Best project management keywords for resume


BEST PROJECT MANAGEMENT KEYWORDS, BUZZWORDS & SKILLS


If you are a project manager, what are the best project manager resume keywords to integrate into your resume? 

What if you are not a project manager, but instead are seeking to hire a new PM or a senior project manager? What are the best project management buzzwords to use when searching through job databases and applicants’ resumes? Which keywords for project managers should you integrate into your job posting or search criteria?


Everything You Need to Know: Project Manager Resume Buzzwords, Keywords & Skills

This free guide is designed for Project Managers, Senior Project Managers, Program Management Leads, HR Staff, Hiring Managers, Change Management Project Leads, Recruiters, and other Project Management Practitioners.

  1. If you are a new or very experienced project manager who is seeking a project management role, this guide provides you with a step-by-step overview, best project management skills and resume buzzwords, and everything you need to know to increase the success of your resume.
  2. If you are a hiring manager, HR staff, or recruiter, this complete guide provides you with a list of key project management skills and keywords for screening the resumes of project management job seekers to identify the best candidates.

“I have been a Sr Project Manager & Change Management Lead for over 15 years, and have led large-scale projects across Intel, Cisco, Goldman Sachs, State Street, Apple, Deloitte, and other firmsThroughout my years of experience in finding new project opportunities, and also in screening project managers to be part of my team, I have discovered that applying the project management keywords below has greatly increased my successes”

Ogbe Airiodion
Senior Project Manager & Change Management Consultant


Let’s Quickly Discuss the Interviewing & Resume Selection Techniques Used by Recruiters

What many project and program manager job seekers don’t realize is that 80%-90% of project management resumes and CVs are rejected before they are even seen by human eyes.

You might be spending a lot of time enhancing your LinkedIn profile or posting your resume on Monster.com, CareerBuilder, Indeed, Dice, Glassdoor, and other resume job boards, and still your profile or resume is not getting picked up by recruiters and hiring managers.

And even when it is seen by an actual person (a hiring manager, recruiter, head hunter, etc.), it is often rejected due to the various factors explained below in this coaching article for new and senior project manager resumes.

What should a project manager put on his or her resume? What project management skills are needed for a program manager to increase the chances of their PM resume being selected? What are the best project management keywords for resumes?

These are all great questions, but …

… before your project manager resume or program manager CV is seen by a live person, it often must pass muster with what is known as an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) bot or an ATS spider that crawls thousands of databases of resumes – across LinkedIn, Monster.com, CareerBuilder, Indeed, Dice, Glassdoor, and other resume job boards – seeking specific project management keywords and program manager skills within resumes.

LinkedIn is becoming the first place that recruiters go to find candidates. According to LinkedIn, over 1.6M recruiters actively use LinkedIn to find candidates. These recruiters use LinkedIn Recruiter, which has a robust ATS interface. 

LinkedIn Recruiter - Program Manager Resume Keywords

Below is a key example of how these ATS and Recruiting platforms allow recruiters to search for the right candidates using specific keywords.

The first main step in the screenshot below that states: “Find the right people – Search for any candidate on LinkedIn using keyword search, Boolean search, and 20+ advanced search filters” is the step where the recruiter enters the keywords and then the system does the rest by searching through millions of records to generate a list of top candidates that matched the entered keywords.

Project manager resume sample - LinkedIn Recruiter 2

For the next phase of the resume screening process, the recruiter goes in and prioritizes the final list of candidates generated by the ATS system (if the recruiter is using a resume job board), or by the LinkedIn Recruiter platform (if the recruiter is using LinkedIn).

Once the recruiter has finalized his or her prioritized list of candidates, the next step is to connect with those candidates.

Key project management skills

See more: Additional Information on ATS Automated Resume Search Tools.

So, if you are a program manager or project manager, how can you get your resume past the profile or resume review bots to ensure it is picked up and reviewed by a person? And when you can do this, how can you ensure that your resume won’t be immediately discarded by the recruiter or hiring manager after they review it?

There are certain program management skills that you should add to your resume to increase the success of your resume getting seen by humans. These “must-have” project management buzzwords and keywords, as well as the best visualization structure to use for your resume are all included below.

Read on for answers to all of your questions on best resume keywords for project managers and program management leads.


Table of Contents

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The Best Buzzwords, Examples, and Keywords for Project Manager Resumes

Examples of top project management resume skills to use in your project or program manager resume are listed below. 

