Project manager CV: example and tips

Keywords that come up in project manager job ads

Ads for project managers use many of the same words, but they vary with the industry and method. An IT role often asks for agile development and Scrum, a construction project for progress, contracts and SHA (health, safety and working environment), and public bodies for benefits realisation and procurement. Use the words from the ad where they match what you have done, and name methods and tools. Our guide to an ATS-friendly CV explains why this matters.

These words come up often:

• Planning, delivering and closing projects.
• Budgets, financial control, progress and risk management.
• Stakeholder management, communication and reporting to a steering group.
• Agile, Scrum, Kanban, PRINCE2, PMP or IPMA.
• Change management, benefits realisation and continuous improvement.
• Contracts, procurement and supplier management.
• Tools such as Jira, MS Project, Planner, Excel or Power BI.
• Structured, solution oriented and good at bringing people together around a goal.

Formal requirements: education and certifications

There is no formal requirement for a specific education to work as a project manager. According to utdanning.no, it is common to have an education from the industry you work in, and many people combine IT, construction, healthcare or administration, for example, with a programme or course in project management. List both your subject education and your project management training, with years.

There are also certifications, and some show that you know the theory while others show that you have relevant experience. PRINCE2 has two levels, Foundation and Practitioner, and Practitioner requires Foundation first. The PMP from the Project Management Institute requires documented experience leading projects, at least 36 months if you have a bachelor's degree, and 35 hours of project management training. IPMA certification has four levels, from D for those new to the field to A for the most experienced. Give the name, level and year, and never list a certification you are still working on as if it were complete.

In building and construction, the Norwegian Construction Client Regulations (byggherreforskriften) set requirements for work on health, safety and the working environment (SHA). The client must ensure there is a written SHA plan before work starts, and the coordinator must have the necessary knowledge of health, safety and the working environment. If you have been SHA coordinator or responsible for the SHA plan, make it clear.

Example of a summary for a project manager CV

The summary should say what kind of projects you lead, how large they are and how you work. Here is a made up example you can use as a pattern:

Example: “Project manager with eight years of experience in digital transformation in the public sector and banking. Has led projects with budgets of up to 40 million kroner and teams of up to 15 people, including the rollout of a new case management system for 1,200 users, delivered within budget. Certified PRINCE2 Practitioner and experienced with agile methods. Thrives where business, technology and leadership meet, and is looking for a role as programme manager or head of a project portfolio.”

Replace the numbers with your own, and only write what you can explain in detail. You will find more examples in our guide to writing a CV summary.

Bullet points with results: weak versus strong

The most common weakness in a project manager CV is bullet points that describe the role instead of the result. Every project manager plans and follows up. What sets you apart is what your projects delivered, and how you solved what went wrong. Use a strong verb in the past tense, and finish with figures for budget, time, scope or benefits.

• Weak: “Project manager for new IT system.” Strong: “Led the rollout of a new ERP system across 12 departments with 300 users, delivered two weeks ahead of plan and 4 percent under a budget of 18 million kroner.”
• Weak: “Responsible for the budget.” Strong: “Managed a budget of 65 million kroner with monthly forecasts to the steering group, keeping the variance below 3 percent throughout the project.”
• Weak: “Followed up suppliers.” Strong: “Renegotiated the contract with the main supplier after delays, securing liquidated damages and a new plan that recovered six weeks.”
• Weak: “Worked agile.” Strong: “Introduced Scrum in three teams, raising on time deliveries from 60 to 90 percent over two quarters.”
• Weak: “Reported to management.” Strong: “Built a shared dashboard for status, risk and finances in Power BI, which the steering group adopted for every project in the portfolio.”
• Weak: “Responsible for health and safety.” Strong: “Was responsible for the SHA plan on a refurbishment project with 40 workers, with no lost time injuries over 14 months.”

Skills, methods and tools

A project manager needs both method and the ability to lead people. Name your methods and tools, and show your leadership in the bullet points rather than in a list of qualities. These are worth including:

• Methods: PRINCE2, PMP, IPMA, Scrum, SAFe, Kanban, Lean or Prosjektveiviseren, the project model for the Norwegian public sector.
• Tools: Jira, Confluence, MS Project, Planner, Smartsheet, Excel and Power BI.
• Finance: budgets, forecasts, cost control and benefits realisation.
• Contracts: NS 8405, NS 8407, the SSA government contracts or other standard contracts you know.
• Leadership: how many people you have led, and whether you have had line management responsibility.
• Certifications and courses with name, level and year.

New to project management, or many years in the role

Many people become project managers without having held the title before. If you have led a subproject, a system rollout, an event or an improvement initiative, that is project management. Write it up as projects with goals, scope and results, even if your job had a different title, for example “Led the office move for 80 employees, with plan, budget and suppliers, completed in three months”. A course or entry level certification shows that you know the discipline. If you have just finished your studies, course projects, roles in organisations and internships can show the same. See our guide to a CV for recent graduates.

With long experience, the challenge is choosing. Show the largest and most relevant projects, and gather the rest in a short list. Write more about portfolios, programmes, line management and strategic results, and less about tasks every project manager has. If you are aiming for programme manager or head of a project office, the benefits and routines you have built up are what set you apart. Keep the CV to two pages, see how long a CV should be.

Common mistakes in a project manager CV

Look out for these mistakes before you send your CV:

• Projects with no figures for budget, time, team or results.
• Only successes. A short example of how you turned around a project in trouble says a lot about you.
• Unclear what you did yourself and what the team did.
• Methods and certifications without years, or a certification that is not complete.
• Qualities such as “structured” and “good communicator” without examples.
• The same CV for an IT project and a construction project.

Get to your next project manager job faster with Selja

Project manager jobs look alike, but an ad from an IT company and one from a municipality ask for completely different words. With Selja you paste in the job ad and upload the CV you already have. In under a minute you get a professional, ATS-friendly CV and cover letter tailored to the job, with the methods, tools and words from the ad where they match what you have done. That leaves you more time for what decides the outcome, such as preparing for the interview.

Selja never adds experience, certifications or results you do not have. If the ad asks for PRINCE2, for example, and your CV does not show it, Selja asks you first and only uses what you confirm. It is free to start: check your CV for free, or take a free ATS check against the ad. With Premium you can also practise the interview for the exact job you applied for, with feedback on every answer. See pricing, or get started.

The application, the interview and pay

In your cover letter, choose one project that resembles what the employer is about to deliver, and briefly explain what you delivered and how. Show too that you understand why they need a project manager now. See our example of a job application and our guide on how to write a cover letter.

In interviews, project managers are often asked about a project that went badly, a conflict in the team and how they prioritise when time and budget do not add up. Prepare concrete examples, and practise with the interview questions. Check the pay in the pay check before you negotiate.