Which is better, having project management experience or project management credentials? Neither. Both are necessary if you want to land the project manager roles that have high profiles to match the higher paying salaries. I do believe that you can be a great project manager without credentials, but it’s often much more difficult to prove in an interview. The reason for this is because hiring managers (in my experience and the majority of experiences of individual project managers I’ve spoken to) look for credentials and experience to measure a candidates qualification for the position they are trying to fill.
I can’t tell you how many times I have seen the requirements PMP preferred, 10 to 15 years of experience required, MBA or Master Degree in related field required, and etc. Here are some sample job descriptions with experience and education requirements (Note: This are from jobs ads for the USA, but the principle still applies.
Infrastructure Project Manager
JOB DESCRIPTION
Senior Project Manager able to manage multiple high priority, large scale infrastructure projects in a 24×7 enterprise data center. Ability to understand, communicate and coordinate activities with engineers across several technical disciplines; server hardware, OS’s, software, storage, etc. Must also communicate with non-technical resources and understand the project life cycle and drive projects to completion with aggressive timeframes.
Tasks to be Performed
Experience in cross functional coordination and management of Information Technology Infrastructure projects such as network refresh and upgrades; server deployments; OS deployments, facility moves and build-outs; system migrations; financial application and database consolidation. Must be able to clearly identify, document and track requirements, issues, risks, project plans, budget, etc.
JOB REQUIREMENTS
Skillset Details
- A minimum of Bachelor’s Degree in a Technology discipline and possessing 8 or more years of experience in the development or implementation of large scale critical infrastructure projects.
- Ability to independently problem solve and be self-directed, having attention to details, and the ability to capture, organize and analyze information.
- Knowledge of distributed computing technologies required.
- PMI certification preferred.
Sr. Project Manager
JOB DESCRIPTION
The Senior Project Manager is accountable for demonstrating a high level of project management expertise through their management of large and complex project(s) or program(s), as well as through their professional conduct and accreditation. Their accountabilities include all functions relating to management and control of project teams accountable for the creation of new or changed deliverables (i.e., product, service or process) of varying size and complexity. Directing, managing, and coordinating of team members may include resources for multiple projects, including Project Manager, people from other areas, user groups, internal and external consultants and contractors, as well as vendors and external regulatory organizations.
ACCOUNTABILITIES
· Creates project deliverables, with the specified level of quality for the project sponsors, on time and within budget, by efficient coordination of project resources and good control of project activities, in order to satisfy the project objectives
· Manages the activities of project(s) or program(s) to align with a strategic direction
· Plans, prepares, and maintains project or program schedules, by combining estimated activity durations and risks, to meet company standards
· Uses proper planning and monitoring techniques to control project or program costs
· Manages and negotiates stakeholder expectations to determine most accurate and appropriate definition of project or program scope and schedule
· Manages scope, schedule, and cost priorities between various stakeholder groups and within the project team, in order to resolve conflicts
· Negotiates complex contracts with external vendors to ensure receipt of specific resources and materials, as well as best value for the Enterprise
· Participates in the creation and review of documentation and reports for project(s) or program(s) in order to monitor and control project management processes
· Communicates with and engages project sponsors and other stakeholders to ensure adequate representation on the project
· Coordinates and facilitates various committee meetings to ensure appropriate engagement by key governance bodies
· Provides leadership, motivation, coaching, and professional development for project teams in order to obtain a high level of co-operation and contribution from all project members
· Contributes to improve the best practices of the project management community within the Enterprise to help maintain project management professionalism
JOB REQUIREMENTS
KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS
· Possesses a university degree/college diploma and/or 10+ years relevant work experience (i.e., within the previous five years has completed 3 large-scale projects or 2 large-scale projects of moderate to high risk/complexity)
· Possesses advanced knowledge and 7 to 10 years of experience in project management, demonstrated by completion or undertaking of internal Project Manager Accreditation Program Level 3 or industry equivalent
· Has obtained Project Management Professional (PMP) designation from Project Management Institute
· Exhibits a working knowledge of core Enterprise competencies including knowledge of the Enterprise’s business environment and products, understanding of the workings of the Enterprise’s organization and procedures, and proficiency in the use of standards/tools and methodologies, as achieved either by direct experience or industry equivalent experience
· Possesses different knowledge components that are required by the context-specific environment
Skills:
· Possesses expert project management leadership capabilities
· Is able to handle multiple priorities
· Possesses advanced communication skills
· Displays expert team leadership capability and handles conflict resolution professionally
· Is able to impact and influence key project participants
· Is able to build effective relationships at executive levels with Technology and Solutions, customer, and vendor groups
· Exhibits consistent flexibility, resilience, and resourcefulness
· Demonstrates courage and self-confidence in dealing with project issues and in escalating required project/program issues
Comments 4
Hello Sir,
Thank you so much for taking time out and delivering these great words of advise. However if you can give me one more suggestion, that will be very grateful of you. The situation i am in something like this: I really wanted to get experience first as a Telecom Engineer, however, the situation here is that if you don’t have experience you can’t get job in Telecom specially and because of this, i am still unemployed. Nevertheless i’m trying hard to get myself in the industry somehow. On the other hand, My father works as a sort of Project Tender/ Coordinator/Manager here in a small firm which is related to Concrete and Soil testing. My Question is:
If i’m unable to find job in Telecom, should i start working in my father’s firm under his guidelines so that i may learn the skills while doing online MPM with it? If so, after i’m done with my MPM, i will be having experience so will that be helpful for me to get myself into a renowned firm or in any Telecom Company as PM?
Kindly advise me in this one too. I will surely be sharing your advises with my father and close ones. Thank you once again,
Muhammad,
I definitely understand where you are coming from. The answer to your question Muhammad is one word. Perspective. Not that I’ve been able to understand more about your background and what you do for a living, I believe that you more than likely already have a lot of experience relating to project management, but you don’t realize it. Perhaps you haven’t lead very many projects, but from my own experience being in IT for 11 years now I know how projects work and the resources that play a key role in their execution.
I’d be willing to bet that your experience relating to projects is in the execution (doing the work that was planned) and UAT/Testing (Making sure the work executed works as planned) for network communications. If so you need to assess how to better communicate that when you are applying for jobs. Both on your resume and in your communication during interviews. Don’t just say what you did technically, but how it helped to move the project towards a positive (under budget, on time, etc.) closure.
Lack of experience is always a bad thing. It can also mean that you haven’t developed bad Project Management habits. You have to illustrate to hiring managers that your eager to learn. This is something I still utilize in my own interviews, but because its true. I believe you can never stop learning if you want to become better. Highlight your achievements in school and work.
Now to answer your question directly. If you work for your father’s firm. You need to have the title of Project Manager or Project Coordinator, etc. I can’t tell you how critical this is, especially since it is not directly related to Telecom. Here’s why it’s so critical. It gives you experience in Project Management. Given that you have skills in Telecom you can do that on the side. Find a part time job, or find people you know that need networks (home networks, small businesses, etc.) to keep your IT skills fresh. As time passes and you start to build “experience” as a PM. Time is the best friend of a PM when he is trying to find the next job, contract, etc.
Here’s another tip. If you can learn all you can about the PMP exam and then teach others in that related field. This is HowToPassThePMeXam.com got started. I became an expert at teaching the PMP exam while I was at IBM, before I even passed the PMP exam myself. Then I passed on my first try. We life presents you with challenges you have to become creative in your approach to overcome the challenges. I wish you the best.
Best regards,
My friend.
Thank you so much 🙂
Precisely I agree with your video. Anyway I have a question…about on how to choose the best PMP Institute?
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