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Breaking In: Your First PM Job
Elizabeth is a freelance writer and project manager living and working in London. She runs The Otobos Group, a project communications consultancy specializing in project management.
Landing that first ‘proper’ position in project management can be a challenge, especially when many of today’s openings require certification and experience, even for the most junior roles. If you’re an aspiring project manager, here are ways you can maximize your chances for that first break.
This is the first article in a new series on career advancement in the project management profession.
Experience is the Catch-22 of project management recruitment. Prospective employers want to see that you’ve got it, and you can’t get it unless someone gives you a job. This problem hits recent graduates more than those already in the workforce and looking for a career change, but if you fall into either group you’re likely to have difficulties convincing employers to take a closer look. The trick is to find ways of describing your existing experience to show that you have what it takes to be a project manager.
Matt Colarusso has been in the recruitment business for nine years and now works as branch manager at Sapphire Technologies, the IT staffing arm of Vedior North America. He stresses that before you start applying for project management positions, you should be sure that is what you want to do. “Project management work is about management of finances, resources and most importantly deadlines,” he says. “Make sure it is a PM role …
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Don't ever take a fence down until you know why it was put up. - Robert Frost |