You DON’T need to include each keyword in your program management manager resume. Review and decide which buzzwords are relevant and missing on your project management CV, and then add those. 

For recruiters and hiring managers, focus on selecting only the main project management skills and keywords that are relevant to the job position you are seeking a candidate for.


List of Best Project Management Resume Keywords & Buzzwords for Your Resume

  • Agile
  • Analytical
  • Assertive
  • Assessing outcomes
  • Assessing progress
  • Attention to detail
  • Budgeting
  • Business alignment
  • Business analysis
  • Business requirements
  • Business requirement gathering
  • Business requirement assessments
  • Business process analysis
  • Business process improvement
  • Business process reengineering
  • Capacity planning
  • Change management
  • Change control
  • Conflict resolution
  • Collaborative
  • Collaborated
  • Coordinating
  • Communication
  • Communicate
  • Change impact assessment
  • Current state assessment
  • Current state-gap analysis
  • Current vs future state gap analysis

Don’t Miss: How to Integrate These Project Buzzwords into Your PM Resume

  • Data analysis
  • Data analysis & design
  • Data modeling
  • Design
  • Designing
  • Designing project phase
  • Deployment management
  • Development
  • Development & testing
  • Due diligence
  • Disaster Recovery
  • Escalations
  • Escalating
  • Evaluation
  • Excel
  • Executing plans
  • Execution metrics
  • Financial analysis
  • Future state assessment
  • Future state design
  • Gap analysis
  • Governance
  • Great interpersonal skills
  • Great verbal communication
  • Great written communication
  • Impact assessment
  • Integration planning
  • Kanban
  • Leadership engagement
  • Manage meetings
  • Managing client expectations
  • Managing conflicts

How Can You Integrate These Program Manager Skills Within Your Resume?

  • Managing IT system development and implementation
  • Managing relationships with key partners
  • Managing vendors
  • Mapping
  • Meeting deadlines
  • Microsoft Excel
  • Monitoring
  • MS Project
  • Multitasking
  • Pioneered
  • Plan
  • Planning
  • Planned
  • Prioritizing
  • Problem solving
  • Process development
  • Process improvement
  • Processes
  • Project coordination
  • Project implementation
  • Project initialization
  • Project management
  • Project planning
  • Project reporting
  • Program risk assessment
  • Program risk mitigation
  • Program management risk mitigation
  • PMI / PMP
  • Quality control
  • Quality methods
  • Quantitative
  • Rectified
  • Redesigned
  • Release planning
  • Release scheduling
  • Requirements
  • Requirements gathering
  • Requirements assessments
  • Remodeled
  • Reporting on the status of projects
  • Resolved project conflicts
  • Risk assessment
  • Risk management
  • Scrum
  • Stakeholder
  • Stakeholder management

How to Integrate Project Management Experience Examples to Your Resume?

  • Scope Management
  • SharePoint
  • Solution development
  • Software Development
  • Status updates
  • Strategic
  • Strategic planning
  • Strategy
  • Success
  • Target state
  • Technical requirements gathering
  • Testing
  • Transformation
  • UAT 
  • User Acceptance Testing
  • Waterfall

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Are there additional project management buzzwords you feel are missing in the lists above? Click here to contact the AGS (Airiodion) Editorial Team.


Project Manager Resume Examples. How Should a Project Manager’s Resume Be Structured?

In addition to the sections above that cover the best project management keywords for resumes, it is essential for us to address the best resume styles and formats that increase your resume getting selected for an interview. Every little bit helps when it comes to integrating buzzwords into your CV and optimizing the impact of your resume.

If you are a recruiter or hiring manager, this section is also applicable to you. The best project manager resume examples referenced below are those that are easy to skim through and reflects a well structured formatting.

A project manager’s resume should include the following sections:

  1. Overview
  2. Highlighted Accomplishments
  3. Expertise
  4. Education and Certification
    1. If you graduated 12+ years ago, then it is best to include your Education and Certification section after your Expertise section
    2. If you graduated or acquired your certification within the last 12 years, then include your Education and Certification section under the Expertise section
  5. Professional Experience
  6. Other

Details:

  • The Overview should provide a succinct summary of who you are as a professional
  • The Highlighted Accomplishments is where your resume really stands out. First impressions really matter, and so when a recruiter or hiring manager sees your accomplishments upfront, they are more likely to take the time to review the rest of your resume
  • The Expertise section is another vital section that allows you to integrate more keywords and buzzwords into your program management resume
  • The Education and Certification section should include your degrees and related certifications. For example, Agile Certification, PMI Certification, etc.
  • The Professional Expertise section should include a detailed list of your project, program, and work history
  • The Other section should include buzzwords like Excel, PowerPoint, Jive, SharePoint, Microsoft Project, and any other tools and platforms that you’ve worked with in the past. It can also include any military, volunteering, or other experiences you have

Sample Project Manager Resume with best Formatting & Structure.

