Whether you have just graduated from college or have been already working in your field, employers look for certain skills when making hiring decisions. The ability to plan and organize resources in order to accomplish tasks and collaborate within a team are important across all professions.
As you advance in your career, your duties and responsibilities expand and become more complex. Acquiring project management skills through training and on-the-job experience become important in demonstrating to current and future employers that you are capable of managing both your daily tasks as well as more complex programs.
Project management skills are in high demand in today’s job market. And it’s believed that the demand for project talent will continue to rise. These skills, and a certification or a degree in project management, might give you an advantage over other candidates who are competing for the same job. Project management skills are in demand across a range of industries, including retail, healthcare, engineering, technology, and construction. This is because the skills you acquire are broadly applicable and relevant to a great many sectors.
What are the qualities that are associated with project management? To meet the demands of today’s ever-changing environment and to prepare for the future, you must develop the following competencies:
1. Effective communication
The success of a project depends on the efficiency of its communication network. In the absence of clear, consistent communication, the manager and the group of individuals who work together on the project don’t have a firm grasp on what they’re supposed to be doing. Perhaps possessing effective communication skills is the most important skillset In order to be successful as a project manager or an individual who needs to perform their job responsibilities.
Unfortunately, most projects experience a breakdown in communications and critical information. For example, timely updates may not pass through and partners are not sure if they can move forward in their roles, which can ultimately affect project performance and outcomes. If you have difficulty in communicating effectively, ask your friends and work colleagues for advice. They’ll help you spot weaknesses and move forward in your journey towards self-improvement. You may also want to take specific classes in building effective communication skills.
2. Leadership
Leadership can be roughly defined as the ability of an individual to guide others. When you think of a leader, the images that come to mind are that of a politician pursuing a personal cause or an executive in a corporation or industry. However, leadership skill can be applied to many individuals who are leading a group of individuals or teams.
When you’re running a team of people, it’s essential to have leadership skills. You must set a vision, motivate the team, coach them, and, most importantly, inspire them.
Being a leader means setting a good example for everyone and to have the ability to work well with others. In case you were wondering what are the qualities that are found in a good leader, most lists would include:
- A person who doesn’t let their emotions cloud their judgment and can make sound decisions based on the facts
- Someone who motivates individuals to act and overcome challenges
- A person who doesn’t hesitate to take responsibility for the team’s mistakes and passes along the credit to other team members
3. Time management/scheduling
Time is of the essence. This basically means that there is a need for a timely completion of tasks or projects. Any contractual provision requires prompt and timely fulfillment of its’ obligations or the firm may face financial penalties. If the project isn’t delivered on time, the outcome could be disappointing. Most modern business projects require careful synchronization. The old network can’t be taken down until the new one is in place. The marketing team can not reach out to clients until IT division has the software ready, etc. For a project to be successful, it needs to be on-time and on-budget.
Skilled project managers create schedules and break them down into more manageable tasks. Keep in mind that time is the only resource that you can’t buy. The best managers delegate tasks more often, making a list of tasks that demand immediate attention to help guide their team. There are so many things you could be doing but there aren’t enough hours in the day for all of them. So it is important to be able to prioritize your daily activities and delegate where possible. You and your team need to focus on the issues that have the most impact on the success of the project.
4. Conflict resolution
When people with different personalities are working together, conflicts are bound to arise. As a project manager, you must be able to solve any issues that might occur, at all phases of the project.
There will be situations when you have to mediate disputes between team members. Maybe one person is upset about something that a colleague reportedly said about them. If the conflict is mismanaged, it can cause a great harm to the team’s productivity. Project members should get along and set aside their differences for the greater good. Different parts of your organization may have different interests as well. The finance department may want their own computer system while the HR organization may want everyone to adopt their tools.
Achieving a project management certification or credentials
One way to improve your project management skills is by studying for and completing a project management certification or accredited program. This certification provides a measure of your project management competence. To put it simply, if you have a project management certificate, you can confidently demonstrate that you are familiar with the process and have the basic competency in terms of managing complex projects.
Numerous colleges and educational organizations offer project management programs and certificates, so you can look into this as you plan out your academic program. There are individual certificate programs as well as academic degrees in management that offer a project management specialization.
In summary, whether you are just starting college or planning to go back to school to advance your employment qualifications, you should consider a project management certification or training. This will provide the opportunity for you to work on a set of skills that are important to effectively do a job. It will also increase your chances of landing that new job or getting promoted in your existing one.
