Category Archives: Project management CV

CV Tips, Project management CV

Writing a strong Project Manager CV – PM CV Tips

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The title “Project Manager” covers a multitude of roles under its umbrella therefore it is important to paint a clear picture of what your role actually involves. Remember that project management is all about delivery, the reviewer needs to see what projects and programmes you were engaged on, were these multiple concurrent? Were they interdependent?

All PMs work differently and organisations work differently. Some organisations are matrix managed and others have dedicated PM teams. This can make a huge difference to how you get things done.

Programmes are more strategic by nature so giving the reviewer an idea of how involved you are strategically is paramount as is team and line management exposure.

Make Notes

A great deal of PMs fall into the trap of writing a long paragraph about the company – think about it, the CV isn’t a marketing document for them, it is a marketing document about you. Don’t waste valuable space, a short statement (a few words) can easily encapsulate the business and then you can use the space to talk through what you were engaged to do, including some detail about the project. This statement should be clear in that is states the type of business and what you are/were doing there. Then run through core competencies in the bullets underneath, do not cut and paste the job description – apart from it being so very obvious to reviewers it reads as lazy and we all know that the job description isn’t necessarily the reality of the role. We need to have some context which is where these questions come into play:

  • How big are the teams you are leading / working within?
  • Who do you report to?
  • Are you hands on or do you manage teams to deliver?
  • Who are your stakeholders?
  • Where are your stakeholders based and how do you communicate with them?
  • How structured an environment is it you work in?
  • What structures / methods are adopted?
  • Have you Introduced and embedded new processes / structure to projects and programmes?
  • Do you have full budgetary responsibility?

In addition to this, make sure you highlight out some key achievements, talking through the challenges you have come up against. Project management is rarely straight forward, it is this additional piece of information which will make you stand out from the crowd and bring some personality and management style to the document.

Business Analyst CV, CV Tips, CV Writing, PMO CV, Project management CV

BA PM PMO PgM – Jack of all trades? Project Management CV Tips

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A question I often get asked by recruitment candidates how describe themselves when they feel they are “a jack of all trades”. I was recently working with a client on their CV and asked them how they would describe themselves and was faced with a 5 minute dialogue. I pointed out that if he didn’t know, then how would a recruiter or hiring manager figure it out? The person in question is very much a team manager, contract manager and operations/projects manager. So when we drilled down to what the day to day role actually included it became clear that first and foremost he was actually head of operations and programme manager, he has significant exposure to contract management and leading large teams of circa 200 people. So when it came down to describing him on his CV we took this lead and placed him in a recruitment pigeon hole – unfortunately it is pigeon holing, but as much as we do not like being labelled it is important to define yourself clearly so others can understand what you do. If a reviewer cannot understand what it is you do in the first statement they will reject your CV, it is as simple (and harsh) as that.

Playing the game

Therefore when you are writing your profile on your CV you must think about this and categorise yourself, you can talk about demonstrable exposure and experience too but you must make that decision as to where your skill-set belongs. I don’t know too many project professionals who don’t have some exposure to Business Analysis or PMOs and equally, established PMs will have often delivered programmes of work and it is these blends of skills which are greatly appreciated in the business world. After all, how often have these additional skills and exposure come in handy for non-related assignments? Employers see it as having more for their money, but you do need to decipher the initial quandary for them – realistically, what is your job title? What is it you actually do?

I have seen some getting around this by having various versions of CVs, each tailored to one element of the skills and experience which can work too – the only issue I see arising from this is having multiple copies of your CV online and registered with agencies may raise questions, again about how you define yourself.

