Neil LeNeveu
Hatchling
Gaining Experience
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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Mauricio Rubio
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
lisa
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.
Mauricio Rubio
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:
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:
Hope the above clarifies and helps.
Cheers!
Mauricio