Hi again! Let's
discuss how to search for a job in the project
management field. It's no secret that job
searching can be a challenge. Even the most detailed, specific job listings
can leave you wondering what the company is really seeking in a candidate. Don't worry, we've all been
there, and we're here to help you sort through the
lingo and the confusion. The more job listings you find, the more buzzwords you'll
likely notice, too— words like "data-driven,"
"team player," "self-starter." Understanding all
the buzzwords in job listings will help figure out if a job
is right for you. Up to now, we've discussed
project management as a role, but many companies
actually list it as a skill. Here's some
more good news. You'll soon be qualified for a position as a project manager, and a position that lists
project management as a skill. Here's the even better news. If you have the skills
to manage projects, you'll be qualified for program manager or
operational roles that require you to
manage an end-to-end system or department, too, which asks for the
same skill set. Now, let's check out
different types of jobs that use your project
management skills. When job hunting, keep
your options open. As I just mentioned, you don't have to
limit yourself to just project manager titles. There's lots of other titles
you're qualified for, too. You'll know what's
a good fit for you by reading the job descriptions, so cast a wide net. Depending on the
field you choose, you might find roles
like Operations Manager, Program Manager, Operations Associate,
or Project Assistant. All of these could be a
great fit for your skills. For example, let's say you're searching a job board for
project management roles when you notice a Community
Operations Manager role for a small city open up. The job title isn't
project manager, but you'll notice that the job
functions match your skill set, and your years of experience also match
the job requirements. The job description
may include a list of required skills like
organizational management, strong planning and
communication skills, budget preparation
and monitoring. Sound familiar? Maybe you'll
even start to notice that the job's responsibilities seem like tasks you've
covered in this course, like creating monthly
status reports, helping to implement new
and necessary technologies, tracking work plans and
performance metrics, assisting other members of the operations team
on given projects, and ensuring timely responses to requests for information. These duties are
nearly a perfect match for your project
management skills, and there are plenty more
listings like these two. How great is that? The skills that go into
project management are used in all kinds of
roles and professions. Believe it or not, we've
all worked with or learned from a project manager at
some point in the past. Can you guess who that is? It's your teachers!
Think about it. Everything that goes into being a teacher takes project
management skills: Designing a curriculum
that's accessible to students with unique
needs; managing a budget; communicating with
others like parents, department heads,
or school admins; developing processes
to make things run efficiently in the
classroom; and so on. For example, when I went for my first
interview at Google, I highlighted my experience as the founder and advisor to
a student leadership group. I told them about how I
assembled and led a team of 20 students to plan and execute
events like fundraisers, community gatherings, and
academic assemblies for over 300 students during
the academic year. I even kind of surprised myself, looking back at how much relevant project management
experience I had. Now, I'm sure you'll think back on your own experiences and
feel the same thing. One more thing to call
out is networking. Networking is when you
meet other people in a professional setting
with the goal of learning, sharing knowledge, and creating
new business connections. This plays a big
role in job hunting, so it is a great tool to start
learning and perfecting. The skills you learn
here will prepare you for all kinds of project
management jobs. Knowing how to search for jobs will make it even easier to match those skills with the
best opportunities for you.