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Project Manager Resume Keywords

The skills 7,516 Project Manager job postings ask for, next to what 2,713 candidates' resumes actually list. The difference is where most resumes lose the match.

Updated September 2026 · From 7,516 job postings and 2,713 resumes

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Project Manager

job postings analyzed
7,516
Each counted once
candidate resumes
2,713
One per candidate, the latest
most requested skill
Budgeting
In 55% of jobs
biggest gap
Project Planning
39% of jobs, 22% of resumes

What the numbers say

Budgeting is asked for in more than half of Project Manager jobs (55%), and 43% of resumes mention it. The difference is usually a missing number: say how large a budget you ran and how it ended. Project planning is a wider gap, in 39% of jobs and on 22% of resumes.

PMP is named in 31% of jobs and on 16% of resumes, and it matters much more with seniority: 45% of senior jobs ask for it, against 14% of entry-level ones. If you hold it, write both "PMP" and "Project Management Professional".

What grew over the last year is oversight. Governance rose from 11% to 20% of jobs and stakeholder management from 10% to 16%, so jobs want project managers who report up as well as deliver. And 15% of these jobs are in construction: if your projects are, say so.

All keywords

Project Manager keywords, ranked by how many jobs ask for them

Each row shows two numbers: the share of Project Manager job postings that ask for the skill, and the share of candidates' resumes that had it when scanned against those job postings.

Project Manager: skills in job postings vs on resumes

The share of 7,516 Project Manager job postings that ask for each skill, next to the share of 2,713 candidates' resumes that list it. The gap is the difference in percentage points.

Share of job postings asking for it Share of resumes that had it
Skill Asked for in jobsListed on resumes Gappts
1

Budgeting

Core

1.9× per job that asks
55%
43%
 +12 pts
2

Project Planning

Common

1.4× per job that asks
39%
22%
 +17 pts
3

Finance

Common

1.7× per job that asks
32%
21%
 +11 pts
4

PMP

Common

1.3× per job that asks
31%
16%
 +15 pts
5

Agile

Common

1.6× per job that asks
26%
19%
 +7 pts
6

Microsoft Excel

Common

1.2× per job that asks
18%
14%
 +4 pts
7

Microsoft Office

Common

1.4× per job that asks
18%
13%
 +5 pts
8

Risk Management

Common

1.2× per job that asks
16%
9%
 +7 pts
9

Management Tools

Common

1.1× per job that asks
16%
7%
 +9 pts
10

Project Delivery

Common

1.3× per job that asks
15%
9%
 +7 pts
11

Construction

Specialist

3.0× per job that asks
15%
12%
 +3 pts
12

Project Risk

Specialist

1.1× per job that asks
15%
7%
 +8 pts
13

Governance

Specialist

1.7× per job that asks
15%
8%
 +6 pts
14

Change Management

Specialist

1.3× per job that asks
14%
8%
 +6 pts
15

Jira

Specialist

1.2× per job that asks
14%
9%
 +5 pts
Show all 50 keywords
16

Testing

Specialist

1.6× per job that asks
13%
8%
 +5 pts
17

Program Management

Specialist

1.8× per job that asks
12%
7%
 +5 pts
18

Stakeholder Management

Specialist

1.2× per job that asks
12%
7%
 +5 pts
19

Forecasting

Specialist

1.4× per job that asks
12%
6%
 +6 pts
20

Project Documentation

Specialist

1.1× per job that asks
12%
8%
 +4 pts
21

Complex Projects

Specialist

1.2× per job that asks
12%
6%
 +6 pts
22

Scrum

Specialist

1.7× per job that asks
12%
7%
 +4 pts
23

Quality Standards

Specialist

1.2× per job that asks
12%
6%
 +6 pts
24

Status Reports

Specialist

1.1× per job that asks
11%
5%
 +7 pts
25

Project Methodologies

Specialist

1.5× per job that asks
11%
6%
 +5 pts
26

Procurement

Specialist

1.7× per job that asks
11%
7%
 +4 pts
27

Microsoft PowerPoint

Specialist

1.1× per job that asks
11%
8%
 +3 pts
28

MS Project

Specialist

1.1× per job that asks
11%
5%
 +6 pts
29

Microsoft Word

Specialist

1.1× per job that asks
10%
7%
 +4 pts
30

Proposals

Specialist

1.3× per job that asks
10%
4%
 +6 pts
31

KPIs

Specialist

1.5× per job that asks
9%
6%
 +3 pts
32

Resource Allocation

Specialist

1.1× per job that asks
9%
5%
 +5 pts
33

Marketing

Specialist

1.6× per job that asks
9%
6%
 +3 pts
34

PMO

Specialist

2.0× per job that asks
8%
3%
 +5 pts
35

Management Professional

Specialist

1.1× per job that asks
8%
5%
 +3 pts
36

Mitigation Strategies

Specialist

1.1× per job that asks
8%
4%
 +4 pts
37

Software Development

Specialist

1.2× per job that asks
8%
4%
 +4 pts
38

Management Software

Specialist

1.1× per job that asks
8%
3%
 +4 pts
39

Project Performance

Specialist

1.2× per job that asks
7%
3%
 +5 pts
40

Business Administration

Specialist

1.1× per job that asks
7%
3%
 +4 pts
41

Healthcare

Specialist

1.8× per job that asks
7%
4%
 +3 pts
42

Project Management Software

Specialist

1.1× per job that asks
7%
3%
 +4 pts
43

Lessons Learned

Specialist

1.1× per job that asks
7%
3%
 +4 pts
44

Electrical

Specialist

1.9× per job that asks
7%
3%
 +3 pts
45

Automation

Specialist

1.8× per job that asks
7%
3%
 +4 pts
46

Customer Satisfaction

Specialist

1.3× per job that asks
6%
3%
 +3 pts
47

Quality Assurance

Specialist

1.1× per job that asks
6%
4%
 +3 pts
48

Project Timelines

Specialist

1.1× per job that asks
6%
3%
 +3 pts
49

Microsoft Project

Specialist

1.1× per job that asks
6%
2%
 +4 pts
50

Dashboarding

Specialist

1.2× per job that asks
6%
3%
 +3 pts

Source: skillsyncer.com/resume-keywords/project-manager · CC BY 4.0

Which of these keywords does your resume already have?

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The gap

The keywords resumes miss most

Asked for far more often than candidates list them. If you have these skills, these are the words most likely to be costing you the match.

Project Planning

+17 pts
39%
22%

39% of jobs ask for it, but only 22% of resumes list it.

PMP

+15 pts
31%
16%

31% of jobs ask for it, but only 16% of resumes list it.

Budgeting

+12 pts
55%
43%

55% of jobs ask for it, but only 43% of resumes list it.

Finance

+11 pts
32%
21%

32% of jobs ask for it, but only 21% of resumes list it.

Management Tools

+9 pts
16%
7%

16% of jobs ask for it, but only 7% of resumes list it.

Project Risk

+8 pts
15%
7%

15% of jobs ask for it, but only 7% of resumes list it.

Find out if your resume is missing these for the job you want.

Check my resume

Trends

Which skills are rising

Share of job postings asking for each skill in the last 12 months against the 12 before. Governance and Stakeholder Management are climbing.

Project Manager: skills rising

The share of Project Manager job postings asking for each skill in the previous 12 months (hollow dot) and the last 12 months (solid dot). Only skills that moved at least 3 points are shown.

Previous 12 months Last 12 months
0%20%40%
  1. Governance +9 pts
  2. Stakeholder Management +6 pts
  3. Finance +5 pts
  4. Dashboarding +4 pts
  5. Automation +4 pts
  6. Forecasting +4 pts
  7. Electrical +4 pts
  8. Project Delivery +3 pts
  9. Procurement +3 pts
  10. Project Risk +3 pts

Source: skillsyncer.com/resume-keywords/project-manager · CC BY 4.0

By seniority

What changes from entry level to senior

Share of job postings asking for each skill, split by the level in the job title. Darker means more job postings at that level ask for it.

Project Manager: skills by seniority

The share of Project Manager job postings asking for each skill at each level, with the level read from the job title. Darker cells mean more job postings at that level ask for it.

Skill Entry level 769 jobs Mid level 5,523 jobs Senior 1,224 jobs
Budgeting 47% 55% 64%
Project Planning 32% 37% 50%
Finance 25% 31% 40%
PMP 14% 30% 45%
Agile 19% 25% 34%
Microsoft Excel 29% 18% 15%
Microsoft Office 31% 16% 14%
Risk Management 11% 16% 20%
Management Tools 18% 15% 18%
Project Delivery 13% 15% 19%
Construction 19% 15% 10%
Project Risk 13% 14% 18%

Source: skillsyncer.com/resume-keywords/project-manager · CC BY 4.0

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Copy list

Every keyword, grouped by how expected it is

Use the exact wording, and only for skills you can talk about in an interview.

Core 1

In 40% or more of job postings. Expected on almost every resume for this role.

  • Budgeting
Common 9

In 15 to 40% of job postings. Worth listing whenever you have them.

  • Project Planning
  • Finance
  • PMP
  • Agile
  • Microsoft Excel
  • Microsoft Office
  • Risk Management
  • Management Tools
  • Project Delivery
Specialist 40

Under 15%. They set you apart for the jobs that ask.

