Insight

From a varied journey to job security and the potential for advancement (to name a few), choosing a Project Manager career path has many advantages. The recent rise in the number of roles that need project-related expertise means there is certainly no shortage of prospects for those with the right skill set. However, achieving your ultimate Project Manager career goals requires a little bit of effort, and a whole lot of forward planning.

To help you out, here are four key ways you can enhance your project management career, based on our industry experience.

Establish a Clear Career Path

Career development for Project Managers starts with establishing a clear vision for the future. Despite being great at organising a team’s work, many neglect their own career paths. However, establishing a solid career plan can provide direction and help with decision-making. A good place to start is by determining a clear end goal and understanding where you would like your career to go. From here, break this down into short, mid and long-term Project Manager career goals to offer scope on the key milestones. It’s important to ensure they are relevant, specific and achievable, whilst still be ambitious enough to keep you motivated. If you’re a visual person, writing these goals down can be useful as well.

Lastly, be proactive in communicating these goals to peers, mentors and, in particular, supervisors. Everyone wants something different out of their career, so making your aims known will enable managers to provide the right opportunities to develop your career in the long run.
 

Build a Professional Network

One of the best ways to enhance your project management career is by creating a solid network of professional contacts. This will help open doors to opportunities that you may not have known existed. As technologies change and modern methodologies surface, you’ll be able to leverage your network to fortify your skills and build knowledge.

Attend conferences, industry events, meetups or even join professional groups online via LinkedIn (organisations like EGC regularly host events too). These networking channels will allow interaction with industry leaders and managers, as well as an avenue to learn about best practices and current trends. However, don’t just focus on other Project Managers – project management is involved in a wide range of industries, so target the ones that pique your interest the most and establish rapport with key people at every level.