Whats The Secret Of A Project Management Career Path
Project managers are good at their job for various reasons. There is no definite secret. Thinking that you hold the secrets of this job can make you believe that youâre prepared for any situation. Nevertheless, many problems could occur at any time, making it impossible for you to know how to solve them without too much struggle. For this reason, itâs better to focus on being a great professional rather than hunting down the secrets of success. Doing what the best PMs are doing wonât guarantee youâll become successful like themâbeing passionate and open to change whenever something is not working right is more important. The project management world is one of the most dynamic business environments. You should be able to adapt to its changing nature and become comfortable in it.
Another tip that project managers might hesitate to share is the use of project management tools. These apps can automate their tasks and help them manage projects with ease. Finding the best tools often takes a lot of time and testing. Also, the apps and techniques you choose can depend on your work style.
More experienced project managers might even be able to tell you some secrets that youâll find nowhere else. The true secrets of this profession come only with experience. Even in project management, making mistakes and learning from them is a valid statement.
A Basic Understanding Of The Business Landscape
Last, but not least, being able to connect the project outcomes to concrete business challenges and the strategic goals of your organization is essential for project buy-in and success. Most of the stakeholders, including senior management, will be more supportive of the project when that connection is made because they will clearly see that the project contributes to an organizational priority.
For example, if your organization works in the social development field, and youre asked to manage a project to increase access to education in Mauritania, you should have knowledge of the different educational systems which are the most successful, why, and which alternatives will best fit the specific needs the project wants to address.
Doing this work will help you better define your project and how its purpose fits with your organizations priorities. In addition, when you are able to make these connections and explain them to your team members, you bring much more purpose to their work.
Become A Project Manager
Speak to a Learning Advisor to learn more about how our bootcamps and courses can help you become a Project Manager.
Yes, project management is definitely a good career with high salaries and plenty of variety at work, but its also a demanding job that can be highly stressful at times.
The reason project management is such a good career and Project Managers are in such high demand? Every company will always initiate projects to increase revenue, minimize cost, and boost efficiency. Thats why, according to a recent report from PMI, theres such a drastic shortage of Project Managers relative to demand. The report found that on an annual basis, employers will need to fill nearly 2.2 million new project-oriented roles each year through 2027. Further, the report found $208 billion is at risk due to that anticipated project management shortage.
Some Project Managers enjoy their jobs because of the variety no two days look alike. Others appreciate the fast-paced, urgent nature of the work. And another feature of the job many find appealing is that you can actually finish something and move on to a new challenge, which isnt the case with a lot of other positions.
Still, most Project Managers seem to think the pros outweigh the cons.
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Option : Become An Assistant Project Manager
This is a GREAT way to gain project experience. You are not directly in the hot seat of the project manager, but still you work together with the manager in charge and support him in his daily work. Also, you are the first point of contact if he is not in the office.
Tip: Read my article on how to become a project assistant.
You can learn massively from working with a senior project manager and observing his style. And you dont have the burden of full project responsibility, which may be a lot at the beginning.
How do you do this?
Look for interesting projects in your company and find out who is the . Schedule a meeting with its project manager and let him know about your plans. Project managers are usually overworked people who work long hours every day, so they are always grateful for support.
To make the collaboration easy, there are a few points you should clarify upfront:
- How you will support
- Regular communication
How exactly you will support:
Have a clear agreement with the responsible project manager on the type of work you will do. The work should be interesting and serve as a good learning experience for you, and of course it should be something that falls into the category of project management work. Will the work always be interesting and fun? Definitely not. But you should be able to learn a lot and improve your skills.
Here are some examples of jobs you could take over:
- Following up on tasks
- Creating slideshow presentations
- Writing project proposals
Tools And Resources For Project Managers
Sometimes it takes more than just a great project manager to complete a project on time and within budget. Times have changed. Project management tools can now ease your work and eliminate the hassle of working with paperwork that can be lost forever.
Letâs start with the essential tools we recommend you use from the beginning of your career.
