However, many people hesitate to apply for jobs because they don’t have the proper resume. A good resume will get you on your way to success. Let’s show you how you can write a Product Manager resume that will stand out from the crowd. By the end, with the right techniques, templates and advice for successful product management, you should have a job-winning resume in your hand!
Looking at the job market
Product Managers are always in high demand in the business sector. They are in charge of product-related procedures. They brainstorm and create new strategies to develop product output and general productivity.
As an Associate Product Manager, you can earn an average salary of $70,000 per year. When you have enough experience in this field, you will move on to Senior Product Manager, earning $126,000 per year on average. And if you can secure the Product Management Director’s role for yourself, your salary will go up to $147,000 per year.
With the perfect Product Manager resume, you can land jobs with Amazon.com Inc, Oracle Corp., Medline Industries, Inc., and International Business Machines (IBM) Corp. Do these sound like your dream companies?
Then let’s talk about how you can build a solid resume to grab a Product Manager role in one of these big corporations.
Example of a resume
Before we go into the tips and tricks of writing your very first resume for Product Manager, let’s look at a Product Manager resume sample.
To get started, check out our resume templates
How to Make A Product Manager Resume
How do you define your product management skills?
Many job seekers are looking for the position of Product Manager right now. So why should your recruiter consider you? For this, you need to have a brilliant, concise and professional-looking Product Manager CV that will catch your hiring manager’s eyes immediately. Including your education, work experience, and technical skills is a must for this particular job role.
The Layout of the Product Manager Resume
Your resume's layout determines how it looks. Remember that hundreds of job seekers are applying for the same post every day. So, the average hiring manager does not spend more than 10 seconds on each application unless it is an especially eye-grabbing one.
Use Colours
When we ask you to use colors, we don’t mean anything too flashy or too bright. That can turn your recruiter off. Instead, use professional and muted colors that make your resume one of a kind. It’s something that you will need for good product management.
Catchy Headers
Make separate paragraphs in your resume. One extended essay about your achievements will be boring. For each section you make, use catchy headers to arrest your employer’s attention.
Bullet Points
Always list your skills using bullet points. They make your resume concise and increase your chances of selection.
Structure of the Product Manager Resume
The structure of your resume is the arrangement of your details. Have you ever wondered if you should put your latest work experience at the top? You may also have wondered whether to put your education before your professional background or the other way round. Let us look at why we have different structures so you know which is best for your current situation.
To adequately structure your resume, you need to know about the three kinds of formatting you can use when making your Product Manager resume. Good product management needs product managers who understand their job. They need to carry out robust user research, be active in their job search, and can collaborate with cross functional teams.
Researching the market is essential. Your resume template needs to list out all important details for product managers.
These formatting styles will help you maintain your professionalism and add more appeal to your application.
1. Reverse Chronological Formatting
This is the most popular formatting style for creating an excellent resume for any job listing. In this format, you list every detail in the reverse chronological format. This means that your most recent fact goes on top, and the oldest goes at the bottom. However this is less suitable if you don’t have a lot of relevant experience.
2. Functional Formatting
Functional formatting is what you use when you have the proper technical background for the job at hand but not enough relevant work experience. Hiring managers will look for this.
3. Combination Formatting
You can use this resume format when you have both the job description’s key skills and the related professional experience. Product management experience is important for a product manager job.
Here are some of our tips we’d like you to consider before writing your resume -
- If you are an entry-level Product Manager writing your first resume, we recommend using either functional or combination formatting. These formats will highlight your technical expertise more.
- We recommend using the reverse chronological format for your resume if you are an experienced candidate because this is the most professional structure of all.
- To your prospective employer, your professional experience holds more importance than your education. You have to include both in your resume, but highlight your work experience before your education.
If you want to understand how these resume formats work, you can check out our Product Manager resume examples.
Start with the Header of the Product Manager Resume
Many people are often surprised that they need to include a header in their resume. The truth is, without a header, your resume is not attractive enough. Imagine writing an essay without a title. How will the reader know what your essay is all about? A resume header is nothing different. Here are a few product manager resume examples for you to check.