Project management buzzwords - Resume Sample

Project manager skills resume

Project management skills resume

Email us if you have any questions about this article. Are there additional project management buzzwords you feel are missing in the lists above? Click here to contact the AGS (Airiodion) Editorial Team.

skill sets and best keywords for project manager resume


Integrating Project Management Resume Skills, Keywords, and Phrases into Your Resume

Examples of top project management skills and keywords to put on your resume have been integrated into the phrases below. The keywords within the sentences are highlighted in bold font.

The goal with these keyword examples and phrases is to show you how project management keywords can be used in a resume so that they flow naturally

  • Collaborated with subject matter experts to update processes and procedures
  • Worked with all stakeholders and senior leadership to rapidly develop multi-prong implementation project plans
  • Successfully managed and coordinated with all stakeholders, across the enterprise, and across regions to ensure that project deliverables were delivered on time
  • Developed, maintained, and tracked project management plans and schedule. Socialized with program sponsors and firm leaders to ensure leadership engagement
  • Strong expertise in applying flexible change management deliverables, including training, communications, and stakeholder engagement to increase end-user adoption of project implementation
  • Provided regular status updates to C-suite executives to ensure effective dissemination of project information
  • Successfully implemented the various project phases, including planning, build, UAT/testing, Go-Live deployment, and normalization
  • Collaborated with impacted departments and SMEs to conduct a current state assessment, develop a target state solution, and perform a gap analysis for the project
  • Conducted current state vs. target state gap analysis for the project
  • Managed and successfully rolled-out the target state
  • Coordinated and scheduled joint discovery sessions with over 300 subject matter experts across the enterprise
  • Partnered with the firm’s Risk Manager to build out a Compliance program
  • Managed six project workstreams and analyzed the firm’s enterprise-wide operating structure
  • Developed a comprehensive audit framework to perform current vs. future state gap analysis
  • Designed and delivered deployment project plans for a target state Shared Service function
  • Established strategies to maintain effective communications with all key stakeholders
  • Assessed the firm’s global banking and onboarding program
  • Investigated and identified key regulatory, operational, and processing gaps
  • Collaborated with Ops, Finance, and other stakeholders to develop remediation plans
  • Designed and delivered a target state operating model
  • Facilitated steering committee and working sessions, plus provided regular updates to senior executives
  • Responsible for taking small to large, company-wide, mission-critical programs/projects from original concept through final implementation
  • Ensured adherence to product processes, quality standards, and deliverables
  • Provided overall communication and interfaced with all areas affected by the program/project including cross-functional stakeholders, business sponsors, and vendors
  • Developed detailed program/project execution plan and managed all implementation processes including resource allocation, progress tracking, monitoring change control process, testing, documentation, training, and on-time delivery within budget constraints
  • Proven experience in managing multiple large programs/projects in an enterprise environment delivering enterprise software products
  • Personable and well-proven experience working well with all groups including business, operations, and technical organizations
  • Solid experience in decision making and negotiations
  • Excellent communication, problem solving, conflict / resolution management, active listening, time management, and interpersonal skills
  • Demonstrated consistent ability to lead cross-functional teams and deliver technical solutions while mitigating or removing hurdles / obstacles
  • Familiarity with a fast-paced project execution environment; a mix of Agile and Waterfall
  • Managed program risks and issues, as well as changes to projects plans and deliverables

Keyword Examples, Samples for a Program Manager Resume and CV-min

Don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions about this top guide on the project management skills resumes.


Sample IT Project Manager Resume Keywords

This section is applicable to any project manager, BUT designed specifically for technical program & project managers.

Examples of top keywords for IT project managers and technical program managers to include in their resume include:

  • Application development
  • Conflict resolutions
  • IT service management
  • Information security
  • Information technology
  • ITIL
  • IT Project Manager
  • IT program management
  • LAN/WAN
  • Large-scale projects
  • Personable and proven experience working with both business, operations, and technical organizations
  • Management and tracking of project progress against the project plan
  • Managing software/IT/security projects
  • Mid-to-large-scale project implementation

How Can You Integrate These Skills into Your Resume?

