John HarbeckSpecial Projects Advisor to the CFO| MacEwan UniversityEdmonton, Alberta, Canada
Often we get ‘pigeonholed’ into one industry in the field of project management. E.g. once an IT PM always an IT PM. (Or construction or other.) And over time often our resume/CV reflects our experiences in a singular area.
Nevertheless, some people, out of interest or need, desire to change fields, and we always hear/talk about ‘transferable project management skills’. Yet recruiters, hiring managers and such seem to rarely look beyond where we worked and what industry we have worked in.
For those who have successfully changed industries as a PM (or PA, BA or similar) what steps did you take to get an opportunity to transition, and what factors lead to your success when you did so?
(Note – I am asking this as a topic of discussion for our local PMI chapter Community of Practice.) Saving Changes...
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Sergio Luis ConteHelping to create solutions for everyone| Worldwide based OrganizationsBuenos Aires, Argentina
Lot of times. There is one thing you have to do: elicitation activtty before you start working in your new initiative. To do that you have to perform the task named "Prepare for Elicitation" where you have to adquire knowledge about the domain, about the envirronment (external and external), about the business and about the stakeholders. Saving Changes...
I have change from IT, then telecom to construction, Most of what relate to PM is the same understanding the industry is important, you need it to make some decision! So you need to learn a few things. Saving Changes...
Your resume is the first impression you make on a recruiter. Think of your resume as a promotional brochure about you. The skill lies in how to market yourself effectively. Communication plays the important role here. Saving Changes...
Katie PaulsenProposal Specialist| Quorum SoftwareHouston, Tx, United States
I've recently embarked on changing industries. It is quite challenging, but I find the ability to communicate commonalities between PM functions across industries has been very helpful. One must be able to communicate their value and ideas that can transfer across industry. Common skills and keywords will help: business development, rapport and team building, process improvement and process development. These are universal requirements for all industries. Saving Changes...
One way to do this without fully re-inventing yourself is to change domains within the same company if they are large enough to support different project portfolios. In such cases, hiring managers will likely be more open to someone learning the specifics of a new industry "on the job", and by doing job shadowing or basic networking, you can learn a lot about what your colleagues are doing on their projects.
Kiron Saving Changes...
Paul VassalloSr. Program Manager| ConsultantFrederick, Md, United States
I am on my third or fourth change as a PM. It isn't easy and there are pitfalls if you are not careful. First, if you don't have to change, don't. You are leaving an area where you have great amount of knowledge and expertise to one where you may not have the depth. Second, never assume that the place you are going to has the same level of Project Management Maturity. You may have to change your approach from what you most familiar or comfortable. Finally, you need to be a continuous learner who is willing to play a lot of catch up.
There is lot of great advice give above. Staying within the same company, shadowing, getting more experience (sitting on committees is a great way to get exposure without having to be completely accountable.), communicate, bring your value, network & find a mentor, adjust to your new culture, etc. are all things to consider. Finally, if you do change areas, keep your network in together in case you have to fall back or need advice
