Stephanie HaasePropulsion Production Manager| United States Air ForceWichita Falls, Tx, United States
What is the difference between Assistant PM and Entry-level PM?? I am military, PM certified (2018) and am retiring soon so naturally, I am job hunting for PM positions. I do not understand the difference (unless it is pay but most are not advertised). Just wondering. Saving Changes...
Sergio Luis ConteHelping to create solutions for everyone| Worldwide based OrganizationsBuenos Aires, Argentina
Is difficult to answer this type of questions because you will find quit different defintiions outside there. In my personal experience what I see is this: -Assistant PM: work with a PM to assit her/him. Is like a "secretary" of the assigned PM. -Entry Level PM: It means "no-previous experience" as PM. Is a position some organizations search for "to mold" the PM aligned to organizational policies and culture. Saving Changes...
Thomas WalentaGlobal Project Economy ExpertHackenheim, Germany
There is no standard definition of these term I know of, it depends on how the concrete organization defines these roles.
Entry-Level I would associate with less experience in PM, maybe up to 3 years. Entry level would be a junior assistant, maybe leading a sub-team or being in charge of a PM work area.
Assistant could be highly qualified, e.g. in administration, meeting management, tracking people and tools assisting a project manager. Kind of pre-project office. Maybe if someone only wants to work part-time, assistant would be more appropriate than project manager. In a big project, I would want a senior assistant, not a entry level person. Saving Changes...
as Sergio has indicated, there are no standard definitions for specific PM job titles and these vary widely between industries and companies within those industries.
However, without further intel, I'd interpret the two positions in a similar fashion to Sergio.
As you have your PMP and have a title of Program Manager, I'd recommend focusing on PM roles rather than those who are supporting project delivery (e.g. Project Administrator/Coordinator/Control Officer). You may need to look at short term gigs to build up your civilian PM experience in a specific industry if you are finding it hard to land a full time position.
I would equate a entry level project manager to a project coordinator and a assistant project manager to a deputy project manager.
The complexity of job titles with a PMO only increases as the size of the PMO increases and the delineation between roles and responsibilities increases when the project manager is handing out tasks based on skill and experience.
When you apply for a job within the PMO you can either go for a level that is more junior than that what you would normally go for especially if its been a while in a PMO or if you are just new to project management. The reason for this approach maybe to build up experience and confidence without the added pressure on you or you maybe need specific experience on part of a project management methodology in order to apply for your PMP.
The project manager will probably look at your experience, skill level and persona and see were you best fit into the PMO.
A lot of job description are a wish list for their ideal candidates and as such candidates will oversell their skills and experience in order to stand out from other candidates. This is something you must beware of by only putting in you CV exactly what you are capable of in the workplace. Candidates who oversell their value on their CV will be caught out in the screening process.
When it comes to the question of pay, do not use it as a mechanism to undercut other candidates. Be honest and fair of your true value to an organization and explain to the interview panel how you arrived at this figure. It will demonstrate to them your understanding of your own skills and demands in the PMO.
Senior Projects Manager | Field & Marten AssociatesNew Westminster, British Columbia, Canada
Stephanie
Assistant PM: Could be a role like an Administrative Assistant “Secretary” or in a way, a project coordinator. It all depends on the job description.
Entry level PM, is a junior Project Manager and the duties and responsibilities could be similar of those for a project coordinator.
As my colleagues mentioned, there is no standard definition but what I commonly see in job posting is: Associate Project Manager which in a way is Entry Level PM.
Hope this helps.
RK Saving Changes...
Janet BuskirkProgram Manager| ComtechCantonment, Fl, United States
In my experience as a government contractor, I'll agree there is no standard definition and it's often determined by the actual contract's Statement of Work (SOW) and the corporation's working title interpretation.
For contracts there is often a PM level I, II, III etc. and a description for what those levels entails and what is expected for the program per the SOW. For large programs, they will want folks with more education and/or more years of experience. I've never seen a SOW that described these levels in a way that was comparable to an administrative assistant or secretary but we all know that reality often differs from the written guidance. What I have seen is differing levels of purchase authority.
I'm a Deputy PM -- I'm not a secretary nor am I am administrative assistant (been there, done that). I have a lower level of purchase authority and I have different areas that I cover for our program. I work with the PM but we each have areas of responsibility although I can act without issue and with full authority in his absence.
Entry level would require the least experience and offer the least level of authority and it may mean there are dues to pay until you're more experienced. I would think entry level folks may not be able to fully represent the corporation/contract or have final decision-making authority on many things (budget, staff hiring/firing for example).
It's a question to ask and the way each military branch views project/program management positions does differ from government/corporate views is my experience.
When in doubt - ask the hiring company - and look at what the requirements are for the positions because that is what needs to align with you.
Just my two cents.
JLB Saving Changes...
Amjad AliSenior Business Analyst - Information Security| IFCDelta, British Columbia, Canada
I agree with Janet's answer. Since there is no standard definition, ask the hiring company what they mean by the term. Saving Changes...
Stephanie HaasePropulsion Production Manager| United States Air ForceWichita Falls, Tx, United States
Thank you all. This was very helpful. I will take your advice and apply at a lower level. I really appreciate your help. Saving Changes...
It really depends on the actual job description as it's not standard from company to company. I've been a PM with a title of Manager, Senior Manager etc.
Entry level - typically means they'll take someone with less experience but you might still do the full PM work but on less challenging projects.
Assistant - can mean the above or even something more like a business analyst role.
I agree with looking for more senior roles based on your profile and applying to the support ones only if you're not having luck. Many many MANY companies/industries highly value military experience.
Best of luck to you and thank you for serving! Saving Changes...
I agree, in essence it is the same. It is possible that some organizations the assistant is not PMP and the Entry-level is. Depending on the size of the project, both roles may need or none. Saving Changes...
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