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50 years of success - Established 1974

50 Years of Success
Established in 1974

"Helping you gain
.control of your career"

How will project management skills help me in my job?

 

The skills required to be a project manager can be transferred to practically any kind of role. This is not all that surprising when you consider what attributes a good project manager needs, such as:

  • the ability to listen – without doubt one of the most important skills you can develop. Talking is only one half of communication, the other half – listening – is just as important. If you don’t listen properly, you risk misunderstanding what you’ve been asked to do. You could then spend time doing or producing something that is not required – a waste of time and money all round.

  • excellent verbal and written skills – making yourself understood, both verbally and in writing, is vital when planning a project. Everyone involved needs to be able to understand what you are saying or what you have written. So, you need to learn how to communicate your ideas clearly and concisely. Obviously, this is a skill that’ll help you progress in any job.

  • the ability to get on with people – vital for any role, I’m sure you’ll agree. It’ll depend on what job you are doing, but for most people it’s likely that you’ll be working with others. In these circumstances it is essential that you can get on with people no matter what age, educational or ethnic background they come from.
  • problem solving skills – this does not mean you have to know all the answers and solve all the problems by yourself. If you can resolve the issues, great! But if you can’t, there’s nothing wrong in seeking out someone who can. You simply need to know who can resolve the problem and ask them to help you

  • the ability to learn – there’s a learning process involved with any job and especially so when you move into a new role. You should try to find out what methods help you learn efficiently, such as taking notes, practising tasks, and use them.

  • working to deadlines – they are a regular feature of many jobs, even those where you think they’re not that important. For example, if you are a chef you need to be able to get the food to the table of the customer in a timely fashion so that they do not get impatient. So, you should make sure you understand the importance of deadlines and the consequences of missing them

  • organisation skills – this is closely connected to the previous point and being organised means you are more likely to get your work load completed by the required time. You’ll have planned what needs to be done, how long each task is expected to take to complete and what you’ll do if the plan needs to change.

  • flexibility – being flexible is key to working successfully and this applies to people and situations. Even with the best planning things can go wrong and when this happens it’s always good to remain calm, be flexible and accommodate the new situation.

  • leadership qualities – being a confident, direct leader, who’s not afraid of delegating to others, is vital when you are a project manager. It’s also handy for other jobs, especially if you are expected to lead a team of people.

  • positive attitude – being able to remain positive, even when it seems everything is going wrong, is crucial. Getting depressed does not help the situation and will impact on those working with you.

  • motivation skills – it’s important that you are able to motivate your team when you project manage. However, being able to motivate people, including yourself, is a wonderful skill and one that’s valuable in any work situation.

  • remaining calm in a crisis – this is closely tied into the previous point and is another hugely important skill. Panicking never helps and can actually hinder your ability to come up with a solution to the problem.

 

It is always worth telling any employer that you have project management skills, even if the job is not a project management position. If they understand what it takes to be a good project manager, they’re more likely to realise you have unused potential. Hopefully this will encourage them to give you different tasks to try and more responsibility.

Business Training can help you to become a Project Manager, including an explanation of, and instruction in, the use of PRINCE2. To find out more, request a prospectus for our Project Management course.