The Best of Project Management Jobs by Jason Wesltland

The Best of Project Management Jobs A selection of professional insights from the Blog archive

Since 2008 our project management professionals have been sharing knowledge, experience and learning with online readers via the Project Manager Blog. Their collective wisdom provides a wealth of how to, top tips and best practice advice, for project managers, teams and businesses. To make their writings more accessible we’ve created a series of “Best of” project management topics available free to download and share. Here is a collection of excerpts from our blog & video posts that offer advice on how to find work, score interviews and secure a job in project management. Enjoy

Jason Westland CEO ProjectManager.com

6 Ways to Find Project Management Jobs .................................................................................................. 3 Preparing for a Project Management Interview ......................................................................................... 6 Attending Job Interviews ............................................................................................................................. 9 Make the First Job Interview a 3-Dimensional Experience ......................................................................... 9 3 Secrets to Winning Your Job................................................................................................................... 11 30 Day Free Software Trial ........................................................................................................................ 12

6 Ways to Find Project Management Jobs The secret to finding project management jobs that are suited for your skill set is to remain visible. We all know the expression “out of sight, out of mind” and that’s especially true when you are looking for project management jobs. If potential employers don’t even know you exist, how are they going to know what you can do for their company? The following are some suggestions that you can apply to remain highly visible so you are the first person that comes to mind when a company is looking to fill a position. You’ll need to look at the following as an investment of time up front that will pay huge dividends later.

1. Network OK…this one is a no-brainer. Of course, we all know that we need to network with others to remain visible. But, you need to analyze your motive for networking. Are you networking for the sole purpose of finding project management jobs? If so, that comes across as just plain obnoxious. We’ve all been on the receiving end of that conversation. Someone starts up an engaging conversation with you…only to find that they are currently in transition and wanted to know if you knew anyone that had project management jobs available. The conversation abruptly comes to an end when they find you don’t. The better approach is to network with the intent of seeing what you can do to help others. Find out what their challenges, struggles, and frustrations are and then connect them with someone else who may be able to help them. In doing so, you’ve helped out two people, created good-will for yourself, and made yourself highly visible.

2. Volunteer This is a HUGE area when it comes to remaining visible. There are many project management associations that are designed to further the career of project managers. Find one you like and then jump in the deep end with volunteer activity. Again, the ProjectManager.com © 2013 All Rights Reserved

purpose is not to go around asking about project management jobs, but rather to forge and nurture relationships that can come back around in the future and help you out when needed.

3. Stay Connected When People Leave Your Company Your current company is a gold-mine of people to stay connected with that you have already established good relationships. People may decide that the company is not the best fit for them and move on to another job. Make sure you are connected with them on LinkedIn and have their pertinent contact information before they leave. People unfortunately may leave in droves if there are layoffs or downsizings. However, make sure you stay in touch with as many of these people as well – first, to help them find a new position, and second, you never know where they are going to end up in the future. These are great people to stay connected with because they know what you stand for, your accomplishments as a project manager, the types of projects you managed, and other skills you possess that when a position does open they could pass your way.

4. Stay Connected When YOU Leave Your Company It’s a cliché’, but it holds very true…never burn any bridges when you leave a company. As much as it depends on you, leave your company on good terms. I know a colleague who is so connected in the project management industry that whenever he leaves a position, he offers to get the process started for finding his replacement. He’ll send out an email to his peers about the project management job that needs to be filled, the qualifications, and experience needed and then even bring in the candidates to interview them during his remaining two-weeks. Now that’s the way to leave a company! Make sure you get all the contact information like you did when others leave your company. That opens the door for a LOT of people to stay connected with that will eventually move on to bigger and better opportunities themselves.

5. Remain Visible Online There are so many opportunities to stay in front of people online that it’s a shame to not take advantage of them. For example, you can have a blog about your thoughts on project management, have others follow your tweets about project management, share project management jobs with others, and keep your LinkedIn updates steady and ProjectManager.com © 2013 All Rights Reserved

relevant. This steady stream of meaningful and insightful observations keeps you in front of hiring managers for your benefit in the future.

