Category Archives: Networking

Careers Advice, CV Tips, Friday Snippet, Networking, News, Project Management, Project management career progression

Building up your PPM network

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With the increasing use of social networking sites such as Twitter, Linkedin, Google+, Facebook, Pinterest etc there is no excuse not to get professionally involved in project management groups to widen your networks – however some groups can seem a little cliquey to begin with and when first starting out it can seem like your first day at a new school when you have no friends. The key to engaging with groups is to make sure you sit back and take a look at how others communicate, gaining a sense of etiquette and what is OK to talk about will set you in good stead to start engaging with like-minded individuals. Do not be afraid to ask questions to get involved in the groups and strike up a conversation. Also take a look at some of the more prominent and respected members of the groups to see their backgrounds and read through their blogs. Taking an interest in a particular subject or adding your opinion will gain you credibility quite quickly too. Once you start to strike up conversations you will find others get involved and add their comments too.

If you have a particular interest in a subject then research to see if there are groups already formed covering the subject and also check out journals – each month they will pick topics for their content and you may well have something you can add in the form of an article. Make sure you are prominent in social networks if you plan to do this so others can make contact after reading your article. You will be surprised by how many do make the effort to make contact to discuss the subject further or simply to agree / disagree with your opinions.

As a project professional I would suggest as a bare minimum you have a Linkedin account which is up to date and a twitter account which will help you be contactable – then join in some of the active groups, there are hundreds on Linkedin and a good starting point for twitter would be #pmot and #pmchat.

By widening your network you will naturally start to keep abreast of new techniques being used and also share in the war stories of project professionals in the battlefield of project management. Not only will this enhance your working knowledge of PPM you may also get to hear about new job opportunities, writing articles for journals will enhance your resume and demonstrate your dedication to the PPM profession.

Careers Advice, CV Tips, Networking, News, PMO, Project Management

Sing about your projects

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As a project management professional – whether a deliverer or a support person, you are often quite used to being in the spot light with your stakeholders and within the business; usually when things aren’t going to plan and occasionally receiving recognition for success too. But beyond the realms of a close knit environment, how can you get noticed?

I have worked with a number of organisations who actively promote the use of social networking to talk about their project achievements albeit more heavily with the not for profit businesses but slowly the larger private sector organisations are starting to realise the benefits of external promotion for their project management endeavours. Using the likes of twitter and LinkedIn can really help raise the profile of your projects and of your efforts. Utilising these free tools you can not only spread the good word but also impress your sponsors too – as news is picked up and interest is drawn into the piece of work the organisation naturally will have some good, free marketing and I have yet to find an organisation who doesn’t like good news being spread about them. Of course if you are working on sensitive projects or programmes – you are unlikely to be able to spread the word but even for the smaller change initiatives it could be well worth commanding some attention.

Through marketing out your successes and working progress you are likely to gain interest from your peers who may be looking for another perspective to consider or apply to their practices and you will start to form networks of PM professionals who will value your opinion and may be able to offer advice and exchange war stories about their experiences.

You will soon become noticed for the right reasons and may even open up opportunities for yourself in your career. Once you enter into the realms of sharing information you are likely to be invited to PM conferences and into organisations to talk about how you work and what strategies you apply to your projects. Again this is easily sold into the senior management team through the reminder that promoting your organisations best practice approach and how other organisations will learn and benefit from this is a fantastic advert for the project management team and company name.

 

Careers Advice, CV Tips, Friday Snippet, Networking, PMO, Project Management, Q&A

What else can I be doing? – Questions asked, Friday snippet

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Following on from my previous blog posts addressing questions asked during consultations this week we have a good question from a project support professional wanting to progress:
 I have what I feel is a strong CV and have built up a good level of experience in the project management field – I have also taken my PRINCE2 and various other in-house PM courses to bolster my chances of progressing in my career. Is there anything else I can be doing?
Emma, Project Support Administrator; South East.


Hi Emma, many thanks for your question – I can see from your question and current position you wish to climb the career ladder and are doing all the right things so far. I agree there is more you could be doing to help the progression such as gaining further experience and networking.
In your current role supporting a number of projects’ administration you could volunteer yourself up to assist a project manager directly either by coordinating activities or by taking on smaller projects (or aspects of them), in doing this you will build up trust with the delivery team and should get noticed for the right reasons. A great deal of projects seem to be lacking resources in the current climate so any offer to ease the burden should be gratefully received. Try talking to the programme or PSO manager and explain your interest in progress and being more heavily involved in the “doing” aspect. Of course you need to understand that such a move will increase your workload as you will still have your daily duties to perform. The more exposure you can gain in the delivery environment, the more extensive your skill set will be and whether you wish to progress in the support or delivery aspect of project management you will gain great experience. A good support person would ideally have exposure to delivery too; likewise a good delivery person will need the stern foundations of the support aspect to be effective in the team environment.
Networking is a great way to gain some good exposure to others in the field – often the larger project management networking events are coupled with presentations and seminars which are a great way to learn more about the reality of various aspects of project management. There are a number of organisations which run events (some are free) which I believe are a great starting point for networking. Go along and see what they have to offer and start getting to know professionals in the field – you can gain a great deal of knowledge and insider information from these people and moving forward, you may impress one enough to stick in their mind when a new position appears in their team.
I shall continue with the Q&A – if you have any questions you would like answering, get in touch: www.thecvrighter.co.uk

Careers Advice, guest blogger, Interviews, Networking, Project Management

Five Ways to Improve Your Presentation Skills

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Over the course of your studies there tend to be countless public speaking opportunities, whether it be in assemblies, presentations, acting or accepting awards. Mastering being heard, listened to and informative is a skill which will not only get you through school, college and university with good grades, but also through your career and social life, too.

Being a great public speaker is a gift very few people have innately. The poise, the charisma and the connection with the audience are things that can be learnt and honed. Whether presenting a finding from your BTEC or A Level to your teachers, in a job interview, speaking at a friend’s wedding or reporting to your boss, here are five ways to improve your presentation skills that will see you through your life…

Connect

Whether your audience is 2 people or 2 hundred, connecting with them is vitally important. It’s essential to connect through body language and eye contact and using open, friendly gestures with your arms and hands. Likewise, moving (if you’re not sitting) confidently and freely, keeps the audience’s attention on you. Also, the use of eye contact, and frequent questions (and listening to the answers, of course) maintains engagement. Feed off your audience – involve them if you can.

Notes

It’s never a bad idea to have notes to give you guidance, but by the same token it’s important not to try to not read from them. While preparation is key, too many notes can be a hindrance, particularly when used as a crutch. This goes for interviews, award ceremonies and exam presentations.

Practice

As your own worst critic, practising in front of a mirror can help enormously to hone your presentation skills. Practice does make perfect – and timing yourself and owning the information you are going to portray is crucial. Practising in different environments is also important – that way you are more likely to be prepared for any eventuality. You are there to deliver something: make sure you really get through to your audience, think about how you are going to do that and practise that method.

The Message

Message is everything. Ensure what you are saying is actually relevant, interesting and concise. If humour is appropriate, add it. What do you want people to take away from your presentation? Identify it and ensure it comes across clearly in your speech. If you are presenting at the end of your course or part of an interview, ensure your conclusion or your findings form the focus of the presentation.

Be Memorable

Using aids or props such as PowerPoint, PDF presentations or music adds interest and can make the presentation more memorable to your audience. If you want audience participation and are worried about them not coming forward, have sweets or things to throw to get them to lighten up, relax and realise it’s a bit of fun for them.

Sarah Spencer is a teacher and guest blogger who is passionate about education.