Top tips to get ahead in project management

Welcome to the second blog in our series on project management. We’ve already discussed the burning topic of ‘how do you fare’ against other Project Managers and now we present our ‘top tips’ to get ahead in your management career based upon APMs trend and market survey.

With the average project manager earning “between £40,000-£49,000” a year and working in corporations with over 250 employees, the desire to move ahead in your career is appealing. With 70% of those surveyed stating that their organisation is growing and 47% stating that they are looking to recruit more staff, now could be the best time to think about that next step.

So how can you get ahead in project management? What gives the best candidates that extra edge and how do they achieve it? APMs report not only gives a typical profile of its members but shows the ways in which you can climb the project management ladder.

Professional Membership

Becoming a member of a professional body specialising in project management not only looks good on your CV but can bring with it opportunities to network and learn new skills with other members. Membership as an Associate, a Fellow or a full member of a professional body is a common trademark of high-earning Project Managers. According to its study “nearly a quarter of all Fellows [at APM] earned £100,000 or more per annum.”

Qualifications

This goes hand in hand with your professional membership and can lead to new training opportunities from industry experts at exclusive or heavily discounted events. APMs trend survey revealed that within their own membership “Professional qualifications give you a significant advantage; 44% with qualifications earned up to £60,000 compared to 34% without.” RICS Recruit also states how important executive level training can really be in making the leap to management material as industries becoming increasingly global.

 

Finding the perfect role

Finding the perfect career development opportunity through traditional methods is now a thing of the past with vacancies filled via social media and web ads replacing newspaper searches. Using recruitment agencies was a popular method for 35% of APM project management members surveyed.

For more information about getting that perfect role, why not take a look at our top tips for creating a successful LinkedIn profile, cover letter or how to do well in interviews.

 

To download the APM market and trends survey from their website, you can visit the page here.