CV Tips, CV Writing, PMO CV, Project management CV, project management resume

Be objective – PM CV Tips

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A lot of people come to me for advice and help about their CVs, not because they cannot write their own CV but because they want to understand how others view it and if they are being clear. It is common for those who create a document to assume others will know what it is they are trying to say. As you are doing the job it makes sense to you but it may be baffling to others – striking a balance between clearly defining your role and projects whilst engaging a number of levels of understanding can be tricky. The reviewer of the CV could be a non-specialist recruiter, HR administrator and equally a line manager who hasn’t got the PM experience (hence wanting to bring a subject matter expert into the team). Therefore it is important to ensure you have others look over the CV for you to gauge how clear the information is and if it is hitting the mark in regards to including the relevant detail. Those who assist others with writing CVs will know only too well how easy it is to reshape the document to say the right things even if not entirely au fait with what recruiters need to see in an evolving market place.

An apple is an apple??

I would recommend having a number of people review your CV – from those who have no understanding of PM to those who are seasoned PM professionals, remember you are asking for feedback so take all comments and criticism on the chin. All feedback is good feedback, take on board what is being said and see how you can address the CV to ensure it makes sense to a wide audience.

Remember project management is all about communication, often we need to address a variety of technical and non-technical stakeholders. As your job application is being judged from the moment of contact you need to ensure you are displaying all the right qualities, engagement being very important you should be treating every step of the application process with this in mind. Instead of stating you are a clear communicator – demonstrate it with your CV and the all important email. Don’t tell us you understand PM methods, tools and strategy – demonstrate it, it is very obvious who truly understands their role (and trust me, a lot don’t) by how they communicate the what, how, when, who and where’s of an assignment. Employers want to know what the benefits are to the work you have delivered, do you know what they are… I would hope so, have you communicated this in your CV?? Probably not!

Put yourself in the shoes of those recruiting; don’t assume they will know you have had exposure to a structured approach to PM just because you have the PM badges. Demonstrate your knowledge and use of structures as these are the core criteria being assessed on your CV when you apply for a role.

Project management career progression, Project management CV, Project Management CV Workshop, Project Management Events

If you missed the PM CV Workshop…

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I thoroughly enjoyed presenting at the APM PM CV Workshop on Thursday 5th Dec – not only was it a pleasure to give something back to the PM community but it was also great to meet a bunch of really enthusiastic and engaging PM professionals. I was in talks with Graham the NW Branch Secretary about running a session back in April 2013, and I hadn’t expected the year to fly by as quickly as it did. Unfortunately on the evening we were met with horrific storms which lead to a reduced number attending the session, but this in no way reduced the energy in the room. For those who missed out here’s a synopsis of the evening. The session was broken down into sections, first we talked through an introduction lead by myself on who we were and a little about our backgrounds so we could establish a relevant theme to take throughout the evening. We then talked through structuring the CV and the importance of getting the right kind of information presented without producing a lengthy document. We discussed what employers look for in a CV and how the market has changed over the years, delving into experiences from the recruitment aspect and also how the delegates had found the shift. It was interesting to have a mix of delegates from permanent and contractors to those happy in their roles but recognising a need to have an up to date CV. We had stories from those who had never really needed a CV as their contract assignments had usually been secured through word of mouth and networks but had seen this type of behaviour dip over the years and those who had been in their current employment for over 10 years. It was interesting that one of the delegates pointed out that the demographic of the attendees was 40 year old plus, which sparked a discussion about ageism and how this could play a part in recruitment whether beneficial or discriminatory. However as the group was reduced due to the storm it was not a true reflection of parties interested in improving their CVs, although the willpower to attend against the blocked roads and gale force winds was noted. The session lasted a good hour and a half due to lots of discussions about various aspects of the CV and talking through examples, lots of great questions were asked and by the end of the session although some felt their CVs needed shredding and starting over. Everyone felt reenergised about how to put together a winning CV. I also gave some personal CV reviews after the session and provided all attendees with a CV template sample and guidance notes to achieve the winning CV. Asking around the room (also receiving some fantastic feedback afterwards via twitter and the blog) everyone felt the session had been a real eye opener and useful for them moving forward.

PM CV Workshop

I must say I tend to find presentations quite stale when too formal, so taking a more collaborative approach to delivering and sharing information came as a refreshing change and a style I shall adopt for future workshops.

I have been asked to present at future APM events, which I look forward to – hopefully next time we won’t be faced with adverse weather conditions!