PMI Executive Series: Talent Management
3 executives discuss what organizations are looking for in a project manager.
15 June 2010
This feature was originally published on 4 November 2009 on PMI.org
It’s no surprise: Finding a job is harder than it used to be. But how do executives see the current project management job market?
Well, they say the opportunity is out there — but you will only be able to seize them if you set yourself apart. And that means more than flaunting a credential or passing the interview process. It’s about selling yourself as the expert and meeting new needs.
Our three panelists provide their advice.
Brian Abeyta
Vice President, IT Project Management Office
Aflac, Columbus, Georgia, USA
What you need: A mix of strong leadership skills and niche expertise
Project managers with a strong leadership drive are a rare commodity. And in such an open market, those with both the skills and the ambition to lead are few and far between because organizations who have them work hard to keep them.
“Sometimes we find project management candidates with a strong technical background who struggle to motivate and lead project teams,” he says. “Other times we interview very savvy business people who could become strong leaders, but they lack a background in technology.”
When it comes time to interview, Mr. Abeyta recommends performing the way you would in front of a client so hiring managers can get a solid idea of your leadership potential. He also notes that candidates should show a great deal of energy and be ready to role-play.
“I put candidates in situations to see how they respond because I really need to envision them on my team leading projects that will propel Aflac’s growth,” Mr. Abeyta says.
Mr. Abeyta also encourages project managers to shore up their educational opportunities, pursue other certifications besides just the Project Management Professional (PMP)® credential and strengthen their niche capabilities. For example, IT job-seekers can take advantage of the current talent gap, he says, by gaining technical expertise in software languages, Web services and database designs.
Farzin Hosseini, PMP
Project Manager
HB Agile Project Management Service Europe, Dublin, Ireland
What you need: In-the-trenches experience and flexibility
As organizations worldwide slash project funding to survive the credit crunch, project managers need to cultivate their professional adaptability. That means project leaders need to meet the current set of constraints head-on, says Mr. Hosseini.
“The specification and project scope is not final and is subject to immediate changes,” he says. “The projects’ initial budgets are slashed and the scopes, quality and expectations have risen to the roof. The schedules are curtailed to mitigate the risk of uncertainty in the future.”
To fully understand the project process, Mr. Hosseini recommends that project managers “get their hands dirty and carry out the nitty-gritty tasks” they typically assign to other team members.
That hands-on approach could send project managers out into a world of opportunity, he says. And that in-the-trenches experience can also expand a project leader’s ability to foresee risk in all its shapes and forms—a major asset in the job market.
“The project managers shall be adaptive to market, the climate and client expectations,” he says. “It means the project manager should have initiatives to anticipate the client’s future expectation and the impact of the scope change into the project. Therefore, he or she could act in advance rather than react to the action.”
Iain Fraser, FPMINZ, PMP, PMI Fellow
Group Managing Director (CEO)
Project Plus Ltd., Wellington, New Zealand
What you need: A forward-looking approach
What do organizations really want in a project manager? Strong business skills, says Mr. Fraser, a former PMI Chair.
“Those project leaders who understand and focus on the business and stakeholder impact of their deliverables will generally be in demand as this is more what the market is requiring in today’s environment,” he notes.
Because organizations are interested in hiring leaders who can help pull them out of the recession, project managers should showcase their business acumen and emphasize their leadership traits.
"Project managers who are not detail- or process-anchored but show good judgment in making decisions that contribute toward the business case outputs and outcomes are more likely to be sought after by organizations looking to move on from the recession."
Although the market might be tough now, Mr. Fraser sees light at the end of the tunnel. Despite the sluggish global economy, many organizations are still striving to meet their objectives and goals—and that could translate to more opportunities for project managers that offer those business acumen skills sets.