6. Set Yourself Up as an Expert I was just as much an expert as this person was…I just needed to put myself in the highly visible position that he did. You can do the same. If you’ve been on project management jobs for 10 or 20 years you know A LOT about project management. Don’t discount your experience. You’ve been through the ups, down, trials, and tribulations that come from the position. Share this knowledge with others. Speak at project management events. Assemble e-Books that pull all of this together and send it out to those who were in attendance. What an incredible way to stay visible, connected, and top of mind for any project management jobs that come open. I had an epiphany one day while I was sitting in the audience of a project management conference. The person that was the ‘expert’ on the stage was saying all the things that I already knew to be true or applied in my project management jobs over the years. What was the difference between us? He was on the stage…and I was in the audience. This person took the time and effort necessary to set himself up as an expert. He connected with the right people, honed his presentation skills, put together an interesting PowerPoint, and got up in front of hundreds of people while I sat in the audience and finished my salad. Newspaper want-ads are a thing of the past. So are the old ways of getting hired. There are countless people that are applying the 6 principles above in making themselves very visible. They diligently market themselves and put themselves in line for great project management jobs. It’s up to you to do the same! There’s a lot of static and noise in the market place. But, by applying the 6 principles above you can separate yourself from those around you and land your next project management job. ProjectManager.com © 2013 All Rights Reserved

Preparing for a Project Management Interview So you’ve got an interview for a new job? Congratulations! Getting an interview is the next step to getting a job, after sending off your résumé or application form. An interview means that on paper at least the company thinks that you could do the job and now wants to meet you. Don’t blow it! Here are some tips for preparing for the all important interview stage for a project management job.

Research the Company Don’t turn up at a healthcare company thinking it manufactures aircraft parts. In the age of the internet, there really is no excuse for not knowing about the company before you go and meet some of the managers there. Find out what it does, who its customers are and if you can the vision and values. Many companies will have all this stuff on their corporate website. Do an online search for the company name and see what comes up. Are they active on social media sites? Do any of their employees have a blog? This can be a great way to get a feel for what working at the company is really like. Many companies will also have short profiles of their senior team members online. Scroll through these – look at the photos and the biographies of the key executives. Have they had similar career paths to you? Even if you are not interviewing for a job at this level and will not meet them as part of the interview process, it is interesting to know who gets promoted to the top jobs and how they got there. You can also do some research about the person who will be interviewing you. Make sure that you know their job title, department and how they fit into the organization overall. If you can’t find out this information, add it to your list of questions to ask when you get there – more on that below.

Research the Job Not all project management jobs are the same. Is this a project coordinator role or a program manager role? Is it based in a Project Management Office (PMO) or does it report in to a business unit? Ask your interviewer to send you a copy of the job description and role profile in advance so you can see exactly what you are being interviewed for. ProjectManager.com © 2013 All Rights Reserved

Another thing to check is the salary. While it’s often considered poor form to talk about money in a first interview, you do want to know what range the pay will be in. There is no point going for an interview for a job only to find that you love the company and the job but couldn’t possibly take that much of a cut in salary to do the work. Don’t waste everyone’s time by interviewing for posts that you wouldn’t accept.

Prepare your Questions There should be time at the end of the interview to ask questions. Think of something to say at this point – there must be something you want to know. If there isn’t, you probably aren’t very interested in the company or the job! Write your questions down if you are worried that you will forget them. There is no shame in pulling out a notebook to read out your questions as this shows that you are prepared. Remember, choosing a new job is a big decision that can affect several areas of your life so this is also your opportunity to find out if this company is a good fit for you. You could ask about why the vacancy has arisen, how the interviewer feels project management contributes to the company overall, when the PMO was set up or what the interviewer’s own career path was to the project management position that they have now. Steer clear of questions about pension contributions, paid holidays and how long you have to work before you qualify for maternity or paternity leave. These are benefits and terms that you can negotiate later if you get the job. If you really can’t think of anything to ask, stick to questions about the recruitment process. Ask about when they will be making a decision, if there will be another round of interviews and how you will hear from them.

Prepare your Answers Once you know about the type of job you are going for you can give some thought to what sort of questions they will ask you. Make sure your résumé is up to date and that you can provide examples of the work you did in your recent positions. Have a response ready for the inevitable question about why you are job hunting, and also plan what to ProjectManager.com © 2013 All Rights Reserved

say if they ask you what you can bring to the company or why you want to work for them. Most interviewers will let you know in advance if there is going to be any kind of test or presentation, so read your interview letter carefully. You can prepare for most tests unless they are designed to show personality traits. Any project management related tests can be prepared for – read through the relevant standards or manuals in advance to remind yourself of the terms and language that might be tested. Even if you have worked in project management for some time it is still worth doing this to brush up your skills for interview day. You can also prepare for a presentation, even if you do not know the topic in advance. Think about how best to structure it, and maybe ask a friend to set you a practice topic so that you can have a go at preparing a short presentation in the time frame and delivering it to an audience.

