10+ Key Project Management Skills Examples for Your CV

Project management skills are trained and innate strengths that make a person effective at leading teams to complete projects on time, on budget and on spec. Project managers need a precise mix of people and project skills, as well as mastery of supporting methodologies, structures and software.

So how do you list project management soft skills onto your CV? First, by establishing what they are, and what makes each of them important to employers. Different industries and companies will require a different balance, and this guide will help you navigate the skills required for project management.

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Types of Project Management Skills

Managing projects would be difficult enough without the people, and you have to do both. It is not possible to do this job without decent interpersonal skills. In the same way, being great with people won’t cut it by itself. Skills needed for project management fall on both sides equally. 

Here’s a list of examples of project management skills that will put you ahead of every other candidate. Some of them may be transferable skills, so you are sure to find something.

1. Leadership

Many persons suddenly increase their expectations and level of perceived authority upon reaching a managerial position. They suddenly start ordering people around with a ruthless lack of leeway on their expectations. They forget that work is not a duty, and therefore should not come through orders.

A captain of a ship needs to have an understanding of their team’s strengths and weaknesses individually, to make sure the collective is working as efficiently as possible. Effective delegation comes from listening, understanding, and knowing your team. It allows you to have the best specialist on each task.

2. Interpersonal skills

Great project managers don’t just focus on the project side, they focus on the people side too. Building rapport and trust through honesty, transparency, and support makes the bedrock of a well-gelled team. 

Assigning work, and not giving orders. Building a team, instead of subjugating. Supporting, instead of blindly expecting. Being clear, transparent and willing to own up, instead of being infallible and holier and thou. That is what makes a leader.

3. Communication skills

Communication skills may overlap with interpersonal skills, but they also encompass the way you communicate impersonally, in briefs, presentations, and pitches. 

And remember, communication isn’t only about output. Active listening and empathic patience build the two-way street that creates great teams. Being heard is far more important than being told. Criticism must be constructive, but at the same time marking a clear path to improvement.

4. Integrity

Sometimes you’re wrong. That’s okay. It’s up to you whether you own up and make good on it. People instantly lose trust in a holier-than-thou person that they know is wrong. Your team knows. They talk. They can work it out. You can’t hide.

Integrity is one of the most essential project management skills, or maybe even a key principle. A leader unwilling to admit a mistake sinks deeper into their own lie until they believe it themselves. And when that happens, there is no fixing it for next time.

It applies as much when you’re looking up as when you’re looking down, your clients and stakeholders won’t suffer your lack of integrity either. 

5. Project management software

Whether it’s Trello, JIRA or Asana, you need to masterfully leverage maximum efficiency out of the tools you have. Instead of listing the name of a software almost everyone uses, try to highlight the magnitude and volume that you have handled while using it. 

What is the highest number of projects, tasks, and staff you managed at the same time? List them, add a ‘+’ after each number, and you’re good to go. 

6. Agile methodology

What used to be a cutting-edge term is now pretty much a bog-standard requirement. The sheer volume of information, communication and planning requires a consistent methodology. And since the Manifesto for Agile Development was published in 2011, it has risen to the top spot and defined the basis of a multitude of other approaches.

7. Other methodologies

Different workflows and challenges may require one of the off-shoots of Agile principles, or a different approach entirely. Make sure to list the depth and flexibility of your way of working, focusing the most on the one most relevant to the job posting in question.

• NPI
• PER
• PRINCE2
• RAD
• Scrum
• Waterfall

8. Fighting scope creep and budget bloat

Project managers that keep a leash on everything are invaluable to companies. The ability to execute the scope statement without tangents and unnecessary side quests are key project management skills that will make you worth your weight in bitcoin. 

It’s a skill made up by even parts leadership, assertiveness, vision, conviction, and resourcefulness. You must fight vagueness and set out clear boundaries, and keep your team in check and on track at all times.

It also requires clear communication and a use of some agile methodology. If you don’t keep the users updated from day one, letting them in at a late stage will only create a boatload of feedback to bloat your scope at the 11th hour. 

9. Ability to teach and mentor

Being a teacher and mentor is better than being just the brain of the command centre. Your subordinates and contractors may not know something or be familiar with something—but 99% of the time they want to improve on that. The choice is yours.

Teaching is the highest level of mastery of a subject, and being a good teacher ranks high on a list of good project management skills.

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How to include examples of project management skills on your CV

You now have a good grasp of what it takes to make a star project manager. Understanding how to write a CV filled with project management skills is a slightly different art form to master. 

1. Start with your CV profile

Wondering what to include in your CV? A CV summary, also known as your CV profile, should kick things off by summarising yourself into about 6 lines so that you can grab the recruiter straight from the header. For some, that’s all they’re going to read, so don’t wait to start listing your project management skills.

Project management skills in the CV summary

2. Include essential project management skills in your job description.

Your job description, or the work experience section, makes the most important part of your whole CV. You are in luck, some of your competitors will be vague and wait until their skills section to focus on them. Not you. Here are some CV tips.

• 5-7 bullet points for your most recent position is optimal, but make 3 the maximum for older ones.
• Try to relate each bullet point to a requirement your future employer lists in the posting. Describe the adequate project management skill in some detail.
• Where possible, kick off each point with a CV action verb to make an impact. Don’t be boring with ‘responsible for’.
• Quantify by numbers, where possible, to support your prowess in essential project management skills.

Job description with project management skills

3. Write an education section

If you’re aspiring to a project manager job from a lower rung, the job description section is not the only one that could be bolstered. Your CV education section can provide value by listing relevant modules or extracurricular activities that prove you have good project management skills.

If you’re an experienced PM, then just stick to writing your degree on your CV.

Project management skills in the education section

4. Manage your skills section

Most CV skills sections are clueless. This is why your CV will stand out. Instead of listing random nouns:

• Read the job posting carefully and understand exactly what they’re looking for, and choose exactly what’s relevant.Target each CV to each job position. 
• Elaborate your most important skills in some depth. Add a brief statement of an instance you applied it and achieved a uniquely positive outcome. 
• Two skills supported with an example or justification are much better than a list of 5 random skills.
• Based on the position, balance soft skills and hard skills correctly. And don’t forget essential IT skills for project management. 

Project management skills in the skills section

5. Include additional sections

The perfect CV does not contain an ‘Additional Info’ section with a jumble of random facts about you. Keep it relevant. If you’re including a CV hobbies and interests section, make sure it somehow relates to project management skills.

List Languages, Certificates and Awards under separate, clear headings rather than bundled all together. A clear structure helps the hiring manager find all the information that you need them to find.

Project management skills in the extra sections

What else to remember about when putting project management skills on your CV?

While being an efficient project manager is something that comes with time, there are certifications that you can acquire to put the stamp of quality on your skills. The Association for Project Management has courses ranging from Fundamentals to Professional.

And of course, write the best cover letter you can. It gives you far more room for being specific and impressive with your key project management skills. Your CV just doesn’t have that room—and you need it. 

You don’t have to be a CV writing expert. In the LiveCareer CV builder you’ll find ready-made content for every industry and position, which you can then add with a single click.

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If you’re still struggling with examples of project management skills, or you just need some advice on how to include them in your CV, then let us know in the comments section. We’re here to help.

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Our editorial team has reviewed this article for compliance with Livecareer’s editorial guidelines. It’s to ensure that our expert advice and recommendations are consistent across all our career guides and align with current CV and cover letter writing standards and trends. We’re trusted by over 10 million job seekers, supporting them on their way to finding their dream job. Each article is preceded by research and scrutiny to ensure our content responds to current market trends and demand.