, and attractive is just as important.
If your resume does not have a proper layout, also called a resume template, you will not be able to showcase your project management experience effectively.
Sections give your resume layout a cleaner look. When the content is separated like this, the hiring managers will have a much easier time going through your IT project manager resume.
We recommend applying the following layout order to your application to ensure a good resume:
- Contact Information
- Professional Objective / Professional Summary
- Work Experience Section
- Education Section
- Skills Section
- Additional Information
The structure of the IT Project Manager Resume
After you've successfully established the layout for your project manager resume, it's time to start writing the actual content itself!
But you need to make sure that the text you're writing has the proper structure.
There are several ways to ensure that your professional experience is well written.
The first is to make sure you use an appropriate resume format for your job descriptions in your work experience and education sections. The most popular resume format is the reverse-chronological format.
Another important piece of text structure can be ensured by bullet points.
Additionally, for maximum clarity, we recommend using a Times New Roman or Arial font style for your text.
Start with the Contact Information of the IT Project Manager Resume
Whether it's a senior technical project manager resume or an entry level project manager application, all of them have to start the same way.
Every good resume has to begin with a contact information section.
This section is where you'll be able to provide all of the necessary contact details for the hiring managers reading your resume.
Afterward, write your contact information below. Include your job title, physical address, work phone number, email address, as well as a LinkedIn or any other relevant website.
Example of a header / Example of a bad header for IT Project Manager
Project Manager
Austin, Texas
RebecaCostaAzevedo@rhyta.com806-288-3545
https://fivettesulle.com/
Rebeca Costa Azevedo
Project Manager
566 Hilltop Drive Lubbock, TX 79401
RebecaCostaAzevedo@rhyta.com
806-288-3545
https://fivettesulle.com/
This is an ineffective header for the contact information section. We can’t see the name as the title, because it's the same size as the rest of the text. Recruiters will have to look for the applicant's name, which will reduce the chances of job success.
Is a photo required in the IT Project Manager Resume?
In case you have a great-looking, professional photo of yourself lying around, you might be wondering whether or not you should include it in your IT project manager resume?
Indeed, we recommend NOT including a photo in your application also because the resume for a position such as a project manager has to be content-focused.
All of the space on the resume page must be dedicated to resume sections showcasing your skills and abilities.
Choosing your IT Project Manager Title
As we've mentioned before, it is always best to title your resume with your name.
The project manager resume is a representation of who you are as a project management professional; it's only natural that the title of the application is your name.
The hiring managers must clearly see who the application is about.
Resume Professional summary for IT Project Manager
Most hiring managers face a great deal of difficulty reading through every single project manager resume that they receive. This is caused by the sheer amount of applications a company can receive for an open vacancy every single day.
Because of the large volume of applications, recruiters tend to skim through resumes. A hiring manager is only going to spend a couple of seconds per CV.
So how can we gain the hiring manager's attention in such a short amount of time?
There are two ways we can do this, with a resume summary or resume objective:
As a senior project manager, you may benefit from the project manager's resume summary. Those with greater experience can present their best achievements, work experiences, and talents here.
An entry level project manager would benefit from including a project manager resume objective. If the candidate has no experience, he or she can write about their career motivation and their project management skills, and relevant experiences that make them a good fit for the company.
Resume Summary examples
Motivated project management professional with 3 years of experience in the computer science sector and a strong background in leading cross-functional teams to create and develop world-class technology solutions. Committed and value-driven with excellent interpersonal skills.
This is an ineffective resume summary. It’s bland, too ambiguous and comes off as lazy and uninteresting.
Project manager with experience in the computer science sector and in leading a team in creating top-notch technology solutions. Excellent interpersonal and leadership skills.
Resume Objective example
Talented and resourceful software developer looking for a role in the gaming and military simulation industries. A collaborative team player and an excellent written and verbal communicator. Seeking a challenging position in an esteemed organization to expand and utilize my learning, skills and knowledge.
Work Experience in the IT Project Manager Resume
Now that the project manager resume summary section has been taken care of, we'll be shifting our sights to the most important part of your project manager resume - the experience section.
The experience section is going to take up the largest space in your application because you're going to list your work history and job description in detail here.
The experience section gives you the ability to talk about your past relevant work experience. This should be the part of the application where you talk about your past job duties, achievements, and benefits you brought to previous employers.
Hiring managers have to see a well-written experience section in order for them to consider the resume and your capabilities a good fit for the hiring company.
Describe your professional experiences on your IT Project Manager Resume
As a manager, you've probably worked in positions where you had to complete projects ranging from capacity planning to cost savings; now, it's time to put all of that experience into your project manager resume.
You'll be writing about the specifics of the job. Write about your responsibilities and achievements.
Don't forget to use the reverse chronological format and bullet points for the job description. Each key point you'll be making for a job description needs its own bullet point.
Check out our resume builder for more project manager resume examples; click here!
Examples of work experience for IT Project Manager
Pro-Care Garden Technologies
09/2019 - Present
-
- Managed project data by producing project lifecycle reports to keep leaders abreast of project progress.
Supervised schedules of projects and managed resources needed according to specifications given by stakeholders and owners.
Analyzed cost benefits and ROI and created strategic plans outlining the feasibility of company projects.
Communicated with project teams openly and effectively to produce an increase in productivity.
Education in the IT Project Manager Resume
Any decent technology project manager resume is going to showcase your academic qualifications on top of your work experience and skills.
It is true that most business administration and management positions nowadays require some form of higher education. Most places you'll be applying to will require a college degree.
In order to impress the hiring managers, you're going to have to write an effective education section.
Should you start with education or work experience?
A common question for resume writers is whether to start with the education or experience section first?
