As a freelance project manager, conveying the breadth of your project experience without overwhelming potential clients can be a significant resume challenge. Our comprehensive guide provides tailored strategies to help you distill your diverse projects into concise, impactful bullet points that resonate with your target audience.
- Incorporate freelance project manager job advert keywords into key sections of your resume, such as the summary, header, and experience sections;
- Quantify your experience using achievements, certificates, and more in various freelance project manager resume sections;
- Apply practical insights from real-life freelance project manager resume examples to enhance your own profile;
- Choose the most effective freelance project manager resume format to succeed in any evaluation process.
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Simple guide to your freelance project manager resume format and layout
Successful freelance project manager resumes all have one specific characteristic - candidates have invested in a simple resume layout . One that is easy to read, makes a good first impression, and is adapted to their professional experience. There are three distinct resume formats to help you focus on your:
- professional experience - use the reverse-chronological resume format;
- skills and achievements - via the functional skill-based resume format;
- both experience and skills - with a hybrid resume format .
What is more, keep in mind that your resume may be initially assessed by the ATS (Applicant Tracker System) (or the software used by companies in the hiring process). The freelance project manager resumes that suit the ATS:
- have a header that includes either a role keyword or the job you're applying for;
- should be no longer than two pages;
- be submitted as PDF, unless specified otherwise.
Each market has its own resume standards – a Canadian resume layout may differ, for example.
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The more time and effort you've put into obtaining the relevant certificate, the closer to the top it should be listed. This is especially important for more senior roles and if the company you're applying for is more forward-facing.
Fundamental sections for your freelance project manager resume:
- The header with your name (if your degree or certification is impressive, you can add the title as a follow up to your name), contact details, portfolio link, and headline
- The summary or objective aligning your career and resume achievements with the role
- The experience section to curate neatly organized bullets with your tangible at-work-success
- Skills listed through various sections of your resume and within an exclusive sidebar
- The education and certifications for more credibility and industry-wide expertise
What recruiters want to see on your resume:
- Proven experience in successfully managing diverse projects from inception to completion within budget and time constraints.
- Demonstrable ability to effectively manage and coordinate remote and cross-functional teams.
- Strong competency in project management methodologies (such as Agile, Scrum, or Waterfall) and project management tools (like Trello, JIRA, or Asana).
- Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with a focus on negotiation and conflict resolution.
- A solid track record of high-quality deliverables and satisfied clients, often indicated by testimonials or a strong portfolio of past projects.
What to include in the experience section of your freelance project manager resume
The resume experience section is perhaps the most important element in your application as it needs to showcase how your current profile matches the job.
While it may take some time to perfect your freelance project manager experience section, here are five tips to keep in mind when writing yours:
- Assess the advert to make a list of key requirements and look back on how each of your past jobs answers those;
- Don't just showcase you know a particular skill, instead, you need proof in the form of tangible results (e.g. numbers, percent, etc.);
- It's perfectly fine to leave off experience items that don't bring anything extra to your skill set or application;
- Recruiters want to understand what the particular value is of working with you, so instead of solely featuring technologies, think about including at least one bullet that's focused on your soft skills;
- Take care with wording each bullet to demonstrate what you've achieved, using a particular skill, and an action verb.
The below freelance project manager resume examples can help guide you to curate your professional experience, following industry-leading tips and advice.
- Managed and executed a $2 million software development project for TechSolutions Inc., leading a cross-functional team of 10 developers and 3 UX designers.
- Improved project delivery times by 25% through the implementation of Agile methodologies and daily SCRUM meetings for real-time problem-solving.
- Directed stakeholder communications and maintained effective relationships, achieving a 95% satisfaction rate and securing two additional contracts worth $500,000 each.
- Oversaw a portfolio of 15 concurrent web development projects for global clients at WebTech Designs, ensuring all projects adhered to the highest industry standards.
- Spearheaded a risk management initiative that reduced project-related issues by 40%, saving the company an estimated $300,000 in potential losses.
- Cultivated a culture of continuous improvement, leading to the team’s ability to exceed delivery timelines by 20% on average per project.
- Currently leading a $5 million digital transformation project for RetailCorp, coordinating a team of 20 including software engineers, data analysts, and marketing specialists.
- Implemented project performance tracking tools that led to a 30% increase in project transparency and team accountability.
- Nurtured client relationships which played a crucial role in a 50% project expansion rate due to repeat business and referrals.
- Facilitated a turnaround strategy for an underperforming $1 million product launch for InnovateX, by realigning resources and revising the project plan to meet new market conditions.
- Developed and executed targeted training for project team members, resulting in improved productivity and skill advancement across the team.
