A Project Manager drives outcomes across Project Management, Communication Skills, Budget Management and related areas. Based on 143 scored postings, this role requires a mix of technical and strategic skills at varying depth levels.

What employers are looking for:

•Project Management at L4 — required in 50% of postings. Employers want hands-on proficiency, not textbook knowledge.
•Communication Skills at L5 — required in 22% of postings. Most roles expect independent execution, not just awareness.
•Budget Management at L3 — required in 20% of postings. Employers want hands-on proficiency, not textbook knowledge.

⚠ Most common gaps: PE License (100% gap rate) and Project Management Professional (PMP) Certification (100% gap rate). If these apply to you, address them directly in your cover letter.

Required Skills

Skills ranked by frequency across 143 postings. L-levels show the depth employers require.

L1 AwarenessL2 BasicL3 IntermediateL4 AdvancedL5 Expert

Project ManagementTop 3

50%

Communication SkillsTop 3

22%

Budget ManagementTop 3

20%

Stakeholder Communication

14%

Bachelor's Degree

14%40% gap

Stakeholder Management

11%

Project Planning

10%

Risk Management

10%

Project Management Experience

Process Improvement

IT Project Management

Construction Project Management

Salary Insights

Compensation data from 27 postings with disclosed salary.

$127K

Average

$128K

Median

Jobs with salary data

Based on 27 Project Manager job postings with disclosed salary data, compensation averages $127K. The median sits at $128K, indicating relatively even distribution across the range.

Common Skill Gaps

Skills where applicants most frequently fall short of the required depth.

PE License

100% gap

Project Management Professional (PMP) Certification

100% gap

Engineering Degree

100% gap

Power BI

100% gap

IT Project Management Experience

67% gap

Project Management Certification

67% gap

Bachelor's Degree

40% gap

Technical Project Management

40% gap

A gap doesn't mean disqualified. It means you need to address it directly. ShouldApply scores your resume against the actual depth requirements and shows exactly where you fall short, before you apply.

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Top Hiring Companies

Companies with the most active Project Manager postings in the scored dataset.

careerwave.lovestoblog11 Flexionis6 Hiredock4 Actalent3 Jobs via Dice3 GPAC2 JE Dunn Construction2 McMillen, Inc.2

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Browse Project Manager Jobs

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Frequently Asked Questions

The top skills for Project Manager roles are Project Management, Communication Skills, Budget Management, Stakeholder Communication, Bachelor's Degree. Most positions require these at L4 depth or higher, meaning employers want candidates who can work independently, not just have surface awareness.

Based on 27 job postings with disclosed salary data, the average Project Manager salary is $127K with a median of $128K. Actual compensation varies by location, company size, and experience level.

Project Manager roles represent 6.1% of all scored jobs on ShouldApply. Common skill gaps include PE License, Project Management Professional (PMP) Certification, Engineering Degree, suggesting many applicants struggle with these areas.

Top hiring companies for Project Manager roles include careerwave.lovestoblog, Flexionis, Hiredock, Actalent, Jobs via Dice. These companies collectively account for a significant portion of active listings.

ShouldApply rates every skill requirement on a 1-5 depth scale: L1 (Awareness) means you can discuss the concept, L2 (Basic) means simple tasks, L3 (Intermediate) means independent work, L4 (Advanced) means leading and optimizing, and L5 (Expert) means architecting solutions. This goes beyond keyword matching to measure actual proficiency fit.

With 143 active postings analyzed and a 6.1% demand rate, Project Manager roles show moderate market demand. Compensation is competitive, with median salaries above $100K.

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What Does a Project Manager Do?

Role overview based on 143 scored job postings.

What employers are looking for:

•Project Management at L4 — required in 50% of postings. Employers want hands-on proficiency, not textbook knowledge.
•Communication Skills at L5 — required in 22% of postings. Most roles expect independent execution, not just awareness.
•Budget Management at L3 — required in 20% of postings. Employers want hands-on proficiency, not textbook knowledge.

⚠ Most common gaps: PE License (100% gap rate) and Project Management Professional (PMP) Certification (100% gap rate). If these apply to you, address them directly in your cover letter.

Common Skill Gaps

Skills where applicants most frequently fall short of the required depth.

Score My Resume →

Frequently Asked Questions

Based on 27 job postings with disclosed salary data, the average Project Manager salary is $127K with a median of $128K. Actual compensation varies by location, company size, and experience level.

With 143 active postings analyzed and a 6.1% demand rate, Project Manager roles show moderate market demand. Compensation is competitive, with median salaries above $100K.