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The demand for project management skills continues to grow across a range of industries, and professionals are building lucrative and rewarding careers.
For nearly 50 years, the AIPM has been driving project management across Australia.
08th Apr 2022
That’s where the project manager comes in, ensuring that projects are delivered to a high standard, to budget and on time.
Becoming a highly sought-after project professional doesn’t happen overnight, as it takes training, on the job experience and continual upskilling.
In this in-depth guide we will take you through the must have project management skills, to help you navigate your career as a project manager with confidence.
“As a recruiter, who specialises in helping project managers progress in their career and find the right roles, I work with a wide range of project professionals. This includes those at the very beginning of their career journey through to highly experienced individuals that have a wealth of experience and are looking to give back. While their experience may differ greatly, the importance and need to continuously develop and remain relevant is equally important for both sides of the experience spectrum.” Nik Ruparel, Director, ProNEXUS Careers
To become a highly sought-after project manager today, you will need a combination of technical and behavioural skills:
Assess your project management skills with this free tool.
If we rewind a few decades, what we are likely to find is many professionals working in the one job for life. However, today there is a much greater mix of roles available, from full time, fixed length contracts to self-employment.
For the role of the project manager, contract roles are growing in popularity as organisations seek the flexibility to scale up and down on a project basis. Contracts also offer benefits to project managers in the form of continual career development and generally higher salary. At the same time there are still many roles available in the market that provide the stability of working for an organisation in house, full time.
In today’s market there is plenty of competition for project manager roles, as employers seek more expertise and capability. What this means is for highly competent project managers with expert knowledge and a wide skillset there is opportunity to create a fulfilling career in the project management profession, where you choose where and who you work for.
More organisations are seeking to employ individuals who can show they have the qualifications to back up their skills. Here are some of the options available for gaining qualifications in project management:
Find out more about the different courses available by visiting our project management Endorsed Course Directory.
You can complement your education and increase your employability by obtaining professional certification in project management with AIPM’s national project management certification.
Certification assesses your competency as a project manager and shows potential employers that you have the skillset and experience of the level of certification you acquire.
“Defence’s current project managers are certified through AIPM. Their experience, skills and ongoing training contributes significantly to Defence’s capability and infrastructure development, its science and research endeavours, and the Government’s security and development initiatives at home and in our immediate region.” Senator the Hon Linda Reynolds CSC, Minister For Defence
The understanding of multiple methodologies, methods and tools and the application of these is a crucial skill to have as you progress through your career.
Some commonly used project management approaches are:
If you would like to learn more, read our project management methodologies guide for a full overview.
After graduating with a Bachelor of Advanced Science, First Class Honours at the University of New South Wales, Dylan Hvasanov started his career as a mud logging geologist in the oil and gas industry.
After two years in the role, Dylan changed careers to engineering consulting in a graduate position at GHD. As part of the two-year Graduate Development Program, he had the opportunity to work in other parts of the business to explore and gain experience. One of his rotations saw Dylan work for the Department of Defence, overseeing the construction of shelters and hardstands for the storage of critical bridging equipment.
Through this project Dylan realised that he had a passion for the challenge and sense of satisfaction from seeing the whole lifecycle of an idea, from inception through to completion and decided to make the career transition to project manager.
Dylan is currently part of the Project Management team at GHD in Sydney, and a Design Team Delivery Lead and Clients Representative Assistant PMCA on various Department of Defence projects. He is generally the main point of contact between the client and the design team and, as such, he undertakes day-to-day coordination between the construction contractor and the design team.
As Dylan made the transition in his career he obtained Certified Practising Project Practitioner (CPPP) level of RegPM certification on 1 July 2019 through automatic recognition of his AIPM endorsed Diploma in Project Management.
Dylan attributes much of his success to networking and having great mentors to draw on for advice:
“People often undervalue the importance of having good mentors and support around you. My mentor played a significant role in my development as a project manager, providing advice on how to deal with situations, when they don’t necessarily go smoothly.”
“I wouldn’t be where I am without the support of the subject matter experts and consultants that I work with. I think it’s critical to draw on advice from people who are knowledgeable and have many years of experience. If you’re wanting to pursue a career in project management or make a career transition, my advice is to put yourself out there and talk to the right people.”
To become a project manager that stands out from the crowd, embracing life-long or continuous learning is essential. The skills required of the project manager are constantly being updated. In a competitive landscape project management professionals can differentiate themselves through added qualifications and skills, which can help you stand out from the crowd.
By taking on the mantra of owning your career through continuous education you begin to take control, make better decisions and put yourself in a position, where you have the best possible opportunities to decide on the roles and organisations you want to work for.
Take our quick self-evaluation quiz to assess your project experience and help you determine your certification level.
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