There are different requirements for different kind of posts, for instance, to be a lawyer, you need to be logical, to be an engineer your physics needs to be sound and to be a reality television star you need to do what umm…Kim Kardashian did. On a serious note, companies need project managers for their various long term or sort term projects. Will they hire you? Well, you need these set of skills, if you have them, then… there are strong chances they might:
Organised:
Are you one of those obsessive list makers? Then you are a step closer to being appointed as a project manager. It will also be an added advantage if you are a smooth at multi-tasking. Understanding and applying resource management and understanding corporate culture and dynamics shows you can handle multiple projects or tasks without losing or greying your hair within a month.
Communication:
Interacting with all the people involved in the project or otherwise, on various things like ideas, goals, facts and so on can bring a sense of cohesiveness in the team. Updating yourself with project progress and having the ability to convey unconventional ideas to each and every person shows your awesomeness at communicating. A project manager is supposed to give instructions, listen and take suggestions from his team and clearly articulate the goal which the team should strive for. All these functions might get impossible if the communication is not strong.
Team player:
If you can blend well in the team along with leading them and being their “go-to” man, you know you are perfect and are basically God’s idea of the ideal human being. So stick to this talent and don’t become pompous. It is one of the most important skills a project manager should have. As a project manager, you should also encourage team building, as a happy team will usually come up with great results. Things which will encourage team building include your favourite activities like going out drinking with the team members, taking them bowling and cracking jokes which will surely make everyone laugh (read up on the jokes online or just You Tube Louis CK.) Everyone will be friends; everyone will have that “friends forever” glow.
Crisis management:
One of the main characteristics of a competent project manager is his ability to solve a crisis; this is where his true metal is tested. Listening to and responding when necessary to his team mates, to detecting any potential crisis, will always work in the project’s favour. Also if the crisis arises you should have the ability to diffuse the tension and try to take things forward. It is basically understanding the disagreement between the concerned parties and setting up a meeting to hold a dialogue between the said parties so that they just solve the issues and move on.
Leadership:
Well, you are the manager of the project; leadership is a quality you are bound to have. Be a part of the team when it’s required and take charge when the situation demands it. Understanding the vision and the direction the project is taking is extremely important for the leader of the project. So if delegating, motivating and tapping on the correct potential of every team member is what you excel at, then welcome aboard! You will be made project manager soon enough.
Time management:
Time is money; everybody knows that, thus time management becomes a necessary factor when it comes to selecting the project manager. First thing to understand is the time-line of the project and learning to go about it in the required time frame. Your ability to multi task and get work done quickly will be important. How adept you are in managing time can be evaluated by seeing how exactly you analyze the situation, and allot portions of time on specific jobs. Factors like, the amount of time you spend on particular tasks, also shows your ability of segregating work, as per importance, so that the project gets completed quickly. For instance tasks like reading and replying to mails which may not directly concern the task at hand can simply be answered by an assistant, whereas strategic planning and progress reports on the project should come under the “high priority” list and forwarded straight to you.
Basically, these are a few attributes people look for when they appoint someone as the project manager and it is your duty to convince them and strive hard to bring positive results.
(Do you happen to drop by our Blog often? Follow @Invoicera on Twitter and never miss an update. To know how your business can take advantage of online billing and online invoicing shoot us an email at support[at]invoicera[dot]com)
Author Bio
The author of this post, Kevin Wright, is an employee at IN-Fusion Management, which specializes in ICT Project Management. He is very passionate about photography and editing. To know more about him and his company, visit www.in-fusion.com.au.