Know Where You are Going It doesn’t look good to show up late because you got lost. That doesn’t give a good impression about how organized and professional you are. Make sure you know where you are going, and if you don’t know, ask the interviewer or HR department to send you a map and directions. Plan out your journey and a second travel option or route in case you hit a problem on the way. As a backup, make sure that you have the contact details for the interviewer and the main reception desk so if the worst does happen and you are running late at least you can call and let them know that you aren’t going to make the scheduled time. There is no problem with getting there early (although don’t turn up at reception more than 15 minutes early). You can check your notes, get a coffee, or just sit in the car and wait until it is time to go into the building. Preparing for any interview can be daunting, but somehow a project management interview tends to be a little bit worse. After all, the interviewer is expecting you to demonstrate that you can be calm under pressure and very organized, and that is hard ProjectManager.com © 2013 All Rights Reserved

to do in an interview situation. These tips will help you feel more prepared and in turn that should help you give the best first impression that you can on the day.

Attending Job Interviews If you’d like to improve your performance when attending job interviews, then watch this http://www.projectmanager.com/attending-job-interviews.php

Make the First Job Interview a 3-Dimensional Experience It’s hard to convey an entire career on just a couple of pages of a resume. That’s why you need to bring your experience to life in the interview. The following eight tips will help you accomplish that and set yourself apart from other candidates. This is when you need to bring your 2D resume to life with a 3D interview, and show that you’re WAY more than just what’s on paper. How? By delivering a full package of eight key attributes:

1. Crazy Project Management Skills This one goes without saying, but we’ll say it anyway (don’t you love it when people say it goes without saying, and then proceed to say it?), you must have crazy project management skills. This is the cost of entry. The door won’t even open unless you can convince your interviewer that you have what it takes to be a project manager. The best way to convey that is to bring samples of your work. People love to hear stories, so tell how you were faced with a particularly challenging project and how you and your team powered through it with project management prowess and finesse.

2. Creative Presentation Skills Anyone can put a PowerPoint presentation together these days and make it look pretty decent. There are a lot of templates to choose from and universal formats for presenting information. The problem is that they all begin to look the same. You’re job ProjectManager.com © 2013 All Rights Reserved

as a project manager is to be an outstanding communicator. Show how you think outside the box when it comes to presenting project information and how effective your presentations have been in reaching different audiences.

3. Mad Analytical Skills You need to have an Excel manual on your nightstand that you read every night before you go to bed. Seriously, you need to do this. VLOOKUPS and pivot tables should be your best friends. You will be well served as a project manager if you can take ridiculous amounts of data and boil the jumbled mess into two or three key findings. Make sure your interviewer understands that you are a spreadsheet aficionado.

4. Good Mingling Skills It’s important to a hiring manager that you put other people at ease, gain trust, and have no fear of striking up a conversation. Remember the walk from the lobby to their office? You’ll also have an opportunity on the way back to the lobby. There might even be an elevator ride involved. You’ll have plenty of time to show your interpersonal skills with tactful, personable conversation.

5. Multiple Language Skills Something else that adds dimension is to speak multiple languages. What? You don’t speak multiple languages? Sure you do. You speak Executive, Sales, Technical, Marketing, and you specialize in speaking Client. It’s important for the interviewer to know you can be thrown into any situation with any group of people and will be able to understand and communicate clearly.

6. Some Technical Skills It’s not your job as a project manager to know coding, COBOL or how to build a server from scratch. There are talented resources on every team that fill that role. But, you must have enough of a technical background to know if people are blowing smoke. You ProjectManager.com © 2013 All Rights Reserved

have to be able to call foul if someone comes to you and says something will take 40 hours, when you know good and well it will only take ten.

7. Lots of Business Acumen Another attribute you want to convey in your interview is a high level of business expertise. You need to show that you understand that projects are not completed just for the sake of completing projects. They are part of bigger initiatives and strategies that drive the company toward profitability and security. One way to do this is to ask questions about who makes the decisions relative to company strategy and what challenges they are currently facing as an enterprise.

8. Customer Facing The ability to be customer facing is a big deal. Not everyone can pull this off. For example, I worked with a fellow who would NEVER use silverware when he ate. Any food he ordered always had to be something he could eat with his fingers. Seriously. How do you think that would go over as soup and salad arrive at a meeting with the client? I worked with another guy who ONLY wore shorts, regardless of how cold it was outside. There could be three feet of snow on the ground and eight degrees below zero…he would wear shorts. These people are not customer facing. You need to be. The above is a lot to convey in just a 30-60 minute interview, but it can be done with concise examples, stories, and asking plenty of targeted and relevant questions. Prepare for the interview by doing massive amounts of research ahead of time about the company. Press releases are a great place to start because these highlight current and important initiatives the company is working on. Dig into these as a starting place and tailor your questions around this information. It’s up to you to turn your 2D resume into a 3D interview. Remember, the hiring manager wants to you hire you.

3 Secrets to Winning Your Job OK, so the interview went well… now it’s time to WIN that job. http://www.projectmanager.com/winning-your-job.php

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