Are you a natural-born leader? Do you communicate with ease, love problem-solving and can drive a productive and effective team? Then a program manager job might be the right fit for you. Program managers devise and implement strategies that align new programs with a company’s overall business goal. As a program manager, it’s your job to help programs stay both on schedule and on budget while ensuring their success. Ultimately, you’re responsible for making sure that your programs deliver the best return on investment (ROI).

Professionals working in program manager jobs support all kinds of different business, department, or organization initiatives and projects, like:

• Product launches

• Store and facility openings

• Marketing plans

• Sales processes

• Internal and external training

Other management jobs that may interest you include:

• product manager jobs

• project manager jobs

• operations manager jobs

Program Manager Education and Skills

You can work as a program manager in several different industries and at all kinds of companies and organizations, each with their own education and skill requirements. However, having a bachelor’s degree in one of the following is almost always required:

• business administration

• communications

• computer science (if you’re interested in working in technology)

• other related fields such as marketing

If you want to work at larger companies, a master’s degree in a relevant field is preferred.

Other key skills and qualities employers want in program managers are:

• good leadership

• excellent communication skills

• ability to solve problems

• close attention to detail

• ability to multitask

• coordination skills

• ability to work under pressure

Update Your Program Manager Resume

Start by managing your most important project—your resume. Since employers often get inundated by resumes and only read the ones that immediately stand out, creating a resume that gets their attention is of the utmost importance.

Be sure to highlight your biggest career accomplishments in your professional experience section and provide examples with numbers, dollars, and percentages. Employers and recruiters love bulleted lists that show what you’re capable of. Take a look at our program manager resume sample to see how it’s done.

Want to be a top-tier candidate? Make sure to include a cover letter with your resume as well. A top-notch cover letter should sell your skills, explain your professional background, and give the employer a glimpse of who you are and why you’re the right fit for them. Not sure where to start? Check out these cover letter examples from Monster.

Interviewing for Program Manager Jobs

So, you got the good news—a hiring manager wants to schedule an interview with you. If you’re feeling a bit nervous, relax. There are ways to prepare so that you can nail that interview. Start by reading these top 10 interview tips to live by. Then, familiarize yourself with these commonly asked interview questions and develop your answers. Lastly, be prepared for job-specific questions, such as:

• Describe the most recent program you managed and how you contributed to it.

• What are the most common reasons for why projects fail?

• Have you managed a project that didn’t go as planned? What happened and what would you do differently if given the chance?

• Why is management important for this role specifically?

How Much Do Program Manager Jobs Pay?

According to our data, the median salary for program managers is $91,258 a year. However, your salary will vary depending on your location and professional background. For location-specific salaries, head over to Monster’s Salary Tools, where you can find out exactly how much program manager jobs pay in your city and compare it to similar positions you may be interested in.

To find out location-specific salaries and compare different health occupations, check out Monster’s Salary Tools.

Learn More About a Company You’re Interested In

Do you focus best alone in a corner office? Or maybe you’d prefer to work closely with colleagues in an open work environment? Different workplaces have different cultures, so make sure to not only find out more about a company you’re interested in as a necessary step of preparation before the interview, but to make sure you’re joining the right type of organization for you.

Check out Monster’s Company Profiles, where you’ll find information about:

• company culture with mission statements, photos, and videos

• office locations, number of employees, and social media links

• updated job listings for companies looking to hire program managers

Join Monster to Find Program Manager Jobs

When you join Monster, we’ll streamline the job search process for you. All you need to do is set up your free profile to make your resume available to the thousands of recruiters looking for candidates. We’ll also keep you in the know on new job postings that match your criteria and send custom job notifications right to your inbox. So, what are you waiting for? Get ahead in your career and find your perfect program manager job match today.