This is a second Q&A from my column from the PMI PM Network magazine;
I’ve managed a lot of successful projects over the years; what’s the best way to convey these successes on my CV?
The key to making sure your successes in previous positions and projects really work for you when looking for a new job is making sure they’re relevant to the organisations you are applying to. Too many project managers make the mistake of listing out the impressive implementations; complex projects or huge budgets managed without giving much thought to what a new organisation wants to hear about.
In terms of the CV, the structure should include a section that is purely focused on your successes; it is recommended that this section should feature on the first page of the CV, and prominently in the top half of the page. The idea of a key achievements/successes section is to draw the reader in as soon as they open the CV. You should aim to include 4 or 5 successes in bullet format that correspond to the job you are applying for – remember, keep it relevant.
- Key successes should be clearly understandable to anyone so avoid project specifics, deliverables, acronyms and jargon which have no bearing for the role being applied for. The reader may not be familiar with PPM!
- Key relevant successes should include examples such as size of project managed ($ and team size), details of the success i.e., $ saved / generated revenues, benefits delivered, actions which were directly attributed to you and how those actions led to success.
- Key relevant successes should highlight successes that you personally were instrumental in driving, not those actually attributed to the project team; remember the employer wants to hire you, not the whole team.
Use all the data available to you: the job specification; personal skills requirements; background on the project and company; to ensure your successes link to the requirements of the post. Normally on a job specification there will be an objective for the role and also the main roles and responsibilities for the position. Take the top 5 requirements for the position and for each one you should be able to formulate your corresponding successes.
With many years experience you will generally have more than 5 available to choose from. The key to conveying success consistently in job hunting is to make sure you present the relevant successes for each role you apply for; these could just be subtle changes like the order of the bullet points or more radically choosing a different set. Whatever the case always make sure they are relevant to the job you are applying for.
For more project management careers advice visit Arras People’s Project Management Careers Advice pages, there is also a project management CV advice section. There are various sections are aimed at assisting the project manager in their career.
You can send us a question for the Q&A Project Management Careers series through the contact form. Just state if you would like to remain anonoymous.
Image © AloshBennett and used with permission.
