Project Manager Job Openings

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!