- Managed vendor relationships to negotiate cost savings of up to 15%, reducing overall project expenditures without sacrificing quality.
- Oversaw the deployment of an enterprise-grade CRM system across 10 international offices for GlobalComms, enhancing customer relationship management and sales tracking capabilities.
- Pioneered a comprehensive change management process that was crucial in achieving a 90% adoption rate within the first three months post-deployment.
- Instrumental in developing key performance indicators for project success that increased overall operational efficiency by 25%.
- Strategized and executed a comprehensive rebranding project for DynamicBrand Co., involving over 50 deliverables and coordinated across 5 different marketing agencies.
- Utilized advanced data analytics to refine project targeting, leading to a 35% increase in customer engagement post-rebrand.
- Secured future business by building robust post-project review processes, which identified key performance wins and areas for ongoing improvement.
- Led a complex, multi-phase construction project for BuildRight Enterprises, effectively managing over 50 contractors and a budget of $8 million while ensuring compliance with all regulatory standards.
- Introduced new cloud-based project management software which streamlined communication and document management, cutting administrative work for the team by 20%.
- Negotiated terms and pricing with suppliers, achieving cost savings that directly increased the company's profit margin by 10% on the project.
- Managed the transition of customer support platforms for ClientCare Services, accommodating over 5,000 daily users while ensuring zero downtime during the switchover.
- Enhanced project tracking by integrating a collaborative project dashboard used by all team members to monitor progress and address challenges swiftly.
- Negotiated service vendor contracts that resulted in improved service level agreements, directly boosting customer satisfaction by 22% as measured by NPS.
Quantifying impact on your resume
- Detail the number of projects managed simultaneously to show your capacity for multitasking and project coordination.
- Specify the percentage of projects completed on time or ahead of schedule to demonstrate your ability to meet deadlines.
- Include the budget size of projects to reflect your experience in managing financial resources.
- Highlight any cost savings achieved through project optimization or efficient management in terms of percentage or total dollar amount.
- Mention the number of team members you've led or coordinated to showcase your leadership and team management skills.
- Cite any improvements in efficiency or productivity metrics as a result of your project management to illustrate your impact on operations.
- Quantify the increase in customer satisfaction or client retention rates under your management to highlight your client relationship skills.
- List any recognitions or awards received for your projects to convey the quality and success of your work.
Action verbs for your freelance project manager resume
Freelance project manager resume without experience: a walk-through guide
If you don't happen to have any relevant experience yet, you can substitute this with:
- Short-term gigs and stunts - like month-long internships, that you have done during your university days
- Contract work - be specific about the relevance and outcomes of each role you include
- Resume format that prioritizes your skills - the functional-skill-based format or hybrid format could work
- Research roles - feature those especially prominently if you've participated in a noteworthy project or your role was of utmost importance to the project's success.
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The more trusted the organization you've attained your certificate (or degree) from, the more credible your skill set would be.
Creating your freelance project manager resume skills section: balancing hard skills and soft skills
Recruiters hiring for freelance project manager roles are always keen on hiring candidates with relevant technical and people talents. Hard skills or technical ones are quite beneficial for the industry - as they refer to your competency with particular software and technologies. Meanwhile, your soft (or people) skills are quite crucial to yours and the company's professional growth as they detail how you'd cooperate and interact in your potential environment. Here's how to describe your hard and soft skill set in your freelance project manager resume:
- Consider what the key job requirements are and list those towards the top of your skills section.
- Think of individual, specific skills that help you stand out amongst competitors, and detail how they've helped you succeed in the past.
- Look to the future of the industry and list all software/technologies which are forward-facing.
- Create a separate, technical skills section to supplement your experience and further align with the freelance project manager job advert. Find the perfect balance between your resume hard and soft skills with our two lists.
Top skills for your freelance project manager resume:
Project Management Software (e.g., Trello, Asana, Jira)
Microsoft Project
Gantt Charts
Risk Management Tools
Agile Methodologies
Budgeting Software
Time Tracking Tools
Collaboration Tools (e.g., Slack, Microsoft Teams)
Reporting and Analytics Tools
Document Management Systems
Communication
Leadership
Problem Solving
Time Management
Negotiation
Adaptability
Teamwork
Conflict Resolution
Critical Thinking
Decision Making
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If the certificate you've obtained is especially vital for the industry or company, include it as part of your name within the resume headline.
Freelance project manager-specific certifications and education for your resume
Place emphasis on your resume education section . It can suggest a plethora of skills and experiences that are apt for the role.
- Feature only higher-level qualifications, with details about the institution and tenure.
