We start with Josh Nankivel from PMStudent.com, where he helps new project managers achieve their career goals.

B: What is the topic you write about?

J: “I write about topics that new and aspiring project managers are interested in, with their perspective in mind.  Some of these include project management fundamentals, career topics like resume writing and interviewing, how to gain experience, education, etc.”

Josh and me

B: How did you come up with this topic? (or, why this topic?)

J: “I was a professional trainer for years before getting into project management.  I have always loved teaching people and helping them acheive their goals.  After I became passionate about the discipline of project management, it was a match made in heaven!”

B: What triggered you to start online? Was there a specific cause?

J: “In the beginning…  I started blogging primarily out of a desire to document my own thoughts about Theory of Constraints and Critical Chain project management, and formulate applications to my daily work.  I hadn’t even been reading any blogs, I had just discovered what they were actually. 

I remember thinking, “Hey, this is cool!  I’ve got to check this out!”

I figured that if I wrote my thoughts down on a public blog it would be a good way to hold myself accountable and then I could reference it whenever I wanted to.  I never really thought anyone would end up reading my blog when I started, but I didn’t care back then either.”

B: What are the main questions you are trying to answer?

J: “There are 3 primary questions I try to answer for my audience:

• How do I become a project manager?
• How do I deal with people on projects? (soft skills)
• How do I use process and tools on projects? (hard skills)”

B: Is your current topic different from a while ago?

J: “Yes, my writing has evolved over time to be much more focused.  At first, I just wrote about whatever came to mind, very broad and general project management topics.  As I began to realize who I really wanted to reach out to and help, my focus shifted.  Since then I have created several newsletters and training courses geared specifically towards new and aspiring project managers, and my writing, podcasts, and videos are all focused on that group of people I want to help.”

B: Why are you active online?

J: “The primary reason for me is the opportunity to interact with people who are interested in the same things I am interested in, and at the same time knowing that I am helping a large number of people all around the world with specific problems they have.  I especially love helping people through challenges and those emails I get when someone achieves a major goal or milestone in their project management career.”

B: How did your online activity affect you?

J: “Here are a few key benefits I’ve gained.

• Broadened Perspective – I have been able to interact with people from all over the world and many who disagreed with my approaches and had great approaches of their own.  I have learned so much this way and gained some exposure to project environments outside my own country.
• Relationships – There are so many great people that I have met through my online activity.  It has opened doors for me to build relationships with other people who do similar work online and for volunteer opportunities as well.  My life would look much different today if I had never started blogging.
• Recognition – I won’t lie, it does feel good when lots of people like what you are doing.  It’s crazy to think that now I get books mailed to me all the time by publishers, software licenses from PM tool vendors, etc.  I don’t have time to review them all, but I’m more shocked that anyone values my opinion and presence that much to seek me out.  It’s all good for the ego and has helped me realize that most people undervalue their abilities…anyone could be doing what I’m doing.
• Professional Development – I’m a better project manager, communicator, and teacher because of my activities online.  The process of writing and editing has made my email communication at work much better.  I’m more focused at work and can cut to the meat of issues much more quickly and get them resolved.  I am more proactive than I have ever been, and a better mentor than I have ever been before.

The great thing is, it just keeps getting better!”

B: Is your online “voice” different from your “real” persona?

J: “Not much, if at all.  That is one thing that has changed over the years too.  At first my writing was very academic in style.  Now I basically write and record podcasts, video training, etc. as if I’m sitting next to someone and mentoring them in person.  That is one trick I use, to picture a specific individual who I am communicating with because it makes it much more natural and sincere.

The only caveat is that I don’t communicate my feelings on unrelated topics.  Just like everyone else, I have a lot of opinions about “the human condition” and what goes on in our daily lives.  There have been times where I almost wrote about unrelated topics on my blog, but for the most part I stick to the topic areas that I’m known for.  I wouldn’t want someone to be put off because we disagree on some unrelated topic; I want to help as many people as I can, regardless of where they are from or what their world views are.”

B: What was/is your biggest challenge being active online?

J: “Managing my time.  The amount of people asking me questions via email or inside my pmStudent e-Learning program has exploded over the years, and yet I’m adamant about handling each and every one of these personally and as quickly as possible.  If you send me an email, you will get a response, period.  As far as I know, I’ve responded to every question I’ve ever received.

Over time I’ve learned how to use the questions as the basis for blog posts, videos, podcasts, and my video training courses.  This has helped, and I even think I’m receiving less email – hopefully because I am getting better at answering the common questions up-front.”

Check out his blog at PMStudent.com.

Bas de Baar helps people find ways to enjoy the diversity of human interaction in their organizations so that they can get out of their own way and achieve their goals. - Professionals And Social Media: Interview With Josh Nankivel is a post from: Project Shrink.

Getting started in project management can be tough. When starting out, there are many questions and challenges to face, and they are different based on your particular background and situation.

People who struggle with this come from various backgrounds:

Project Newbies – You might be a recent graduate or switching careers. If you have no experience whatsoever with working on or managing projects, it can seem almost impossible to get your foot in the door.

