How Project Managers Can Write a Great Resume - Jobscan Blog

How Project Managers Can Write a Great Resume - Jobscan BlogPosted on May 5, 2016November 12, 2018 by James Hu It All Comes Down to Pain Points and KeywordsFolks like software developers and engineers have it easy when it comes to resumes They can list languages they code in, link to projects theyve completed, etc. Its a little tougher for project managers. So much of it is aboutwell, project management Going back to the gold-standard definition, its getting things done through other people. And that can be hard to pin down succinctly enough for a project management resume. Here are a few tips to helpWhat to focus onThink about pain pointsThe how of project management is getting things done through other people. The why of project management, on the other hand, is making the projects progress and completion look seamless to all of the various stakeholders. What are the most common and/or annoying things that have come up during your projects? What things would your manager have had t o deal with personally if you werent doing the job? These are the project management pain points you solve, and theyre somewhat universal. Your list will probably include things like missed deadlines, poor work quality, contentious relationships between the team and the project owner, etc. The first step to a killer project management resume is to think in exactly those terms How your project management skills have solved your employers problems or, better yet, kept them from ever coming to their attention in the first place. Thats what your project management resume should highlight the skills that enable you to solve those pain points.But dont forget ATSmora than 70 percent of todays job openings are filled through applicant tracking systems (ATS). Why? The primary reason is that recruiters get more applications than they could possibly review personally. Applicant tracking systems provide the framework for a database recruiters can use to identify potential candidates. But ATS systems are designed for recruiters, notlage applicants. They simply respond to the recruiters search terms. That means that qualified applicants might not be picked up if they dont use the same keywords as a recruiter. For example, many ATS systems treat acronyms differently than they treat the words they stand for. So the system your prospective employer uses might not recognize that MBA as the same as Masters of Business Administration. The solution Like it or not, you have to deal with your prospective employers ATS first. If you dont, your resume might never make it to a real person. The key is to do it in a way that will still catch the eye of a recruiter once it gets past the ATS. That means going back to the beginning of this post and thinking about the skills you used to resolve the pain points associated with the projects youve managed. The next step is to take those skills the things that would interest human recruiters and compare them to the skills listed in the job d escription of the position youre applying for. See which keywords in the job description mean about the same thing as the skills you used to resolve pain points, and put those words in your resume, along with specific accomplishments, especially those that can be quantified in terms of sales generated, time saved, etc. Sure, that means youll have to customize your resume for each job opening. But thats the best way to ensure that your resume showcases your strongest skills which is what a recruiter will be looking for while doing it in a way that an ATS will recognize.Sound like a tall reservierung? It can be, but services like Jobscan can help. Jobscan analyzes both your resume and the job description to see how well they match. Next, they give you detailed suggestions on how you can optimize your resumes chances of getting past the employers ATS. Youll get recommendations for making sure your resume is structured in a way that an ATS will recognize like the MBA vs. Masters of B usiness Administration example and for making it more closely match the keywords recruiters use when they search. If youre starting your resume from scratch read through Jobscans comprehensive resume writing guide for a complete look at the process.Got a job in mind? Its the perfect opportunity to give Jobscan a try. Stop by today for a free analysis to see how your resume measures up.Facebook Commentswpdevar_comment_1 span,wpdevar_comment_1 iframewidth100% important