  • PMI Agile Certified Practitioner
  • PMP certification
  • Resolving conflicts
  • Scrum
  • Scrum Master
  • SDLC: Requirements Gathering, Analysis, Planning, Design, Build, Test, Deploy, and Maintain
  • Software
  • Software development
  • System testing
  • Technical program management
  • Technical Project Manager
  • Understanding of software development, build, test, test automation
  • Understanding of all phases of SDLC from coding to deployment
  • UAT 
  • User Acceptance Testing

Email us if you have any questions about this project management skills – resume optimization article.


Where Should You Post Your PM CV or PM Resume?

Just like other job candidates, project managers normally post their resumes on job boards and websites like Monster.comCareerBuilder, and Indeed.com

However, in addition to posting your project manager CV online, it is essential to maintain a professional profile on sites like LinkedIn. This is important because LinkedIn is becoming the go-to place for recruiters to find project managers. LinkedIn’s job-posting platform now rivals Monster.com

According to a Forbes article, “Companies are spending their recruiting budget on LinkedIn licenses more than on Monster licenses.”

So, when developing your project manager resume or building your professional social media profile, remember to include some of these key project manager keywords on your online profiles to improve your chances of being discovered by recruiters and headhunters.

Best Project Manager Resume Keywords & Top Skill Sets for a Program Management CV-min

 See below for more information on ATS scanning tools.


Additional Information on ATS Automated Resume Search Tools

Using an automated tool, a recruiter or hiring manager enters specific project management keywords for the project manager resumes they would like to see. The automated ATS bot tool then crawls through thousands (or hundreds of thousands) of resumes using the specific project manager terms.

It then aggregates those project manager resumes that best match the entered project management search terms and submits these resumes to the recruiter. The recruiter then performs additional reviews and narrows down the selection using a more streamlined and predetermined list of project management buzzwords. 

Adding some of the best project management resume keywords and skill sets provided in the examples above will help increase the chances that your resume / CV will be selected by the bots and sent to the hiring manager for additional resume, and hopefully an interview.


“Resume Review Bots” Scanning Resumes for Project Manager Resume Keywords and Skill Sets 

As mentioned in the top section of this article, over 90% of large organizations use Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to analyze project manager resumes and CVs to identify the first batch of project management candidates that best match the position they are looking to fill.

Unfortunately, the resumes for really qualified PM applicants are often rejected by these resume scanning software because a lot of qualified project managers are not doing a good job in integrating the right keywords onto their resumes.

This article aims to provide you with everything you need to know about which keywords, skills, and buzz words to include in your program/project manager resume, as well as what you can do to optimize your resume to ensure that it reaches an actual human recruiter, as well as the hiring manager.

What are the Best Project Manager Skills to Include on Your Resume?

A few examples of the best project manager skills to include on your resume include: Agile, Planning, Requirements Gathering, Designing, Testing, UAT, Analytical, Assertive, Assessing, Data Modeling, Deployment, and... Read more: https://www.ocmsolution.com/best-keywords-project-manager-resume/

How do You Describe Project Management on a Resume?

The best way to describe project management on your resume is to highlight project keywords and skills that you've used on past projects. Examples of top project management skills and keywords to put on your resume have been integrated into phrases below. The keywords within the sentences are highlighted in bold font. Read more: https://www.ocmsolution.com/best-keywords-project-manager-resume/

What are Project Manager Skills?

Top project management skills include Planning, Requirements Gathering, Stakeholder Management, Impacts Assessment, Designing, Change Control, Testing, UAT, Analytical, Assertive, Assessing, Data Modeling, Deployment, and many more. Read more: https://www.ocmsolution.com/best-keywords-project-manager-resume/

How Should a Project Manager's Resume Be Structured?

A project manager’s resume should include the following sections: Overview, Expertise, Education, Degrees, and Certification, Professional Experience, Military (if any), and Other. Read more: https://www.ocmsolution.com/best-keywords-project-manager-resume/


Click below to Airiodion Global Services know if you have any questions about the information provided in this “best keywords to include in a project manager resume” article.

Also, if there are other major keywords that you strongly believe should be included on this list, kindly let us know.

Contact Airiodion Global Services (AGS) today.



Note: Content on OCM Solution's ocmsolution.com website is protected by copyright. Should you have any questions or comments regarding this OCM Solution page, please reach out to Ogbe Airiodion (Change Management Lead) or the OCM Solution Team today. OCM Solution was previously known as Airiodion Global Services (AGS).

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