How to add project management skills on a resume

Juggling deadlines, managing budgets, leading teams—project managers do it all. But when it comes to writing a resume, even the best planners can get stuck. The key is knowing where and how to highlight your project management skills on a resume. 

In this blog, we’ll give you helpful tips and examples you can use to showcase your project manager skills on your resume and land your next job.

What are project management skills?

Project management skills are ones you use to plan, execute, and oversee any kind of project. They include both hard and soft skills, such as project management software and methodologies, communication, and time management.

Project managers need these skills to develop schedules, oversee budgets, lead teams, and collaborate with stakeholders. Even if you’re not a project manager, though, these skills can help you complete tasks on time and deliver projects at a high level.

Examples of project manager resume skills

Adding project management skills on your resume shows that you can manage tasks efficiently and achieve successful results. 

Here are some hard and soft skills for a project manager resume:

Hard skills

Project managers use a wide range of hard skills in their jobs, but these are some of the most common project manager skills for a resume:

• Project planning and scheduling. Essential skills for project manager resumes include the ability to set project goals, create detailed timelines, and delegate tasks to meet deadlines.
• Financial management. Having good financial management skills can help you develop and maintain budgets. You can also use these skills to identify ways to lower overall project costs.
• Risk management. Project managers need to know how to identify and mitigate risks that can set teams back or delay projects.
• Data analysis. As a project manager, you need to analyze data, such as vendor costs and team performance, to monitor projects closely. You may also use data to create reports for managers, executives, or other stakeholders.
• Project management methodologies. These include Waterfall, Agile, Kanban, Lean, and other methodologies for completing projects. Knowing different methodologies allows you to choose the right one based on project goals and requirements.

Soft skills

Like all professionals, project managers need to have some key interpersonal skills that help them lead teams, make decisions, and handle challenges:

• Communication. This must-have skill allows you to effectively communicate project plans and goals to team members. It also helps you maintain project updates, deliver presentations, and write reports.
• Problem solving. Most projects hit at least one roadblock. Having good problem-solving skills can help you find solutions quickly and keep projects moving forward.
• Time management. Project managers often balance many tasks at once. Time management skills allow you to prioritize or delegate tasks, manage multiple deadlines, and keep other team members on schedule.
• Adaptability. Changes to project scope, requirements, or deadlines are common. This skill helps you remain flexible and organized, so that you can navigate any changes efficiently.
• Empathy. Leading with empathy involves listening to other team members and addressing their concerns. By using this skill, you can create an environment where all team members feel valued and supported.

How to write project management skills on a resume with examples

When you’re applying for project management or other leadership roles, hiring managers want to know what skills you can bring to the position. On your resume, go beyond merely listing some project management skills. Show employers how you’ve used those skills to achieve tangible, measurable results for other companies or clients.

Your resume should include specific examples of times when you’ve used your skills to execute projects on schedule and under budget. You should also use data and numbers to back up your accomplishments and show employers the project outcomes you’ve achieved.

You can include project management skills in several key areas of your resume, including your skills section, your work experience section, and your summary. 

Here are some additional tips for highlighting these skills in each area:

In your skills section

Your skills section should quickly show an employer your top project management skills. Review the job description to make sure that you’re including the specific skills an employer has requested. Including the same skills from the job description can also help your resume pass an applicant tracking system (ATS).

Prioritize technical skills in this section, but make sure to include a few soft skills as well. Here’s a copyable example of project management skills for a resume skills section:

In your work experience section

In your work experience section, tie your project management resume skills to the outcomes of your work. Rather than listing your job duties, focus on the results you achieved on your projects, such as cutting costs or improving cross-functional workflows.

Use strong action verbs to illustrate your capabilities, such as “executed,” “drove,” “analyzed,” “coordinated,” and “improved.” As much as possible, include metrics to substantiate your ability to deliver successful projects.

Check out this example of highlighting project manager resume skills in your work experience section:

In your resume summary

At the top of your resume, write a summary that briefly captures your top project management skills and accomplishments. Your resume summary is a great place to provide an example or anecdote that shows how you’ve used your skills to manage projects successfully.

Keep your summary short (two to three sentences at the most) and avoid repeating information listed elsewhere on your resume or in your cover letter. 

If you need more help, our easy-to-use Resume Builder can automatically generate a summary for you based on the project management skills you want to highlight.

Here’s an example of including project management skills in your resume summary: