Writing a killer product manager resume is challenging. Should you really include that work experience from five years ago? And does this bullet point capture what you achieved as neatly as it could?
A good way to make sure your PM resume gets selected by companies like Google, Facebook, or Amazon is to focus on the skills they want their product managers to have. And to use keywords which signal that you possess these competencies (e.g. Analysis skills => "Analysed large datasets to ...").
That approach will both force you to use relevant keywords in your resume and help you write a balanced list of bullet points covering the full spectrum of PM skills.
Technical skills
Strategy: Building products starts with identifying and prioritising business opportunities. Good PMs therefore need strategy skills to make product decisions.
UX / UI design: Once an opportunity has been validated the next step is to turn it into a user experience (UX) and a user interface (UI). Good PMs aren't necessarily former designers but they need to be able to contribute to that design phase.
Coding: Once the product is designed, the engineering team will start building it. Good PMs aren't necessarily former developers but they are technical enough to discuss how the product will be built with engineers.
Digital marketing: The product is ready, it’s now time to launch it. Good PMs aren't necessarily former marketers but are familiar with a range of digital marketing practices and channels.
Data analytics: Once a product has been launched, PMs are in charge of assessing whether it's a success or not. They therefore need to be comfortable setting success metrics, analysing data and writing reports for the other project stakeholders.
Soft skills
Leadership: Shipping products requires a broad range of skills and teammates (e.g. designers, engineers, marketers, etc.). Good PMs are comfortable leading groups of people over which they don't have direct authority.
Communication: Product managers spend a good part of their day in meetings and writing emails / instant messages. Good PMs are strong communicators both verbally and in writing.
Organisation: Finally, PMs are usually somewhat involved in making sure the project they work on is delivered on time. Good organisational skills are therefore critical.
Your resume should highlight that you possess these skills. And here is a list of keywords that will easily enable you to achieve this:
Strategy keywords
Developed a product vision and strategy
Created product personas
Built a product roadmap
Conducted a strategic review
Recommended strategic initiatives
Etc.
UX / UI design keywords
Designed initial wireframes
Gathered UX feedback from users
Researched competitors' UX
Provided feedback to design team
Contributed to the development of a design system
Etc.
Coding keywords
Wrote detailed user stories for engineering team
Made initial tech difficulty assessments for features
Negotiated timelines with Lead Engineer / CTO
Helped make engineering trade-off decisions
Built front-end / back-end features for app XYZ
Etc.
Digital marketing keywords
Created value props with marketing team
Provided feedback on copywriting
Coordinated launch with marketing team
Tested five acquisition channels
Scaled a channel to X number of users
Etc.
Data analysis keywords
Set key success metrics
Measured metrics' improvement
Performed analysis on large datasets
Generated actionable insights
Summarised data findings
Etc.
Leadership keywords
Lead a team
Aligned stakeholders
Managed a project
Took an initiative
Set a vision
Etc.
Communication keywords
Communicated next steps
Summarised a complex situation
Ran product meetings / reviews
Presented in front of a large audience
Wrote product requirement documents
Etc.
Organisation keywords
Delivered a project
Ran two-week agile sprints
Organised an event
Improved shipping cadence
Optimised a process
Etc.
You will probably have noticed that all the key phrases above start with an action verb. Using that format consistently for all your bullet points will make it easy for your resume screener to quickly identify that you have the right PM skills. And if you make your resume screener's life easy they are definitely more likely to give you an interview!
If you would like to see these different keywords in action you can sign up to receive our sample product manager resume and checklist.