PM Job Descriptions…Have You Seen these Patterns?

As with every New Year, a lot of people consider looking for new opportunities, challenges or maybe just a change in scenery. This idea can be exciting, exhilarating, and fun! However, it can also be frustrating and daunting.

For instance, when was the last time you looked for a job? With all the tools, social media groups, email alerts, and job boards available you would think this would be a great experience, right? Nope. Not based on what I am hearing and seeing from both organizations and colleagues.  

Why isn’t this process easier? I have made some observations based on some of the job descriptions that have crossed my desk. After being in the project management space for over 25 years, there are some organizations that have asked for my help in finding a Project Manager for their company. I’ve also worked with a lot of Project Managers over the years, and they contact me from time to time to ask if I know of any new or upcoming opportunities in the field. I have witnessed a few patterns that, I believe, can contribute to misunderstandings.

• Vocabulary – I have a friend who is always reminding me that “vocabulary is everything” and she has a very valid point. I often spend a lot of time asking for definitions of terms, phrases, and acronyms when meeting with clients for the first time. However, another example of using vocabulary effectively, caught me by surprise – job descriptions. I recently read a job description for a “Implementation Project Manager”. Throughout the job description this person was called a “Project Manager”, a “Project Coordinator” and a “Project Support Coordinator.” Which is it?

  • Suggestion: Terminology, and consistency, are both critical elements of a meaningful and effective job description. Based on this example, can you understand how these variations can significantly impact your search results when looking for a new job? Keep your messaging simple and consistent.

•  Lack of clarity with role – the title vs. the job description. If you poke around some of the job boards, you will see many instances of “Project Manager” titles, yet their job descriptions are filled with operational tasks, not project related responsibilities. As a reminder, the role of a Project Manager is to plan, manage, and organize the tasks and people to achieve the goals of the project. Yet I have seen the title of “Project Manager” on numerous roles that have operational responsibilities such as running the monthly invoices, creating the daily sales report, accounting of receipts, or ordering stock and supplies to name a few.    

  • Suggestion: If the role is for an individual to manage temporary endeavors that have a beginning and an end and produce a unique product, service, or result – then you’re looking for a Project Manager. If the responsibilities do not align with this definition, then the title of “Project Manager” will be misleading. Again, you can understand how this can impact the search results for someone who is an experienced Project Manager looking for a new opportunity.

• Limited knowledge of the role – keeping with the theme of project management, it surprises me to see so many job descriptions for a Project Manager that list numerous “Skills Required” for the role yet don’t seem to have a deep understanding for the Project Manager expertise. For instance, project management skills are highly transferable. I have read numerous job descriptions asking for candidates to have years of experience with several product lines, software tools, methodologies, and systems. Why? After 25+ years in the business, I have lead teams in 11 different industries, across 5 different countries. And I know for a fact that I don’t have experience in every industry, market segment or with every software solution. If I don’t have familiarity with it, I dive in and research it and learn about it.

  • Suggestion: Rely on the training of the Project Manager to leverage the transferability of their skills to learn about your market segment, industry, or systems if they need to. You could be missing out on a great Project Manager because they don’t have XX years of experience with a particular software tool. Don’t let that stop you! We should all be in pursuit of process improvements and learning. Always.   

• Project Management Certification requirements – many, many organizations who are looking for a Project Manager may indicate that they are looking for a “PMP”. This acronym refers to a Project Manager who has earned their Project Management Professional Certification from the Project Management Institute (PMI). I have seen job descriptions where the title of the role is “PMP”. I have observed some organizations where having the certification is more important than what the individual can do for the organization with that certification. I have also read job descriptions that require a certification that is specific for a particular methodology – Agile, Scrum, or Lean for instance, yet the organization doesn’t use those methodologies for their projects. How confusing. And again, this is limiting your pool of applicants.

  • Suggestion: Before requiring any certifications for a particular Project Manager role, determine what certifications would be most advantageous to the organization and if there are any certifications that, although not required, would be preferred.

If you are required to write a job description for a new Project Manager role in your organization, I hope that you will consider some of these observations and patterns that I have shared with you. Not only will it help you to find a better candidate, quicker, but it will also help the perspective candidates find new opportunities that align with their skills and expertise and significantly lower any stress they’ve been experiencing with the job search efforts.

Lastly the perceived value of a Project Manager, by the hiring organization, can vary greatly. How the organization regards the role of the Project Manager can be easily identified through the list of responsibilities, the terminology used in the job description, the experience required and how much the organization is willing to pay the candidate for their experience and expertise.  

I have been very fortunate in my career to work with organizations and individuals who value the expertise, knowledge, and experience that I have gained through my work over the last 25+ years. As we move into 2024, I am looking forward to continuing to share the power of project management with many organizations and individuals.

You never know, you might be one of them. You ready?