Product Manager Resume Example and Advice from HR Pros
If you want to get a well-paying job as a product manager, you will need a powerful resume and cover letter combo. Today, we are looking into how to write a strong product manager resume that will help you land the position you want.
According to salary.com product managers made a median salary of $119,473 in 2022. The best-paid 25 percent made $133,164 that year, while the lowest-paid 25 percent made $106,286.
Here’s what we'll cover:
- What a resume is and why you need one
- What does the job of a product manager involve and how to customize your resume
- What to include in your product manager resume
- Product manager resume template that you can use as a base for writing your own resume
- Tips for making your resume the best it can be and more
Let’s get started.
Learn how to write a cover letter here — Product manager cover letter example and Tips from HR Pros.
What is a resume and why do you need one?
A resume is a document that details your expertise and qualifications to perform a specific job. In most cases, you will need a resume when applying for any position — even if you are just starting out in a certain profession.
A standard resume will include several key sections: your contact information, professional instruction, experience and skills, education and more. Before we get into more detail about how to approach writing each of these sections, let’s take a quick look at what the job of a product manager involves.
Product manager job description
A product manager is responsible for product planning and product marketing. Basically, their responsibilities start at the very beginning of the product’s life cycle and last till the final product is complete and even beyond. A product manager needs to take into account customers’ requirements, define the product’s vision and work closely with the engineering team to make sure they deliver a winning result.
The salary you would make working as a product manager depends on a number of factors: your qualifications, experience, niche, the size of the company you are employed by and more. The average salary for a product manager in the United States is estimated at $127,621 per year — according to Glassdoor. However, you can also earn substantially more if you have the right qualifications and get a top level job at a large international company. To increase your chances of doing just that, let’s take a look at how to write a powerful product manager resume.
How to write a product manager resume?
The first thing to keep in mind here is that your resume should be tailored specifically to the position you're applying for. It’s a very bad idea to “mass produce” resumes and send the same application to different companies. With that, there are several standard sections that any resume should have.
Name and contact information
It’s obvious that you should begin your resume with your name and contact details. This lets the hiring manager know whose resume they are looking at and quickly get in touch with you if they have additional questions. This is the simplest and most basic part of your resume. However, it’s still important to make sure it’s clear and complete. Here’s what to include in your contact details:
- Your full name and your educational and/or professional credentials.
- Your city of residence (optional) and the most reliable phone number that you can be reached at.
- Your valid email address. Make sure you use a professional email address as well: something like name.surname@email.com usually works well.
- It’s a good idea to add a link to your LinkedIn profile or other professional social media. This will give your potential employer a chance to get some additional information about you, take a look at the projects you’ve been a part of, or read references from your previous employment and co-workers.
Knowledge and experience
After you’ve added your contact details, it’s a good idea to include a brief description of yourself as a professional. Only mention your most valued skills here that would be the most relevant to the job you are applying for. This way, your potential employer will be able to get a short yet informative introduction of who you are.
Professional experience
This section of your resume should focus on your professional experience. You should typically list the places you’ve worked for in reverse chronological order. However, there are also other formats you can use for your resume — like the skill based format or the combination format.
If you do choose to list your experience in reverse chronological order, start with the latest position you held. When describing your experience, mention the name of the company, your position and elaborate on the responsibilities you had — especially, if they are relevant to the job you are applying for now.
Education
This section should include relevant degrees, courses and other qualifications. Start with your highest degree. If you have specific academic achievements, you can also mention them here. If you graduated from university, there’s no need to mention you finished high school.
Plus, include any other relevant certification you’ve received. Keep in mind, however, that you don’t have to mention extra certifications and degrees that are not relevant to the job you are applying for. Furthermore, if your list of courses and certifications is long, put it in the Additional information section, but if you took only one relevant to the job course, you can mention it in this section.
Additional information
This section is a great opportunity to add more information that might make you stand out. Add any details you believe might help you land the job. For example, you can elaborate on some personal qualities you possess that make you the best choice for the job. If you have professional references, this can also be a good place to include them. Write that you have references available and who they are from — but you may want to include your full list of references as a separate document.
Tips for writing a product manager resume
Now that we’ve covered the structure of your resume, let’s take a look at some best practices to keep to when writing it.
- First, keep your resume short — no longer than a page. Most hiring managers are very busy people. In fact, they probably won’t read your whole resume — at least at first. Instead, they will scan it looking for keywords and information they are interested in. But now that you know this, this gives you a chance to strategically organize the content in your resume so that the right words jump off the page.
- Be as specific as possible. Your resume is not a place to generalize and write abstract ideas. Use numbers, reference specific projects and company names, explain your achievements and more.
- Use a standard font for your resume. Avoid oversaturating it with bright colors, images and other visuals.
- Unless otherwise specified, send out your resume in PDF format. This is the standard format for resumes and cover letters and it is compatible with most systems and devices.
Product manager resume example
Summing things up
- To apply for a coveted position in your field, you will need a powerful resume and a convincing cover letter.
- The following sections are the most common in a resume: name and contact details, summary, professional experience, education and additional information (optional).
- Keep your resume short and to the point — no longer than a page.
- Tailor your resume to the position you are applying for. Re-read the job description and make sure it reflects what the company is looking for. It is better to include the same keywords and phrases as used in the job description to highlight your expertise.
Learn about link how to write a resume.
Product Manager cover letter
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