INDUSTRY STATS
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Project Managers & Cost Estimators positions are at a much faster than average growth rate, which is 33%. With that said, there are currently 1,279,390 jobs in the market right now. The total number of jobs is expected to increase by 422198.7 to 1,701,589 in the period of 2020-30.
What’s more, the median annual wage for the Project Managers & Cost Estimators jobs was $66,610 in May 2020. The lowest 10% earned less than $39,930, and the highest 10% more than $128,420.
Our conclusion? The Project Managers & Cost Estimators job market is facing competition due to decreasing demand.
Top commercial project manager sections that make the best resume
- Header
- Professional summary
- Experience (with numbers and results)
- Relevant skills
- Education
- Certifications
Writing a strong commercial project manager experience section
Commercial project manager resume experience section: ultimate checklist
- Use no more than 4-6 bullet points per position;
- List relevant positions and situations that add value to your application;
- Describe situations, tasks, actions, and results (the S-T-A-R method);
- Remember to include numbers in whatever form you like (e.g. the number of projects you’ve finished);
- Begin each bullet point with an action verb.
Check out the examples below when building your experience section. They will help you stand out!
- Responsible for analysing high value contracts/projects with major clients (Exxon Mobil, Total E&P, ENI Ghana) and ensuring all income as per PO are received as stated in the agreement
- Designed and Monitor Execution various project
- Manage projects cashflow, give accurate and timely report of project forecast and profitability
- Manage overall project flow from end to end
- Responsible for project receivables transactions till the final level Statement of Financial position and Profit or loss account
- Responsible for overall project financial controlling and reporting
- Liaising with Clients (Total and ExxonMobil) on the timely release of EJCC, SES, JPC and payment processing
- Preparing and calculating of project direct & indirect hours on service-related projects. Getting necessary vendors documents for procurement (Cost + Fee) Contract
- Monitoring and managing receivables data base (OIPE) to enable give accurate information for management decision
- Oversaw the management of 10+ projects ranging from £5M - £50M in value
- Developed and implemented project risk management plans, resulting in a 20% reduction in project risks
- Successfully negotiated with external clients, resulting in a 30% increase in project orders
- Implemented financial forecasting models, resulting in a 15% reduction in project costs
- Managed a team of 5 project managers and provided coaching and guidance to ensure successful project delivery
- Managed the development of 3 large-scale wind farm projects in Ireland, with a total capacity of 150 MW
- Negotiated with landowners and local authorities to secure land for project development
- Developed financial models to assess project viability and secure financing from investors
- Managed project timelines and budgets, resulting in on-time and on-budget project delivery
- Coordinated with engineering and construction teams to ensure successful project execution
- Negotiated contracts with suppliers and subcontractors, resulting in a 15% reduction in project costs
- Developed and implemented financial forecasting models, resulting in a 10% increase in project profitability
- Implemented risk management plans, resulting in a 25% reduction in project risks
- Collaborated with project management team to ensure successful project delivery
- Coordinated with legal and regulatory teams to ensure compliance with relevant regulations and standards
- Managed 10 AV projects concurrently, each with a budget of up to £500K
- Achieved an average project completion time 15% faster than estimated by streamlining project scheduling and liaising effectively with contractors
- Reduced project costs by 10% through effective procurement management and negotiating better prices with suppliers
- Maintained excellent relationships with clients, resulting in 80% of clients awarding repeat business to the company
- Ensured compliance with all Health & Safety regulations by implementing safe systems of work and maintaining accurate documentation for all projects
- Assisted in managing 5 AV projects, each with a budget of up to £1M, by coordinating project scheduling and liaising with contractors
- Reduced project delays by 20% by identifying potential issues early and communicating effectively with relevant parties
- Ensured timely delivery of project materials by working closely with procurement team to manage purchasing and delivery programme
- Managed project documentation and files, ensuring compliance with Health & Safety regulations and maintaining accurate records for all projects
- Supported project manager in preparing all documentation for project handover and obtaining client sign off
PRO TIP
In writing your Commercial Project Manager resume, you will no doubt want to list your previous duties - as you should. But steer clear of just listing your duties, instead of your achievements. Make your resume stand out by communicating what you have done, and not merely what the job needed you to do.
Action Verbs for Your Commercial Project Manager Resume
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Writing a strong skills section for your commercial project manager resume
Checklist for your commercial project manager skills section:
- Include all relevant skills from the job description to pass ATS;
- Focus on skills that show your expertise;
- List your technical skills in a clear and concise manner;
- Leave room for transferable skills related to teamwork, communication, negotiation, and conflict management.
Top skills for your commercial project manager resume
Jira
Project Management
SQL
MS Office
Agile
Scrum
Tableau
CRM
Strategic Planning
Planning
Budget Management
Influence
Delegation
Negotiation
Motivation
Conflict management
Adaptability
Resourcefulness
PRO TIP
Add a Talent Section to your resume, where you can pick your top 3 soft skills and describe how you used them to complete a project or balance departmental communication.
