“What are they looking for? Magical powers.



What should they be looking for? Demonstrated competence.”

That was one of the first answers posted on the conversation I headed at LinkedIn’s Project Manager Network group. And while the comment was sarcastic, there was a pervasive air of mystery that seemed to shroud what employers are looking for in prospective project management candidates.

After sifting through over 80 comments, there were a few consistent themes. But one was particularly striking: Andrew Bolander, a project management specialist, sent me a direct message summing up many of the discrepancies I saw,

There is a huge disconnect between what companies expect in hiring a project manager and what project managers expect in return. Plainly, many companies view that project management is a spiffed-up version of the old task management function.

Bolding mine.

Clearly, what project managers hope companies are looking for and what companies are actually looking for vary greatly.

Our own research found that most companies, regardless of sector, require:

A bachelor’s degree

PMP certification preferred, though largely not required

Five or more years of experience

High independence

Writing/communication skills

Must be a team player

From this extraordinarily general description, it would seem that Bolander is correct; there is very little here that describes what a project manager must do during the day aside from use a certification and communicate with a team. There has to be more to it than that.

Project managers in the LinkedIn discussion largely listed out qualities that project managers should have. Perhaps, from their own description, these are the credentials that businesses should really be looking for.

Bibek Banerjee, an Australian product manager, notes, “The single most important trait that a PM needs is his ability to ‘manage.’ Whether it’s ‘managing’ resources, people, time, budget, stakeholders, relationships, risks, process and so on… [M]anaging is defining your goal, planning how to accomplish it and then doing what it takes by controlling, directing, influencing, organizing, and coordinating.”

Indeed, many commenters emphasized that quality management skills are the backbone of project management.

Rattan N. Whig, an Indian project manager, says that one of the unspoken requirements for project manager hiring is cultural fit. He writes, “Having been at both ends of the table, I for sure know that cultural fitment [sic] and attitude pose a greater worry for the recruiter than even so called critical ‘domain knowledge.’” Finding the right “cultural fit” is something I’ve written on before (albeit I was talking about project management in the context of Game of Thrones).

Neil Mathieson, who has also worked as and recruited project managers, adds that there are four things every company looks for: <please block quote>

An ability to interview well – to be able to tell a story about their project deliveries (so that when I presented them to a client, they were credible). Someone who understands the balance between client expectations and delivery of agreed scope (sometimes clients do not really know what they want or need at the time the scope is agreed, and the ability to ‘turn things around’ quickly to please your client is very important). An indication that they are a good communicator in many ways. Concise written communication is very important, but so is empathy with members of the project team. An indication that the candidate could win the trust and support of their team. </quote>

Here, Mathieson implies that the interview is where project management candidates can really shine—they can show off their communication skills required in the job description while also proving that they can tell a story.

Finally, one commenter noted that companies are looking for a bit of je ne sais quoi.

Gary Toofany, an English project management consultant, comments, “Any employer is going to have something they want which nobody else does—something which is unique at that point in time—a certain ‘flavor’ if you will.”

How can you make sure you have that “flavor?” Maybe it’s demonstrating that you’re a servant leader. Maybe it’s your unique knowledge of project management software. Maybe it’s your unabashed knowledge of how project management applies to Guardians of the Galaxy. But one thing is clear: what project managers expect businesses to be looking for sometimes doesn’t line up with what the recruiters say. Bear this in mind for your next job hunt, and good luck!

More?

I’m sure that I didn’t cover everything. What else are employers looking for in project managers? What do you wish they looked for? Leave your comment below!

And if you want to learn more about project management, check out:

7 Project Management Conferences Worth Attending in 2017 and 2018

How Much Do Project Managers Make?

7 of the Top Agile Project Management Software

8 Tips to Successfully Adopting a New Project Management Software System