Your entire team will need a complete system for creating project documentation. Your best free option, in this case, is the Google Suite. Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides can all be used collaboratively. In this way, youâll be able to work with your team members efficiently, even when working remotely. Also, using Google Drive, you can ensure the safety of your data. Remember always to connect your files to cloud storage providers so that you donât lose any of your documents. Other similar file-sharing systems include Dropbox, Microsoft OneDrive, and Apple iCloud Drive.
Efficient collaboration is key to ensuring that each task is completed according to your clientâs requirements and that no mistakes are made. For this, youâll need a place to ask questions, share news, plan meetings, clarify tasks, and get feedback. In this sense, there are many collaboration tools, such as Slack, that you can connect your entire team to. If you prefer face-to-face interaction, you can also use video chat services. In this case, Slack works as a video calling system too, but you can opt for other alternatives like Skype, , or Viber.
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Jobs Similar To Project Manager
Project managers have a wide range of skills that they may use in a variety of management roles across various sectors.
Indeed, project managers are used in a huge variety of sectors. So, you may succeed as a project manager in an organization by having a thorough understanding of the industry.
Examples of jobs similar to project management include:
- Construction Project Manager
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Enroll For A Pmp Certification Course
The first thing to do before initiating your career change is to pursue a PMP Certification. You can do this way before you make the transition. A PMP course is often needed for all aspiring managers as it convinces the top management that you are indeed familiar with project supervision.
It also gives you a level of managerial education that will come in handy in your work as a project manager. Through this, you will learn formalized project management strategies and techniques needed to execute future projects successfully.
A PMP certification also helps you solidify your project management skills, making you a good manager once you succeed with your career change. If further brings project management closer to you, giving you a formalized view.
Some of the things that you will learn from the PMP course are conducting interviews and getting valuable information, resource planning and assignment in an efficient and cost-effective manner, detailed project planning and lastly, coming up with ways of arriving at optimal solutions.
This course does not last that long, and you will be good to go in six months.
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Mondaycom Is Perfect For Managing Projects
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My solution is Monday.com. The Work OS work management platform helps my team manage projects and workflows more efficiently. The project management includes the scope, time, and budget.
What I like about Monday.com is that is a very easy and intuitive all-in-one work platform that uses apps and integrations to create a custom workflow for the project. Its versatility helps me stay on track and the integrations with apps such as Outlook, Microsoft Teams, Gmail, and Excel, allow me to easily continue working with my favorite tools from within the platform.
My Story: How I Became A Project Manager
My first job was a technical role in IT . I really loved my work. I got to travel and I was working in an amazing team.
But 3 years in, I didnt experience anything new. The same projects, the same issues, the same people. Being an eager learner, I wanted to grow and learn something new.
When I approached my manager, he offered me an assistant project manager role in a project that had just been kicked off. I was really excited, not only because of the opportunity to get into project management, but also because I could bite my teeth on new technology.
Initially I could only dedicate a few hours each week to the project. I did all the legwork, like following up with people who were involved in the project. Also, I prepared presentations and I organized status meetings.
After some months I was doing most of the coordination work. I knew every aspect of the project and I did most of the talking with team members and stakeholders.
Once the project manager stepped down I took full ownership of the project and brought it to completion. My first project was a real challenge and I learned many lessons.
With more experience, I took over larger projects, among them several global enterprise software rollouts in countries like India, Mexico and Turkey with large distributed teams.
You can connect with me on .
Best regards,
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Align Your Objectives And Goals
Both change management and project management have processes that complement one another, with the common goal of ensuring a project’s success over the long term and its impact. If the two sides cannot work together, the company may lose the shared goal. Because change management is relatively new and follows a distinct pattern, the two groups can easily feel disconnected. To avoid a “us vs. them” mentality, both teams may collaborate and clearly explain and align their goals. Consider asking yourself these questions:
-
What exactly are you attempting to accomplish?
-
What are the desired results?
After you’ve answered these questions, you can get to work on developing a strategic and dual approach to managing the project and its impact.
Implement organized change management systems
The change management field does not adhere to standard processes or strict guidelines. You can use a structured approach for successful change management integration. Communicate with the project manager to determine a workable method and process. The more rigour and structure, the better you follow a documented pattern with clearly defined goals and milestones. You can conveniently align the procedures with the project management timeline and guarantee a more strategic operation application.