  • Construction
  • Project Risk
  • Governance
  • Change Management
  • Jira
  • Testing
  • Program Management
  • Stakeholder Management
  • Forecasting
  • Project Documentation
  • Complex Projects
  • Scrum
  • Quality Standards
  • Status Reports
  • Project Methodologies
  • Procurement
  • Microsoft PowerPoint
  • MS Project
  • Microsoft Word
  • Proposals
  • KPIs
  • Resource Allocation
  • Marketing
  • PMO
  • Management Professional
  • Mitigation Strategies
  • Software Development
  • Management Software
  • Project Performance
  • Business Administration
  • Healthcare
  • Project Management Software
  • Lessons Learned
  • Electrical
  • Automation
  • Customer Satisfaction
  • Quality Assurance
  • Project Timelines
  • Microsoft Project
  • Dashboarding

In context

Bullets that use these keywords

A keyword counts for more inside a bullet that shows what you did with it than in a list at the bottom.

  • Owned budgeting for a combined $4.2M across three projects with monthly forecasting alongside finance, delivering 2% under budget.

    Budgeting Forecasting

  • Built the project planning and risk management for a 14-month ERP rollout to 600 users, finishing two weeks early.

    Project Planning Risk Management

  • Set up governance for a nine-team program, a monthly steering committee and status reports, and ran stakeholder management for three executive sponsors.

    Governance Stakeholder Management

  • Moved two delivery teams from waterfall to Agile sprints in Jira, cutting average release time from 10 weeks to 3.

    Agile Jira

Get bullets like these written from your own experience.

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Resume examples

Project Manager resumes built from this data

Entry level, mid level and senior example resumes using these keywords, each measured against the Project Manager job postings at its level, with notes on why each section is written the way it is.

See the resume examples

Related roles

Roles whose jobs ask for similar skills

Measured by overlap in the skills their job postings request, not by job category.

Business Analyst resume keywords

From 12,695 job postings

  • Testing 40%
  • Microsoft Excel 38%
  • Business Requirements 36%

Data Analyst resume keywords

From 31,011 job postings

  • SQL 71%
  • Business Intelligence 54%
  • Dashboarding 52%

Software Engineer resume keywords

From 31,939 job postings

  • Coding 61%
  • Testing 53%
  • Java 49%

Data Scientist resume keywords

From 8,584 job postings

  • Python 82%
  • Machine Learning 69%
  • SQL 64%

Method

How these numbers were counted

  1. 8,130 scans
  2. 50 keywords
  3. 2,713 resumes
  4. 7,516 job postings

Every figure on this page comes from resumes people scanned against Project Manager job postings between September 2024 and September 2026: 7,516 distinct job postings and the resumes of 2,713 candidates.

A job posting counts once, however many people scanned it. Each candidate counts once too, with the most recent resume they scanned for this role, so someone who applied to fifty jobs does not outweigh fifty people who applied to one.

Nothing here identifies anyone. These are counts across many people. No resume or job description text, names, contact details or employers are published, and a job title only appears once at least 10 different people have scanned it. See our privacy policy.

Job titles are grouped: "Senior Data Analyst", "Data Analyst II" and "Data Analyst (Remote)" all count here. Keywords are matched against a library of known skills, with different spellings of one skill counted together, so "MS Excel" and "Excel" are one keyword.

Download this data as a CSV. Free to reuse under CC BY 4.0, with a link back to this page.

Refreshed every quarter from new scans. Last updated September 2026; next update December 2026.

Common questions

What keywords should I put on a Project Manager resume?

Start with the core skills, the ones at least 40% of Project Manager job postings ask for: Budgeting. Use them in the job posting's exact wording, and only for skills you actually have.

Which Project Manager skills do resumes most often leave out?

Project Planning, PMP and Budgeting. Project Planning appears in 39% of job postings but only 22% of resumes.

Which Project Manager skills are employers asking for more?

Over the last 12 months, Governance, Stakeholder Management and Finance grew the most in share of Project Manager job postings.

Is my resume published here?

No. Your resume is only ever counted, never shown. This page reports percentages across at least 10 different people per job title, and no resume or job description text, names, contact details or employers appear anywhere in it.

How often is this data updated?

Every quarter, from new scans. This page was last updated in September 2026 and the next update is due in December 2026.

Is this the same as ATS keywords?

Close. An applicant tracking system searches your resume for the skills in the job posting, so the skills job postings ask for most often are the ones an ATS is most often looking for. The only way to know for one job is to check your resume against that job posting.

Which of these is your resume missing?

Scan your resume against a real Project Manager job.

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