This is Part 2 of our guide to finding work as a project manager. Visit Project Management Tips: Finding Work – How to Get Started for Part 1.

Once you have established yourself as a project manager, it can still be difficult to find work. There are a lot of people going for project management jobs and it can be difficult to make yourself stand out from the crowd. Here are some tips for making yourself the candidate employers will want.

• Get recommendations - If someone who knows your work suggests you to a future employer, you will have a strong argument going for your employment before you even fill out an application form. Ask your previous employers and colleagues to recommend you, and if you haven’t had enough experience for lots of recommendations, get voluntary work for more people to recommend you.

• Work on your skills - When it comes to Project Management, there are a number of skills that need to be built, from ‘soft skills’ (working with people, etc) to ‘hard skills’ (the sorts of skills that lead to qualifications). If you are looking for work online, it is often easiest to search using your hard skills as key words – so if you have experience with ITIL, search for jobs which have that as a requirement. Work on acquiring the skills that your organisation of choice prefers, as these will be what the organisation looks for first of all. Soft skills, meanwhile, should be displayed to the full when you are in work, as they will be the reason you get recommendations. Read the rest of “Project Management Tips: Finding Work Part 2 – How to make yourself a better candidate”

This is Part 1 of our 2 part guide to finding work as a project manager. After you’ve read Part 1 head to Project Management Tips: Finding Work Part 2 – How to make yourself a better candidate for more tips.

Looking for work as a project manager when you are just starting out can be tricky – whether you are a recent graduate or making a career change. So how do you set about getting onto the project management ladder? Here are some tips to help you get started in your project management career.

This is the first part of a 2-part article on progressing your career as a Project Manager – check back next week for more tips on how existing PMs can make themselves better candidates for other Project Management roles.

Finding Work as a Project Manager: Tips

• Volunteer - Doing unpaid work is one of the best ways to gain experience in your field and get recommendations for paid work later. If you do some unpaid work for a company you’re interested in working for it will also make them aware of your abilities and will make them more likely to hire you at a later date. Read the rest of “Project Management Tips: Finding Work Part 1 – How to Get Started”