Writing a CV for a Project Manager Role

Your CV is a snapshot of your character and your experience, and more importantly, probably the first contact you are likely to have with a potential employer. As a result it is vital to make this first impression count.

When hoping to land Project Manager jobs the layout of your CV is crucial as it is a great way of demonstrating key project management skills such as organisation and planning. A great CV should be easy to read, concise and professional looking.

Here is a quick guide to preparing your Project Manager CV.

Profile Summary

Your Project Manager CV should start with a brief introduction to your character and an explanation to the employer about your aims and motivations. The key here is to keep this very focused around the role you are applying for.

Your profile summary should be a maximum of 6 lines.

Education

Education should be listed in reverse chronological order starting with your most recent qualification. It is recommended that you only go in to detail about the most relevant qualifications, for example, if you have a Project management degree or Prince2 qualification etc.

When listing your education it is generally expected that you would include all relevant information for all qualifications stated. For example, where you studied, course title, course dates and the result you achieved. Although for most Project Managers it is unlikely that you will be fresh out of school, employers do still look for academic qualifications such as A-levels or GCSEs if you have them. Do keep this section as brief as possible though in order to focus on the qualifications that are more relevant to the Project Management jobs you are applying for.

Experience

As with education, your experience should also be listed in reverse chronological order. You should try and make your most relevant Project Management experience the most prominent, and for most people this will mean focusing on your most recent jobs. You should include a brief description of your responsibilities and how these demonstrate the skills that will be transferable to the role you are applying for. Don’t be afraid of using bullet points if necessary, but over use can make your CV look less professional.

You should try to enter start and finish dates for each role, however you are in no obligation to do so, so if you can’t remember, simply enter the months or years you held that job for.

Interests

Your interests and hobbies can help demonstrate key skills i.e. teamwork if you are part of a football team etc and also give employers further insight in to your personality so it is a good idea to include this section.

Your interests section should however be a maximum of 4 lines.

Referees

It is highly likely that you will be asked for references at some point throughout the recruitment process and so it is a good idea to include the names and contact details of your referees on your CV. Sometimes established professionals can have reason to withhold referee details until after interview and this is widely accepted amongst employers. If this is the case for you, simply stating “Referees available on request” is perfectly acceptable.

Project Manager CV tips

• Keep your CV no longer than 2 A4 pages.
• There is no need to include a photo on your CV
• Don’t repeat yourself
• Tailor your CV to every individual job you apply for so you can focus in on the required skills for each role.

For more help and advice writing your Project Manager CV, we have partnered with CV Knowhow who offers a FREE CV Review by expert CV authors. If you would like to take advantage of this offer, click here.