Finding Your Next Project Management Position
As a professional trained project manager (PMP) looking for a job in project management and preparing a project manager job decription, should be treated with the same discipline and rigor as all other projects. The first step is breaking the process down into smaller pieces.
- Know Yourself
The first step in finding a new project management position is understanding what skills and experience you bring to the table. The process of selfintrospection gives you the opportunity take a look at yourself and reflect on the positions you have liked and succeeded at and those that you have had less success with. Take an inventory of your skills and achievement and write them all down. Then look at each achievement, note down your top personal project manager qualities and the contribution you have made to each. Speak to people you have worked with and let them list your best and worst attributes. If done honestly and critically, selfappraisal can be very rewarding and enlightening and can help you pinpoint the direction your career should go.
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The next step is to match yourself against available positions in the market. Comparing your ideal roles with your skills, qualifications and experience on one hand and exploring project manager duties on the other hand, will highlight any gaps. Achieving new qualifications, training in new skills or gaining experience all take time. The other side of the coin would be to lower your aspirations. Again, here an honest look at yourself and your expectations will help ensure finding the an appropriate position
- Knowing where to Look
Project managers positions exist in most industries which may make finding those positions a bit tricky. Many jobs are created and filled daily, even in tough economic times. The challenge is knowing where to look for the positions most appropriate for you.
A good place to start is the Internet and sites like Monster.com or local and national PMI sites that have thousands of project managers jobs across the country in every possible industry you can think of. The sheer number of websites and positions available are overwhelming so find a site that you like and stick with it. Many positions are posted on more than one site, so sticking to a site that you like will help control the clutter.
Although the internet provides more positions that you are likely to be able to apply for, sometimes offline options may work better for you. If you live in a small town, looking in the local newspapers may be a good channel. If you are willing to relocate, national press, journals or direct employer websites are also good options.
Word of mouth and today’s replacement for word of mouth, Social Networking, are both good alternatives to finding project managers positions. Social Networking makes the task of networking to find your next position much easier. Get the word out to your friends and business contacts. People are always happy to vouch
- Successful Applications
The most common mistake make when applying for project managers positions is sending your most current resume and then sitting and waiting for a response. Before you can apply for a role and send your project manager resume, you need to fully appreciate what the role entails so you can edit your resume and present your best case thus increasing your chances of being called for an interview. By amending your resume to best reflect your skills, experience and qualifications; you are increasing your chances for an interview.
Successful Interviews questions for project managers
Successfully interviewing questions for a project manager role is covered in the article: How to approach Project Manager job interview questions in an ever changing world
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