Project managers have a unique set of skills however sadly our resumes do not often show this
. I've seen time and time again good Project Managers forgetting to relay the true value of their skills.
However It's not all bad news, most of the time a simple resume renovation is all that's needed.
So what needs renovation then? Let's take a look at an example.
Let's say you run a project for company X, and the project has a $1M budget with 5 people assigned as resources. On its own this sounds impressive right? And you might be tempted to write this up in your resume as something like "Successfully delivered $1M project on time on scope and on budget" and yes that does sound impressive but really it's also a little vague.
WHY? Because you're only telling part of the story!
While you have indeed delivered this project successfully, you also did something else just as important. You delivered a project that as a result delivered a tangible benefit to the company.
Therefore not only did you successfully run the project, you were also instrumental in producing an outcome that resulted in an improved process or implementation of a new system or product, which was obviously the reason for the project in the first place. So how does this translate to your project managers resume?
I'd take the old sentence:
"Successfully delivered 1M project on time on scope and on budget"
And renovate it!
The same project could be written up like this:
"Successfully delivered a 1M project on time saving Company X 2M in bottom line costs"
Or
"Successfully delivered a 1M project streamlining Company X manufacturing process resulting in 2M additional revenue"
This simple tweak to the sentence adds that extra punch to your resume and, highlights your communication skills.