Anna Preston

Planning to move on? How to get your next project management role

Project management is a widely applicable role and project managers are found in many areas of industry from construction to IT, marketing and retail. It’s a career that comes with a lot of opportunity, from changing the industry you project manage in, to climbing that career ladder.

If you are finding your current role is not challenging enough, or can see the end of the project and want to move to pastures new, you may be thinking about changing track. In a marketplace of similar jobs, all being targetted by people just like you, how can you stand head and shoulders over the rest?

Get certified

You might have several years experience managing your current projects but you need to be able to demonstrate to your new employers that you will be able to manage theirs. For interviewing employers the fastest, easiest and cheapest way for them to sort the potential wheat from the potential chaff is to look at the Project Management Qualifications each candidate has obtained.

If you’re just starting out in project management – perhaps you stepped into the role by accident or have been leading teams and want to move into managing them – then taking time to add some qualifications to justify your abilities will be time well spent. And even if you have some project management qualifications already, now might be a good time to look at the next level and upskill.

If you are unsure what qualifications employers are looking for simply ask! Reading job adverts for your dream position at an early stage will give you an idea of who is being recruited. If you are lacking in some area then you can address it, through obtaining further qualifications or working towards gaining the necessary expertise.

Show your skills

A project manager is the Jack (or Jill!) of all trades. They need a wide and transferable skill set – exactly the type of skill set that can be difficult to really show off on paper. As part of your preparation for applying for new roles you should be assessing your Project Management Skills and making a list of ways in which you can demonstrate aptitude above and beyond what is assumed by your qualification level.

The essential skills are:

• effective communication;

• organisation;

• time management;

• problem-solving;

• leadership;

• interpersonal skills.

Network

It’s estimated that as many as 70-80% of jobs are never advertised and this applies to project management as much as any other role.

If you are already working in a project management role you have a great position to find your next role, especially if you are coming to the end of a contract and don’t feel the need to keep planning your next role secret. Make sure you keep an ear to the ground to hear of project management openings and let it be known that you are interested in making a move. And if you attend training courses then you have another opportunity to network with a wider group of project managers.

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