"project management," "procedures," and "customer service" aren't the only skills we found project managers list on their resumes. In fact, there's a whole list of project manager responsibilities that we found, including:
Arguably the most important personality trait for a project manager to have happens to be analytical skills. An example from a resume said this about the skill, "construction managers plan project strategies, handle unexpected issues and delays, and solve problems that arise over the course of the project" Additionally, other resumes have pointed out that project managers can use analytical skills to "assisted with implementation of erp system by monitoring data integrity and reviewing system reports and suggestions. " Another commonly found skill for being able to perform project manager duties is the following: business skills. According to a project manager resume, "construction managers address budget matters and coordinate and supervise workers." Check out this example of how project managers use business skills: "offered a permanent position to oversee implementation of erp system and assist new cfo in streamlining business processes and accounting practices. " Project managers are also known for customer-service skills, which can be critical when it comes to performing their duties. An example of why this skill is important is shown by this snippet that we found in a project manager resume: "construction managers are in constant contact with owners, inspectors, and the public" We also found this resume example that details how this skill is put to the test: "provide implementation, project management and erp consulting to manufacturing and distribution customers. " A thorough review of lots of resumes revealed to us that "initiative" is important to completing project manager responsibilities. This resume example shows just one way project managers use this skill: "self-employed construction managers generate their own business opportunities and must be proactive in finding new clients" Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical project manager tasks: "represented traffic operations division in the design and gap analysis processes of the project one erp initiative. " Yet another important skill that a project manager must demonstrate is "leadership skills." Construction managers must effectively delegate tasks to construction workers, subcontractors, and other lower level managers. This is clearly demonstrated in this example from a project manager who stated: "provided project management leadership for the development of a custom global erp extension using a java oracle 10g rule based system. " While "speaking skills" is listed last on this skills list, don't underestimate its importance to project manager responsibilities. The skill is described by this resume snippet, "construction managers must give clear orders, explain complex information to construction workers and clients, and discuss technical details with other building specialists, such as architects" Here is an example of how this skill is used, "led the proposal development phase and prepared and presented erp solutions internally and externally. " See the full list of project manager skills.
Before becoming a project manager, 67.7% earned their bachelor's degree. When it comes down to graduating with a master's degree, 14.3% project managers went for the extra education. If you're wanting to pursue this career, it may be possible to be successful with a high school degree. In fact, most project managers have a college degree. But about one out of every eight project managers didn't attend college at all.
The project managers who went onto college to earn a more in-depth education generally studied business and computer science, while a small population of project managers studied electrical engineering and mechanical engineering.
When you're ready to become a project manager, you might wonder which companies hire project managers. According to our research through project manager resumes, project managers are mostly hired by General Dynamics, Anthem, and Kforce. Now is a good time to apply as General Dynamics has 246 project managers job openings, and there are 200 at Anthem and 66 at Kforce.
If you're interested in companies where project managers make the most money, you'll want to apply for positions at VMware, Reed Smith, and Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. We found that at VMware, the average project manager salary is $133,247. Whereas at Reed Smith, project managers earn roughly $132,349. And at Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, they make an average salary of $129,206.
View more details on project manager salaries across the United States.
Some other companies you might be interested in as a project manager include IBM, AT&T;, and Microsoft. These three companies were found to hire the most project managers from the top 100 U.S. educational institutions.
In general, project managers fulfill roles in the technology and finance industries. While employment numbers are high in those industries, the project manager annual salary is the highest in the technology industry with $94,005 as the average salary. Meanwhile, the finance and retail industries pay $93,210 and $87,575 respectively. This means that project managers who are employed in the technology industry make 43.0% more than project managers who work in the government Industry.
