Program Manager Resume

Show employers you’re a great program manager by summarizing your qualifications in an outstanding resume.

Follow these three tips for writing a program manager resume that increases your chances of landing your dream job:

1. Highlight your program manager skills

As someone who’s responsible for leading company programs, you need several hard and soft skills to succeed as a program manager.

To prove you’re a well-rounded candidate, emphasize a variety of program manager skills in your resume. For instance, attention to detail, leadership skills, and delegation are essential soft skills for coordinating multiple projects simultaneously. Meanwhile, hard skills (also known as technical skills) show the hiring manager that you have the training and experience required for a program manager role.

Here’s a list of technical skills to include on your program manager resume:

• Risk assessment
• Financial modeling
• Performance tracking
• Project management software (Microsoft Project and Microsoft SharePoint)
• Enterprise resource planning software (Oracle PeopleSoft, SAP, and Microsoft Dynamics)
• Human resources software (Halogen e360, Infor SSA Human Capital Management, and Halogen ePraisal)
• Customer relationship management software (Blackbaud The Raiser’s Edge and Oracle Siebel Server Sync)

Additionally, here are vital soft skills for program managers:

• Communication skills
• Project management skills
• Conflict resolution
• Decision-making
• Interpersonal skills
• Analytical skills
• Organizational skills
• Time management skills

2. Include strong program management action verbs

Avoid starting bullet points with phrases like “responsible for” or “tasked with” that make you sound passive.

Instead, use strong program management action verbs in your resume summary and professional experience section. Action verbs effectively showcase your accomplishments and initiative.

Here’s a list of program management action verbs to include on your resume:

Compare the two examples below:

In charge of developing plans for managing and retaining talent inside the organization and for strengthening leadership

Developed effective plans for managing and retaining talent inside the organization and for strengthening leadership, contributing to reducing employee turnover by 5%

The second example is more likely to impress hiring managers because the candidate uses a strong action verb (“developed”) to convey that their efforts were successful.

3. Pair your resume with a strong program manager cover letter

To give your job application a boost, write a stellar cover letter that explains how your skills and experiences position you as a great match.

Ultimately, your resume should summarize your experience, skills, and qualifications, whereas your cover letter provides more space for you to connect them to the job.

If you’re unsure how to write a cover letter, first identify job-specific skills from the job posting and come up with specific examples of how you’ve demonstrated them at a past job.

Here’s how to write a strong cover letter to accompany your program manager resume:

• Use the right cover letter format and structure your information with an introduction, 2–3 body paragraphs, and a conclusion.
• Keep it concise. The best cover letters are 250–400 words in length and fit on one page.
• Lead with an impressive accomplishment to highlight essential skills for a program manager. Quantify your skills and achievements to show employers what you can contribute to their organization. For example, “Oversaw a team of 15 project managers with a program budget of $12 million.”
• Convey enthusiasm for the role to show employers you have the skills and passion to excel as a program manager.