So a Project Manager(PM) position is something I wanted to have over the years but I was never accepted to any of my applications as an employee. So my question is that what a person can do to become a project manager? Almost all the job listings ask for 5+ experience in the field. The thing is you cannot have any experience if you never got the chance to work as one. There are so limited courses about this in BME also throughout your education. Even if you took all of them (my father is a professor for coursed teaches these at the university level and audited a lot of them) it is still not enough. What can a person do in the interview to show although he/she doesn't possess any experience under his/her belt he/she is capable in terms of knowledge to do the requirements of the job?
Hello,
On one of the lectures Dr. Simon mentions that project management positions are usually not given to entry level engineers. I believe that overall the position entails a lot of moving parts and different departments collaborating together that you would have to manage. You would need a ton of experience and know a little bit about all of the different sections , not only the actual device development but the quality assurance, regulatory, etc. I also think that classes and courses do not prepare you enough to be a project manager. All of the insight and experience will most likely come from the work place, once you are part of a team that has an undergoing project. Perhaps one way would be to collaborate with the project manager and shadow him as he leads the team.
Something that could give you an edge over other people would be acquiring a BMA or complete and earn one of the certificates Dr. Simon mentioned on his lectures (CAMP or PMP). These could perhaps show your motivation for the position and show that you at least know on paper how to lead a team.
Simon, J. Project Management 101. Medical Device Development - BME-684. Lecture 2.1. New Jersey Institute of Technology. N.J. 2020. Accessed 13 September 2020.
The responsibility of a project manager can vary greatly depending on the size of the project among other factors. Before you apply to a project management position, I think it’s important to determine the size of the project and honestly assess your capability for such responsibility. You won’t want to bite off more than you can chew, and the hiring manager will have this mentality prior to the interview. In the meantime, there are plenty of leadership roles within projects that can give you adequate experience managing tasks within a project. Study your managers every move and try to understand the reason behind each of their decisions. You can discuss these observations in the interview and explain how you could use those observations to avoid certain pitfalls. This may not count as project management experience, but it certainly counts as relevant understanding and a demonstrated interest in the position.
It will be very hard for anyone who does not have an experience to get a job as a project manager. One thing you can also do is to study for your PMP(Project Management Professional) certificate. You can also volunteer on a project and have an idea about the ins and outs. Nowadays , you can even studying online and go from there.
Generally, the project manager position is given to people with experience. It would be better to have work experience priorly as it will give you an idea about the whole work process first. But if you want to plan a career in that direction it's better to take up some courses related to project management to get an idea about project management. Further, it's better to get a PMP certification as well.
So a Project Manager(PM) position is something I wanted to have over the years but I was never accepted to any of my applications as an employee. So my question is that what a person can do to become a project manager? Almost all the job listings ask for 5+ experience in the field. The thing is you cannot have any experience if you never got the chance to work as one. There are so limited courses about this in BME also throughout your education. Even if you took all of them (my father is a professor for coursed teaches these at the university level and audited a lot of them) it is still not enough. What can a person do in the interview to show although he/she doesn't possess any experience under his/her belt he/she is capable in terms of knowledge to do the requirements of the job?
Im currently looking to apply to a project management position, ideally in a biotechnology, pharmaceutical, or medical company, and I have run into a similar problem of not meeting every requirement. So I started to look into the hierarchy of project management and found some positions that were still directly involved in project management and still paid well. Instead of looking at project manager positions that typically require more work experience than education, consider applying for an assistant project manager position. It requires some management experience but not specifically project management, and have a degree, certificate, or courses in the field will fulfill many requirements.
Happy Job searching. Best of luck!
So a Project Manager(PM) position is something I wanted to have over the years but I was never accepted to any of my applications as an employee. So my question is that what a person can do to become a project manager? Almost all the job listings ask for 5+ experience in the field. The thing is you cannot have any experience if you never got the chance to work as one. There are so limited courses about this in BME also throughout your education. Even if you took all of them (my father is a professor for coursed teaches these at the university level and audited a lot of them) it is still not enough. What can a person do in the interview to show although he/she doesn't possess any experience under his/her belt he/she is capable in terms of knowledge to do the requirements of the job?
Im currently looking to apply to a project management position, ideally in a biotechnology, pharmaceutical, or medical company, and I have run into a similar problem of not meeting every requirement. So I started to look into the hierarchy of project management and found some positions that were still directly involved in project management and still paid well. Instead of looking at project manager positions that typically require more work experience than education, consider applying for an assistant project manager position. It requires some management experience but not specifically project management, and have a degree, certificate, or courses in the field will fulfill many requirements.
Happy Job searching. Best of luck!
