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Home/ Questions/Q 286
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Neil LeNeveu
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Neil LeNeveuHatchling
Asked: January 24, 20192019-01-24T15:18:41+00:00 2019-01-24T15:18:41+00:00In: General

Gaining Experience

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Hi Mauricio,

How would the best way be to gain experience as a PM when all the positions in my area are requiring at least 5 years experience before you will even make it to the interview phase?

It makes it hard to gain the experience if you do not have the experience to get a position to get experience.

Thank you,

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    1. Mauricio Rubio Senior PM
      2019-01-28T12:45:42+00:00Added an answer on January 28, 2019 at 12:45 pm
      This answer was edited.

      Hi Neil, good question. But let me start by saying that not all positions require the same Level of experience. Some roles might even require more than 5 years of experience, some less.

      It really depends and varies on the field, company and the role itself.

      If the company you’re trying to get into has a hard requirement of you having 5 Years of PM experience and you don’t have them, well I would say it’s not worth investing too much time on that company. Just look somewhere else.

      I would suggest you doing training, getting some Certifications and start working on your experience by applying for more entry level PM jobs. Sometimes you have to make short term sacrifices to reach long term goals. But that’s up to you and something you will need to figure out.

      Alternatively to the above, you could also volunteer (even if you don’t get paid, but get the experience). Or start getting the experience with PM by working on projects. Even if you’re not the PM, get on a team, observe, learn and help with the project as much as you can. That way you’ll start getting the experience about working on projects, which you can use in your Interviews.

      Whenever you face the challenge you have described and think there is no option I want you to think about this: nobody is born with 5 years of PM experience! Nobody. Everyone with 5 years of experience at some point in time had none. So don’t let people discourage you.

      Keep moving fwd!

      Mauricio

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    2. lisa Hatchling
      2019-02-15T17:36:47+00:00Added an answer on February 15, 2019 at 5:36 pm

      I think what Neil is saying is that the “entry level PM jobs” don’t seem to exist, or at least aren’t advertised.

      The PMs I’ve worked with seemed to have fallen into their roles from other positions in a previous company, or in the case of one, founded a company and hired themselves as a PM despite having no experience (this person, however, was very bad at the job and I wouldn’t recommend that route). It’s unclear to me how someone intentionally takes up this role, even with certification. You cannot actually just volunteer to work at a company; in most countries, they are required by law to compensate you if you’re working.

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      • Mauricio Rubio Senior PM
        2019-02-18T22:11:10+00:00Replied to answer on February 18, 2019 at 10:11 pm
        This answer was edited.

        Hi Lisa, I understand your point and how you would view this based on your experience, but even though I respect your opinion, I would argue otherwise.

        I’ve lived and worked in four different countries and have traveled the world. I’ve also  worked as a PM in different industries in small, mid and large/highly-complex multi million dollar projects. And I have seen people moving into the role of Project Manager without prior experience. I’ve also seen entre level PM jobs advertised many times. And yes, having a Certification under your belt definitely helps, even if you don’t have previous experience in the role. Just think about it from a Recruiter’s perpective.

        And yes, you can actually volunteer for many companies or non-profits without getting compensation. That’s how the concept of “volunteering” works. Getting paid, would just be a job, not a volunteering opportunity. Of course some people that hire volunteers might pay for their transport or things like that. It varies. And to your point, yes, this and the above varies by country.

        So market demand, offers, etc. and laws around compensation vary by country yes, but that’s not specific to Project Management. It’s like that for pretty much anything you can think of. And there’s nothing wrong with that of course. The world would be a boring place if we were all the same. Having said that, I can tell you this, globally there is huge demand for Project Managers at all levels and their compensation is amongst the best you can find in the market when compared to other roles.

        I can also share the following facts about Australia, where I live:

        • Most people use Seek to find job opportunities at any level. If I enter Project Coordinator (an entry-level PM job): 4,133 job opportunities come up on 19/02/2019 9am when I did this search. If I enter Junior Project Manager (also an entry-level PM job): 1,501 job opportunities, same date and time for the search.
        • Most people use Volunteer to find volunteering opportunities. 460 opportunities come up when I enter Project Manager. Same date and time as above.

        Volunteering opportunities are great for people getting started because you get the experience and references which you can add to your CV even if you’re not getting paid.

        The above are examples from Australia, but most countries have similar sites or platforms to search for job opportunities or volunteering opportunites. Just Google it locally, if unsure.

        I can also share two real-world examples:

        1. In an Online Training provider I worked for a woman with zero Project Management experience applied for the role. Prior to joining the company she was flipping burgers. She was originally from India and had an incredible background in customer service. She did the burger thing just to pay the bills whilst she found another job. The Manager who hired her, who I knew personally was a brilliant man. He saw the talent in her and gave her the opportunity even though she had no previous experience in Project Management. She would go on to become one of the best Project Managers in the company.
        2. A System Administrator for the company I currently work for, was given the opportunity to take on a Junior PM role. Again, she had zero experience in Project Management but the company wanted to give her the opportunity in the role since she had proven herself as a valuable asset in the business.

         

        Hope the above clarifies and helps.

        Cheers!

        Mauricio

         

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