An
Exploration of Project Manager Job Openings
On August 26, 2015, Careerbuilder.com search results for “project
manager” returned 28,893 job listings.
Monster.com search results for “project manager” in
the aviation industry returned 276 job listings.
Careerbuilder.com and Monster.com returned job
openings within various industries and located from coast to coast. If looking for a project management career,
you’ll essentially have your choice of location and can choose an industry of
your choosing.
To delve deeper into the job postings, I selected four
job openings to compare and contrast:
v Boeing
is currently advertising for a Sr
Project Manager for their Jeppesen subsidiary.
v Virgin
Galactic is currently advertising for a Project
Manager for their commercial spaceline operations department.
v Serco
Inc. is currently advertising for an ATC
Project Manager for federal government support services.
v Townsend
& Associates is currently advertising for a Project
Manager to staff a Fortune 500 company.
After reading through each job posting, I was able
to identify the most common key words used in describing the job’s duties and
responsibilities. Job qualifications
were more varied and both categories are presented below in a table for easy
comparison:
The most interesting fact to observe in the table is similarities in the job description versus the dissimilarities in the qualifications portion. For the same tasks, companies will vary on the background required. This goes to show the varying techniques that companies use in their talent acquisition strategy and corporate culture.
At first glance, I thought it odd that Virgin Galactic has
such comparatively low requirements for being such a high tech oriented firm. It seemed counter-intuitive; they should be
seeking the most experienced and successful professionals to lead them. Then I remembered the kind of company that
Virgin is, their emphasis on unconventional everything, and effort to be
different. They don’t want a 10-year
professional, they want different. Their
job posting information regarding corporate culture stresses individuality,
innovation, entrepreneurial spirit, and humility. It makes sense now.
The similarities in job description is not surprising, the
field has evolved into a standardized practice with activities that can be
adapted to any field. The similarity is
encouraging for students, as they can target their education on these skill
sets and know what points to hit on a CV or in an interview. For professionals, I imagine the similarities
are encouraging because changing firms or industries would be less daunting
when tasks will remain relatively constant.
The skill set will be easily transferable if one desires a change of scenery
or specialty.
If you're looking to start a project management career, or a change within the field, there are plenty of opportunities to choose from. Consistency in the job description is a plus for job-seekers in that topics should not be lacking in a CV or interview scenario. Consistency, however, does not mean boring. The diverse nature of the project management duties means no two days will be the same! Good luck in your search!
Have any more advice to share? Have a different opinion? Please share in the comments!