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Four Years As A Project Manager
I spent the first year or so getting familiar with my role, the company, and the software. As an implementation manager, the role was much more âinvolvedâ than a traditional project manager role. About a year in, I got a small raise. My boss started asking questions about my decision to start an MBA education and what type of projects I enjoyed . I answered the former but ended up with the latter when realizing that I was good at problem solving and collaboration. Moreover, if I wanted to be a standout, I needed to take the road less traveled. The hard one. I think thatâs what she wanted to hear, and probably what she saw in me all along. I started getting more out-of-the-box projects, but nothing I felt was too crazy. When some game-changing projects were about to begin, it was time to speak up. I started insisting on complex projects. If you want examples of some complex projects I managed and worked through many of the challenges, check out my article and video series here.But soon the stress began to get to me. I was working full-time and going to school at night, getting more training in business and project management. However, it didnt go unnoticed. By now I had received a 20% raise and was feeling pretty good.
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Improve Your Soft Skills
Project management is a dynamic career that requires different skill sets to get the work done. Accomplished project managers are leaders with remarkable coordination and planning skills. They can manage multiple tasks and deliver under pressure. Since projects often cut across different departments, project managers have people management skills with exceptional communication and interpersonal skills. They’ve mastered the art of dealing with different people and handling volatile situations professionally.
Besides, successful project managers are analytical, risk-takers, and strategic. They can assess situations fast and make informed choices to avoid setbacks.
That said, as you contemplate a career transition to project management, it is important to examine your personality. Can you deliver under pressure? Would you describe yourself as a risk-taker? How do you handle team dynamics? How about your communication skills? You need the soft skills described above to manage projects successfully.
Take account of the skills you have and commit to working on your areas of weakness. Keep in mind that you might be good in one area and not so good in others. Don’t beat yourself up. Skills are learned over time. Some of these skills you’ll learn on the job as project management positions in different industries require varying degrees of specific soft skills.
See What The Employees Are Saying
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Ever wished there was a place that rated companies based on how much people like working there? Well, now there is! Sites like Indeed, Glassdoor, and Comparably are great places to learn about a potential employer and how people like working there. With these sites, individuals can comment on the company’s benefits, culture, work, and more. Not only that, but they can rate a company based on how much they like working there.
You can also learn more about salary and past interviewing experiences! According to Indeed’s Employer Branding Survey, 83% of job seekers say their decisions on where to apply are influenced by employer reviews.
So before you apply for a job, make sure you do your research. Doing a little research can go a long way in your job search. Don’t be lazylearn more about your dream company now!
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This article was originally published at an earlier date.
If you feel like many of the job postings you come across in your job search are scams, you’re not alone. You are not the first job seeker to tell me they feel this way. But we have to think about where this comes from.
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The Job Application Process Is A Broken System
@j.t.odonnell Replying to @nana_5075 Why job listings feel like a scam… #jobs#careers#careertok#jobtok original sound – J.T. O’Donnell
Back in the day, a company would post a job in the want ad section of a newspaper, so you’d have to open up a newspaper, read through it, write up a resume and cover letter, and snail mail your application off to them. When the idea came to post jobs online, it meant more people who were the right fit could apply. But over time, that’s broken down.
Now thousands of people will apply for one job when it gets posted. And many of those job applicants are not a fit. So employers now have to hire recruiters, who are also called sourcers, to go through thousands of applicants so they can whittle it down to about 50 qualified applicants. What’s the rhyme or reason they’re using to select some applicants and screen others out?
This is why you don’t get calledbecause it’s just so random.
After employers get down to 50 applicants, they look through those, find a few they like, and call them. That’s why only 3% of people who apply online ever hear back from companies.
It’s a completely broken system, so I can see why it feels like a scam. The whole thing is flawed.
Right now, yes, you’re right. Those online job postings don’t work. They don’t work for either side. We need a better system. And storytelling is the key. So go learn how to conduct a proactive job search today so you can finally land a job and work for an employer you actually like!