The answer to that question can be answered in two ways:
If you're an experienced project manager who's managed multiple projects in the past, then you should start with the experience section because the experience will be the main selling point of your application.
If you're an entry level manager, who has little experience and had a part in projects but not as a part of executive management, then we recommend putting the education after the resume summary.
How to properly list your education in an IT Project Manager Resume?
Since writing about your education is crucial in your project manager job search, we'll have to make this section as good-looking as possible.
Remember to use reverse chronological formatting!
You should keep in mind a few crucial points when composing the section. Here are some of the most important points when writing this section:
- To be as clear as possible, put the information about your degree and school in this order: the degree, the school you attended, the graduation date, and additional information afterward (e.g., relevant courses, GPA, extracurriculars).
- The highest form of education you have should come first. Those who have two degrees should write the information about their master's first.
- Reverse chronological formatting is also important!
- You can add additional information about your academic background with bullet points. After you have written the information about the school, use bullet points to list relevant coursework and your GPA.
- Including your GPA should only be done if it is above 3.6.
Example of the education section of an IT Project Manager
B.S. in Computer Science & Engineering
Galgotia College of engineering and technology
2014 - 2018
- GPA 3.63
Skills to put in the Resume for an IT Project Manager
Now that we've taken care of the education, experience, and resume summary sections, there's another essential part to a professional resume that we need to take care of - the skills section.
This is the part of your resume where you'll be able to write all of your relevant skills when it comes to being a project manager. Things like leadership skills, software developer knowledge, and abilities as well as organizational skills are all a good fit for this section.
Now you'll be able to showcase exactly what you wanted to highlight with your skills!
What are the main skills sought for in an IT Project Manager Resume?
In order for your resume to communicate effectively to the hiring managers, it needs a good skill section.
This is the part of your resume where readers will look first to get a good sense of your knowledge and skill, so let's make it look sharp!
We've compiled a few technical and soft skills that we recommend to be included in your application:
- Software Life Cycle Management
- Content Development
- Analytics
- Disaster Recovery Auditing
- W-LAN
- Budget administration
- Material selection
- Project Quality Control
- Task prioritization
- Risk analysis
- Operational Planning
- Quality Control
- Interpersonal skills
- Communication skills
Additional Headings for your IT Project Manager Resume
Once you've finished discussing projects and working with business analysts as a project manager in your resume, you may find that your resume content isn't enough to fill out a full page.
What do you do when this happens?
The answer is quite simple; you add more sections that contain valuable information about your credentials and abilities!
These sections can range from certificates to languages!
Computer skills and certifications in an IT Project Manager Resume
As a professional manager, sometimes you'll be tasked with a specific project, or the new job that you're applying to will have some requirements that are difficult to meet.
A great way to meet the job requirements and sometimes even surpass them is by becoming certified.
Indeed, project management is a job market where many candidates are always seeking ways to improve their credentials and expertise. The best and quickest way to do that is by getting certifications in the field.
We highly recommend adding a certificate section to your IT project manager resume.
You can get certificates at a project management institute.
The following project manager certificates are some of the most popular in the industry; take a look:
- PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP)
- Project Management Professional (PMP)
- Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM)
- Certified ScrumMaster (CSM)
- Professional in Project Management (PPM)
Languages in an IT Project Manager Resume
Another great method of increasing the strength of your resume is by adding in a language section.
The language section is a great addition to an application, especially if the job ad requires its candidates to be bilingual or multilingual.
Summary: Key Points for Writing a Perfect IT Project Manager Resume
Being a project manager can be quite challenging; it requires a lot of knowledge, patience, and experience working with people. Putting the expertise that makes you a good project manager on paper can also be quite difficult. But that's why we've written this article!
Now let's review everything we talked about thus far.
Whether you've managed projects in the past or deal with project plans every day, here are some tips to help you write an effective resume
- At the very top of your contact information section, you should include your name, as well as your email address, work phone number, address, and job title.
- Keep this part of your resume short and sweet, regardless of whether you're writing a resume objective or resume summary. List your top skills, experiences, accomplishments, and career goals.
- Each time you list your experiences, accomplishments, and skills, use a bullet point.
- Maintain the relevance of your work experience and skill section to the job requirements you're applying for.
Write a Cover Letter That Goes With Your IT Project Manager Resume
A cover letter, also known as a CV, is an additional application that you can pair with your IT project manager resume.
The cover letter is basically a resume summary, only a couple of paragraphs long and written in more detail.
The CV should talk about your career goals, abilities, and experiences.
The first paragraph of the CV has to be an introduction to you as a project management professional. Much like a summary or resume objective, write about your skills, goals, and motivation.
The next couple of paragraphs have to be dedicated to your past work experiences. Try to talk in detail about how past employment has helped you become a better project manager.
The last paragraph has to be a conclusion of what you've talked about so far. Mention why you want to be hired for the job and how it can help you / how you can benefit them as a company (i.e., great communication skills, cost-saving, etc.).
Frequently Asked Questions for an IT Project Manager Resume
What should an IT project manager put on a resume?
Be sure to include your education, past relevant work experience, as well as your project management skills and abilities in your project manager resume.
Making sure that all of this information is well written, formatted, and laid out is also quite important.
What does an IT project manager do?
To ensure projects are completed on schedule and within budget, project managers plan and supervise them. Throughout the project, the project manager allocates resources, prepares budgets, monitors progress, and keeps stakeholders informed.
How long should an IT project manager CV be?
We recommend keeping the CV and resume to a one-page maximum. Recruiters skim through resumes; therefore, giving them more than one page will harm your chances of job success.
For more project manager resume examples, check out our resume builder by clicking here!