How to List Project Management Skills on a Resume: Best Skills and Examples

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Project management skills are a requirement for any individual wishing to fill a project management role within an organization. Knowing how to effectively highlight your project management skills on your resume may improve your chances of getting noticed by employers and increase the likelihood of landing a job interview for a project management position. In this article, you can learn more about project management skills along with some tips for listing the best project management skills on your resume.

What are project management skills?

Project management skills are skills that are considered necessary to effectively manage projects within the workplace and refer to any abilities that support the role of a project manager. These skills are relevant to almost every industry and can be applied in various project management-related roles. Most project management skills are soft skills that help a project manager succeed in planning, overseeing and executing projects within an organization.

Project managers must know how to not only manage various projects within the workplace but also deal with any issues or challenges as well as keep everyone on the project team on task. These professionals may develop programs, launch products, construct worksites and various other tasks that require a number of skills to successfully complete.

Related: 10 Best Skills to Include on a Resume

Best project management skills

There are several different types of project management skills that you can hone to become a better project manager. The more you practice these skills, the more likely you are to succeed in a project management position. 

The following are a few of the most important project management skills:

Leadership

The ability to lead a team and keep each member motivated and engaged is vital to the success of any project’s successful progression. Good leaders are able to coach and supervise employees, resolve potential conflicts and keep everyone on track to ensure delivery of excellent quality work. As a project manager, you will need to be proficient in running team meetings and setting the agenda, conducting performance reviews, assigning promotions and incentives as well as additional duties related to your team as necessary.

Read more: Leadership Skills: Definitions and Examples

Management

The skill of management has many components. To begin, management skills relate to the various ways you successfully manage team members, resources, clients and/or stakeholders. This skill set also includes the ability to set goals and evaluate the performance of your team and provide suggestions for improvement when needed.

Budgeting

Project managers are ultimately responsible for making sure the project stays within budget. They must develop a detailed budget for all aspects of the project and constantly make sure that those funds are being utilized as planned.

Scheduling

The ability to schedule effectively is a core project management skill. Without proper, responsive scheduling, project deadlines cannot be met. Employers need to know that you can and will deliver projects on time and keep costs where they should be. 

Organization and planning

There are many aspects to the skill of successful planning. Organization is key to a project being completed on time and meeting or exceeding expectations. Activities must be arranged and the project manager must remain on top of all the details of various systems and processes. When conveying your organization and planning skills on your resume, you should demonstrate that you have an effective time management system and provide examples of how your planning has led to successful project completion. 

How to highlight project management skills on a resume

The following are tips that you can use when highlighting your project management skills on your resume:

1. First, decide where you will highlight your project management skills

You can highlight your project management skills in a number of ways on your resume. You can include these skills in the resume objective or summary, in your skills section, in the descriptions of your employment history or in all three areas. 

Example: ‘Experienced project manager with six years of experience managing teams in a number of industries. Excellent leadership, management and budgeting skills that have enabled the successful completion of multiple projects.’ 

2. Second, use project management skills when indicating work duties

When referencing your project management skills in your employment history, you could describe your accomplishments and incorporate the project management skills that helped you for each, rather than simply listing out the job duties.

Example: ‘Developed a new management program that saved $5,000 in monthly operation costs and enabled project teams to successfully meet all deadlines.’

3. Lastly, be as specific as possible

When describing your project management skills on your resume, be as specific as possible and show results when possible with numbers or percentages. You can also use a skills section to highlight additional project management skills that were not mentioned in other areas on your resume but that are important for a particular position.

How to highlight project management skills on a cover letter

The following are tips to keep in mind when highlighting your project management skills in a cover letter:

1. First, choose one or two skills to highlight

When including project management skills on your cover letter, try to select one or two primary skills that have been listed as requirements in the job description. The skills you list on your cover letter should be specific to each job position that you are applying for.

2. Next, be specific and use a real-life example

Include specific examples that demonstrate how your project management skills have made you a successful project manager.

Example: ‘During my previous job position at XYZ Company, I managed a number of the organization’s projects including the development of a new software system. For this project, I developed a management system that enabled team members to update their progress in real-time for constant motivation and recognition. As a result, we completed the project a week early and saved $5,000 on the overall project costs.’

In this example, the project management skills of leadership and management have been clearly highlighted through a real-life example. This allows employers to get a clear idea of how you have successfully produced results within a project manager position as well as demonstrates your skills in context.

3. Lastly, use keywords from the job posting

When writing about your project management skills on your cover letter, be sure to include several keywords that have been listed as the job qualifications for the position you are applying for. This will show the employer that you not only have the skills needed but that you were paying attention when reading about the job.