Example of a Header
Let’s look at some examples of a Product Manager resume example header to help you understand the correct way of writing it.
INCORRECTRachel Redwood, lives in Atlanta, works as a Senior Product Manager in IBM. My email is ra6elforevr@gmail.com.
CORRECTRachel Redwood
Senior Product Manager
Atlanta
555-6586-990
rachelredwood@gmail.com
- Your header is where you put your contact information. But you have to format it nicely, just like these product manager resume examples. Don’t write it in a sentence.
- Always use a professional email. If you look at the incorrect example, you will see that the email is too casual and shows a lack of professionalism.
Professional Summary/Profile
How does your product management resume look like? A great product manager resume needs to conduct market research properly to address the needs of the job posting.
Your professional summary is where you answer this question - why should your employer hire you? It’s a short introduction to everything else you will be writing in your resume. You write a concise paragraph about your years of experience, your field of expertise, and what you can bring to the company.
Let’s look at some product manager resume examples
CORRECTInnovative Product Manager with six years of experience launching excellent products that increase profits. A proven track record in designing product roadmaps and formulating cost-effective product strategies. Expert at establishing solid workplace relationships and fostering teamwork.
INCORRECTTalented Junior Product Manager who has been working with IBM for the last 7 years to increase their profits constantly. Helped my team members to create so many great strategies to increase profits and grow the company. Invaluable when it comes to communicating with colleagues.
If you look at the two examples, you will see that the one we marked as incorrect sounds highly unprofessional. Product managers should not do this. It also repeatedly talks about one thing and hardly brings in variety. You may have minimal experience, but you must know how to present it professionally.
You need to have a go-to-market strategy, whether you are applying for an entry level product manager or for a development team.
Remember to mention only the achievements most relevant to the Product Manager role at hand.
Use short sentences to summarise significant achievements and strengths. Don’t cram everything into one long, dull sentence.
Read through the product manager resume example before sending your resume to the particular prospective employer.
Work Experience in a Product Manager Resume
Product management is what you need to excel at.
Have you organized product management events in your last job as a Senior Product Manager? Did you conduct thoughtful market research and develop creative product strategies? You will include these details in your professional experience section.
For a recruiter, those who can meet the requirements of their job description are particularly interesting candidates. Some jobs require freshers, and some require more experienced Product Managers. You have to frame your professional experience section to match it with what hiring managers expect from candidates.
Work Experience in the Product Manager Resume
To create a great Product Manager resume, you need an excellent work experience section. For this, we have some tips we’d like to share. Follow these product manager resume examples tips for the best results.
- Always mention the names of the companies you worked for. Each company gets its section.
- Under each company’s name, mention the role you held there. Include the period for which you worked in the company.
- List the milestones you achieved in each company. Did you help increase the profits of the company? You should include this in your work experience section.
- You may have done many internships, freelance projects, and part-time jobs. It’s always a good idea to include these, but only if they align with the job responsibilities for which you are currently applying.
Example of Work Experience Section for Junior Product Managers
Here’s an example of how you can write your experience section if you are a Junior Product Manager
Junior Product ManagerAmazon.com Inc, Seattle, WA (2008-2014)
- Created product stories and established acceptance criteria based on information gathered.
- Won contracts with distributors that resulted in a 5% cost reduction for the company.
- Successfully formulated environment-friendly solutions, leading to an increase in the company’s use of sustainable products by 38%.
- Gained working experience in a business analysis position.
Example of Work Experience Section for Senior Product Managers
Can you impress the hiring managers? What do product managers look for? Let’s see how the professional experience section of a product management resume can look like.
Senior Product ManagerIBM, Charlotte, NC (2010-2018)
- Developed products and product roadmaps in collaboration with development teams.
- Assisted five teams in delivering high-quality products on time.
- Set up a pricing policy that met company goals and increased profits by 67%.
- Controlled employee performance, sales plans, and closely monitored team members, resulting in a 56% increase in the company’s efficiency.
