A friend of mine asked, "how do I break into Project Management?" Another friend asked, "is what I'm doing considered Project Management?" One of the first things the PMBOK teaches you is that a project is any task that you work on that has a beginning and an end. A project is a finite amount of time. The initiative can be a month or 3 years. Theoretically your work as an executive assistant, a coordinator, a banker, a coder, a manager or any role has given you transferable Project management skills.
Being able to market yourself as a Project Manager can help you land that role. Below I've outlined a few tips and tricks to breaking into the Project Manager Industry.
Educate yourself - there is so much information out there about Project Management. There are so many industries PMs work in, so many methodologies, there are blogs, communities and reading materials on best practices as a PM. Read an article or book, attend a meetup or a PMI meeting. Below are sites that can start giving a glimpse into Project Management and certification available:
Revamp your resume - Find the best way to market the work you have done, show that you know how to manage priorities, work with a team, communicate with executives. Demonstrate with your experience that you are ready to step into a role as a project manager. There are hard skills and soft skills that you can promote that will build your credibility. Here is a great example of a PMs resume - https://novoresume.com/career-blog/project-manager-resume
Be confident and engaging while interviewing - As a PM you meet with your supervisors to keep them up to date on the project and possibly budget/burn. On a project there are typically stakeholders you must keep informed of progress and the delivery team must be engaged and motivated. Below are examples of topics I’ve discussed on interviews in the past
Documented weekly check ins with the client tracking milestones
Managing team conflicts
Burn down charts
Pivoted Budget data to depict business insights
Quarterly Retrospectives with the team to learn from past efforts
Lastly talk to someone in the industry to get an idea of a day in the life of that role. When doing an informational interview here are great questions to ask.
How did you get your start in this field?
What is it like working at your company?
What types of projects are you working on right now?
What’s your opinion on Project management in different industries?
How did you choose this company or position over others in your field?
What is the most rewarding thing about working in this industry? The most challenging?
My background is in XYZ —how do you think I can best leverage my previous experience for this field?
What do you wish you had done differently when you first started at your career?
What job search advice would you give to someone in my situation?
