The job market has seen a rebound from the lows that resulted in massive layoffs during the beginning of the global COVID-19 pandemic, and now the market is as competitive as it was prior to the lockdown measures. Given this, some of you may be interested in becoming PMs but wonder how they can achieve that if they do not have any project or product management experience that is required by many companies. There are a few steps that you can take to help prepare you for a career switch into the PM industry.
1. PM Certification
Several academic institutions and independent organizations offer project management certification courses which help improve career opportunities and boost professional credibility. The Project Management Institute (PMI) offers a CAPM certification that has a minimum requirement of a high school diploma and 23 hours of project management education. Google also offers a Google Project Management Certificate through Coursera that is recognized by many employers through their partnerships with Google.
2. Leverage Relatable PM Experience
A lot of what we do daily for work is predicated on project management. You have work-related tasks that take a few weeks or even months from start to finish – these count as projects. Your title may have not been a PM but your roles and responsibilities were definitely those of a PM. Transfer these experiences into your resume/CV so that they qualify you as possessing project management experience.
3. Practice PM Skills at your Current Job
Start with taking on process improvement tasks that have a set objective along with a start and finish date, then gain experience through overseeing the tasks and working with resources from other teams that could have an input in the outcome of the work. The more of these mini projects you can do, the better your PM skills become that can help you transition into a career in project management.
At PM Imperative, we cover the latest trends in Project Management and Product Management. As PM practitioners, we understand the value the Project Managers and Product Managers bring to each organization and that’s why we focus on the most practical strategies that Project and Product Managers can implement immediately. If you found this post useful, be sure to check out our latest book: The PM Imperative – Guide for Leading & Managing Projects, People & Delivering Value. https://pmimperative.com/shop/
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