A Step-by-Step Guide: Tailoring your PM Resume
One of the most important parts of job hunting as women in project management is tailoring your PM resume. To do this, you’d first need to know your end goal. Project managers are really good at seeing the big picture; they have the ability to break it down into measurable, attainable tasks to achieve that big picture goal. I get how that could be difficult to put on paper but, it doesn’t have to be.
I sat down with a career coach in 2020 when my life was slightly in shambles after being laid off in the midst of pandemia. She explained to me that it was the perfect time to give my resume a facelift. We had weekly meetings during my job search and after about 5 iterations of building my resume, the interviews and offers came rolling in like crazy. Working with her helped me realize how important it is to really capture the attention of the recruiter or employer with a good resume.
Below is a step-by-step guide for tailoring your PM resume.
Step 1 - Find a very simple and easy to read template.
The last thing a recruiter or an employer wants to do is read a resume that’s hard to understand. The layout should be very simple and sectioned appropriately. Name and contact first, summary section second, experience third, education and certifications last. If there are any additional pm tools that you use that are not mentioned in the experience section, include those at the end.
Using color is okay but make sure it’s something like a dark blue or green. Your resume should include the last 10 years of relevant experience and no more than 2 pages. And the font should be no smaller than 12 points.
There are also some really good online resume builders available. All you have to do is input your information and the builder will format it. In the video below, Cindy explains the pros and cons of a few free online resume builders including Resumebuilder.indeed.com and Google Docs.
Step 2 - Write a really good summary of what you do.
Basically, you need to sell yourself. Like really big yourself up in the summary section. Don’t lie - big mistake. Just use words that enhance what your specialty is. You may have a killer resume and meet all the qualifications, but if there’s another candidate whose resume is just as good, the summary section could make the difference. If you have an objective, include that in your summary.
The summary section should be no more than 4 sentences long. Remember step 1 - simplicity.
Step 3 - Instead of listing duties, list relevant things that make you stand out.
What you don’t want to do is sound basic. Simple, yes - basic, no. So listing duties that all women in project management do is not the move. Instead, list your achievements and major responsibilities.
Remember that time you implemented the new project management software and trained over 15 project managers on how to use it? Or the time you successfully crashed the new build project and were able to mitigate all risks and meet the new deadline? Include those moments that set you apart.
Step 4- Utilize keywords and numbers.
Make sure that your resume is tailored to each role you’d like to apply for . Do this by including keywords from the job description in your resume. Again - don’t lie. If you haven’t used a particular pm tool, don’t say that you did. If the job description mentions having experience in waterfall or agile methodologies, be sure to include it in your resume.
You should also use numbers. If you increased sales by 30% by leading a team of programmers in creating a new CRM software, include that. If you lead three different project teams simultaneously and complete all projects on time, don’t leave that out. Knowing your metrics is very important during the job-seeking process. The questions will come up in pm interviews, so it's a good idea to already have some of your answers documented on the resume.
By, Airess Rembert, PMP, Member of Women Of Project Management & Blogger at The Nerd Bae
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