Technical Gurus – You have been on project teams and been “in the trenches”
getting things done. Now it seems that managing these projects is your calling, but you have to go through a paradigm shift and learn new skills to make the transition.

People Managers – You have been managing people and are good at it. Now you want to expand your horizons and switch from the day-to-day management of functional teams to the dynamic environment of delivering unique projects.

You might be trying to break into project management, or you may be an “Accidental Project Manager” who looked up one day and asked, “What have I gotten myself into?” A project fell in your lap somehow. How do you get good at managing it, now that it is a thorn in your side great opportunity in your life?

The questions I get most from these groups center around expanding knowledge, gaining experience, and planning your career path. Answers change based on individual circumstances. Your personality attributes and background play heavily into the path forward.

Hard and Soft Skills

Natural aptitudes vary from person to person, but you can acquire a level of competency for nearly all project management skills through education and experience.

Hard Skills refer to competency with the tools and techniques of formal project management. If you are analytical by nature, hard skills are relatively easy for you to acquire and master.

Soft Skills or “people skills” include competency in communication and relationships with other people. Outgoing “people persons” have a natural aptitude to be comfortable in this arena, but can also engage in many ineffective approaches when lacking in knowledge and experience. Do not confuse personal attributes with soft skills. I cannot influence personal attributes and aptitudes, but I can teach soft skills.

Building Knowledge

Regardless of which group you belong to, you will need to expand your knowledge base.

Technical Gurus will likely pick up the hard skills quickly, but many of the soft skills practices of managing people effectively and politics may be somewhat new. People Managers will find soft skill nuances in project environments and many of the hard skills will be new territory.

Project Newbies may be familiar with some of the theories in project management, but
are going to need a lot of real-world knowledge, experience, and coaching to land that first job and formulate their project manager career path.

Some great sources of real-world project management education include:

• Blogs/Podcasts – Use sites like http://blogsearch.google.com to find them
• Books – Focus on the basics first, follow the cutting edge later
• Join PM Organizations – Local PMI Chapters are a great example
• Training – Focus on gaining useful knowledge, certifications come later!

Finding a Mentor and Gaining Experience

A mentor is a huge boon to you if you can find one. You can find mentors by networking locally or online, but be sure you approach
them in the right wayand offer benefit to them in exchange for their wisdom. Your goal should be to offer valuable assistance to potential mentors, with the hope (but not expectation) they will reciprocate by sharing their lessons learned.

Do not just ask to “shadow” them. What value are you offering them? Ask if there are
tasks (mundane as they may be) that you could do for them, to free their time up. If you are a project team member, ask if you can help compile the status report or take meeting minutes during project meetings.

Donate your time; this is in addition to your current responsibilities. Whether volunteering
for another organization or within your own company, this is a great way to gain experience. Within your own organization you should let it be known you are interested in project management; not just through words but by your daily actions.

What You Need To Grow

Is the organization you work for now a good environment for your desired career path?

Does your company make money by delivering successful projects, and/or do they respect Project Management as a formal discipline worth investing in? If so, you will likely see opportunities for entry-level positions in project management that provide specialization such as:

• Project Controller
• Project Coordinator
• Project Assistant
• Project Analyst
• Project Scheduler
• Junior Project Manager
• Assistant Project Manager

Other organizations may have a progression of technical or management roles through which you can pass and eventually start managing your own projects. Whatever your situation, put yourself into the best environment possible, and plan out your career path ahead of time so you have a roadmap with goals to follow.

Oh, and when you get there, be a mentor for someone else!

About the author: Josh Nankivel, BSc PM, PMP helps new project managers achieve their career goals.

He has been managing IT and non-IT projects in Computing, Financial Services, Telecommunications, and Aerospace for over a decade. Josh lives in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, USA with his wife and 3 sons.

Bas de Baar helps people find ways to enjoy the diversity of human interaction in their organizations so that they can get out of their own way and achieve their goals. - Starting Your Project Management Career is a post from: Project Shrink.

You can watch our presentation in episode 31 of The Project Shrink Podcast.

You can click here if the episode isn’t displayed below.

This presentation was the first part of a larger session called “Why Should You Care About Social Media?” This session was presented by members of the PMI New Media Council. In the next weeks I will be posting presentations about Yammer, Personal Branding and cautionary tales using social media.

Bas de Baar helps people find ways to enjoy the diversity of human interaction in their organizations so that they can get out of their own way and achieve their goals. - Why Should You Care About Social Media? is a post from: Project Shrink.

Today I would like to ask for your voice on a topic of concern to project managers. What impacts on project management (in particular) have you seen from the state of the economy?

Just 2 questions…where in the world are you from and the main question. Thanks in advance for participating! I will publish a summary on pmStudent.com later on with some of the highlights and findings.

Click here to answer the two questions (takes less than 60 seconds).

Bas de Baar helps people find ways to enjoy the diversity of human interaction in their organizations so that they can get out of their own way and achieve their goals. - Your Feedback Requested: Impact of the current economy on PM is a post from: Project Shrink.