Commercial project manager resume header: tips, red flags, and best practices
Checklist for your commercial project manager resume header
- Your name and surname in a legible and larger resume font
- The job title you’re applying for or your current job title as a subheading to your name
- Link to your portfolio or online profile, such as LinkedIn
- Address (City and State for the US; just your city for rest of the world)
- Email address
- Headshot (required or welcomed in the EU; not required and sometimes frowned upon in the US)
Stick to popular email providers such as Gmail or Outlook. And use these professional formats to create your username:
- first.last@gmail.com
- last.first@gmail.com
- firstlast@gmail.com
- f.last@gmail.com
- first.l@gmail.com
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PRO TIP
Some companies, states, and countries have non-discrimination policies about what kind of information can be included on your Commercial Project Manager resume. This might include a photo (which is often included in a resume header and might be on personal web pages you link to). You can always email the company’s HR department to ask about their policies before you apply.
The ideal summary for your commercial project manager resume
Mastering the summary section: checklist
- Mention the total years of experience you have in the field;
- Focus on 2 to 3 of your top achievements;
- Highlight the things that make you the best fit for the position;
- Go for short, easy-to-read sentences to keep the recruiter’s attention.
Resume summary formula:
PRO TIP
Your summary section should act as a professional taster. Use it wisely. Effectively convey your professional profile and let the hiring manager know that if they hire you, they won’t be disappointed. Make sure to include keywords from the job description too! Elaborate on your abilities further in your experience section. Again, cater to the job description.
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Things to include in your commercial project manager resume education section
Commercial project manager resume education section checklist:
- Mention your highest education degree;
- Add the duration of your course and the institution you attended;
- List the awards you’ve received during your studies;
- Feature your certifications if they are relevant to the position;
- Entry-level positions: Share more about projects and classes.
Top Certifications for your Commercial Project Manager resume
The Project Management Course: Beginner to PROject Manager
The Complete Course for becoming a Successful Project Manager
Project Thinking for Non-Project Managers
How to survive in projects
Project Management : Kickoff Your Project Manager Career
Project Management learning experience that will help students go from learners to competent project managers.
Hybrid Project Management for Project Managers
Agile? Waterfall? Why not both? Learn the benefits of these approaches to develop your own recipe for project success.
Beginning Project Management: Project Management Level One
Project Management: Growing a Successful Career as a Project Manager
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PRO TIP
If you hold a certain major and a minor, your majors should be mentioned first.
Formatting Your Commercial Project Manager Resume
What’s worse than a .docx resume? A resume with a poorly chosen format.
In general, there are three basic resume formats we advise you to stick with:
- Reverse-chronological resume format;
- Functional skills-based resume format;
- Combination (or Hybrid) resume format.
Choosing between them is easy when you’re aware of your applicant profile – it depends on your years of experience, the position you’re applying for, and whether you’re looking for an industry change or not.
The reverse-chronological resume format is just that – all your relevant jobs in reverse-chronological order. It’s great for applicants with lots of experience, no career gaps, and little desire for creativity.
When working with less experienced applicants, we suggest the functional skills-based resume format. It’s great for recent graduates or people with large career gaps. Functional skills-based resumes focus on your personality, the skills you have, your interests, and your education. Ultimately, the idea is to show you’re the perfect fit without putting too much emphasis on your work experience (or lack thereof).
If you’re in the middle or are generally looking to make your resume feel more modern and personal, go for the combination or hybrid resume format. It offers the best of both worlds by combining sections focused on experience and work-related skills and at the same time keeping space for projects, awards, certifications, or even creative sections like ‘my typical day’ and ‘my words to live by’.
Commercial Project Manager Resume Formatting Checklist
- Choose the resume format based on your level of experience and the company you’re applying for
- Go for a traditional 10-12p font
- Stick to 1-inch page margins to ensure high readability
- Match the length of your resume to your experience, but don’t go for more than two pages!
To take it a step further, check out how your resume can stand out without leaning too much on the creative side.
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PRO TIP
If you feel that you don’t have high chances in a particular company, due to lack of relevant experience, then you can still consider using a creative layout. That might help you get noticed and invited for an interview, as most of the other applicants will have boring resume designs.
Additional sections for your commercial project manager resume
In some cases, especially when it comes to entry-level positions, adding more sections beyond the usual ‘experience’, ‘skills’, and ‘education’ works well in your favor. Such additional sections will help you paint a fuller picture of who you are in the recruiter’s head.
Here’s a list of fun yet informative additional sections for your resume:
Making your commercial project manager resume creative
We know too well that recruiters go through tons of resumes every day. The worse part is, they often need to hire people for different positions and teams. So how do you make yourself stand out in such cases?
By adding a dash of creativity to your Commercial Project Manager resume. It can be in the form of a colorful layout, a section describing your typical day, or even a picture of your favorite book – you decide!
Just make sure that the levels of creativity match the industry, company, and position you’re applying for.
What makes a great commercial project manager resume: key takeaways
- Choose a resume layout that sends the right message across and fits your current career situation;
- Create a resume header that shows your desired job title, and easy to find contact numbers;
- Be specific about your experience, accomplishments and future goals in your summary;
- Feature detailed metrics and specific examples that show the impact you made in your previous roles when describing your experience;
- List soft skills backed by examples;
- Add all of your technical skills and certifications that you have and match the job description;
- Show off a dash of personality in your resume that will demonstrate your culture fit and the right mix of hard and soft skills.