Great question and I too wonder something similar. Nowadays the recently educated or currently in college individuals, are stuck in a tough space. American society wants us to have years of education and years of experience. However, the problem with this is; they want to hire the most educated and experienced person at the same time. Most of us have spent years focusing on our academics to get good grades and be competitive and stand out however, the sacrifice more than not is that we are unemployed OR we take a job with nothing to do in our field but that provides security and to some level non-engaging psychologically so that we can put all of our brainpower into being a Stellar college student. I personally believe it is unrealistic to require both, extreme work experience and Stellar academic performance. That is why some positions stay open for months and even long enough where the agency may pull them down and modify them to advertise the position in a different manner. I am in this same situation. I also have not been successful in securing a new job or a summer internship that will term permanent yet. My recommendation is to create a CV and take it to your campus employment and career services and ask them to review and provide you with feedback and utilize your CV and your elevator pitch and keep pushing. Good luck!
I cannot imagine how frustrating it probably has been on your job hunt in terms of searching for the right project management position and despite the expensive amount of education that you have in order to gain the experience that’s necessary for the position, you need to be hired. That has to be frustrating! In some cases it could take months, perhaps years, to finally get your chance to take over as a project manager. Seeking this opportunity may require working on a project staff creating a project from scratch or putting together a small team or assessing the need for projects while working as a part of the organization. Another key is to have conversations with your predecessor and be candid about how they themselves were able to attain that position. It’s always good to make a good first impression and be the person that key stakeholders will rely on when new opportunities arise. Even while you’re trying to become a project manager be a stand out and be the go to person for stakeholders in the current projects you’re working on; that will set you apart and make you an ideal candidate for the next upcoming project. Happy hunting, future PM!!!!
As I am choosing my career path in Biotechnology, project management is definitely in consideration. I have also never seen any project manager positions that do not require experience. The scope of project management is not something that can be accomplished by an entry level manager or employee. Experience is life's greatest teacher, especially in projects with lots of vested interests. I appreciate the guidance above outlining the hierarchy that exists in a project. In doing so I can identify roles that suit my knowledge, skills, and abilities a provide the experience needed for growth in project management as a whole.
So a Project Manager(PM) position is something I wanted to have over the years but I was never accepted to any of my applications as an employee. So my question is that what a person can do to become a project manager? Almost all the job listings ask for 5+ experience in the field. The thing is you cannot have any experience if you never got the chance to work as one. There are so limited courses about this in BME also throughout your education. Even if you took all of them (my father is a professor for coursed teaches these at the university level and audited a lot of them) it is still not enough. What can a person do in the interview to show although he/she doesn't possess any experience under his/her belt he/she is capable in terms of knowledge to do the requirements of the job?
Everyone wants applicants to have experience prior to offering job opportunities, but no one wants to be the first to offer those positions to provide experience to those who need it. I am a teacher. I am also a teacher who wants to leave the classroom in pursuit of other endeavors. I find myself frustrated by this. I think educators are some of the most qualified to work in other fields as a second career, but most professions do not think the skills educators have will work in alternate venues. What is interesting is that most anyone can come from a field outside of education and get a job as an educator. Although I am working on this biotech degree, I have found that most all of the jobs for which I am interested require a substantial amount of experience just to apply. I recently found one position that requires a year or less. Keep looking and something will eventually work out.
It will be very hard for anyone who does not have an experience to get a job as a project manager. One thing you can also do is to study for your PMP(Project Management Professional) certificate. You can also volunteer on a project and have an idea about the ins and outs. Nowadays , you can even studying online and go from there.
Hi @ktk4njit-edu, I completely agree. Through my research, it seems that getting a job specifically as a project manager takes a good deal of experience. Even if you have a certificate for doing so, if you do not have experience it may as well be void. People want to see that you were successful in being a part of a team before they put you in charge of one.
I am also interested in the process of becoming an PMP. With the increase on education platforms and google offering a PMP certification, I am just trying to access which one would be the best financially as well as hold value. I have notice that a lot of people are doing online courses and offering a certification at the end, but does it hold value when submitting your resume to the company? What do you think? Would you take courses on Udemy, Coursera or Google?
I agree with many of those whose sentiment is that many who manage projects are experienced in their field before project management. There are many times that those who are very organized and understand the deliverables of the project are often the technical lead or project manager for their project if there is no organization structure has been established in their company.
One other interesting portion of younger project managers is that organizations are creating positions for solely project management and not just an extension of your current role. There is no requirement to have a PMP or any degree for the lower level positions and it is to help drive projects with someone who is fully trained to keep create a plan for engineering, marketing, clinical, etc. There was even a few interns within this group which is a very different approach than many project management type positions that you may see in most companies.
I think the most important thing in a job interview is to show that you have good communication with people and that you are a problem solver rather than a producer. Especially in today's business world, good communication skills and problem-solving techniques are the most sought-after features by many employers. It is a known fact that many global companies around the world focus on problem-solving skills, not just about the work to be done in their interviews. Today, almost everyone takes the same courses and has similar certificates, so the feature that will make a person stand out in an interview is not only the conferences he attends, the certificates he has, but how much he can adapt these features to real life. At the same time, another very important feature is the ability to communicate well with other people.\
Thanks!
