For every project management role with an employer of choice, there are dozens of highly qualified candidates who could be the ideal match for the position based on their experience and cultural fit.
So how do you make your CV stand out from the crowd?
How do you demonstrate your experience and knowledge on paper, in a way that makes a resourcing specialist or potential employer want to pick up the phone to learn more about you?
The answer is creating a CV that grabs attention. Both visually and intellectually.
Focusing on the eight elements below is the fastest way to ensure that you stand out from your peers when it comes to applying for a project management role.
1. Be Concise
Don’t share every detail from every role you’ve had. Keep your CV as tight and specific as possible. Focus on the key achievements, milestones and experiences from your most recent positions. For example, if you have 20 years experience, only focus on the last 10 years. Beyond that, a summary of your prior work history that highlights expertise relevant to the role you are applying for is sufficient. The ideal length of a CV is approximately five to six pages for someone with 20 years of experience.
Also remove unnecessary information such as reasons for leaving a previous role, personal interests and any clubs, charities or organisations you are part of. These things all take up valuable space and can be explored during the interview stage.
2. Formatting
Lay your CV out in a way that is visually engaging and easy to read. That means lots of white space, a font size no smaller than nine point and creating clear differentiation between each section. One of the biggest mistakes I see is people pushing page margins out and reducing font size to cram more information onto each page. This makes your CV overwhelming to read, which most likely means it won’t be read!
Headings are also a must. Use them to create visual breaks throughout the document, making it easy for the reader to quickly scan your work history, project achievements and education.
Key section headings to include:
Personal details
3. Be Specific With Dates
Use months and years when outlining your work history and don’t try to make each date line up exactly, if it doesn’t in reality. Be honest about your work history. We will uncover career gaps if they are there. The best approach is to explain them in a positive way.
Also, make a habit of updating your CV regularly. This is the best way to keep a record of dates, achievements and responsibilities within each role. It’s much harder to remember these details years down the track.
4. Highlight Achievements and Project Milestones
This is one of the most effective ways to make your CV stand out. Most candidates talk about their achievements in generic terms. Be specific. Use numbers, figures and statistics to demonstrate your performance and the project milestones achieved. Always include the value of the project and any financial indicators that are not confidential.
5. Include a Company Description
Put yourself in the shoes of the person reading your CV. They may not be as familiar with the players in each part of the industry as you are. Provide a brief overview of companies in your work history highlighting what they do. This makes it easier for a recruiter or potential employer to draw comparisons between your previous roles and how those experiences are relevant to the role you are now applying for.
6. Referees
Despite many people including referees on their CV, they are not necessary. Why? Because they take up space and add little value in the initial stage when your CV is being quickly assessed against a large volume of applicants. It is a smarter use of space to highlight more project achievements and milestones than to include referees. You will always be asked for your referee's details if you are successful in progressing to the next stage.
7. Elaborate on Your Position Title
Job titles and role responsibilities vary between companies. Don’t leave someone wondering exactly what it is you did. Elaborate on the specifics of your previous roles by outlining responsibilities, seniority and key performance measures in detail.
8. Demonstrate Facts
Again, this comes back to being specific. Write about your achievements and success in a way that demonstrates outcomes. A good example is rather than saying “I have good people skills,” demonstrate these skills with facts. Such as, “I managed complex relationships with multiple stakeholders including government bodies, external engineering consultancies and internal clients”.
Each of these eight elements play an important role in creating a CV that stands out. You can rise above your peers simply by being concise, specific and demonstrating success through facts, figures and metrics.
13 Mar 2025