- If your degree is in progress, state your projected graduation date.
- Think about excluding degrees that don't fit the job's context.
- Elaborate on your education if it accentuates your accomplishments in a research-driven setting.
On the other hand, showcasing your unique and applicable industry know-how can be a literal walk in the park, even if you don't have a lot of work experience.
Include your accreditation in the certification and education sections as so:
- Important industry certificates should be listed towards the top of your resume in a separate section
- If your accreditation is really noteworthy, you could include it in the top one-third of your resume following your name or in the header, summary, or objective
- Potentially include details about your certificates or degrees (within the description) to show further alignment to the role with the skills you've attained
- The more recent your professional certificate is, the more prominence it should have within your certification sections. This shows recruiters you have recent knowledge and expertise
At the end of the day, both the education and certification sections hint at the initial and continuous progress you've made in the field.
And, honestly - that's important for any company.
Below, discover some of the most recent and popular freelance project manager certificates to make your resume even more prominent in the applicant pool:
The top 5 certifications for your freelance project manager resume:
- Project Management Professional (PMP) - Project Management Institute (PMI)
- Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) - Scrum Alliance
- PRINCE2 Foundation/Practitioner - AXELOS Global Best Practice
- Certified Project Manager (IAPM) - International Association of Project Managers
- Master Project Manager (MPM) - American Academy of Project Management
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If you happen to have plenty of certificates, select the ones that are most applicable and sought-after across the industry. Organize them by relevance to the role you're applying for.
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Choosing between a freelance project manager resume summary or objective
Many may argue that, in recent times, the freelance project manager resume summary or objective has become completely obsolete.
But the reality is different as both of these resume sections provide you with an opportunity to :
- integrate freelance project manager-vital keywords
- showcase your accomplishments
- answer why you're applying for this particular role.
The difference (between the summary and the objective) is that the:
- Resume objective puts your career goals in a more prominent position.
- Resume summary focuses more on career milestones.
We recommend you select the summary if you happen to have plenty of experience you'd like to spotlight from the very start of your freelance project manager resume.
Meanwhile, the objective is ideal for those candidates who'd like to further prove their suitability for the role with their goals and soft skills.
We've featured some industry professional freelance project manager resume samples to the best resume summary and objective structures:
Resume summaries for a freelance project manager job
- A seasoned Project Manager with over 12 years of experience leading cross-functional teams for international marketing agencies, specializing in the execution of complex digital campaigns. Proficient in Agile and Waterfall methodologies, and recognized for reducing project completion times by 25% through the introduction of an integrated project management software suite.
- Driven former Senior Software Developer seeking to leverage 8 years of experience in tech with a pivot to project management. Highly adept at team collaboration, coding in multiple languages, and critical thinking, with notable accomplishment in deploying a company-wide encryption framework reducing data breaches by 40%.
- An innovative ex-Operations Manager bringing 10 years of supply chain experience into freelance project management. Known for optimizing operational processes and implementing cost-saving strategies, leading to a 15% increase in profit margins for a leading logistics firm. Expertise in Lean management and Six Sigma.
- Accomplished freelance project manager with a strong history of working in the construction industry for over 15 years. Proven ability to deliver projects under budget and before deadlines, with in-depth knowledge of construction methodologies, safety protocols, and effective team leadership, culminating in the successful completion of a $5M residential community project.
- Aiming to leverage robust organizational and strategic planning abilities as a new entrant to the project management field. Enthusiastic about building a foundation of skills in a fast-paced environment, committed to exceeding performance expectations and contributing to the complex project's success while developing leadership capabilities.
- Aspiring to transition into freelance project management with an eagerness to apply strong problem-solving skills acquired as a lead researcher in academia. Intent on harnessing heightened attention to detail and impeccable time management to excel in managing multifaceted projects and achieving exceptional client satisfaction.
Beyond your freelance project manager resume basics - extra sections
Ensure your freelance project manager resume stands out from the crowd by spicing it up with a couple of supplementary sections that showcase your:
- Prizes - as a special nod to what matters most in the field;
- Projects - ones that would really further support your application;
- Hobbies - include only if you think they'd further your chances at landing the role with personality
- Community impact - to hint at the causes you care about.
Key takeaways
- The format and layout of your freelance project manager resume should reflect on both your career and what matters most to the job you're applying for;
- Use the resume summary and objective to hint at your most prominent accomplishments;
- Always be specific about your experience and consider what value each bullet you curate adds to your freelance project manager application;
- Consider how your academic background and technical capabilities could further showcase your alignment to the role;
- Your soft skills should contribute to your overall freelance project manager profile - aligning your personality with skills and results.
